Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[tsubaki]

You can't prevent all deaths. Everyone is going to die eventually. People live to a very old age in the UK and eventually bodies fail resulting in deaths from flu and other issues.

Once the risk is minimised normality has to resume. If there was a particularly bad strain of flu like 2018 potentially people should wear masks on transport for a few weeks. Alternatively sick pay could be increased so that people don't go into work when they are ill.

I am not saying we should prevent all deaths, just the ones that are easily preventable.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I think you set the scene mate, the narrative needs to be living with the virus as opposed to raising expectations and getting back to normal. In my opinion and that’s seems to be the predominant narrative.

I’ve worked through flu out breaks, were everyone has been vaccinated and they aren’t pretty, flu season may be replaced by COVID season.

I think being up front about that and ongoing precautions, is not setting unrealistic expectations, that may not be met. It strikes pretty much at the moment that everyone is just waiting for the vaccine and get back to normal, will they get a summer holiday etc. That’s were people’s expectations are and I think that is being reinforced by the political narrative in the U.K.

On the opposite end of the scale, we might have to risk adverse approach over here and that can work against you to, people will just ignore eventually when infections are low.

A take home for me politically trough all of this, is how much narratives are manipulated and construed in terms of risk for political agenda. I think people can take the truth if there told.

What would be the harm in saying now, “Your offf your rocker heading to Spain for two weeks and we wouldn’t recommend it” instead it’s all about “When we get back to
Normality”.

There was f course needs to be an unloosing if society, but that needs to be balanced by realistic aadvice on risk of living with this!

Presumably, there will come a point where "normality" is returned to though, so what can we realistically expect that point to be? Is it when deaths are reduced because those most prone to dying are vaccinated? Is it when hospitalizations are reduced so that the NHS can function more "normally"? Is it when cases are reduced to a minimal level?

I'll admit to not following the political machinations all that closely, but I don't know if such a release point has been defined anywhere in the world?

 

[Neiler]

Presumably, there will come a point where "normality" is returned to though, so what can we realistically expect that point to be? Is it when deaths are reduced because those most prone to dying are vaccinated? Is it when hospitalizations are reduced so that the NHS can function more "normally"? Is it when cases are reduced to a minimal level?

I'll admit to not following the political machinations all that closely, but I don't know if such a release point has been defined anywhere in the world?

Slow incremental process in my opinion, that’s why I think the “almost there, getting back to normal narrative is unhelpful”, society has to change initially to adjust to the risk socialisation brings, face covering, distancing, seasonal restrictions i think will be with us for a few years yet, judgement calls on all unnessary travel for holidays and the like. In short socialisation will be risky. Each part of opening up of society needs an exact risk assessment in my opinion! There is protection and a measure or perfection and they are two different things. We will see outbreaks in areas, especially in winter months and in health care.

I see Western Culture moving slowly more toward the ongoing precautions in Asia around in infection control.

It will remain a feature of life for quite a long time for me, a couple of generations certainly, not saying it will be as stark as restrictions now, but risk management will be ongoing for a few years yet in whatever evidenced based form.

 

[jonnyboy316]

Given the more encouraging recents news re the impact the vaccine has on transmissibility and the speed of the roll out what are people peoples predictions for late Spring/Summer.

Will we be back in offices? Yes but many companies will rotate staff

will pubs\restaurants be open without significant restrictions? Yes

will we be able to socialise in large groups? Yes

Will we be able to travel abroad? No due to variant concerns

will there be any fans at the FAcup final? No
Wimbledon? Yes but limited
Euro’s? Yes limited but no travelling so will be in country fans

Will the olympics take place? No

 

[tsubaki]

Slow incremental process in my opinion, society has to change initially to adjust to the risk socialisation brings, face covering, distancing, seasonal restrictions i think will be with for a few years yet, judgement calls on all unnessary travel for holidays and the like. In short socialisation will be risky. Each part of opening up of society needs an exact risk assessment in my opinion! There is protection and a measure or perfection and they are two different things. We will see outbreaks in areas, especially in winter months and in health care.

I see Western Culture moving slowly more toward the ongoing precautions in Asia around in infection control.

It will remain a feature of life for quite a long time for me, a couple of generations certainly, not saying it will be as stark as restrictions now, but risk management will be ongoing for a few years yet in whatever evidenced based form.

This bit is why I think the talk about "returning to normal" is a bit pointless at present - without a working means of rapid detection and containment of outbreaks (whether thats foreign travel related or in the community), to go back to how things were will only result in further disasters of the kind we've just experienced.

It should be the top priority of the government, ahead even of the vaccination scheme; if we get such a system in place, the need to get future vaccines is going to be far lower than it is now, we will be able to keep the economy and society open without one.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Slow incremental process in my opinion, that’s why I think the “almost there, getting back to normal narrative is unhelpful”, society has to change initially to adjust to the risk socialisation brings, face covering, distancing, seasonal restrictions i think will be with us for a few years yet, judgement calls on all unnessary travel for holidays and the like. In short socialisation will be risky. Each part of opening up of society needs an exact risk assessment in my opinion! There is protection and a measure or perfection and they are two different things. We will see outbreaks in areas, especially in winter months and in health care.

I see Western Culture moving slowly more toward the ongoing precautions in Asia around in infection control.

It will remain a feature of life for quite a long time for me, a couple of generations certainly, not saying it will be as stark as restrictions now, but risk management will be ongoing for a few years yet in whatever evidenced based form.

Out of interest, if someone has been vaccinated, why would they not be able to travel?

 

[roydo]

Presumably, there will come a point where "normality" is returned to though, so what can we realistically expect that point to be? Is it when deaths are reduced because those most prone to dying are vaccinated? Is it when hospitalizations are reduced so that the NHS can function more "normally"? Is it when cases are reduced to a minimal level?

I'll admit to not following the political machinations all that closely, but I don't know if such a release point has been defined anywhere in the world?

If you saw the CV briefing yesterday, one slide showed quite obviously where we are heading. It was brilliant in its simplicity.

It must be on the internet somewhere, but in a nutshell, it showed the numbers of each age group in hospital/discharged/dead from covid. The massive bubble was obviously 50 to 90 plus, (the top targets for a vax).

But the numbers beneath 50, right down to 5 year olds, was miniscule. Visualise an inflated balloon, (50 plus), on a very long piece of string, (1 to 50), and you get the idea.

Seems a decent plan to me; pop the balloon.

 

[COYBL25]

Maybe these science folk know more than us mere mortals? lol

Once everyones vaccinated life will go back to normal thats a guarantee. If it didnt there wouldn't be a life to go back to anyway and the scenes of people smashing and looting homes and businesses for food and items to sell to survive would become reality following an economic/societal collapse.

So far all the data suggests once vaccinated Covid poses little to no harm anymore in the vast majority of people. Obviously we'll have to keep an eye out for future mutations but we do that anyway with the flu and can always tweak the vaccines etc

Good times ahead come the summer mate x

I’ll save a place in the queue for you, on the grand re opening night of Pop World.

 

[Amw79]

If you saw the CV briefing yesterday, one slide showed quite obviously where we are heading. It was brilliant in its simplicity.

It must be on the internet somewhere, but in a nutshell, it showed the numbers of each age group in hospital/discharged/dead from covid. The massive bubble was obviously 50 to 90 plus, (the top targets for a vax).

But the numbers beneath 50, right down to 5 year olds, was miniscule. Visualise an inflated balloon, (50 plus), on a very long piece of string, (1 to 50), and you get the idea.

Seems a decent plan to me; pop the balloon.

 

[Neiler]

Out of interest, if someone has been vaccinated, why would they not be able to travel?

Risk, moving from multiple jurisdictions from another with different infection profiles, the nature of travel enclosed indoor spaces for a long time, welcome certainly at the moment no country wants to accept visits, particularly those who have variants present, increased socialisation. Nature of vaccines they offer you a level of protection and not full protection, their effectiveness decreases over time, where do you cut of in terms of in between doses, fully vaccinated, not vaccinated. All ares I’d be looking in weighing up.

People will of course take the risk if allowed, I understand that, personally I wouldn’t look at until 2022 before leaving the country and I’ve had my two doses.

 

[COYBL25]

You can't prevent all deaths. Everyone is going to die eventually. People live to a very old age in the UK and eventually bodies fail resulting in deaths from flu and other issues.

Once the risk is minimised normality has to resume. If there was a particularly bad strain of flu like 2018 potentially people should wear masks on transport for a few weeks. Alternatively sick pay could be increased so that people don't go into work when they are ill.

Other than no one is allowed in without quarantining, the likes of Australia and even the Isle of Man are completely back to normal.

Given time, we’ll all go back to normal, albeit with a yearly jab.

As much as some seem to want it to happen, the world simply can’t stay in some kind of hybrid lockdown forever.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Risk, moving from multiple jurisdictions from another with different infection profiles, the nature of travel enclosed indoor spaces for a long time, welcome certainly at the moment no country wants to accept visits, particularly those who have variants present, increased socialisation. Nature of vaccines they offer you a level of protection and not full protection, their effectiveness decreases over time, where do you cut of in terms of in between doses, fully vaccinated, not vaccinated. All ares I’d be looking in weighing up.

People will of course take the risk if allowed, I understand that, personally I wouldn’t look at until 2022 before leaving the country and I’ve had my two doses.

For sure, I'm not for a minute suggesting people will travel before they've been vaccinated, but given that, contrary to what dear Dido thinks, mutations are inevitable, and therefore some form of Covid will be with us for the foreseeable, we've got to get to a point where what we do makes it safe for travel to occur. I understand all of the vaccine teams are currently testing for the new variants to see efficacy, and while the rates do tend to be lower for, say, the SA variant than for the original one they still seem to be in the comparable range for, say, the flu vaccine (50-60%).

 

[grandjoeblue]

Other than no one is allowed in without quarantining, the likes of Australia and even the Isle of Man are completely back to normal.

Given time, we’ll all go back to normal, albeit with a yearly jab.

As much as some seem to want it to happen, the world simply can’t stay in some kind of hybrid lockdown forever.

Agree, for example why would you social distance if you and the person you are meeting have both had the vaccine?

Just doesn't make sense. Vaccines should mitigate the risk massively. If the results are similar to Israel here there would be no reason for social distancing or masks to be needed.

 

[summerisle]

Me currently.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

I’ll save a place in the queue for you, on the grand re opening night of Pop World.

I'll bring the condoms ♡