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From today's Telegraph online:
"Boris Johnson will be setting out his roadmap out of lockdown on February 22, but no decision has yet been taken on schools, a minister has said.
Victoria Atkins has confirmed the Prime Minister will be making his announcement the Monday - rather than the week of, as suggested by Downing Street yesterday - keeping hopes alive that schools can reopen on March 8 as promised. "
Could it be this place?
https://www.euronews.com/2020/12/01/criticism-as-madrid-opens-100-million-hospital-for-covid-19-patients
Talking about AZ but could equally refer to Avacta:
"If you want to succeed as an investor you have to spot something the rest of the market hasn’t: you need information or insight about a stock that others lack. "
AL Good evening Prime Minister. How are You?
BJ Not good - just been woken from my power nap by that damned dog.
AL Is that your dog Dylan?
BJ Yes. Carrie wanted to call him Dougal after that shaggy haired dog in the Magic Roundabout but Dom vetoed it and so we called him Dylan after the rabbit. Trouble is he has terrible wind. I had Ursula round before Christmas and he dropped a pearler. “I'm very sorry about that. I must apologise” I said to Ursula.
Al What did Ursuala say?
BJ she replied “ You are so honest Boris. If you had not said anything I would have sworn it was the dog”. Preferred Junker myself – now he could organise a p**s up in a brewery. Sorry Al I digress. Nearly there?
AL Just got the hall to decorate and then I’ve finished.
BJ Actually I meant our NHS branded tests. Our very own Sovereign Test Devices. Good name eh Al? Couldn’t fit it on the slides so they are being labelled STDs.
AL Will it be you or Mr Han**** who launches the tests?
BJ No way will Zebedee be involved – I mean Matt. Carrie calls him Zebedee because he looks like he has a spring stuck up his backside. Have to go now Al. Wilf needs burping. Don’t forget the invitation to the house warming!
From Telegraph online:
Jeremy Hunt said having coronavirus immunity passports was a "very sensible policy" and that other countries had shown how such schemes can work - just minutes after Number 10 denied it was working on such a policy.
"I think it is a very sensible policy and I know that the Government is looking at how that might work," the former health secretary told BBC Radio 4's World At One.
"You need something that shows whether someone has had a vaccine and whether they have been tested recently.
From today's Telegraph:
“motivated reasoning”, a psychological phenomenon that often pollutes policy debates. There are certain things we want to be true given how we think the world works or what’s in our interest. This can lead us to treat evidence that counters our beliefs with extreme scepticism, while embracing dodgy claims that chime with our priors. Academic studies even show we become more resistant to contrary evidence the more knowledgeable we are. It’s a pernicious form of reasoning, both because it is difficult to catch yourself doing it and because it has never been easier to engage in. With so much information online, there is always some factoid you can find to support your case, even when it is objectively absurd.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/02/04/covid-has-brought-another-fierce-malady-scourge-motivated-reasoning/
Boris bet the bank on vaccines and by side lining the public service stole a march and earned many brownie points. There are early signs that this is helping many of his mistakes to be forgotten/forgiven.
However we are still locked down and he has promised a road map (exit strategy?) to be revealed on 22 February. Posts on this board suggest that Boris may have taken a similar approach to testing with a Rapid Testing Consortium and that Avacta/BBI/Abingdon are central to this. In addition it is likely that ODX will be making Avacta tests.
With the possibility (certainty?) of variants being introduced into the UK, international travel is a huge problem. In recent months with less than 10% of normal air travel, airlines have had to deploy the normal number of staff to deal with imposed restrictions. Airlines are trialling secure apps that certify test results and IMO soon to be added vax certificates in order to deal with the expected pent up demand that will surge once people are able to fly again.
Ahead is a period of uncertainty when we will find out how effective vaccines really are on a national level and what problems the yet to mutate variants may have. This uncertainty will affect how we reopen hospitality, entertainment and leisure as well as courts, offices and shops.
There has been no bad news from Avacta. If you believe that the test are making significant progress and if you believe that the RTC will be a key player is Boris’s roadmap then hold tight, watch out for the leaks prior to the 22nd February and then prepare to celebrate!
There's a huge backlog of cases and this is one example of where LFTs will be crucial regardless of vaccines.
https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-labour-call-for-slimmed-down-wartime-juries-to-clear-backlog-of-crown-court-cases-12199994
A spokesman for AstraZeneca refuted the claims as "completely incorrect" and said data published in November demonstrated "strong immune responses" in older adults with 100 per cent of second dose recipients generating "spike-specific antibodies".
From the Telegraph.
The AstraZeneca jab has only been found to be eight per cent effective in the over-65s and will not be approved by the European Medicines Agency for use for that age group, according to reports in the German tabloid Bild and Handelsblatt on Monday night, citing unnamed sources.