Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[grandjoeblue]

Why would it be a joke? I mean limit gathering while boosters are taking effect.

The vast majority of the age group that matter most have been done. Trying to do a 3 week lockdown over Christmas and New Year would have pretty limited success.

 

[woomy]

Circuit break won't work anymore.

If everything they say is true about the transmissibility then lockdowns , circuit breakers and the rest will do nothing.

The more transmissible the virus gets, the less that can be done to prevent spread. Sure you can delay it but what happens once the shutdown ends? If you could stop the virus then there would be no more pandemic.

You see what I mean? The only solution is to effectively revisit a 6-7 month slow release of the country and try again in the summer like this year. Even then that may not have the same effect.

But then the next variant next winter. We gonna do this every year, life on hold for 6 months of the year?
I know science nwill catch up eventually and nail this thing as best they can. But how long is that, and will people still take any notice?

 

[Mutzo Nutzo]

This notion of if you socialise then you will get it.

What if everyone tests themselves before gathering in mass? Say for example you didn't rely on covid passports but instead on a negative test? That wouldn't spread a virus nobody had at the time?

Thing is the flow tests are valid within 48 hours. What if you take a test 48 hours before going to a club or a gig, but unknown to yourself you contract the virus 24 hours later. That means that you gain access to the event but spread the virus around. Same with the passport thing. You can still have a valid covid pass but actually have the virus.

From the governments side they have to do something yet still keep hospitality open hence the current rules. All they’re really doing is risk limitation.

Smart people however will work out that it is probably better if they just swerve these places altogether until everyone is boosted and the case loads start to drop and this strain of the virus starts to die off naturally.

Then the next variant appears and we go again. This is our future I’m afraid

 

[Seanjd]

The boosters are now being offered to everyone 30+. Why do we need to wait for more boosters? I'm 28 and only got my second 4 months ago and will be due a booster next month probably.

We are in a very good place with vaccinations. The vulnerable should now have got their booster jab. I dont see grounds for a lockdown when we are this protected.

Circuit break won't work anymore.

If everything they say is true about the transmissibility then lockdowns , circuit breakers and the rest will do nothing.

The more transmissible the virus gets, the less that can be done to prevent spread. Sure you can delay it but what happens once the shutdown ends? If you could stop the virus then there would be no more pandemic.

You see what I mean? The only solution is to effectively revisit a 6-7 month slow release of the country and try again in the summer like this year. Even then that may not have the same effect.

I don’t know the figures, but I know of people myself who are vulnerable/older than me who haven’t long had their boosters. I can see ourselves in a situation where hospitals are overwhelmed and older people are dying as a result of Omicron spreading like wildfire as it is now through parties, gatherings etc, then passed onto older family members and vulnerable people over Christmas as families get together.

At a time when this variant is spreading so quickly, we need time for the boosters to have the effect we want them to. It’s bad timing it being Christmas, but what can we do about that?

 

[Seanjd]

Because, Boris doesn't want to cancel Xmas.
Not again.
If it comes. It's in the new year. With the inevitable, well we warned you all not to socialise, so now we have to make it official.

You’re right, and it will cause deaths.

 

[Seanjd]

The short term lockdowns didn't work. They made zero difference. Once we opened again things went straight back to how they were before.

Only a full long term lockdown would work and hardly anyone would support that. I certainly wouldn't. What is the point of vaccines if you then had a full lockdown.

This would be with the aim of limiting spread while boosters are rolled out and keeping hospital figures in check. It’s the sensible thing to do.

 

[ToffeeTim]

I don’t know the figures, but I know of people myself who are vulnerable/older than me who haven’t long had their boosters. I can see ourselves in a situation where hospitals are overwhelmed and older people are dying as a result of Omicron spreading like wildfire as it is now through parties, gatherings etc, then passed onto older family members and vulnerable people over Christmas as families get together.

At a time when this variant is spreading so quickly, we need time for the boosters to have the effect we want them to. It’s bad timing it being Christmas, but what can we do about that?

I know my parents (in 50s) got their boosters a few weeks ago so the process is well advanced now.

Anyone over 30 can book an appointment so all we can do is encourage everyone to come forward, especially anyone who is more vulnerable.

 

[ToffeeTim]

This would be with the aim of limiting spread while boosters are rolled out and keeping hospital figures in check. It’s the sensible thing to do.

I personally think it would be extremely unjustified and also wouldn't work, so totally pointless.

 

[Seanjd]

The vast majority of the age group that matter most have been done. Trying to do a 3 week lockdown over Christmas and New Year would have pretty limited success.

Why would it have limited success? We know the variant is spreading out of control so we need to do something about it while people are jabbed. The only only reason that decision isn’t being made is for political reasons.

 

[Ghost Rider]

No, but unfortunately loads wouldn’t and don’t test. Would never work.

You make it mandatory by law. No test no entry.

You don't make testing an option like the passports do, you make sure people have to vaccinate.

No system is perfect but the most sure fire way of slowing down transmission is if people had to test themselves.

I know a guy who tests 3x per week because of company policy. There are something like 10-13 in their business. 1 person tested negative but must have been positive and went in, 4 days later every single person in the business had Omicron. Tests aren't 100% but Omicron basically is.

Sadly there isn't anything we can do about the tests. Whether it's lack of technology to do it or what was mentioned about it bypassing the test entirely.

If you rule out LF tests being suitable anymore then there is no way to avoid spread apart from the most drastic of approach.

The answer they'll come up with is we slow it down via lockdown til a variant vaccine becomes available, and hope that stops it in the real world. They did this last year when it spread a lot slower, so I can't see how they'll do anything differently this time. Just waiting for Parliament to be off for christmas I assume

So 2022 = 2021. But then what happens when the next variant hits?

It's been said many times but you then have that cycle of vaccines for every single variant going. No matter if it's weaker , we will have to vaccinate constantly. Therefore we will have to have constant restrictions on and off to get everyone boosted each time.

These are the solutions to the problem. Heavy restrictions and vaccines every 6 months, or you tackle it head on and eventually rely on antibodies over vaccines. Not really a middle ground on the subject the medicine would help with the latter.

 

[LinekersLegs]

I don’t know the figures, but I know of people myself who are vulnerable/older than me who haven’t long had their boosters. I can see ourselves in a situation where hospitals are overwhelmed and older people are dying as a result of Omicron spreading like wildfire as it is now through parties, gatherings etc, then passed onto older family members and vulnerable people over Christmas as families get together.

At a time when this variant is spreading so quickly, we need time for the boosters to have the effect we want them to. It’s bad timing it being Christmas, but what can we do about that?

Found this a helpful visual as it takes into account the relative size of population in each age group.

 

[grandjoeblue]

Why would it have limited success? We know the variant is spreading out of control so we need to do something about it while people are jabbed. The only only reason that decision isn’t being made is for political reasons.

Because large amounts of people won't even wear a mask to go into a shop never mind not see their family at Christmas and New Year?

 

[Seanjd]

I personally think it would be extremely unjustified and also wouldn't work, so totally pointless.

The calls will grow for this to happen as hospital figures, followed by deaths, begin to follow the insane rise in cases were seeing at the moment. Then, after Christmas and into the New Year when hospitals are at breaking point as we’re back at the rate of deaths we were seeing at the height of the pandemic, we will look back and questions what should’ve been done when the virus was left to spread at rates we have never seen.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Thing is the flow tests are valid within 48 hours. What if you take a test 48 hours before going to a club or a gig, but unknown to yourself you contract the virus 24 hours later. That means that you gain access to the event but spread the virus around. Same with the passport thing. You can still have a valid covid pass but actually have the virus.

From the governments side they have to do something yet still keep hospitality open hence the current rules. All they’re really doing is risk limitation.

Smart people however will work out that it is probably better if they just swerve these places altogether until everyone is boosted and the case loads start to drop and this strain of the virus starts to die off naturally.

Then the next variant appears and we go again. This is our future I’m afraid

We have to accept this will be here probably for the rest of our lives, and live with it. We cannot lockdown every time there is a variant because variants are inevitable.

All we can do is offer a booster every autumn and give people protection. If we have lockdowns every winter then society will start to fall apart through various reasons. Unemployment, financial issues, mental health problems, missing out on education etc. We need to get back to normal or I worry for the generation growing up.

 

[Seanjd]

Because large amounts of people won't even wear a mask to go into a shop never mind not see their family at Christmas and New Year?

I’m talking about parties and mass gatherings.