Coronavirus

[scawsby steve]

Karma is alive and well. Even if this idiot isn't.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2021/12/30/robin-fransman-anti-vaxx-economist-who-refused-jab-dies-of-covid-15839651/amp/

No need for that. Your posts on this subject are descending into rants.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Yeah course Nudga. I want you to catch it and die and for your last words to be "You were right all along."

I feel like you're going to have a lot of apologizing to do in the coming years.

And what makes you think that?

[selby]

  Only one death from the omicron variant has been reported in the last 24hrs only a small number have died of the variant since the middle of December although it is by far more transmissible and those that have died have not been vaccinated, and the majority hospitalised have also not been vaccinated.
  The majority of the medical experts are now accepting that it is a milder form of Covid, and stated that it looks like the English government's approach is more proportionally correct than the devolved governments in the rest of the UK. So one to Boris, and to back Billy up being vaccinated is the key to have a better chance of not getting very ill.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Selby
Everyone has accepted for weeks that Omicron is less severe. The question is, how does that balance with that fact that it is infecting many, many times more people than previous strains. And the big unknown is what happens to old folk who catch it. The vast majority of UK Omicron cases to date have been in younger people. But it's now spreading into 60+ age group in London. Still a bit to go before we really know how this is going.

[River Don]

It won't help that many of those over 60 are now going beyond three months since they recieved their booster.

Three months is the point at which immunity starts to drop off.

I notice our local vaccination centre is largely empty now, perhaps it's time to get the over 60s topped up again to see the winter through?

[wilts rover]

Seen omicron also described as a “natural booster”. Feels like we are approaching the end thank god.
Not much of this good news ever appears on the news apps mind.

Not by any serious medical scientist you haven't.

You dont wish a deadly invisible disease away - you vaccinate it away. And whilst most of the world reamins unvaccinated there is a risk of a more deadly, vaccine resistant strain emerging. Thats just a fact.

We all hope covid will end. But wishful thinking is not news.

How can you vaccinate it away when it doesn't stop transmission? and yes, I've had my jabs, so that when I inevitably get it, I'll probably be less ill.

Bit of reading for you:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2294250-how-much-less-likely-are-you-to-spread-covid-19-if-youre-vaccinated/

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211124-vaccines-reduce-covid-transmission-by-40-who

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(21)00690-3/fulltext

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/231557/covid-vaccines-effective-household-transmission-delta/

Reduce transmission until the whole world is vaccinated - thats how they got rid of smallpox and nearly erradicated polio.

[wilts rover]

Hmmm

https://twitter.com/gardenjardinage/status/1476133531009302529

[Bentley Bullet]

As Accurate as always, Wilts!

 

[bpoolrover]

Hmmm

https://twitter.com/gardenjardinage/status/1476133531009302529

it's because they didn't report any data wilts and England did

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

And this again the problem with statistics and things online, pointless without context.

[Bentley Bullet]

If only they were pointless, and not downright f**king dangerous. Some people would have read that and believed it, perhaps some of the vulnerable ones who are struggling with the stress of it all.

[roversdude]

Thank god for Wales bailing England out with some PCR tests - how come they had all of those spare

[BillyStubbsTears]

Planning?

[BillyStubbsTears]

Yesterday we were told that the Govt saw no reason to bring in firmer COVID restrictions.

Today they announced that they are going to set up tents in hospital car parks to deal with the surge in hospital cases.

I'm struggling to join the dots between those two policies.

[Bentley Bullet]

Planning?

[Nudga]

Theatre

[roversdude]

Makes you wonder who will ‘man’ the tents seems as though there are so many NHS staff (supposedly) in isolation

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

Thank god for Wales bailing England out with some PCR tests - how come they had all of those spare

Of course it's a good bit of spin from the Welsh Labour government. As sky pointed out last night in the news the tests are procured and distributed by the UK government accross the UK and subsequently moved around commonly to meet demand.

[Bentley Bullet]

I used to despair at the politicising of this tragic pandemic but I find the only way to cope with it now is to laugh at it.

[SydneyRover]

A-political bb, aye

[roversdude]

Thank god for Wales bailing England out with some PCR tests - how come they had all of those spare

Of course it's a good bit of spin from the Welsh Labour government. As sky pointed out last night in the news the tests are procured and distributed by the UK government accross the UK and subsequently moved around commonly to meet demand.

My point exactly BFYP so have they been stockpiling the tests distributed by central NHS or have the Welsh people just not been having tests

[River Don]

South Africa is now emerging from the Omicron wave. Case are now 30% lower than the peak.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/31/omicron-fuelled-fourth-covid-wave-has-passed-says-south-africa-as-it-eases-restrictions

I don't think we've got too much longer to wait until the situation eases here too.

[BillyStubbsTears]

I'd like to think so RD. But new hospital cases are exploding and there's no sign that we are anywhere remotely close to the peak in new cases.

[BillyStubbsTears]

BB.

It's fascinating how you consider not criticising a Govt to be apolitical. Don't you see the error in that logic?

[Bentley Bullet]

I'm not against fair, unbiased criticism.

[belton rover]

Karma is alive and well. Even if this idiot isn't.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2021/12/30/robin-fransman-anti-vaxx-economist-who-refused-jab-dies-of-covid-15839651/amp/

What a vile individual you are.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Two years ago today. First report in the West about COVID.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-illness-outbreak-sars-pneumonia-sick-virus-wuhan-health-a9265506.html

[River Don]

I'd like to think so RD. But new hospital cases are exploding and there's no sign that we are anywhere remotely close to the peak in new cases.

An explosion of cases was to be expected but once the peak is reached they expect the fall in cases to be fast too.

How far are we behind SA, three weeks perhaps? The UK hasn't been doing very much to prevent the infection and another spreading event tonight. I would guess the peak can't be very far away now.

[BillyStubbsTears]

RD.

We have already got a far higher spread of Omicron than SA ever did. Currently, something above 1 in 25 people in England are infected. That means it's now almost impossible to avoid contact  if you have any contact with others at all.

You're right that, unmitigated, this will rise and fall quickly. The problem is that the rise could go much, much higher yet. Once it is this widespread, infections are unlikely to suddenly start falling until the virus can't find anyone else to infect. That's only going to happen by one if two mechanisms. Social distancing, or everyone susceptible getting infected. If we go down the latter path, people would be well advised not to have heart attacks or accidents in January and February. The number of new daily hospital cases has trebled in a fortnight. If it does that again in the next fortnight, there is no way the NHS can function normally.

[River Don]

I'd say the latter path BST because the government are showing very little appetite for anymore restrictions.