98 replies to this topic

[Cooperman]

I can't even go to the shops because my wife and I are both in our 70' and she is ultra-high-risk since she has COPD.
We have been self-isolating for two weeks now, but I have plenty of things to do, not only on the Minis, but in the garden and with re-decorating in the house.
However, it'll probably be around 6 months like this for us.
We will all have to accept big changes to our lives. It is a bit like wartime, I guess.

[mab01uk]

GTech swaps vacuums for ventilators in bid to ease NHS coronavirus supply crisis
Worcester home appliance firm said supplies could be made available within days after engineers began work on project at weekend.
A Midlands company which specialises in making home and garden appliances has designed a medical ventilator to be used in hospitals in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gtech said the ventilator could be manufactured in a “matter of days”, amid concerns that critical care facilities in the UK will come under pressure as the crisis intensifies.
The owner of Gtech began working on the project on Sunday, when the Government’s chief commercial officer asked if the company could assist in increasing the number of ventilators in the UK.
With current stock at around 8,000, Nick Grey, owner of Gtech, said he felt “compelled” to respond to calls for help from the Government.
“At first I thought it was a hoax – being asked if I could assist in making up to 30,000 medical ventilators in as little as two weeks,” he said.
“When I realised that this was a genuine need I felt compelled to help.”
A video of the ventilator in action is being presented to both the Government and NHS on Friday, as well as a design outline and parts specification.
Gtech, which is based in Worcester, specialises in making cordless vacuum cleaners and garden power tools.
Mr Grey purchased a medical ventilator as a point of reference and tasked his engineering and model-making team with designing a prototype on Monday.
Following initial difficulties with how to provide the oxygen supply, the company said the “breakthrough” was to re-purpose an everyday syringe into an oxygen-powered ram.
A valve directs oxygen into the syringe which squeezes a self-inflating air container – delivering 400ml of air directly into the patients’ lungs.
Gtech said a second syringe acts as a timer and once the “breath” has been delivered, it resets the ram ready for the next cycle, while waste gas is fed into a reservoir to enrich the patient’s air supply.
The ventilator is driven and controlled entirely from the hospital oxygen supply, meaning there is no need for electricity.
Mr Grey said: “We designed the ventilator entirely from parts that can readily be made from stock materials or bought off-the-shelf.
“This means that if Government approves and wants Gtech ventilators they can be made by almost any engineering and manufacturing company.
“Gtech could produce around 100 per day within a week or two providing we could find steel fabrication and CNC machining companies to help us make some of the parts.”
The company said it plans to produce two more ventilators, which it will submit to the Government for assessment.
https://www.birmingh...rs-bid-17955899

 

[nicklouse]

I can't even go to the shops because my wife and I are both in our 70' and she is ultra-high-risk since she has COPD.
We have been self-isolating for two weeks now, but I have plenty of things to do, not only on the Minis, but in the garden and with re-decorating in the house.
However, it'll probably be around 6 months like this for us.
We will all have to accept big changes to our lives. It is a bit like wartime, I guess.

take care. my parents are in their 80s but luckily there are people who will shop/deliver etc for them and others in the village.

[wilsonch]

Is it selfish.....?

Well yes it is. People dont need to empty the shelves of the basics. Even at christmas when a lot of people are off and they tend to eat more, theres still plenty of food in the supermarkets.
You cant tell me that because you cant go to the pub/restaurant you have to strip the shelves of tinned goods, pasta, bread... And bog roll.
Even those who used to go to pubs and restaurants would still have to crap at home, so why the panic buying of bog roll.

Prety much all of the food chain is still moving and working. So if people just bought a regular amount, the usual weekly shop the shops would stock up as per usual and there WILL be enough for all....without panic.

[sonikk4]

Is it selfish.....?

Well yes it is. People dont need to empty the shelves of the basics. Even at christmas when a lot of people are off and they tend to eat more, theres still plenty of food in the supermarkets.
You cant tell me that because you cant go to the pub/restaurant you have to strip the shelves of tinned goods, pasta, bread... And bog roll.
Even those who used to go to pubs and restaurants would still have to crap at home, so why the panic buying of bog roll.

Prety much all of the food chain is still moving and working. So if people just bought a regular amount, the usual weekly shop the shops would stock up as per usual and there WILL be enough for all....without panic.

 

A good example was today, i have been struggling to find spuds, a simple commodity and fortunately my local Lidl's had been resupplied. It was bloody manic in there in certain aisles but they were well stocked with fresh fruit and veg.

 

I bought a bag of spuds some veg, fruit, mince, Bratties and two packs of Italian Spaghetti. Bizarrely there was loads of it but because its was made in Italy its obviously tainted??

 

Anyway after struggling to get to a till, a minor blip with a very irritating women who was holding up two tills as she could not make up her mind which one to use. I said excuse me after i asked which till she was going to use, went past her and she muttered "some people" my response to her was very clam and measured and was a simple "decision made"

 

Helped the elderly couple in front of me with their basket and then loaded my food on the belt. Said woman and her partner / friend then proceeded to load at least 10+ packets of pasta onto the belt. The young lady on the till said "excuse me there is a limit" which was clearly written by the shelving. They choose to ignore it. They then had to return all of it bar 4 packs. 

 

Ahh the irony and the look on her face. But a perfect example of greed.

[and90cooper]

Yes it bloody well is selfish-
My father is in his eighties and has dementia,but still manages to live independently .however ,it’s getting increasingly difficult to do his shopping for him,as by the time I’ve finished work there is sod all left in the shops.
I’m actually struggling to get my own family shopping this weekend aswell,due to selfish ******* stripping the shelves.
I’m a subcontractor so when the inevitable lay off comes I’ll be left high and dry -however I’m not complaining about that,it’s been my preferred choice to be self employed for the last 20 odd years.when the time comes to be off work I shall do everything I can to help our elderly neighbours,and I will get to do some much needed work around the house.
Whilst I’m not well off by any means,I’m a lot better off than a lot of other people
Please only buy what you need !

[bangermadness08]

I've been a chef for 12yrs and always had this premise of it's okay everyone needs to eat! Yes we have quiet times always before and just after Christmas but youd always know when the trade would raise or dip! This week thou of complete uncertainty from making 2.500£ day and more on weekends to then just making 700 and less no food orders throwing stock out everyday and cooking a smattering of meals for those brave enough or ones that cant find food in the shops! Since having now been forced to shut I know 3 chefs who have lost there jobs and no idea for how long till the kitchens open (once you're a chef always a chef) I've been laid off for a month I'm salary so I'm okay but will see if it opens next month but the biggest shame is those who are on zero hr contracts as they will not get any money as they have no minimum of hours on contracts so cant claim from the employer. Those hourly will just get the 80% government scheme which is somthing.

[and90cooper]

My son is a chef in a gastro pub-got laid off last week-along with the rest of the staff.small family business,he is absolutely gutted-but fair play to him he went straight out and got another job the next day-he hates it,working in a warehouse,but he knows he will be back to work at the pub as soon as this is over.
His girlfriend lives with us,she works in a children’s nursery,she got laid off yesterday evening.they are both being very pragmatic about this.
they will not get the 80 percent government thing I don’t think as they have been laid off-I think you have to be kept on to qualify?

[Cooperman]

When this is all over, the money spent will have to be recovered by governments. 

It doesn't matter where your politics lie, all parties in all countries will need to increase taxation quite sharply in order to pay for it all.

The thing is I believe ordinary people will understand this and not blame the politicians.

I am fortunate in being retired, but I have tenants who live in property my wife and I own and that is our income. If any of those tenants are unable to pay we will suspend their rent payments and re-structure the debt into a loan at zero percent interest to be paid back over a longer term once they are working again. I believe the Gov't are proposing to enforce something like this, but we had decided already and instructed our agents.

Where we are unfortunate is that whilst I am a very fit 79-year-old, my wife is very vulnerable. We have talked about this and in her words, 'it will be a death sentence'. Whilst that is hard for me to hear, she is quite correct, so my aim is to be, perhaps, overly protective and to keep us totally isolated until long after the situation has eased, as ease it will so long as people act sensibly and responsibly.

 

Take care, everyone, and keep safe wherever you are.

[Mini Manannán]

I work in the health service and happen to have been on annual leave this last week. Luckily I didn't go off island for my leave, just the far north ( or perhaps that's unluckily as I'd have had to have had an extra two weeks off (mandatory two weeks self-isolation for anyone coming over to the rock)).

  Apparently things have changed hugely, wards closed for treating Covid 19, main doors locked etc etc

[blacktulip]

I know people have their views on the NHS but personally I think they are fantastic. For what the pressure they are under now plus the treatment I've had for a very serious illness a couple of years ago I can't commend them enough.

[panky]

Not all heros wear capes

[mab01uk]

This doctor pleaded with people to take the government's social distancing advice seriously and stay at home because the NHS is already struggling to cope with the coronavirus crisis.

 

Edited by mab01uk, 22 March 2020 - 10:07 AM.

[mini13]

Stay safe people,

 

just to illustrate the importance of not passing it on, its been said that the infection rate is one person infects two, if left unchecked, and 1 infects 2, those two infect two each etc... etc...

 

In just 26 levels of transmission thats the equivalent of the UK population.. and in 33 thats the world population. this is why the governments are quarenteening so hard.

 

Also another little tidbt that largly seems to be going over looked,  there are two strains of the virus (or two we need to be concerned about anyway...) L strain and S strain, it seems the virus mutated during the early stages of the Wuhan infection into the more virulent L strain, around 70% of cases are the L strain.

 

[surfblue]

As a "blue light" employee fortunately job security is not an issue but we are just waiting for social madness to have a huge impact on our working lives and being public servants we can't avoid contact with a broad cross section of society, potentially putting ourselves and our loved ones at risk.

Staying in with just our immediate family when possible, not visiting parents in their 70's to keep them safe.

Unprecedented times, trying to stay positive. We will get through this, stay safe everyone!