Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[BlueToff]

Worth a watch

 

[grandjoeblue]

I'll be doing what the scientific consensus advises. I'll be doing it because I've seen my girlfriend, my sister and many friends nearly fall to bits as healthcare workers over the last two years. The same reason I despise the tories and never vote for them. The same reason I support socialised medicine and see healthcare as a basic human right. The same reasons I protested against cruel austerity measures.

I share a lot of your views on much of the media, but it doesn't mean anything to play the I'm the bigger socialist card because others are concerned about the virus in a different way. Most peoples opinions will be shaped by their personal circumstances and what goes on around them, wearing a mask in Tesco and following the advice of a doctor doesn't mean you've signed a pact with bezos, musk and all those other disturbing individuals who see every humanitarian crisis as an opportunity, because despite their obsession with wealth there is still a humanitarian crisis to deal with

I'm a socialist but I cannot see a way out in this country, the rats in power are never going to grow the health service and the NHS is always go suffer. Mandatory vaccination is possible but there's no real way out?

They've got years left and even if Labour got in in 2024 it would take years maybe 10 years to build hospitals and to employ staff.

 

[BlueToff]

Try telling that to anyone whose livelihood depends on tourism/travel. Not only are the travel restrictions prohibitive to people even coming to the UK, anyone who does manage to make it is effectively locked out of indoor events, sporting events, etc. because they won’t have access to the NHS app to the the QR code to verify their status.

they do lateral flow tests on the door of most places. If you are travelling over, check with the venue beforehand. Or order lateral flow tests to where you are staying and you can do it that way?

 

[Seanjd]

This has happened three times in a year now- a new, more infectious variant to throw us of course.

And the vaccines are somewhat of a temporary band aid against infection, but stop severe disease for a couple of.momthd before you need another. So it's not going away anywhere in the world no matter how many vaccines you make people take

So what does the next few years look like? How does anyone have any optimism for the future? This can and will happen every few months even if (when) we mandate the vaccines.

I think it’s more about an international effort and instead of the vaccine hoarding tendencies of our own government we saw last year, ensuring poorer countries also have access to a full vaccination program. When that happens, we will see fewer variants and international travel will be easier.

If we need a vaccination every year after that to keep things going as normal then that’s a small price to pay.

 

[MikeH72]

I'll be doing what the scientific consensus advises. I'll be doing it because I've seen my girlfriend, my sister and many friends nearly fall to bits as healthcare workers over the last two years. The same reason I despise the tories and never vote for them. The same reason I support socialised medicine and see healthcare as a basic human right. The same reasons I protested against cruel austerity measures.

I share a lot of your views on much of the media, but it doesn't mean anything to play the I'm the bigger socialist card because others are concerned about the virus in a different way. Most peoples opinions will be shaped by their personal circumstances and what goes on around them, wearing a mask in Tesco and following the advice of a doctor doesn't mean you've signed a pact with bezos, musk and all those other disturbing individuals who see every humanitarian crisis as an opportunity, because despite their obsession with wealth there is still a humanitarian crisis to deal with

My sister is also a frontline NHS worker, so I’m fully aware what it’s been like for them the past two years (mainly due to being cripplingly underfunded and under staffed).

I’m not anti-science, in fact I went out of my way to pay £50 for a Covid antibody test kit 12 months on from when I actually had the virus, because I want to learn about antibodies and how long they last and how strong my own immune system is. You can’t call that anti-science, it’s as pro-science as you can get. I had also heard from doctors who work with my sister that antibodies be effective and last up to 12 months. This is science, but it isn’t science that you’ll hear on the news or on social media. This is where my distrust of the media and the government comes from, it’s selected information that seems to fit a certain agenda to me.

 

[bluelife]

Try telling that to anyone whose livelihood depends on tourism/travel. Not only are the travel restrictions prohibitive to people even coming to the UK, anyone who does manage to make it is effectively locked out of indoor events, sporting events, etc. because they won’t have access to the NHS app to the the QR code to verify their status.

My previous comment was foolish, I intended to say they are costing much less than last year’s restrictions, similar to how the virus will cost less lives due to the vaccine status this year. I exaggerated which was a daft thing to do.

 

[BlueToff]

This has happened three times in a year now- a new, more infectious variant to throw us off course. Just as we're getting to a better position funnily enough.

And the vaccines are somewhat of a temporary band aid against infection, but stop severe disease for a couple of months before you need another. So it's not going away anywhere in the world no matter how many vaccines you make people take

So what does the next few years look like? How does anyone have any optimism for the future? This can and will happen every few months even if (when) we mandate the vaccines.

you just get on with it, people don't like to hear that but it's the only actual solution

pump money - and tons of money is being pumped - into treatment, not just vaccines. And get on with it.

 

[TN Toffee]

they do lateral flow tests on the door of most places. If you are travelling over, check with the venue beforehand. Or order lateral flow tests to where you are staying and you can do it that way?

Fair enough, and maybe anyone who has jumped through the hoops to get into the country won’t be too put off by that additional cost. I think my arrival test back in November cost ~£40, which is pretty big added expense every time you want to go do anything inside.

 

[BlueToff]

Fair enough, and maybe anyone who has jumped through the hoops to get into the country won’t be too put off by that additional cost. I think my arrival test back in November cost ~£40, which is pretty big added expense every time you want to go do anything inside.

Oh there's no additional cost for lateral flow tests, they are free (albeit I'm obviously a British citizen).

PCR testing is different but if you have that negative result on your phone or whatever from when you've travelled into the country I assume you'd be able to use that.

 

[BlueToff]

Worth a watch

Would definitely recommend

 

[TN Toffee]

Oh there's no additional cost for lateral flow tests, they are free (albeit I'm obviously a British citizen).

PCR testing is different but if you have that negative result on your phone or whatever from when you've travelled into the country I assume you'd be able to use that.

Yeah, mine was just a LFT, as that’s all that was required at the time, and it was good for three days I think. But I was mainly talking about visitors, who obviously don’t have access to the free tests. I guess as long as you’re in and out in a hurry that would work, but having to buy a fresh round of tests every three days adds up in a hurry.

 

[Amw79]

you just get on with it, people don't like to hear that but it's the only actual solution

pump money - and tons of money is being pumped - into treatment, not just vaccines. And get on with it.

This is a good point which people can miss.

There was definitely a choice at the beginning of the pandemic, to either throw loads of money at a treatment - anti virals, or at a prevention - vaccines.

The decision, internationally, was to go towards vaccines, prevention being better than cure. But as it looks like Covid will continue to mutate pretty quickly in an endemic setting, the long term solution probably needs to be geared around a) regular vaccination for the proportion of the population most at risk (I.e the current flu jab cohort), and b) effective anti viral treatment for the smaller number of people in the ‘not at risk’ cohort who end up hospitalised.

 

[BlueToff]

This is a good point which people can miss.

There was definitely a choice at the beginning of the pandemic, to either throw loads of money at a treatment - anti virals, or at a prevention - vaccines.

The decision, internationally, was to go towards vaccines, prevention being better than cure. But as it looks like Covid will continue to mutate pretty quickly in an endemic setting, the long term solution probably needs to be geared around a) regular vaccination for the proportion of the population most at risk (I.e the current flu jab cohort), and b) effective anti viral treatment for the smaller number of people in the ‘not at risk’ cohort who end up hospitalised.

I think there's good signs with that. But you know, people - and people on here were guilty of it - scoffing at suggestions and calling people anti-vax etc doesn't help. The two can be mutually exclusive. And stuff has to be tried out in a controlled manner.

Pretty sure Vallance mentioned today that there's two more anti-viral pills in development that look very promising.

It's definitely the way forward. Obviously not saying don't get vaccinated.

Also, if this is the start of the end of COVID-19 being deadly (which the early signs suggest it might be but there's obviously way too long to judge) then are we really going to be insisting on future generations getting vaccinated against what could have become a common cold? Seems a bit mad, doesn't it, if we can have treatments out there that are basically over the counter pills or whatever.

I mean, there's no reason at all that there couldn't be. Cold and flu tablets, lemsip - they all battle the coronaviruses that cause the common cold. Why should this one be any different if the Omricon variant is indeed the start of it starting to mutate towards that.

 

[Ghost Rider]

I think if you’re going to keep the proof of vaccine/negative test it needs to be one or the other.

If you’re vaccinated, you’ve less chance of becoming ill with the virus but could still pass it on to others, which doesn’t have as much of an impact if you’re passing it onto others who are also vaccinated.

If you’re negative, you’re not passing it on full stop.

It sounds a little backwards then if all of this is in aid of reducing spread is it not?

Instead of covid passports you could just make a negative test the requirement no? That way you eliminate the need for any chance of spread in large gatherings.

Just going on the thinking that the spread idea is not one person to another but a chain until it reaches someone it shouldn't, hence the r number. So a negative test would have more value than a passport that is essentially meaningless when it comes to infection?

If the end idea is just flashing a proof of vaccine about then that really doesn't solve the problem at heart , it just makes people more lax in controlling their own behaviour because the importance of a negative result is removed.

If that makes sense!

 

[Neiler]

Ahaha no, my gf was just wondering as that what she might be on

A lot of research would suggest mixing and matching may lead to a better anti body response mate: some general info here and links to research:

Which COVID Booster Should I Get? What to Know About Mixing Vaccines

Still need a booster? Thinking about getting a second? Here's what to know.

www.cnet.com

Like LL says haven’t seen much on mixing three bar this yesterday.

EU health agencies endorse mixing and matching Covid-19 vaccines

The European Union's health agencies on Tuesday said a mixing and matching of approved Covid-19 vaccines could be used for both the initial courses and booster doses, as the region battles rising cases…

www.france24.com

Weirdly I never asked what I got for my third dose, didn’t even think of it until someone asked me!