Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[Martin Alvito]

And if that happens, it will happen regularly forever.

Is this new technology the only answer to this? Does it HAVE to be Pfizer and Moderna every few months? Will we ever find out or does having the most money make all the difference?

Not necessarily. As noted, the long-term trend line for viruses and bacteria is generally towards adapting to the host, presumably because killing the host off is not an effective survival strategy. Historically, that process usually takes quite a long time. I would expect the rapid mutation rate of a coronavirus gone endemic to shorten that process, but I have no idea by how much.

I also have no idea how vaccines will affect that historical process. To the best of my knowledge (I'm no immunologist), measles and rubella haven't changed that much since we developed effective vaccines.

 

[LinekersLegs]

And if that happens, it will happen regularly forever.

Is this new technology the only answer to this? Does it HAVE to be Pfizer and Moderna every few months? Will we ever find out or does having the most money make all the difference?

Not the only answer as we can do other things in parallel like improve building ventilation (which would help with other diseases like the flu), improve waste water surveillance so can detect outbreaks earlier along with other testing/tracing systems, beef up our hospital systems etc.

The three doses also seems to confer (at least with Delta, tbd with Omicron) good protection even against infection so the below would be my best guess on current data available

 

[Billy Dean]

They are classing essential shops as basically just supermarkets and chemists I think. There may have been 1 or 2 others but not much more than that.

Actually I was wrong it's more than 1 or 2. These are now the only places unvaccinated people are allowed to go in my region:

Supermarkets and other food shops
DIY and Garden Centres
Mothercare type shops
Post offices
Banks
Florists
All kind of medical shops eg opticians
Chemists
Book shops
Banks
Pet shops
Petrol stations
Laundrettes

lol

 

[Neiler]

How Will the COVID Pills Change the Pandemic?

New antiviral drugs are startlingly effective against the coronavirus—if they’re taken in time.

www.newyorker.com

 

[maccavennie]

Actually I was wrong it's more than 1 or 2. These are now the only places unvaccinated people are allowed to go in my region:

Supermarkets and other food shops
DIY and Garden Centres
Mothercare type shops
Post offices
Banks
Florists
All kind of medical shops eg opticians
Chemists
Book shops
Banks
Pet shops
Petrol stations
Laundrettes

lol

Thank God they've left them with the Laundrette lol

 

[LinekersLegs]

 

[LinekersLegs]

 

[Neiler]

That growth is outrageous. FFS.

Any emerging data on hospitalisations and mortality regionally in Gauteng.

 

[LinekersLegs]

That growth is outrageous. FFS.

Any emerging data on hospitalisations and mortality.

Some but hard to interpret because of lots of variables, good thread from JBM


Really don't envy those trying to figure out a clear picture.

 

[Tigger]

Actually I was wrong it's more than 1 or 2. These are now the only places unvaccinated people are allowed to go in my region:

Supermarkets and other food shops
DIY and Garden Centres
Mothercare type shops
Post offices
Banks
Florists
All kind of medical shops eg opticians
Chemists
Book shops
Banks
Pet shops
Petrol stations
Laundrettes

lol

Wtf are Florists doing on there lol

 

[maccavennie]

Wtf are Florists doing on there lol

Covid is allergic to flowers it seems mate!

 

[Martin Alvito]

Not the only answer as we can do other things in parallel like improve building ventilation (which would help with other diseases like the flu), improve waste water surveillance so can detect outbreaks earlier along with other testing/tracing systems, beef up our hospital systems etc.

The three doses also seems to confer (at least with Delta, tbd with Omicron) good protection even against infection so the below would be my best guess on current data available

In the limit, I suspect we're all going to have to admit that large gatherings are not without risk. They never were (see: Disease, Legionnaires), but the risks are a lot more salient.

Those infection curves you posted a few minutes ago for RSA are...not good.

 

[Wizard]

Covid: Trigger of rare blood clots with AstraZeneca jab found by scientists

Researchers in Cardiff and the US work out how the Covid jab may be linked to the extremely rare clots.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Ghost Rider]

Just an alternative take on South Africa.

They have very few vaccinated people on comparison to other countries and we are entering winter which has a tendancy to spread viruses more.

I wonder if the spread of a virus in a population that is largely unvaccinated is being blown out of proportion given what they have told the world , out of proportion in regards to trying to find a deeper meaning beyond the obvious.

If south Africa had similar vaccinated rates as the UK , would those numbers still be as high? Or if another country announced the variant , would their numbers be scrutinised as much as this?

 

[Wizard]

Just an alternative take on South Africa.

They have very few vaccinated people on comparison to other countries and we are entering winter which has a tendancy to spread viruses more.

I wonder if the spread of a virus in a population that is largely unvaccinated is being blown out of proportion given what they have told the world , out of proportion in regards to trying to find a deeper meaning beyond the obvious.

If south Africa had similar vaccinated rates as the UK , would those numbers still be as high? Or if another country announced the variant , would their numbers be scrutinised as much as this?

Think it’s still too early to know the answers to most of the questions sadly. But I think governments are being sensible in being vigilant.

Also, the winter point doesn’t hold true for South Africa as they are entering summer. Low vaccination levels are almost certainly a big issue though