Coronavirus - The Thread :(

[dave]

What is your actual job Dave. In plain terms please, I am not that bright sometimes.
.

I have a business selling mobility products, so most of my customers are high risk. but also need to be mobile.

Do agree that we need some cheery bits to laugh at just now and take our minds off it, even if only for 5 minutes.

we have a whole forum of other threads for that. there is even a thread full of jokes to cheer you up https://www.fiatforum.com/spamalot/27860-joke-central-post-your-jokes-here.html

Its a sorry state of affairs when slagging of the government for not doing their job is considered unacceptable. But some one can slag off a nurse trying to buy food and hardly anyone complains

The one very scary person was a woman in NHS nurse uniform complete with gloves and mask. Just come off shift not even slightly contaminated of course.

 

[portland_bill]

how is this hepful to the thread, who would click a thread titled coronavirus and wast to read this

Many threads on this forum digress, sometimes annoyingly, sometimes entertainingly, some never get back on track. For me, often these diversions keep a thread interesting, so I'll keep watching, whereas others ahve become boring, and a revisit later has shown something I've missed, and would have appreciated at the time.

My apologies Dave, I will now follow one of these digressions, and make it worse.

Without these 'experts' who's advice should the Government have taken then?
Nobody knew how this would/will pan out, at least there is effort in making the best out of unquantified advice.

The members of government rarely know their a##e from their elbow, advice is taken on almost everything, think tanks, lobbyist groups, strategy planning groups, quangos, experts the list is endless,

Little story on experts.

etc...

I grew up on Portland, where when the spring tide meets certain wind conditions, the sea floods the street along the bottom of the island. Always fun to see the fishing boats rowing along the street. The older residents of the houses that regularly flooded lived withthis and planned for it.

The official warning was given by the council, with advice from the water authority. Often it would flood without their warning, or not flood despite their warnings, issuing of insufficient sandbags, and general panicking.
The locals ignored that and listened to the fishermen. Never wrong.

 

[Crossingkeeper]

So although a lot of "stuff" is still do-able a drum bearing failure may well condemn the machine?

You've reminded me that about 8 years ago my OAW (a Zanussi) became very noisy on spin so I bought a bearing kit (it was still possible to get parts then) and split the case. It wasn't until I'd removed the drive belt that I realised I'd misdiagnosed and the noise was actually coming from the motor bearings!

It was and is uneconomic to put a new motor in a near 20 year old machine so I boxed it all up and resigned myself to buying a new machine when the bearings finally collapsed....and I'm still waiting!

I'm struggling to think of any parts that I've fitted, The normal service items, door seal and belt, are still original. I've had to bypass the electrical door lock though the mechanical one still works and carry out a soldering repair on the mechanical cam timer (which was nearly as expensive as the motor!)

Parts are now unavailable so any failure will condemn it (muses about washing machine breaker yards )

 

[Goudrons]

I actually found the posts regarding the Micro car quit interesting and relevant.
(and the washing machine stuff as well, ours is knackered and as we're both out working for the NHS, getting a dedicated delivery slot for a new one is proving difficult, I might get my hammer out and have a look at it)

I don't know how many of you travel into a hospital these days, but the one I work for has it's car park stuffed full of employee cars, along with a couple of local car parks that have opened up for their use as well.

Cars are crammed in door to door but to my surprise, people are actually taking a lot of consideration for other users in how they park, something rarely seen in my part of the world, but it's still stuffed full by 6.00am.

Local public transport is still quite frequent, but a lot of people travel in from far and wide on several different forms of public transport or on shift patents that public transport doesn't cover at the moment.

You have also got to figure in the fact a lot of staff are purposely shielding themselves from the public, family and other colleagues, so either drive in alone or have driven in and are staying in local hotels, parking their car up for the duration.

Our car park is quite limited at the best of times, but unfortunately a large part of the car park has been converted or screened off for other uses, like high risk patient transfer, new LOX tanks and vaporizers or for certain type of refrigerated storage.

Due to where we are based and the parking problem, the Micro Car content peaked my interest and has made me start to consider a different approach to the problem myself, maybe not an actual Micro car though.

I understand not everything is of interest to everyone, particularly my parking headaches, but it's a motoring forum, a pretty open one at that and by it's very nature there will be a lot of posts that aren't relevant to everyone or people dislike for some reason.

I personally don't think it's really the place to "slag off" the government or anyone else, it's hardly going to do any good, I'm not sure any are fans of the site, I've seen Boris on his bike many times and it's definitely not a Fiat one! (my Mrs saw his arse last week, she said it wasn't pretty)


Perhaps this type of open forum isn't for everyone and some might feel more comfortable starting their own forum where one can control the content or join one that is moderated and more focused on the things you find more interesting and relevant.

 

[ben]

Its a sorry state of affairs when slagging of the government for not doing their job is considered unacceptable. But some one can slag off a nurse trying to buy food and hardly anyone complains

Starting fights in a thread that is supposed to be helpful for finding out what is going on, is, as it would be in any thread, not really welcome.

It's just provocative.

 

[Bernievarian]

...

All well said "bitume" (tar is more for cigarettes) !


BRs, Bernie.

 

[09 johno]

tested 5 weeks ago they still have not got results.

Ok then on subject, strange one that,
I have sent a lot of my team that are in isolation throughout the country for testing, and they have all received their results within 24hours which is a lot less than the formal waiting period.
I wonder if its to do with some of the testing of the samples is carried out at commercial labs?
being 5 weeks ago, was this done as part of Hospital Admission?

 

[dave]

Starting fights in a thread that is supposed to be helpful for finding out what is going on, is, as it would be in any thread, not really welcome.

It's just provocative.

but people do post what is going on. it only turns into a fight when someone don't like whats going on and starts quoting what they have read in the daily mail.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Well yes, it's off topic I agree, but more interesting than a lot of the stuff I'm running into on this thread?

Hey folks, It was not my intention to upset anyone when I posted this. I absolutely love this forum and spend more time than I probably should browsing around on it where my main interest is in the technical mechanical aspects of our cars - I'm not so much into fancy interior trim or the latest alloy wheels etc.

I have only the very highest regard for all you folks who are fighting so hard to keep us safe and battle this scourge which has affected us all so seriously. It has had a profound affect on me in that my wife was very ill indeed just after Christmas and was literally on death's door step with pneumonia for 3 days (in the hospital for a couple of weeks) - on oxygen and a ventilator etc. The wonderful people in the Western General saved her. I have no words which can ever thank them! The big box of special chocolate biscuits I took in when she was able to come home seemed just so utterly inadequate! I am literally terrified that she should catch this new virus and I think it's actually affecting my mental health worrying about it.

Both my boys are doing van deliveries for Sainsburys to supplement their collapsed incomes so they and their families must be at increased risk, and my wife's sister, who is much older than us - and we are in our '70s - has COPD and I know Mrs J spends a lot of time worrying about her. It doesn't help that she's at the other end of the country to us down there in Devon.

So I suppose what I don't like about this thread are the more aggressive and confrontational posts. On the other hand I've picked up stuff I didn't know so it's been useful too.

By the way Goudrons, the car parking up here would seem no better. In particular I would mention our new Royal Infirmary, which we had to visit a number of times last year, The car parking was horrendous I saw a couple of very unpleasant confrontations and sat in queues for, in total, what must amount to hours of wasted time. The Western General was rather better once I'd realized that you had to visit after about 5 pm and the St Johns, out in Livingston, was "doable" but you generally drove around the car park a few times before "diving" rapidly into a vacancy.

Just to finish off, Crossingkeeper, We have a Burco Tumbleair dryer which we bought when my older son was born - so must be 45 years plus old - still going strong and, although not now in daily use, is now dealing with grandchildren's cloths. Anyone beat that?

As always, kindest regards to all - stay safe
Jock

 

[dave]

I wonder if its to do with some of the testing of the samples is carried out at commercial labs?

I don't know the answer maybe its a postcode lottery. that's why i said it will be interesting to see how long Andy has to wait.

It was not some thing i had read in a news paper this was real people on camera being asked. As is Andy a real person and quite close to where i live so will be very interesting to me when he updates us.

 

[Red Van Man]

Re: Coronavirus - The Thread (sidestep)

Ah the memories of my Aixam Megavan!!
The Kubota engine is one used to drive temporary traffic-light generators. I drove my Megavan from Exeter to Sheffield eek not using motoroways. Took me abaout 8 hours (enjoyed the trip..) but my head was ringing after the noise for that length of time. When I had it serviced, there was a bolt missing from the gearbox mount which meant every time you put the gas on, the gearbox clunked as it took up the drive and kicked the floorpan. Once that was sorted it was a lot better.. I had to sell it though - the security was zero and it would have been so easy to pinch (though Mr Plod could have caught up with it just running). Great fun vehicle to drive.
(I had a 'Norman Nippy' moped when I was 17 and that had a similar centrifugal clutch-type drive. On the engine out-shaft was the conical pair, inside which were 4 or 5 ball bearings. As the engine speed increased they flew outwards pushing the drive belt upwards like in the video. The driven gear stayed the same but the engine pivoted backwards on a rubber shock mount to compensate for the 'shortening' of the drive train. Very clever )


Yes, it's in a class called 'Quadricycle' and I had the longest argument with the Minister for Transport's Dept. over the classification. The Megavan is light enough to drive across a lawn without leaving a mark, has a C02 emission level too low to register and a few other assets like GVW, payload, axle-weight...and they charge £100 for VED???

I pointed out several contradictions in the laws relating to VED classifications to the MOT Dept. that meant the Megavan and all the Quadricycle classification e.g. quad bikes etc. were in contravention of its own description and should be VED zero! The MOT Dept. argued that they were right (inevitably) but since so many classifications have been added over recent years, they'd not altered a lot of the foregoing regulations thus stepping on their own feet. I did a lot of research to back myself up (and I was right in interpretation) before tackling the bureaucrats.. No encouragement to go green there.


R-V-M

Video of the drive system working on an older Kubota engine set up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XK9Dj1i398
A bit dodgy going to high revs in neutral...…...

 

[PuntoHowTo]

I don't know the answer maybe its a postcode lottery. that's why i said it will be interesting to see how long Andy has to wait.

It was not some thing i had read in a news paper this was real people on camera being asked. As is Andy a real person and quite close to where i live so will be very interesting to me when he updates us.

Test done late on Saturday, results back late on Monday evening, so given it was a weekend and late in the day, I’d say that was fairly quick.

When this first all started all the Ipswich tests where having to be sent to Cambridge, this and every other hospital in the area, as a result the backlog was massive, but I believe most hospital labs have their own testing equipment in place now and I assume these drive through tests are probably going to some other lab specifically set up for this work.

 

[09 johno]

I don't know the answer maybe its a postcode lottery. that's why i said it will be interesting to see how long Andy has to wait.
.

Can't see it as a postcode lottery I have team members from Glasgow down to the South coast, from great Yarmouth to Penzance and when tested all the results have been consistently fast.
when testing was for Hospital Admission only the results were to protect the staff, ie what precautions should be taken when dealing with the patient, if the result was negative it was deemed not important hence no result however if the result was positive then everyone would have been informed.
As it was 5 weeks it sounds like this person was free of the virus at the time so wasn't informed.
of course time and testing has moved on very rapidly and all results are notified in short order.
Remember a test at the moment only shows you have the virus at the time of test, you could drive away from the test then contract it at first contact with someone else.

 

[ben]

but people do post what is going on. it only turns into a fight when someone don't like whats going on and starts quoting what they have read in the daily mail.

And it turns into a fight and it's removed - you know how it works.


In other related news, it now seems to get into a restaurant here in Taiwan you need to have a temperature scan (the head ir check thing) and disinfect your hands.

Big stores (super markets , ikea, costco etc) require masks - but little ones you're ok.

I'm not sure why it seems to be getting stricter, we haven't had a local case for weeks now.

 

[dave]

Test done late on Saturday, results back late on Monday evening, so given it was a weekend and late in the day, I’d say that was fairly quick.

Thanks that's a better result. do they advice isolate from everyone else who may not be traceable until the result is back.

i mean if someone went home and to work only after test everyone they come into contact with is probably traceable. but if they popped to tesco then everyone less traceable. Just in case it came back positive.

 

[PuntoHowTo]

do they advice isolate from everyone else who may not be traceable until the result is back.

In this case no, because it was a no symptom test. If it had been done as a result of having symptoms then its likely they would advise to self isolate till the results come back, even then it maybe they still advise you to self isolate even with a negative result.

 

[dave]

In this case no, because it was a no symptom test. If it had been done as a result of having symptoms then its likely they would advise to self isolate till the results come back, even then it maybe they still advise you to self isolate even with a negative result.

i though if anyone had symptoms they are supposed to isolate anyway even with no test.

i also thought there was a worry that people with no symptoms were walking around spreading it all over the place.

I think we are going to be stuck with this for a very long time yet, seems we are still no nearer finding a reliable test to see if people who have had it have any forum of immunity either

 

[PuntoHowTo]

i though if anyone had symptoms they are supposed to isolate anyway even with no test.

i also thought there was a worry that people with no symptoms were walking around spreading it all over the place.

I think you’ve misunderstood why I had the test. I didn’t have it because I thought I had the virus or that I had any symptoms, it was done because it was made available to me. (Part of their attempts to get 100,000 tests done a month or what ever it currently is)

I had no symptoms and have not been in contact personally with anyone who has had the virus. So like everyone else I can have the test and plod on like everyone else social distancing and taking all the normal precautions.

If you have symptoms you are supposed to self isolate (I think it’s 7 days), and anyone who has had contact With you in that time has to isolate for 14 days so that if you have passed it on the next person down the line gives it long enough to show any symptoms, with or without having had a test.
You can of course have a test and if this is positive then that confirms what was suspected and you have taken all the proper precautions. If it’s negative, then depending on what the symptoms are depends on what happens next, for example if you have a bit of a cough but it’s not persistent, and a negative test result then it’s likely the advice will be carry on like everyone else. If you have a persistent cough a raging fever then it’s probable they will still advise you to stay home and away from people even if you have a negative test.

There is a worry that people might have the virus and no symptoms at all, but if we were to assume that everyone with or without symptoms need to stay home till they are tested and have a negative test then no one would be going anywhere till they are tested, which is clearly unworkable.

So in my case it was just a test and wait for the results, but as I had no symptoms and no contact I knew it was highly unlikely I had the virus and therefore did not need to self isolate while awaiting the results.

 

[hammer67xke]

your right, we need to be very afraid. It will be with us for a long time. Very long.
Just like the flu, or should I say influenza, aids, cancer. swine flu, bird flu, sars?.
God is good, at least it has a low mortality rate, and cures are happening, and medical places are finding ways that seem promising of a vaccine.


no real need to believe the sky is falling

 

[09 johno]

no real need to believe the sky is falling

Its just the sea level rising...I watch it every day at the moment