Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Starver]

They started to use "K12"ish terminology over here in the UK a decade or three ago[1]. I still have to ask "what's that in old money?" these days, though I think if I add 5 to (the numbers in) that system then I get the rough age (+1 or -1, according to birthday/schoolyear alignment, never sure which though).



On actual virus news, which was why I actually wandered just now, does this put the cat amongst the pigeons? *achoo!*



[1] To replace, in my time: "Nursery" (pre-school); "Infants years 1..3?[2] + Juniors 1&2?[2]" (Primary school); "Lower school 1..3 + Upper school 4..5 + optional lower 6th, upper 6th" (Secondary)

[2] Hard to remember, classes were initialed to the teacher's name, and I'm not totally sure I recall them all properly. And maybe there was a 'nursery' infants' class that I skipped having been pre-pre-schooled at the more local Nursery.

[ChairmanPoo]

Janssen vaccine is delayed and not expected until the end of April. AZ row intensifies

[martinuzz]

WHO warns that due to the focus on corona, neglected medical care and diagnosis is leading to tuberculosis spreading under the radar.
They warn that, even though other lockdown measures might reduce the spread of tuberculosis by about 50%, this could lead to 1.2 million extra infections and 375 thousand deaths this year in India, Kenia and Ukraine alone, and many more in the entire world.

These numbers are so large they cannot be waved away by a 'but we must fight corona'. Medical professionals urge the world to drop the single focus on corona and resume regular care and diagnosis.

[ChairmanPoo]

Yeah, would be nice but not gonna happen 🤕. I predict healthcare systems will be busted for years with the stress and the backlog caused by corona, even if it ends in 2021 (emphasis on the "if" the way things are going).

Regardless of public healthcare wherever you live, I think it'd probably be a good idea to consider private insurance if you can afford it.

[wierd]

Many practitioners have returned to their normal(ish) routines, after they (being healthcare workers, and thus fast-tracked) have gotten vaccinated.

They just have to practice fastidious hygiene and entry screening processes to keep from being a spread vector.


I am thankful, because I am finally getting some dental care done I needed done LAST GODDAMN YEAR.

[martinuzz]

You are lucky enough to live in a country that has at least some healthcare capacity to resume normal duties. Most countries were tuberculosis is a big problem don't have that. Their doctors that aren't busy on corona ICUs are busy helping dig mass graves.

[ChairmanPoo]

I donīt believe for a moment that the hospitals anywhere in the western world are back to normal.

[Bumber]

The one where my mother works (Torrance, California) basically is. They shut down their COVID 'pods' because they were getting zero COVID positive patients. Still distancing and mask requirements, though.

I assume people in the area who would require a hospital visit from COVID are mostly vaccinated or already dead.

[ChairmanPoo]

It probably isn't. Its not just the covid. Its also the backlog and its consequences, the lack of resources, and the exahution. I dont think western healthcare systems will be back to normal for 2-3 years, at least. This is an optimistic forecast: a notable oncologist I know estimates we'll be seeing consequences for the next ten years.

[Vector]

I hear that about 25% of classroom teachers in the US quit last year. There's going to be massive repercussions in education as well that people haven't spent two minutes thinking about.

Among the adults, I mean. People talk about the kids' needs all the damn time.

[martinuzz]

Formation of a new government has been postponed over here, because the person that is supposed to be leading the exploratory talks now has corona.

[scriver]

Trying to be like your big brother Belgium eh?

[martinuzz]

That will require some more effort. Belgian governments are usually only formed one or two weeks before their next elections, we just had elections last week.

[dragdeler]

-

[martinuzz]

Slightly old, but positive news.
Last week, Tanzania's president, Magufuli died. Official government sources say he died of heart failure, but everyone else, from opposition to the foreign doctors that treated him say he died of corona.

Let this be an example to other world leaders that think denying covid is a thing, and taking no measures is a good idea.

Tanzania was a sad example of what happens when you have a someone like Bolsonaro, or Trump, or Baudet in charge of a nation, but without any opposition. Let's hope the Tanzanian former vice-, now president takes corona more seriously.

EDIT: or well yeah, positive is maybe not the right word to describe it. Poetic justice, I guess. The guy did improve the economy and wellbeing of his country quite a bit, until the power drove him mad and he turned full dictator.