Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[Paris]

TBF I think its not so much on the figures as it is that what is happening in the UK is clear evidence that our government hasn't got its s**t together, again.

Alpha originated here and Delta + Omicron have all found a good foothold here too. We can do as many tests as we like but we are manifestly behind nearly all other Western European countries in terms of what we know about the spread of variants of concern within our own country, never mind deal actually with them, and there is very little evidence to suggest this government is going to do anything meaningful to improve that.

I mean take one example - that recent super-spreader event in Norway. Within a week of that happening the Norwegian system had picked it up, identified that it was the Omicron variant (which had only been declared on the day of the party), identified the participants and got them all to isolate. Within ten days they'd tested and interviewed them all, and could start to assess the seriousness of the illness, likely symptoms and other information. Doing all that quickly reduces the contact the attendees (most of whom caught it there) have with other people, preventing infections, and can help the government understand what the risk is with something actually is (rather than relying on the WHO).

Getting a reaction from our public health system that fast and that thorough is not something we have seen that often (or at all; certainly I am not aware of it happening). It needs to be much better than it is.

I don't want to dig the Tory twunts out of a hole here but it does help that Norway's population are more willing to comply with instructions to isolate and also obey mask mandates.

 

[grandjoeblue]

TBF I think its not so much on the figures as it is that what is happening in the UK is clear evidence that our government hasn't got its s**t together, again.

Alpha originated here and Delta + Omicron have all found a good foothold here too. We can do as many tests as we like but we are manifestly behind nearly all other Western European countries in terms of what we know about the spread of variants of concern within our own country, never mind deal actually with them, and there is very little evidence to suggest this government is going to do anything meaningful to improve that.

I mean take one example - that recent super-spreader event in Norway. Within a week of that happening the Norwegian system had picked it up, identified that it was the Omicron variant (which had only been declared on the day of the party), identified the participants and got them all to isolate. Within ten days they'd tested and interviewed them all, and could start to assess the seriousness of the illness, likely symptoms and other information. Doing all that quickly reduces the contact the attendees (most of whom caught it there) have with other people, preventing infections, and can help the government understand what the risk is with something actually is (rather than relying on the WHO).

Getting a reaction from our public health system that fast and that thorough is not something we have seen that often (or at all; certainly I am not aware of it happening). It needs to be much better than it is.

'behind nearly all other Western European countries' is a lie. We're one of the best in the world along with Denmark and USA for seeking new variants.

Norway has very low numbers so it's easier to track contacts.

I hate the government but you're so anti UK it's ridiculous.

 

[BlueToff]

TBF I think its not so much on the figures as it is that what is happening in the UK is clear evidence that our government hasn't got its s**t together, again.

Alpha originated here and Delta + Omicron have all found a good foothold here too. We can do as many tests as we like but we are manifestly behind nearly all other Western European countries in terms of what we know about the spread of variants of concern within our own country, never mind deal actually with them, and there is very little evidence to suggest this government is going to do anything meaningful to improve that.

I mean take one example - that recent super-spreader event in Norway. Within a week of that happening the Norwegian system had picked it up, identified that it was the Omicron variant (which had only been declared on the day of the party), identified the participants and got them all to isolate. Within ten days they'd tested and interviewed them all, and could start to assess the seriousness of the illness, likely symptoms and other information. Doing all that quickly reduces the contact the attendees (most of whom caught it there) have with other people, preventing infections, and can help the government understand what the risk is with something actually is (rather than relying on the WHO).

Getting a reaction from our public health system that fast and that thorough is not something we have seen that often (or at all; certainly I am not aware of it happening). It needs to be much better than it is.

have you seen that graph of France's hospitilisations, like?

I know you don't like the government here. I get it, neither do I. But painting them out like they're an exception to the rule here is a bit much. There's absolute jokers all over the place.

Norway were very quick on it and that's a very good example of it being done right. And so far zero hospitisations from that party is a great sign - and none were boosted. Denmark meanwhile have the best genomic sequencing in the world too.

But there's been plenty of criticism of other European countries from their respective residents. My mate in Amsterdam says the Dutch have just gone into uproar again because lockdown has come back.

I agree the UK's response needs to be and should be better. What I will say is as soon as Omicron was detected as a threat in SA they did introduce new rules right away (they just probably weren't the right rules, bar the automatic two-day testing thing for all arrivals)

 

[BlueToff]

I really don't think 12 yr olds should be getting vaccinated. Sorry, I don't agree with it. Young adults, by all means. Kids... I don't think they should be doing it. Kids in the UK get vaccinated when they're young, obviously, and then again around 15-16 for TB etc. I don't see that being an issue. I do think 12 is too young given the still early stages of the vaccines.

 

[tsubaki]

'behind nearly all other Western European countries' is a lie. We're one of the best in the world along with Denmark and USA for seeking new variants.

Norway has very low numbers so it's easier to track contacts.

I hate the government but you're so anti UK it's ridiculous.

I'd much rather you didn't accuse me of lying based on something I did not say.

What I said was that we do not know about the spread of variants of concern within our country - and we don't.

 

[BlueToff]

I don't want to dig the Tory twunts out of a hole here but it does help that Norway's population are more willing to comply with instructions to isolate and also obey mask mandates.

Dealt with Norwegians a lot in a previous job.

Not sure the 'compliant' stands up, based on my experience

 

[grandjoeblue]

I'd much rather you didn't accuse me of lying based on something I did not say.

What I said was that we do not know about the spread of variants of concern within our country - and we don't.

The information that Norway have is almost useless, it's nice to look at but I have heard similar from a friend in terms of transmission at a work party. There's better information out of SA that nobody even cares about.

Everyone knows it's transmissible. It's not ground breaking.

 

[Paris]

Dealt with Norwegians a lot in a previous job.

Not sure the 'compliant' stands up, based on my experience

I had a Norwegian lecture me about the Holy Roman Empire. A lot of fun as you can imagine, hench as fock too like.

 

[tsubaki]

have you seen that graph of France's hospitilisations, like?

I know you don't like the government here. I get it, neither do I. But painting them out like they're an exception to the rule here is a bit much. There's absolute jokers all over the place.

Norway were very quick on it and that's a very good example of it being done right. And so far zero hospitisations from that party is a great sign - and none were boosted. Denmark meanwhile have the best genomic sequencing in the world too.

But there's been plenty of criticism of other European countries from their respective residents. My mate in Amsterdam says the Dutch have just gone into uproar again because lockdown has come back.

I agree the UK's response needs to be and should be better. What I will say is as soon as Omicron was detected as a threat in SA they did introduce new rules right away (they just probably weren't the right rules, bar the automatic two-day testing thing for all arrivals)

I have, and I think there is a lot the various nations of the EU have gotten wrong in this pandemic with mandatory vaccinations being the worst.

However I don't think any of them have been as consistently wrong as ours has, or done so little to actually improve things.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

I'd much rather you didn't accuse me of lying based on something I did not say.

What I said was that we do not know about the spread of variants of concern within our country - and we don't.

It's that user modus operandi...

 

[tsubaki]

The information that Norway have is almost useless, it's nice to look at but I have heard similar from a friend in terms of transmission at a work party. There's better information out of SA that nobody even cares about.

Everyone knows it's transmissible. It's not ground breaking.

It manifestly isn't "almost useless", is it?

 

[grandjoeblue]

It manifestly isn't "almost useless", is it?

What's useful about it?

 

[BlueToff]

The information that Norway have is almost useless, it's nice to look at but I have heard similar from a friend in terms of transmission at a work party. There's better information out of SA that nobody even cares about.

Everyone knows it's transmissible. It's not ground breaking.

Wouldn't say it's useless, as the interviews they have done have helped establish:

- people had no symptoms before, had all tested negative
- some people who attended had been in South Africa
- people had all been double vaccinated, but none had boosters
- how many had symptoms and how severe the symptoms were
- and, importantly, zero hospitlisations

It's a good base rate to work from since it was basically like a controlled experiment played out in the real world

 

[grandjoeblue]

Wouldn't say it's useless, as the interviews they have done have helped establish:

- people had no symptoms before, had all tested negative
- some people who attended had been in South Africa
- people had all been double vaccinated, but none had boosters
- how many had symptoms and how severe the symptoms were
- and, importantly, zero hospitlisations

Ok it's not completely useless but it's hardly groundbreaking. South Africa has loads of data that's at least as useful.

 

[grandjoeblue]

It's that user modus operandi...

Are you celebrating the incoming lockdown tonight? Bet you're made up.