Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[degsy]

...Mixed messaging and slow reactions have done it for this government. We can only hope that the vaccine really is a game changer.

This.
Reacted too late,
locked down too late.
Lifted the lockdown too early
Allowed all and sundry to come in and out from abroad...waved through
STILL allowing incoming and out goings.

Have they got hotel quarentine sorted yet?
It's not as simple as just keeping people in isolation,
it turns out corridors are spreaders.
As are the people who bring in food, cleaners, security.
Not to put too fine a point on it - having near minimum wage employees as your first key line of defence has been a recipe for disaster as Melbourne goes into 5 day lockdown steming from hotel quarantine failures.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Don't tell Dave

 

[BlueToff]

Just the first mate. No side affects either. So I know they are up to vaccinating the 65 and overs with no underlying health issues currently.

Nice, hopefully all stays that way! Yep, my dad turns 65 next week and as it stands he'll be due his appointment any day now.

 

[maccavennie]

Yep, my dad turns 65 next week and as it stands he'll be due his appointment any day now.

Just one less thing to stress about then mate isn't it and another step closer to hopefully being able to see your parents properly again

 

[Tubey]

That’s not the experience we have had with flu every year - yes, vaccinations will reduce deaths but even with that we still have 10000 deaths a year. That’s with a less deadly illness than this is.

Plus of course the vaccine only works on this virus; not what’s coming next. Asia learning from SARS and putting a working system in place helped them deal with this; why anyone wouldn’t want us to do the same sort of thing after what we’ve been through baffles me.

1. Flu vaccines have a weaker immunogenic response, particularly in older people. It was one of the reasons people were hesitant about a vaccine being successful with COVID, and 50% efficacy being the approval marker - it's turned out vaccines have vastly exceeded expectations both in terms of efficacy but, more importantly, in terms of immunogenicity.

2. Annually, the flu vaccine is taken up by far fewer people than will be covered by the COVID vaccine. Can't find the UK stats, but in the US around 30% of under 65s get it, compared to 70%+ over 75s. This means higher base transmission, meaning the 25-30% of old people who don't get the vaccine are more likely to catch it. We don't approach the concept of "herd immunity" with the flu vaccine, ever. Not only that, the flu vaccine varies wildly in efficacy.

3. Nobody is saying we don't want Track & Trace - we're just saying it's largely irrelevant to the pandemic we have now. Lessons need to be learned from this for the real 'big one' to come - Disease X - because the way the world works it's a matter of time, but this time we've got lucky; vaccines are our primary way out of it; T&T is the shield we need for the future.

 

[BlueToff]

Just one less thing to stress about then mate isn't it and another step closer to hopefully being able to see your parents properly again

Yep. Obviously just all a step by step thing. My mum's in her 50s too so hopefully by May they'll both have had their first shot.

My grandparents will be getting their second around late March too, if my maths is right.

 

[maccavennie]

Yep. Obviously just all a step by step thing. My mum's in her 50s too so hopefully by May they'll both have had their first shot.

My grandparents will be getting their second around late March too, if my maths is right.

Spot on mate. You just need your housemate now to see if there's any going spare where she works to see if they can fit you in early doors! Saying that, stay safe and all being well you'll be getting your first end of April/start of May.

 

[grandjoeblue]

I don't really understand how some people think the longterm solution is to essentially stop everyones lives. Nobody having a life is not a solution.

These people act like they care about saving lives whilst happily seeing millions fall into poverty. Very strange.

 

[tsubaki]

1. Flu vaccines have a weaker immunogenic response, particularly in older people. It was one of the reasons people were hesitant about a vaccine being successful with COVID, and 50% efficacy being the approval marker - it's turned out vaccines have vastly exceeded expectations both in terms of efficacy but, more importantly, in terms of immunogenicity.

2. Annually, the flu vaccine is taken up by far fewer people than will be covered by the COVID vaccine. Can't find the UK stats, but in the US around 30% of under 65s get it, compared to 70%+ over 75s. This means higher base transmission, meaning the 25-30% of old people who don't get the vaccine are more likely to catch it. We don't approach the concept of "herd immunity" with the flu vaccine, ever. Not only that, the flu vaccine varies wildly in efficacy.

3. Nobody is saying we don't want Track & Trace - we're just saying it's largely irrelevant to the pandemic we have now. Lessons need to be learned from this for the real 'big one' to come - Disease X - because the way the world works it's a matter of time, but this time we've got lucky; vaccines are our primary way out of it; T&T is the shield we need for the future.

I couldn’t disagree more with this. How do you ever expect to have an effective track and trace if you also are going to just let this thing spread? Wouldn’t people naturally ask what it was all those people are doing?

 

[Walken]

My mum got her vaccine a couple of days ago. It's another step forward and every step forward will get us back to where we want to be.

My nan and two uncles have had their first dose, it definitely lifts the spirits when you see the vaccines reaching people you know

 

[BlueToff]

Spot on mate. You just need your housemate now to see if there's any going spare where she works to see if they can fit you in early doors! Saying that, stay safe and all being well you'll be getting your first end of April/start of May.

Aye, would be handy haha.

But yeah, happy to wait my turn. If this rate carries on, even by June will be a result I'd say. Can't argue against that, and it means by September I'll be having my second. I'm by no means a priority.

 

[maccavennie]

Aye, would be handy haha.

But yeah, happy to wait my turn. If this rate carries on, even by June will be a result I'd say. Can't argue against that, and it means by September I'll be having my second. I'm by no means a priority.

Same here mate. I took a punt and booked a family holiday for July ( in the UK ) and I'd like to think my first vaccine will be done then. I went last year to the same place where they had just come out of lockdown so there was a few restrictions still in place but nothing that affected us having quality time together as a family.

Hopefully we'll be vaccinated to a decent level!!!

 

[degsy]

They'll help. They wont stop this crisis. Only intensive testing and quarantining will do that, and behavioral change. Until we have that, we should remain with major restrictions.

Human Nature?
Good luck with that.
Or do you mean the old...getting people to do as they're told, using the old - because I / we say so.?

 

[maccavennie]

My nan and two uncles have had their first dose, it definitely lifts the spirits when you see the vaccines reaching people you know

110% mate. Its important to spread a bit of positivity as well because it's in short supply. Every day, scientists, doctors and nurses are learning new things, new drugs and forms of treatment are coming along, vaccines are getting rolled out, boosters will come, businesses are hanging in there with every last ounce of effort they have, hoping to make it through this period and Everton won 5-4 against Spurs.

Stick together, help one another and slowly we can come through these challenging times together, whether that be family, friends, loved ones, Evertonians and even rs lurkers on this forum you scruffy melts I even have compassion for you!

 

[degsy]

1, 2...

3. Nobody is saying we don't want Track & Trace - we're just saying it's largely irrelevant to the pandemic we have now. Lessons need to be learned from this for the real 'big one' to come - Disease X - because the way the world works it's a matter of time, but this time we've got lucky; vaccines are our primary way out of it; Test and Track is the shield we need for the future.

The Tick-Tock Man and O'Brien likes this, my inner Harlequin and Winston Smith are not so sure.