A few days ago I was told by those who know that the reason infection have soared is because, weeks ago, TESTERS were told to take TWO swabs - one from throat, one from nose - and count them as two positives (or negatives). So one infected person is now counted as two.

Which, of course, assists stupid Hancock's figures enormously. 250,000 tested becomes 500,000 tested in one stroke.

And now, 50,000 positives instead of 25,000.

No wonder it's exploding. Bring on more restrictions, Matt, to stop millions dying.

Mind you, the fact that 450 a day have been dying from cancer every day in the UK for years has not made government take measures such as banning smoking. The 414 that died yesterday WITH Covid19 (new variant) is far better media news and a great way to illustrate how lethal this plague is (not).

Up to March/April time of this year I would have said this could not possibly be true...

Now I would say it is likely to be true.

Latest update; the two tests are taken with the same swab. Question for medical posters; are they counted as TWO tests (or even TWO positives)?

I had forgotten (and think maybe you had) that the Gov were caught doing precisely this earlier in the year:

www.google.com/amp/s/www.telegraph.co.uk...unted-officials/amp/

So not far-fetched at all.

Have you heard they are at it again?!

No; that's exactly why I thought it possible. Explains a lot.

JK2006 wrote:
Latest update; the two tests are taken with the same swab. Question for medical posters; are they counted as TWO tests (or even TWO positives)?

As I understand it, both tests are needed for a positive result, so that would imply that they are processed as one?

Nothing about this farce would surprise me though. And if you are negative before going into the overcrowded and filthy testing centres you are likely to be positive coming out.

Honey wrote:
[quote]JK2006 wrote:


Nothing about this farce would surprise me though. And if you are negative before going into the overcrowded and filthy testing centres you are likely to be positive coming out.

At least the NHS is not as pressured this year as in 2019, when this poor lad had to be treated on the floor of a corridor:

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/...crisis-a9238401.html

Just imagine what they would do with that image a year on!!

We already know there was more of problem also in Dec 2017 as well (see above).

There are no more people dying than normal.

The NHS is no more pressured than a normal December.

And for good measure 2018 looked horrific for the NHS this time of year...

www.bbc.com/news/amp/health-42572116?__twitter_impression=true

Was it all just bluster then? Is this now cry wolf?

Who knows what the truth is anymore...

Wyot wrote:
The NHS is no more pressured than a normal December.

To actually believe that - you couldn't have been in an NHS hospital recently, seen the rows of ambulances parked outside Emergency Departments or spoken to the exhausted staff in these places.

Or any other winter Barney, especially when a new illness kicks in.

Alison wrote:
Wyot wrote:
The NHS is no more pressured than a normal December.

To actually believe that - you couldn't have been in an NHS hospital recently, seen the rows of ambulances parked outside Emergency Departments or spoken to the exhausted staff in these places.

And actually you are wrong Alison/Barney. I have unfortunately spent significant amounts of time in and around 2 NHS hospitals in recent months.

www.itv.com/news/london/2020-12-30/ambul...ressure-on-nhs-rises


This isn't an annual occurrence.

And it's replicated in most cities.

Alison wrote:
www.itv.com/news/london/2020-12-30/ambul...ressure-on-nhs-rises


This isn't an annual occurrence.

And it's replicated in most cities.

23 ambulances in this queue from last December 2019 Barney. Problem then flu with virulent norovirus strain.

Sound familiar?

Took 3.5 seconds to find on Google...

I could do other years but will spare the good readers of KoH.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7836937...ed-E-department.html

JK2006 wrote:
Or any other winter Barney, especially when a new illness kicks in.

We have got a lot less flu this year because the precautions we take to avoid coronavirus are effective against flu, and not so much for covid.
We replaced one with the other.

This means a similar hygiene campaign a few years back could have saved the thousands of people who (sadly but obviously not quite sadly enough) died of flu.

I know you are making a valid point about hygiene only Honey but can you imagine if the Gov start applying their Covid logic "retrospectively" to the currently acceptable ways to die!

And the public start expecting it!