Moonshot

Taken early this morning before I went to bed!

Quite topical as it turns out! I've been hearing on the news about another moonshot - one costing around the £100bn mark. (Not much short of the current NHS annual budget...) The contracts for this Shoot for the Moon plan for mass testing will go tho the usual suspect companies owned by the government's cronies and relatives - the likes of GSK, Astrazenica, G4S, SerCo etc. of course.

However... if there is a shortage of actual tests now, mass testing is going to be difficult! People are already expected to travel great distances to get to a testing centre while closer ones stand idle. And who is going to process the tests? The labs are snowed under now. 

Our old friend BoJo was on about some different tests that take 15 minutes to give a result - unlike the current ones which take days.. These will be offered at workplaces, social settings etc. But the technology for these does not yet even exist! The bog standard tests we do have are only around 75% accurate so there could be a bit of a way to go before these super duper instant ones are good to go!

Matt Hancock says the reason for the current shortage is because asymptomatic people are requesting tests. I'm sure they are not requesting them because they have some weird kink for shoving a giant cotton bud down their throat then thrusting it up their nose! They must have reason to suspect and be concerned that they may have the virus, maybe having been in recent contact with someone that has been diagnosed. Developing symptoms themselves may confirm they have it like putting 2 and 2 together and they can carry out the necessary precautions. But not everyone does develop symptoms. If you shouldn't ask for a test in this case, then these are surely the people who are going to spread the virus far and wide!

Schools are open. Pubs are open. The factories which currently seem to be breeding grounds will continue to operate. Shops can continue to trade - Kerching!! So the virus will continue to circulate. Younger people may only get it mildly and are more likely to be asymptomatic, but that does not mean they won't pass it to their teacher or their Gran or Great Uncle Cedric!

Coronavirus rant over! I hope I'm wrong and the Moonshot will be an incredible success and not another Apollo 13!

Have been to the Folks today - much better visit - and journey home - than yesterday fortunately! My Dad did some work outside - he is trying to make a kennel for Ally so he can go outside when anyone like a workman, medical professional etc. has to visit them. My Mum did not seem to know who I was today so she was a bit more civil. I don't know who she thought I was, and what she was saying was quite incomprehensible (much like this Blip entry probably!) but every few minutes she'd say "You must not repeat any of this to my husband or your Dad"