On this day in 2020...20th September

Extract from the book:

?*OUT NOW*

?SUNDAY 20th SEPTEMBER 2020

Facts and figures.

Sunday 13th September 2020 – 2,621 new cases, 9 deaths.

Monday 14th September 2020 – 3,105 new cases, 27 deaths.

Tuesday 15th September 2020 – 3,991 new cases, 20 deaths.

Wednesday 16th September 2020 – 3,995 new cases, 21 deaths.

Thursday 17th September 2020 – 4,432 new cases, 27 deaths.

Friday 18th September 2020 – 4,422 new cases, 27 deaths.

Saturday 19th September 2020 – 3,899 new cases. 27 deaths.

Global figures continue to rise unabated:

Total cases worldwide – 30,881,522

Total reported deaths – 958,493

In the USA:

Total cases - 6,794.499

Total deaths – 199.469

Failed.

The new r rate published on Friday stands at between 1.1 and 1.4. This is not great news because as we know once the rate exceeds 1 then it grows, and it increases exponentially unless proactively curtailed.

At best for every 10 cases, 11 people will be infected, at worst for every 10 a further 14 will be infected. It is starting to look like the second wave is lapping at our shores.

When we returned to lockdown, the Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty warned that at all costs, we must not allow the r rate to exceed 1. We have failed in that regard.

Bingo.

Saturday’s UK case figures are the highest since 8th May 2020. New cases are rising exponentially now and will continue to do so.

When I look at the figures for last week, I sometimes wonder if there is some bloke in a room randomly picking numbers, but I guess that is how they fall.

Four out of the seven days had precisely 27 deaths recorded.

Quarantine list.

Slovenia and Guadeloupe have been added to the UK’s quarantine list while Thailand and Singapore have been removed commencing yesterday (Saturday). Slovenia is now at 29.1 per 100k. Guadeloupe has had a tremendous 558% spike in infections over the past three weeks.

?Daily news.

Lancashire is to be the latest part of the UK to face strict coronavirus lockdown rules which came into force yesterday (Saturday).

Restrictions will cover the whole of Lancashire except for two-thirds of the seaside resort of Blackpool. No need to say that Blackpool has become rather busy.

There is also speculation that another big city–Leeds will be added to the list.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said that,

?‘this week the number of patients in mechanical ventilator beds has risen above 100 for the first time since July. The battle against coronavirus is not over.’

Unchecked.

Sky news report that Boris Johnson is considering the introduction of new national restrictions even as soon as next week. It will fall short of a full lockdown but is likely to include essential travel only, restaurants and bars to shut or have restricted hours, and different households not allowed to mix.

Professor Chris Whitty warns of a substantial increase in the number of cases by mid-October if the virus is left unchecked.

Both SAGE and SPIM have suggested a national lockdown to the Prime Minister. Matt Hancock told Sky’s Kay Burley,

?‘The last line of defence is full national action, and I don’t want to see that but we will do whatever is necessary to keep people safe in a very difficult pandemic.’

Five or six?

The UK's situation is like Belgium, which recently began a second spike, but their government thwarted this taking action, albeit they had ‘The rule of five’ rather than ‘The rule of six.’

There is talk of a ‘circuit breaker’ to cut the spread by a short sharp lockdown. That could work, and I think it may be on the cards, but the virus will still be here once we emerge out of it. It feels like we are trying to buy time for the vaccine. What else can we do?

Crackers.

Somewhat ominously, London has cancelled their New Year’s Eve fireworks to prevent people gathering to welcome in 2021.

Naysayers.

In the meantime, the naysayers and the deniers seem to grow; claiming flu is more deadly than Covid-19 and the government is trying to control us by muzzling us. It is all a hoax, and so on. They refuse to wear a mask and see this refusal as a badge of honour and everyone that does are ‘sheep’ and gullible.

For all I know, half of these on social media are Chinese and Russian bots encouraging this approach. Who would have thought it was so complicated? There were thousands demonstrating in London yesterday (Saturday), these were the anti-maskers and the freedom seekers.

Upping the ante.

The biggest news in the last few days is the government upping the ante regarding self-isolation. Laws will force those who may have coronavirus to self-isolate and face huge fines of up to ￡10,000 for non-compliance.

Research suggests that just 20% of those reporting symptoms fully self-isolate for the required 2 weeks according to SAGE.

Prime Minister Johnson is changing the law from Monday 28th September 2020 to force self-isolation by stiff fines.

People will be required by law to self-isolate if they test positive or are contacted by the test and trace service.

Fines will start at ￡1,000 but can be as much as ￡10,000 for repeat offenders or the most serious breaches.

The self-isolation rules will be mirrored by those who should quarantine when coming into the country.

Lump.

Those people in work on low incomes will claim a ￡500 lump sum payment if they cannot work from home and are required to self-isolate, either because they’ve tested positive or are a close contact with a positive case.

This is to make up for any income they may lose because they have to stay at home. Just under 14 million people will be eligible. Those who can claim must be:

• Told by NHS Test and Trace, they are required to self-isolate
• Employed or self-employed
• Unable to work from home and will lose income as a result
• Currently receiving universal credit, working tax credit, income-based employment and support allowance, income support, housing benefit and/or pension credit.

There will be extra checks –

• Test and Trace call handlers will make regular contact with those self-isolating. They will notify authorities if they suspect a breach.
• Police will check those in areas where COVID is worst and in high-risk groups.
• High profile and the worst cases of non-compliance will be investigated and prosecuted.
• Instances, where third parties have identified others who have tested positive but not self-isolated, will be acted upon.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says,

?‘The best way we can fight this virus is by everyone following the rules and self-isolating if they’re at risk of passing on coronavirus.’

?The Sunday Newspaper headlines:

￡10,000 Fine If You Refuse to Self-Isolate.

?– Sunday Mirror.

￡10,000 Fine for Leaving House.

?– The Mail On Sunday.

Thousands of New Nurses To Fight Second Wave.

?- The Independent.

￡10,000 fines for failing to self-isolate as infections soar.

– The Observer.

￡10,000 fine for people who fail to self-isolate.

?– The Sunday Times.

￡10,000 Fine If You Won’t Self-Isolate.

?– Sunday Express.

?The one in ten.

Vaccine wise, Sky News Science correspondent, Thomas Moore says the global picture is such that only one in ten people worldwide will be protected from COVID-19 in the first year of its use. Just two billion doses could be made in 2021 even at full capacity by the manufacturers.

Only 12% of the 7.8 billion population could receive a two-stage vaccine. 7 of the 9 prototype vaccines are two-stage inoculations.

Calculations by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations show that even if the manufacturing capacity doubled, as planned, over the next twelve months, less than half the world’s population would be protected by the end of 2022.

Author’s note:?This may well affect social distancing rules continuing and even create a two-tier system of those inoculated and immune versus those who are not.

It will mean trouble that is for certain, and we may find ourselves caught in a half-way house of having the technology to thwart the virus, but the inability to deliver it to all parts of society simultaneously, creating the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots.’.

Not tackling the problem.

In lighter news, a German football team lost 37-0 after socially distancing from their opponents.

SG Ripdorf/Molzen had requested the football authorities that the game not take place against SV Holdenstedt, who had a player previously infected with COVID-19.

The request was refused, so Ripdorf fielded the minimum number of players – 7 and they socially distanced during the game. So, not much tackling going on and defenders running away from attackers would have been a sight to see.

?Family life:

Big families.

I invited my children up for Sunday lunch and this proved a little awkward. Why? Because if all attend there would be 7 of us in total, which is against the rule of six.

So, I had to do it in stages and asked my son, Andy and Kate, if we could catch up another day. Thankfully, Andy texted me asking if he could come up on his own as Katie was going to her sisters. This meant we could all meet, albeit Andy’s fiancée couldn’t, which is a shame.

I suspect there will be many such problems around the country by those abiding by the law. I can only see this being worse as if we go to stricter lockdown measures, which seems almost inevitable. We will have to avoid mixing households, and so it will just be Lily whom I can see.

Hello old bean.

I am writing some of this update sitting outside Costa Coffee.

I have kept away thus far with only the odd visit, maybe two, since this plague began.

I had to mask up to get served, but you may unmask when seated. I was lucky and managed to sit outside and the weather was fine. I also had to enter a QR reader to register that I am at the establishment in case there is an outbreak and I needed to be contacted. I have my anti-bacterial wipes and have wiped down the table and used my own hand sanitiser thereafter. I trust I will be protected.

I had a conversation with one of the staff members who said that he found it stressful, notably having to tell people they must wear a mask when ordering their drinks and keeping up with the cleaning of tables to a high standard.

Quote of the day

‘I wake up every morning. I open my eyes and think, here we go again.’ – Andy Warhol.

?KeithWright2021

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CLICK HERE TO VIEW:

?This day-by-day factual and complete account of events throughout the coronavirus pandemic, written as it happened, gives incredible insight into what life was like during this tragic and historic pandemic in the United Kingdom and worldwide.

It includes facts and figures, government initiatives, news events, moving individual accounts, and the horrific consequences, as they happened each day.

There is also a daily, personal slant on what life was like for the author and his family during what threatened to be an apocalyptic event.

It reveals all humanity in its idiocy, compassion and brilliance; the key elements, significant dates, statistics, human stories, tragedies, government strategies, the twists and turns, the humour and the obtuse.

The coronavirus will define this generation and identify these times, like other rare global historical events such as the bubonic plague and the World Wars.

This book is something to show your children and grandchildren when they ask you what it was like during such a frightening time. It can also be used as a point of reference for historians, commentators, and educators. It is also merely for posterity.

Were you alive? Do you recall it? Do you remember our Prime Minister almost died with Covid-19? Remember, the Queen saying ‘we’ll meet again’ during lockdown? Surely you recollect the EU conducting ‘an act of hostility’ towards the UK to get their hands on our vaccines? The thirty police officers fined for having a haircut, or the first man in the world to be vaccinated being called William Shakespeare from Stratford Upon Avon!

The whole world was plunged into chaos, with death, suffering and economic disaster. How did we cope? How did all of this happen? According to Keith’s wife, Jackie, it was ‘all because a man ate a bat.’

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Keith Wright previously worked leading Corporate Investigations for a global pharmacy retailer. He has worked on major Crisis Management Incidents alongside senior executives impacting across the world of pharmaceutical product management.

Critically acclaimed crime novelist, and former CID detective, Wright moves from fiction to a factual account of arguably the most historic natural event to blight humanity in modern times.

He has four children and lives in Nottingham, England, with his wife, Jackie.

?All rights reserved ?Keith Wright 2021

Copyright?KeithWright 2021

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If you are affected by any issues raised in the book contact:

The Samaritans or check local charities.

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