Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[COYBL25]

How do you know that widespread vaccinations and increased testing aren’t enough to prevent further lockdowns ?

That`s the thing, no one does mate.

You can look at it three ways :

They will work and we can all get back on with our lives.

They will work, but let`s be cautious too and slowly get things back to normal.

They won`t work and I`m staying in my bunker.

 

[tsubaki]

How do you know that widespread vaccinations and increased testing aren’t enough to prevent further lockdowns ?

Because neither are going to prevent the disease spreading, at least according to current data. They’ll just make it less likely to hospitalise people or kill them.

Without controlling it, if something unexpected happens you’ve not got any other way apart from lockdowns to get it back under control (at far greater cost than it should have been).

 

[tsubaki]

Test and trace will work better with less cases. No country can trace 60000 cases a day.

no, but no country gets to 60000 cases a day if you have a working test and trace system

ours doesn’t work

 

[grandjoeblue]

no, but no country gets to 60000 cases a day if you have a working test and trace system

ours doesn’t work

I'm not one to defend the government as I agree that they've been shocking throughout. With the recent cases which had the Brazilian variant they seem to have done a better job with the tracing.

 

[Brennan]

Because neither are going to prevent the disease spreading, at least according to current data. They’ll just make it less likely to hospitalise people or kill them.

Without controlling it, if something unexpected happens you’ve not got any other way apart from lockdowns to get it back under control (at far greater cost than it should have been).

Redirect Notice

Controlling it includes mass testing and social contact measures in the autumn and winter months.

I’m struggling to see the evidence that 70% of the nation vaccinated plus widespread testing will still lead us into another lockdown. Particularly with the above comments about spread from PHE.

 

[Jebus_lives]

 

[COYBL25]

 

[Number_25]

But, and correct me if I'm wrong, but no virus has really ever done that? They have never somehow proved totally immune to the vaccines, because the make up of the virus remains very similar? That's why they're so confident. And then you're adding in that standard vaccine efficacy (for example a flu jab) is about 55-60%.

You're not wrong, but you're also not painting the full picture here:

View attachment 119829

As you can see the AZ jab is pretty much worthless against the B.1.351 variant, in spite of it being having a reported 90% efficacy against the ancestor of the variant. If we're not careful and allow further mutations to take place through transmission, we will likely see similar results.

 

[Number_25]

That attachment isn't working on my end.

 

[tsubaki]

Redirect Notice

Controlling it includes mass testing and social contact measures in the autumn and winter months.

I’m struggling to see the evidence that 70% of the nation vaccinated plus widespread testing will still lead us into another lockdown. Particularly with the above comments about spread from PHE.

Again, the reason why a lockdown would have to be called by the government was because those measures hadn’t worked, or some unexpected thing had occurred. I’d have thought the failure of two plans to deal with a pandemic that we were all assured would protect us would have taught us all that we need to do this properly.

Take that study that article gushes over for example - it I sn’t complete, nor has it been reviewed, and there’s a lot of other factors that could be at play (especially with transmission) - it’s just the first indications of something. It’s good news potentially, but we’ve got to prepare for what happens if it’s not borne out subsequently.

 

[grandjoeblue]

That attachment isn't working on my end.

The SA trial for the AZ vaccine wasn't done correctly. They think the efficacy is much much higher.

 

[JLW]

View attachment 119827

Its mad that some people would be happy with that.
What a life!

 

[davek]

Social distancing won't work at festivals and concerts etc indoors unfortunately. Also doesn't really work in pubs or restaurants. Unsustainable in the long term.

Then they adapt or they go to the wall.

That's if we're serious about tackling this virus.

 

[Neiler]

Northern Ireland has given more vaccines to its people than the ROI...NI has given a jab to 1/3 of its population and ROI has done 1/11, and they are one of the best in the EU. The UK should give ROI some vaccine to get the whole island up to a similar level.......

That's not a very fair analysis mate. Ill break it down

ROI:

Fully vaccinated: 141.33
At least one dose: 300k

NI:

Fully Vaccinated: 35k
At least one dose: 537.

Its clear the dosing strategy is the key distinguisher.

But i'm actually surprised the numbers are so close, given ROI started in early January and only had two vaccines up to the last week of Feb. The ROI are actually ahead on full vaccinations, obviously they are pursuing a different strategy.

You were nearly sending me to Belfest there for the weekend until i checked the numbers.

 

[Black Belt Jones]

What a good idea. Drop protective measures just before the UK variant is about to hit and put their hospitals into crisis.

It'd be a good idea if we had all politicians removed from power and replaced by technocrats with a huge emphasis on medical expertise for the duration of this pandemic. They really are spectacularly bad at saving human life.

Replacing every PPE fraud in parliament with someone with a science degree and government is transformed overnight. Going further and getting experienced scientists and technologists in parliament at a high level I am not sure is a good thing though - that mindset is not an easy marriage with politics IMHO, few political problems have scientific solutions.

(That's PPE as in the Oxford degree of philosophy, politics, and economics. Not personal protective equipment).