Data

Johnson says he is constantly reviewing COVID data.

He must be looking at different data that the Government publishes, as it is grim.

But it will will be today, Thursday, before all data from the four nations of the Union clear their backlogs and we get an accurate daily figure again.

Again, I must stress, there is a great shortage of testing kits and PCR testing slots, so there is very likely to be great under-reporting of infection. And once the Government gives up on tracking the virus, then policy will be even more an act of guesswork than it has been so far.

PCR is essential to track new variants, and so taking away the requirement for those means not tracking any new variant that emerges.

The message seems to be that this is the last variant, and is mostly harmless.

This is not true.

Letting a pandemic run rampant in a mostly vaccinated population runs the risk of a vaccine resitant variant emerging.

COVID is all around us. Jen has it, and now my friend Gary has it too. Jen is recovering, though wants to come home. And Gary had it so mild he didn't know he had it.

Which is good.

Back to data:

Daily infections were 197,747 up to 16:00 yesterday. Up 40% week on week. Weekly infections now at 1,281,588!

Hospitalisations are now reeased up to the 28th December, and were at 2,258, but nearly 60% week on week, and the data is already a week old.

Deaths, which include data from Scotland and Wales from a few days was at 334, up 131%, but clearer data will be released today when data has caught up after the holidays.

Multiple NHS Trusts outside London have called emergency incidents due to high numbers of COVID patients, though the Government is quiet about this, saying that everything is under control and going to plan.

Meanwhile the huge quanities of PPE bought two years ago during the first surge is starting to become life expired, so now unusable. PPE that the UK paid well over the market price for, and through VIP channels to avoid scrutiny.