Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[peteblue]

It depends.

Do you suddenly think this gang of utter morons in charge are capable of doing something right?

No. But I did read that NHS are playing a significant role in it so in theory it should be more professional.

It’s only like doing the flu jab with the Oxford vaccine, and the GP’s did the last one like shelling peas...things are looking up.....

 

[Tramps_mate]

Oxford vaccine... 60% of the time... It works every time.

 

[Nymzee]

No, I'm saying that the new mutation isn't the reason for the restrictions. So just be honest about it. Don't put people into panic mode - which is all this is.

And panic and fear can be used to get people to do stuff like get some people to call people selfish for worrying about their jobs, their businesses, or going on a run.

Or, you know, get people into a mode where they think it's impossible to return to normality until every single last person on earth is vaccinated - and I'll happily have whatever vaccine is available to me as soon as it is, btw.

Or just don’t be a muggle and pay too much attention to the media?

Whatever strain of COVID it is the cases are on the up, deaths are on the up.

Why the panic you ask? That’s the panic.

 

[Tramps_mate]

100m by march.
That means this thing is as good as over doesn't it?

UK is only 67m people..

 

[Tramps_mate]

Or just don’t be a muggle and pay too much attention to the media?

Whatever strain of COVID it is the cases are on the up, deaths are on the up.

Why the panic you ask? That’s the panic.

And testing is waaaaaay up...

 

[tsubaki]

Bold bit being key.

Amazingly the virus was polite enough to stick largely to the south-east instead. Nice of it.

It was, though of course these aren't usual times - people are generally sticking to their own region, inter-regional travel is way down on what it normally is.

 

[Nymzee]

And testing is waaaaaay up...

It is but so are deaths.

 

[BlueToff]

TBF these things do take a bit of time to spread; 2-3 months from first detection to being everywhere is what we'd expect to see.

It also is yet another reminder of how the official Chinese narrative is likely to be very wrong.

This thing was here in October/November last year (OG COVID, not mutant/cockney/zombie strain).

There's evidence of it in Italy and a look at the death statistics here shows a massive increase from Oct/Nov 2018 to Oct/Nov 2019 (and weirdly for a pandemic which supposedly didn't hit Europe until Jan/Feb, the increase in deaths in Oct/Nov this year was hardly anything compared).

My issue just comes with putting fear and panic into people and what that can lead to. I've made my views clear but honestly it comes from a good place. I can handle life as it is for another few months, I'm sure people can (albeit those ones who have had no support through this and are seeing their entire livelihoods ruined might think differently), but if - big if - the vaccines get rolled out as hoped, there should be no chance we aren't getting back to matches, or the pub, or the cafe, or the cinema, concerts - whatever - by April/May time.

If we can't get the vaccine rolled out, so be it, it'll happen when it happens. But that should really be the only excuse. Not fear and panic about new strains - new strains that there's no evidence the vaccines won't help protect against, and protection is what a vaccine offers, not full immunity. Because that for me just sets a precedent and then it might as well never end.

 

[jinkyali]

No, it means whoever the Telegraph is talking to has told them the usual pro-government leaked positive spin piece, which the usual gull is now regurgitating for us on here.

They'll get a lot of people vaccinated by the end of March, but the numbers involved are so big that it will take more than 90 days to do enough people to start to get an immunity built in to the population (remember even the Oxford jab is two doses, twenty days apart). If there are no problems then midway through 2021 is probably when this phase of this will be over. What is going to be important then is what we as a country learn from this, and do about it.

Positive

 

[peteblue]

No, it means whoever the Telegraph is talking to has told them the usual pro-government leaked positive spin piece, which the usual gull is now regurgitating for us on here.

They'll get a lot of people vaccinated by the end of March, but the numbers involved are so big that it will take more than 90 days to do enough people to start to get an immunity built in to the population (remember even the Oxford jab is two doses, twenty days apart). If there are no problems then midway through 2021 is probably when this phase of this will be over. What is going to be important then is what we as a country learn from this, and do about it.

You’re a barrel of laughs aren’t you......

 

[tsubaki]

This thing was here in October/November last year (OG COVID, not mutant/cockney/zombie strain).

There's evidence of it in Italy and a look at the death statistics here shows a massive increase from Oct/Nov 2018 to Oct/Nov 2019 (and weirdly for a pandemic which supposedly didn't hit Europe until Jan/Feb, the increase in deaths in Oct/Nov this year was hardly anything compared).

My issue just comes with putting fear and panic into people and what that can lead to. I've made my views clear but honestly it comes from a good place. I can handle life as it is for another few months, I'm sure people can (albeit those ones who have had no support through this and are seeing their entire livelihoods ruined might think differently), but if - big if - the vaccines get rolled out as hoped, there should be no chance we aren't getting back to matches, or the pub, or the cafe, or the cinema, concerts - whatever - by April/May time.

If we can't get the vaccine rolled out, so be it, it'll happen when it happens. But that should really be the only excuse. Not fear and panic about new strains - new strains that there's no evidence the vaccines won't help protect against, and protection is what a vaccine offers, not full immunity. Because that for me just sets a precedent and then it might as well never end.

Sorry for repeating myself, but this is kind of the problem with the UK - that we've been led down a path of two bad choices (lockdown / restrictions or letting this run rampant).

This is an entirely false position, what we should - must - be doing is to establish an effective public health protection system that can do all the test, track, trace and isolate stuff not only for this but for what is coming in 10/20/30 years time, as these viruses always do (and thats even without them being weaponised). SK and Taiwan learned that after SARS, implemented it and they've had very few deaths relatively speaking as the result of this. We have to do the same here - it will prevent restrictions, prevent economic damage and save lives.

 

[BlueStevie35]

Hospital figures - 196 deaths were announced today, down 248 on yesterday and down 226 on last Saturday. 161 deaths were in English hospitals, down 240 on yesterday and down 178 on last week. The 7 day rolling average falls to 384.57

All settings - for the 28 day cut off, 210 deaths were announced today, down 360 on yesterday and down 324 on last Saturday. The 7 day rolling average falls to 475.71

For the 60 day cut off, 227 deaths were announced today, down 441 on yesterday and down 394 on last Saturday. The 7 day rolling average falls to 539.71

Worth noting that figures will be low for the next couple of days as only England are reporting daily, there hasn't been any data from Northern Ireland since Wednesday and won't be til Tuesday, Scotland are on a 4 day close of reporting as of yesterday until Monday with the next day being a catch up and will be the same from New Year's Day until the 4th and Wales won't be reporting data again until next Saturday

 

[tsubaki]

Positive

It would be, providing the lesson learned isn't that we can bunker down for twelve months and that a vaccine will appear.

 

[Tubey]

We're realistically looking at nearer the end of 2021 before it's completely done, because this government is incompetent and the idea they'll get the logistics right is laughable.

However, we should break the back of it by say around May, when most if not all of the vulnerable groups are sorted. From that point, no lockdowns are justified.

 

[BlueToff]

It is but so are deaths.

And deaths from illnesses such as fule and pneumonia ('common' killers in the winter in UK in vulnerable groups who are at risk of covid) are down (so far, obviously).

Before you jump down my throat, I am not at all suggesting that this lessens covid or makes it 'like flu' etc. It's clearly much more infectious, much more deadly if someone gets it badly. And, there has been no vaccine until now.

My point is, there will be a number - we can't say for sure whether big or small - of people that have died due to COVID that would have passed this year of flu or pneumonia. We're not just getting lucky that we're having fewer flu or pneumonia cases. It's probably a case of COVID taking away from the flu and pneumonia numbers - though I fully take on board we will have to wait until January when the statistics are usually published to tell for certain.

The restrictions will obviously have helped, as will social distancing/hygeine pushes etc, so that's a positive - in a peverse way - of the pandemic.

I am still scared of this thing for my family. Don't want my mum or dad or my gran to get it. Trying to follow measures. I've come home for Christmas and will head back to mine tomorrow. Haven't been to the gym since March, haven't been to a pub since September or a restaurant since the end of October. Trying my best to make sure the people I care about are safe. So I'm not trying to be some conspiracy theorist or take away from people's concerns. I just think stuff has to be taken into perspective.