Coronavirus Thread (Off Topic, Politics) (206 Viewers)

shmmeee

Well-Known Member
Haven't South African scientists said the Omicron variant is much less dangerous than the Delta variant, or have I misread that from somewhere?

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Milder symptoms but faster spreading. Question I think is how much the latter outweighs the former in terms of strain on services. Lots of ill people who don’t die still clogs up hospitals.
 

D

Deleted member 5849

Guest
Haven't South African scientists said the Omicron variant is much less dangerous than the Delta variant, or have I misread that from somewhere?

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Initial cases were mild, but then initial cases were also mainly in a younger age group, so not necessarily representative.

It's a wait and see. In an ideal world it'd be incredibly mild, and uber transmissable... but then back in this world, no doubt it'll be the killer virus to end all viruses, and we'll be eating our neighbours' rotting remains.
 

Sick Boy

Super Moderator
Not seeing much to suggest this new variant is particularly alarming just yet, but I guess a bit more data needs to come out first.

It looks like they are going to scrap any ideas of the 2G system coming in the Netherlands which is great.
What's the 2G system?
Was out for a business lunch and drinks today the day after the 'super green pass' came into force here, zero checks.
 

Nick

Administrator
Apparently, some restrictions coming back when the science so far says it's really nothing to worry about.

Still, they wouldn't be hyping this up for any other reason than "saving lives" would they?
 
D

Deleted member 5849

Guest
Yesterday they didn't have enough data to bring in any measures though apparently. Now they have?
tbf, data has to appear at some point.

You could swing the conspiracy around of course. Generally, support for restrictions has been quite high. Cummings was released when they wanted to withdraw restrictions, Hancock was released when it was rumoured he was the block on all restrictions being withdrawn... now would be easier to sell not as many restrictions as maybe recommended, if people are outraged at government flouting them, so decide they don't want to adhere to them themselves...
 

Nick

Administrator
As far as I can see they're mainly discussing reintroducing work from home if possible as a directive... which should never have been withdrawn in the first place anyway.

Again, same as the whole mask thing for 2 weeks.

In the real world, nobody will give a shit or pay attention.

They will try to get some fear thrown about about this new variant, have the press going into overdrive about how 3 people have caught it so we need to lock the country down and bring in restrictions.

Less and less people will fall for it.
 
D

Deleted member 5849

Guest
Again, same as the whole mask thing for 2 weeks.

In the real world, nobody will give a shit or pay attention.

They will try to get some fear thrown about about this new variant, have the press going into overdrive about how 3 people have caught it so we need to lock the country down and bring in restrictions.

Less and less people will fall for it.
Well people should give a shit about the mask thing, and they're self-centred dicks if they don't.
 

Nick

Administrator
Well people should give a shit about the mask thing, and they're self-centred dicks if they don't.

Again, real world. People don't, so many shops not even enforcing it for their own staff.

Why am I going to chuck a mask on to go into a corner shop with 2 people in for some bread when I was at a football match surrounded by hundreds / thousands of other people at the weekend? What's the point?

Just because people want to whip up some scare mongering about a new variant that is doing barely anything to people.
 

Saddlebrains

Well-Known Member
Working from home and mask wearing is the easiest thing to implement to slow spread.

No brainer to do that.

Strange if they do more at this point though i feel
 

jimmyhillsfanclub

Well-Known Member
There wont be any further proper lockdowns..... and even if they tried, it would be so widely flouted to render it pointless.

They may well implement "Plan B" at some point soon though......which even at its most severe only involves working from home, wearing masks here & there plus the introduction of "vacine passports" for specific settings such as nightclubs & large scale events with more than 4000 or 10000 people.....

...so nowhere near as restrictive or authoritarian as most other european nations....
 
D

Deleted member 5849

Guest
It looks like they’re bringing in vaccine passports too?
'Some form of Covid certification', whatever that may be. With this government, who knows! Could just as well be a video message from Peppa Pig that you've had your vaccine!

Proof of vaccination or negative test isn't too big a stretch really.
 

Skybluefaz

Well-Known Member
tbf, data has to appear at some point.

You could swing the conspiracy around of course. Generally, support for restrictions has been quite high. Cummings was released when they wanted to withdraw restrictions, Hancock was released when it was rumoured he was the block on all restrictions being withdrawn... now would be easier to sell not as many restrictions as maybe recommended, if people are outraged at government flouting them, so decide they don't want to adhere to them themselves...
I don't have any problem with the restrictions. Just very sceptical about the timing.
 

Nick

Administrator
'Some form of Covid certification', whatever that may be. With this government, who knows! Could just as well be a video message from Peppa Pig that you've had your vaccine!

Proof of vaccination or negative test isn't too big a stretch really.

Depends if fully vaccinated means 2,3,4,5 jabs etc.

After all, people with 2 jabs aren't by rights "Fully Vaccinated" with no booster are they?

Why now? Because of a variant that doesn't really seem to be bothering people?

Still, when there will be peoplecalling people names for not wearing a mask or being vaccinated detracts from people at the top clearly not being arsed about the restrictions. Pretty obvious.
 
D

Deleted member 5849

Guest
I don't have any problem with the restrictions. Just very sceptical about the timing.
Well I'd agree. tbf my alternative conspiracy is equally sceptical however! The timing is often consistent on such things...
 
D

Deleted member 5849

Guest
There wont be any further proper lockdowns..... and even if they tried, it would be so widely flouted to render it pointless.

They may well implement "Plan B" at some point soon though......which even at its most severe only involves working from home, wearing masks here & there plus the introduction of "vacine passports" for specific settings such as nightclubs & large scale events with more than 4000 or 10000 people.....

...so nowhere near as restrictive or authoritarian as most other european nations....

Yeah, none of them actually stop you doing things really. I've never really had a problem with people doing what they feel like as long as it doesn't have a knock on for others - my neighbour holding house parties through lockdown was fine really, as it only affected the people involved.
 
D

Deleted member 5849

Guest
Oh, and moved my booster forward to Friday morning. Was originally tomorrow morning, until I worked out the enigmatic '12-15' on the Quinton Parade option was because it was for those age groups only. They might need to make that a bit more specific in their description!
 

jimmyhillsfanclub

Well-Known Member
Oh, and moved my booster forward to Friday morning. Was originally tomorrow morning, until I worked out the enigmatic '12-15' on the Quinton Parade option was because it was for those age groups only. They might need to make that a bit more specific in their description!

Do you have to cancel your exisitng appointment before you cna view alternative dates? Bit of a gamble?
 

chiefdave

Well-Known Member
tbf, data has to appear at some point.
Washington Post has a report about what they say is the first omicron in-depth laboratory study. Doesn't make great reading to me, although some of the experts quoted say its a mixed bag of good and bad news. And of course the caveat that this is one study that has yet to be peer reviewed.

It looks like antibodies from a previous infection aren't much use against this variant and current vaccines aren't as effective but with boosters should be enough to prevent the more serious, and fatal, outcomes. "The scientists reported a large, 41-fold drop in the virus-blocking ability of antibodies — 'much more extensive escape' than seen against previous variants using similar experiments", "Omicron evades most of the vaccine response. We don’t know what will happen with hospitalization or severe disease".

Explains the sudden push for boosters and why the number of people not vaccinated at all seems to have come back into the spotlight.

Vaccines are being altered to target omicron but by the time that's done, manufactured and ready to go into peoples arms the omicron wave might be over.

Of course the key to this may still be what things look like on the hospitalisations front once we've waited out the lag period and can see the impact omicron is having. Hopefully it will turn out that it is mild and doesn't generate hospitalisations, if that's the case being more transmissible and vaccine evading becomes less of an issue.
 

AOM

Well-Known Member
Had my booster earlier, feel slightly ropy after this one but felt fine after the first two. They didn't even tell me what it was, I'm not sure that's legal tbh!

Guess it depends. Was it done around the back of McDonalds?


(In all seriousness, hope you feel better soon!)
 

ajsccfc

Well-Known Member
When I got my booster they were making sure to tell everyone which jab they were getting which felt to me like it was something they were told they had to do. Slightly concerned that they tried tippexing over the word 'microchip' on the handout they gave me though, but at the end of the day the important thing is to keep safe and upgrade to Windows 11 for a new standard of design and user friendliness
 

chiefdave

Well-Known Member
Again, real world. People don't, so many shops not even enforcing it for their own staff.

Why am I going to chuck a mask on to go into a corner shop with 2 people in for some bread when I was at a football match surrounded by hundreds / thousands of other people at the weekend? What's the point?
They screwed the mask wearing thing up from the start with the self declared exemptions, something they don't seem to have in other countries. We've created a situation where anyone not wanting to wear a mask can just say they're exempt and nobody can challenge it.

The random application of the rules makes no sense as well. Have to wear a mask in Tesco but can sit in the cinema for a couple of hours without one. When the rules don't make sense in that way it just increases the chance of people ignoring them.
...so nowhere near as restrictive or authoritarian as most other european nations....
The plan b stuff is things that should have been in place anyway. Its only the things everyone was expecting to be part of the winter plan and along similar lines to what we see in other countries. Its not exactly locking everyone down like last Christmas.
 

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