(Chess) Life Returning To Normal

[Roger Lancaster]

Thanks to Tim and Roger.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Mixed news from the government's coronavirus data:
Positive tests last seven days: 377,601 (up 12%)
Deaths last seven days: 801 (down 6.5%)
Patients admitted last seven days:5,925 (up 10%)
Tests conducted last seven days: 8.4m (up 12,4%)

Hmmm, deaths are a lagging indicator aren't they? Though the close correlation between the number of tests and positives is interesting.

And if Omicron behaves here as it has in SA - and yes that's an if - it will spread very quickly but start to burn itself out in weeks.

Which makes any lockdowns of even more doubtful value.

[Matt Bridgeman]

Mixed news from the government's coronavirus data:
Positive tests last seven days: 377,601 (up 12%)
Deaths last seven days: 801 (down 6.5%)
Patients admitted last seven days:5,925 (up 10%)
Tests conducted last seven days: 8.4m (up 12,4%)

Hmmm, deaths are a lagging indicator aren't they? Though the close correlation between the number of tests and positives is interesting.

And if Omicron behaves here as it has in SA - and yes that's an if - it will spread very quickly but start to burn itself out in weeks.

Which makes any lockdowns of even more doubtful value.

You must have better information than Prof. Whitty, who told cabinet members today he can not yet determine whether cases are plateauing in South Africa, and said there is "no reliable evidence" from the nation's scientists of a peak in case rates.

One of the issues of letting it rip too long will be having hospitals having to shut and reams of front line NHS staff off sick by mid January.

[Matt Mackenzie]

I must admit I'm listening more to what people in SA are saying about it, but your mileage may vary as ever.

[Mick Norris]

I must admit I'm listening more to what people in SA are saying about it, but your mileage may vary as ever.

Their equivalent of Chris Whitty was on Radio 5 live this afternoon

The little bit I heard she seemed to be saying that the UK couldn't draw any conclusions from South Africa, either positive or negative

South African Covid figures are a composite of Delta and Omicron, so may be misinterpreted

[NickFaulks]

Their equivalent of Chris Whitty was on Radio 5 live this afternoon

This lady?

https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/ ... 0ed350a03a

[Mick Norris]

Not sure, as I said, I only caught a bit of what she said, probably the replayed clip about 1 hour 28

There was obviously a longer section earlier, that's probably the best to listen to, but I missed that and haven't got time to find it now

[Matt Bridgeman]

Hastings has been cancelled;
https://hastingschess.com/hastings-icc- ... on-notice/

I think anyone testing positive today would be isolating on Christmas Day, so it will be interesting to see if there’s a drop off in positive tests in the next 10 days or not.

[NickFaulks]

I think anyone testing positive today would be isolating on Christmas Day

Really?

[Wadih Khoury]

Hastings has been cancelled;
https://hastingschess.com/hastings-icc- ... on-notice/

I think anyone testing positive today would be isolating on Christmas Day, so it will be interesting to see if there’s a drop off in positive tests in the next 10 days or not.

Understandable but quite depressing.
Not many 9+ rounds tournaments in the UK that at least partially overlap with school holidays.

[Matt Bridgeman]

It will be interesting to see if the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Warsaw can bring bring a large international field together at Christmas and not have any Omicron issues rear their head.

It seems there’s a lot in the press today that this whole mess came from a lab originally.

[Stewart Reuben]

It occurs to me that some may find recent experiences of mine interesting. I am currently in Tenerife.
Monday 13 December i had great difficulty getting to sleep. I was coughing a lot and having difficulty breathing, but no high temperature.
Tuesday morning I arranged to self-isolate in my hotel. They sent breakfast from the buffet and left it outside. By then most of the symptoms had left, but I was taking no chances.
The hotel also arranged for me to have a covid test which somebody from a local pharmacy did, entering my room to take the swab.
Tuesday evening they served me dinner in the same way.
By late Wednesday morning it was established that I was free of covid, but by then I had had breakfast in my room.
The staff came to collect my used food trays. They clapped when I told them I had tested negative for covid.
In the afternoon I went for a walk in the sun.
In the evening I dined at the hotel buffet. It is quite exceptional of a Wednesday. But I didn't attend the Hastings ICC zoom meeting as I thought the decision to cancel the congress had already been made. There was a misunderstanging, but it has been cancelled.
I have wondered whether I actually had a nightmare Monday night about being unable to breathe.
Is this (Chess) Life returning to normal for me?

[John Townsend]

"They clapped when I told them I had tested negative for covid."

Stewart, those staff were clapping because they had just been shown the score of your game against Fischer in the Manhattan Blitz, 1963.

[Stewart Reuben]

John - Hissing would be more like it! I was smashed out of sight in one of the games and had an easily won king and pawn endgame in the other - which I only drew.

[Paul Bloom]

I now wonder about the 4NCL team event 15th/16th Jan in the south there are 34 teams min 136 players gathering . we can only wait and see the numbers by then .