From the Herald today: As many as 2,133 Scots may have contracted Covid-19 while in hospital over the course of the pandemic this year, figures show. Ooooh! Is that a lot? Is it more than in, say, England? I’m sorry the Herald’s award-winning investigative team didn’t think you’d be interested in that. So, from Talking-up Scotland‘s work-experience student, Monica (16), after 30 minutes research: There have been 129 992 cases of Covid so far in Scotland. 2 133 is 1.64%. The rate of hospital-acquired Covid infections in England ranges from 17.6% to 25%, 10 to 15 times higher. Source: https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/the-ongoing-problem-of-hospital-acquired-infections-across-the-uk/ Continue reading …is very few and much much fewer than in, say, England

As Andrew Marr insists, that’s what the data tell us. Continue reading The Scottish Connection: Better government communication, greater confidence, greater compliance, fewer infections and deaths?

NICOLA Sturgeon has issued a stark warning that “the next few weeks may be the most dangerous we’ve faced” since the start of the pandemic. The call for caution from the First Minister comes as Scotland recorded 2,539 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24-hour period – while 2,622 new cases were confirmed on Hogmanay. So that’s 2 622 minus 2 539 giving us a fall in the last 24 hours of 83. I’m not doubting the threat or the importance of the need to stick to the plan but panic helps no one. Cases numbers are climbing, they’re not ‘soaring’ … Continue reading Covid cases ‘soar’ by minus 83?

England has ten times the population of Scotland but nearly 30 times as many patients in intensive care. That’s a very significant difference and while causes will almost certainly be complex, they must be there. Less dramatically, admittance to hospital with any level of Covid infection is twice as common in England: There is at least as much poverty, underlying ill health, and old age in Scotland so that seems an unlikely explanation. England has a higher percentage of BAME groups in the population than Scotland and the Asian sub-group does seem to be suffering more. Contact -tracing in Scotland … Continue reading Why are you THREE times as likely to end uP in Covid ICU in England?

Walking on Ayr beach yesterday with the dog met a familiar London ex-pat who is a bit older than me and has underlying conditions. Asked if he’d had word of a vaccination appointment. Predictably: ‘Nah, they’re well behind up here.’ I let it go. ‘Ee’s not warf it.’ You see the data above say otherwise. After three weeks, we’re 21% ahead of NHS England. Continue reading Scotland already vaccinating more

But, but, they fell by ‘nearly’ a hundred: And the level is way below that in England: Wow! Isn’t that interesting. Makes to you want to investigate, doesn’t it? No? You’re washing your hair tonight? Continue reading I know percentages are hard but subtraction?

234 more views! After six months of falling readership, an increase, if tiny. The number of visitors is, however, down again by around 4 000. The ‘big’ reads: The global presence: Still surprisingly big in Romania? Continue reading Better things?

The infection rate increases in Scotland but surges frighteningly at more than twice the rate in all other parts of the UK. Senior doctors call for the public to follow the rules in the strongest and most dramatic of terms so far: BBC Scotland, broadcasting in the least infected part of the UK, headlines the threat. BBC England seems not to know what its role is: Fiddling as Romney Marsh burns? Continue reading Not helping

Insider is a supposedly non-partisan site but writer Ken Symon is by no means so. This report with the deceptive choice of photo and headline suggests the Scottish Tories had the guts to vote against the Brexit deal when in fact they were the only ones creepy enough to support it. The text could have been written by Davidson herself. Symon, long-time Better Together activist, has previous: WRIGGLING CARE HOME GROUP OWNER WANTS TO PAY FOR DIFFERENT ANSWERS THAT DON’T BLAME CARE HOME GROUPS NOVEMBER 2, 2020 In another piece from Better Together activist Ken Symon: A care home group … Continue reading Business mag is just front for Tory propaganda