Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[efcfanwirral]

I thought they needed to vote by the end of this month on extending the coronavirus act/ emergency powers? Worried they'd lose the vote when things look OK perhaps...?

 

[jamieni]

That article falls very much on the side of scaremongering - some of the implications in the wording is 2020 levels of fear.

Despite brutal initial waves and relatively high vaccination rates, countries including the U.S., U.K., Russia and Israel are flirting with record numbers of cases. Immunization is helping to moderate incidences of severe cases and deaths, but surging infections mean the virus is reaching the young and others who remain unvaccinated, leading to rising rates of serious disease in those groups.

That paragraph makes it sound way worse than it actually is currently, in the UK anyway. If there were restrictions to prevent what our July- now has looked like, there'd be restrictions forever.

We still have restrictions here in Northern Ireland, although they are gradually being loosened. Our problem is the health service here is in a horrific state and has been for years. Although the numbers in ICUs are gradually decreasing, there is a genuine concern here that an increase in infection rates or a flu outbreak will cause some A&Es to close. Vaccination uptake hasn’t been as good in NI as it is in GB or Ireland either.

 

[CharliePotato]

Believe what you see around you in your everyday life.

Exactly believe what you see not all the scaremongering.

 

[BlueStevie35]

Hospital figures - 152 deaths were announced today, up 118 on yesterday and down 34 on last Tuesday. 141 deaths were in English hospitals, up 127 on yesterday and down 33 on last week. The 7 day rolling average falls to 121.71

All settings - for the 28 day cut off, 167 deaths were announced today, up 127 on yesterday and down 36 on last Tuesday. The 7 day rolling average falls to 131.43

For the 60 day cut off, 199 deaths were announced today, up 157 on yesterday’s late revealed total of 42 and down 47 on last Tuesday. The 7 day rolling average falls to 155.14

 

[Zezti]

Where as other scientists say in 6 months time Covid will be no worse than a common cold...

Whom should we believe though mate? this pandemic ruined my life and looks like it will never end, variants and whatnot

Sorry to hear that mate. Hope you can sort things out!!

I'd like to lean towards the optimistic side, and go with those who say it will slowly fizzle out. I dread how we will be if its sticks around at this level for years.

I said in this thread after we first went into lockdown. I don't think the world will ever return to the way it was. We have to learn to adapt and embrace life with COVID around just like any other illness. Its why I've not cared to keep track of infections/hospitalisations/deaths stats, because there comes a time to let that fade into the background and move on.

 

[Deleted member 48881]

I said in this thread after we first went into lockdown. I don't think the world will ever return to the way it was. We have to learn to adapt and embrace life with COVID around just like any other illness. Its why I've not cared to keep track of infections/hospitalisations/deaths stats, because there comes a time to let that fade into the background and move on.

Moving on and not having full normalcy (ever) are two different things though. Are you saying we will never have a year like 2019? Then we are not moving on. It's still Covid scarred life.

Lots of pandemics happened in the past. Life got back to normal, like normal normal. Why is this one any different?

 

[grandjoeblue]

Moving on and not having full normalcy (ever) are two different things though. Are you saying we will never have a year like 2019? Then we are not moving on. It's still Covid scarred life.

Lots of pandemics happened in the past. Life got back to normal, like normal normal. Why is this one any different?

Its not even that far off normal right now, never mind in a year or two time when more are vaccinated and treatments are more developed.

The only thing at the moment thats particularly difficult is travel abroad and even thats getting easier as months pass.

 

[Deleted member 48881]

Its not even that far off normal right now, never mind in a year or two time when more are vaccinated and treatments are more developed.

The only thing at the moment thats particularly difficult is travel abroad and even thats getting easier as months pass.

Hope you're right mate. This winter will be crazy though globally. And even if you vaccinate entire population, you cannot get rid of masks as things stand (see Israel, first they tried then they were like oh no)

In 2019 nobody wore masks except surgical doctors and nurses, not even GPs who were seeing loads of coughing patients every day...people forget this very conjuncture we were experiencing. so let alone flight attendants or passengers. Normal normal, 2019 like normal, I think we won't be back to it in 5 years, at least.

 

[TN Toffee]

Moving on and not having full normalcy (ever) are two different things though. Are you saying we will never have a year like 2019? Then we are not moving on. It's still Covid scarred life.

Lots of pandemics happened in the past. Life got back to normal, like normal normal. Why is this one any different?

I think things will eventually return to almost the way they were in February 2020 with one notable exception. IMO, the work environment as we understood it where white collar people all went to the office 5 days a week is probably now forever a thing of the past. To be fair though, the way technology was advancing, this was probably always eventually coming. COVID just forced everyone into a situation where we all found out that it’s basically already possible with what we have in place.

 

[Deckard2049]

I think things will eventually return to almost the way they were in February 2020 with one notable exception. IMO, the work environment as we understood it where white collar people all went to the office 5 days a week is probably now forever a thing of the past. To be fair though, the way technology was advancing, this was probably always eventually coming. COVID just forced everyone into a situation where we all found out that it’s basically already possible with what we have in place.

Wait till all those white collar jobs that can be done anywhere in the world with a laptop are subsidised globally.

 

[WA Toffee]

Moving on and not having full normalcy (ever) are two different things though. Are you saying we will never have a year like 2019? Then we are not moving on. It's still Covid scarred life.

Lots of pandemics happened in the past. Life got back to normal, like normal normal. Why is this one any different?

The last time there was a pandemic of this scale, we didn't have the scientific or medical knowledge that we do now, so there was really no other option than to carry on as normal.

When the next big pandemic comes around in 100 years, science and medical knowledge will have advanced again and it will no doubt be managed differently to this one.

 

[TN Toffee]

The last time there was a pandemic of this scale, we didn't have the scientific or medical knowledge that we do now, so there was really no other option than to carry on as normal.

When the next big pandemic comes around in 100 years, science and medical knowledge will have advanced again and it will no doubt be managed differently to this one.

I don’t think you can say that things “went back to normal” after the Spanish Flu. That pandemic occurred at the tail end of a society changing war, where on one side you have the Victorian/Edwardian Era, and on the other side is essentially the modern 20th century world. Even if the pandemic wasn’t the primary driver of the change, I imagine very little was the same as it was before.

 

[Tramps_mate]

The last time there was a pandemic of this scale, we didn't have the scientific or medical knowledge that we do now, so there was really no other option than to carry on as normal.

When the next big pandemic comes around in 100 years, science and medical knowledge will have advanced again and it will no doubt be managed differently to this one.

I'm guessing it'll be less than 20 years....

 

[WA Toffee]

I don’t think you can say that things “went back to normal” after the Spanish Flu. That pandemic occurred at the tail end of a society changing war, where on one side you have the Victorian/Edwardian Era, and on the other side is essentially the modern 20th century world. Even if the pandemic wasn’t the primary driver of the change, I imagine very little was the same as it was before.

I'm sure you are right. I was just answering the person who asked why things went back to "normal" with previous pandemics

 

[jamieni]

I'm guessing it'll be less than 20 years....

There were two pandemics in the space of about 10 years in the 50s/60s I think. My aunt was working as a nurse during the Hong Kong flu pandemic in 1968 and said they weren’t even aware of it!