SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)

[King Eric 7]

To be honest, you could skip it altogether. If you were fully vaccinated in the summer then catching covid now gives you fantastic protection for at least another 6 months. Probably a lot longer.

I'm in the same boat as @Snowjoe. Just caught covid a couple of weeks before my booster was due. Don't see the point in having the booster now, not for a good while at least. Haven't quite decided whether to leave it to February or well into next year, but protection for at least six months does sound very promising.

 

[Mickeza]

U.K. government have stuck 6 countries on the red list and banned flights from certain areas due to this new variant. The United board and the U.K. govt seemingly acting competently on the same day…incredible stuff.

 

[golden_blunder]

U.K. government have stuck 6 countries on the red list and banned flights from certain areas due to this new variant. The United board and the U.K. govt seemingly acting competently on the same day…incredible stuff.

We know someone who was meant to be flying to South Africa

 

[Mickeza]

We know someone who was meant to be flying to South Africa

Flights suspended:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59424269

 

[Pogue Mahone]

U.K. government have stuck 6 countries on the red list and banned flights from certain areas due to this new variant. The United board and the U.K. govt seemingly acting competently on the same day…incredible stuff.

Good. Of course, unlike United we need everyone else to make a good decision too. I hope to feck the EU do the same thing pronto.

 

[Wibble]

I may have this wrong so best double check but I think I read somewhere that up to 1/4 of those who recover from covid dont produce antibodies. Hopefully someone can correct me or point me in the right direction.

I can't remember the exact figure but I do remember that the response from infection was far more variable than vaccination.

Here we are treating people with past infection as unvaccinated.

 

[Traub]

Good. Of course, unlike United we need everyone else to make a good decision too. I hope to feck the EU do the same thing pronto.

Given the transmissibility, I’d be very surprised if this isn’t already in Europe.

 

[Wibble]

Unfortunately, hitting x% fully vaxxed won’t necessarily mean a return to normality, as we’re finding out in Ireland. By the time the last few % get vaccinated the protection offered to the first cohort will already be waning. Cases increase again and the emphasis switches to boosters.

On the plus side, the increase in cases with waning vaccine efficacy won’t slam hospitals as badly as it would in an un-vaccinated population. So it is possible (hopefully) to avoid the lockdowns we’re seeing in countries with very low vax rates. In the longer term we have to hope that the third booster dose gives much longer/better protection than the first two. Early data on this is encouraging (although am anxiously checking Israel’s case rates every few days!).

Not to mention reinfection from overseas. We are giving boosters 6 months after your previous shot. I'm already booked on for late Jan.

 

[FootballHQ]

That's the thing with this virus....just when you think you're winning a small war on it the bleeding thing comes back with a vengeance.

Hopefully it's not as bad as predicted and makes vaccines redundant as no idea what the alternative or plan B is.

 

[VorZakone]

Are there others who don't mind a total lockdown? It never really bothered me as I don't leave the house that much. In fact, the quietness on the streets was refreshing.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Are there others who don't mind a total lockdown? It never really bothered me as I don't leave the house that much. In fact, the quietness on the streets was refreshing.

Yes. Loads. Everyone who works in the hospitality business for starters. And all of their customers!

 

[FootballHQ]

Are there others who don't mind a total lockdown? It never really bothered me as I don't leave the house that much. In fact, the quietness on the streets was refreshing.

Please not again.

I think vast majority can cope with what we have now so would be very frustrating to go back to April 2020 standards.

Guess this is the trade off really for not donating vaccines to poorer parts of the world quickly enough with a new lethal variant potentially emerging as revenge. Hopefully it won't be as bad as predicted but it will hit U.K soon enough. Pretty sure it was this time last year the Delta variant first hit the U.K and produced a tough few months with vaccine roll out only in very early stages.

 

[MikeUpNorth]

This variant is going to suck isn't it? I can feel it.

 

[cyberman]

The world really needs to ramp up their health care systems. There’s no way around it now and it’s the only way we can get live with this

 

[Pogue Mahone]

This variant is going to suck isn't it? I can feel it.

It looks like the real deal.

 

[gormless]

Please not again.

I think vast majority can cope with what we have now so would be very frustrating to go back to April 2020 standards.

Guess this is the trade off really for not donating vaccines to poorer parts of the world quickly enough with a new lethal variant potentially emerging as revenge. Hopefully it won't be as bad as predicted but it will hit U.K soon enough. Pretty sure it was this time last year the Delta variant first hit the U.K and produced a tough few months with vaccine roll out only in very early stages.

Delta was June this year. Alpha was last year.
It was one of the few times I was genuinely ITK (see below). It was lost in translation with my colleague but by S protein, she actually meant S gene, and was the Alpha variant.

Keeping it as vague as possible: my colleagues partner has been on conference calls with people who have been in the Downing Street news conferences and is involved in the testing process.

my colleague dropped it in passing today that they’ve seen a small percentage of cases in testing without the S protein.Then she started talking about I’m a Celebrity and said she hadn’t asked anything further regarding this.

I’m hoping it’s a miscommunication, but sounded pretty significant to me.

 

[MikeUpNorth]

It looks like the real deal.

Back to the bunker it is.

 

[711]

It looks like the real deal.

Sorry to be lazy but are there any stats on whether vaccinated people are easily infected, and the chances of hospitalisation if they are?
edit: should have asked @jojojo of course, the man's an information superstar of galactic proportion.

 

[groovyalbert]

How long has this new variant been around? Is there any sense of fatality rate yet? Hopefully what this variant has in abundance (tansmissibility) it lacks in fatality. Seriously hope so, anyway.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Back to the bunker it is.

There was always going to be a few twists and turns. At least the other variants had the decency to wait until when things were starting to look up. This cnut is looming out of the shadows when everything is already looking grim.

It’s so crazy the way each new variant makes the previous one seem completely benign, despite once seeming horrific. Imagine how benign original covid would seem if it suddenly became dominant?

Will be so weird to be looking back fondly on Delta. “Sure it wasn’t that bad, was it?”

 

[MikeUpNorth]

How long has this new variant been around? Is there any sense of fatality rate yet? Hopefully what this variant has in abundance (tansmissibility) it lacks in fatality. Seriously hope so, anyway.

I think it was only detected on Tuesday.

 

[MikeUpNorth]

Sorry to be lazy but are there any stats on whether vaccinated people are easily infected, and the chances of hospitalisation if they are?
edit: should have asked @jojojo of course, the man's an information superstar of galactic proportion.

Too early to say.

 

[MikeUpNorth]

There was always going to be a few twists and turns. At least the other variants had the decency to wait until when things were starting to look up. This cnut is looming out of the shadows when everything is already looking grim.

It’s so crazy the way each new variant makes the previous one seem completely benign, despite once seeming horrific. Imagine how benign original covid would seem if it suddenly became dominant?

Will be so weird to be looking back fondly on Delta. “Sure it wasn’t that bad, was it?”

I was feeling optimistic about everything until this new variant. Let's hope the data is misleading and it's a false alarm somehow.

 

[711]

Too early to say.

Oh of course, thanks. Hope for the best for now then, just from a selfish point of view.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Sorry to be lazy but are there any stats on whether vaccinated people are easily infected, and the chances of hospitalisation if they are?
edit: should have asked @jojojo of course, the man's an information superstar of galactic proportion.

Not really. Three main unknowns are does it cause more severe illness? Is it more transmissible? Does it evade an immune response? (prior infection or vaccine)

The mutations it has make it likely that it is more transmissible and evades immunity but there’s no hard evidence to confirm either of these possibilities. It’s spiking in a country with only 25% vaccinated so can’t necessarily be blamed on vaccine escape.

But their delta surge was almost over which is most likely down to immunity from prior infection. So if you see covid cases surging…

 

[Garethw]

Mask wearing in shops and working from home should be brought in now in England but bozo Boris will just delay and delay and it’ll be another Christmas lockdown.

 

[F-Red]

Mask wearing in shops and working from home should be brought in now in England but bozo Boris will just delay and delay and it’ll be another Christmas lockdown.

Why if it's 59 cases that have been discovered in South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana so far?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Why if it's 59 cases that have been discovered in South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana so far?

Waaaaay more than 59 cases, unfortunately.

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

 

[Traub]

Just on this new variant and the increase in cases here in South Africa:
- vaccination rates are much lower.
- cases were extremely low prior to the emergence of this variant. It’s not impossible that a small cluster outbreak of a new variant can seem dominant.
- there seems to be a real rush to investigate this new variant, so testing and sequencing may be focusing on areas of an outbreak.
- we are now including antigen test results (I think that’s the right word) in case numbers. Previously it was only PCR test results.
- PCR tests can detect the new variant, whereas Delta requires sequencing I think. So it’s much easier to attribute more cases to the new variant.

Just looking for some positives before the end of humanity.

 

[F-Red]

Waaaaay more than 59 cases, unfortunately.

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

59 was reported here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59424269. Regardless, I can't see the need to call for mandated mask wearing & working from home off the back of something which isn't even in the UK yet @Garethw

 

[Stanley Road]

Are there others who don't mind a total lockdown? It never really bothered me as I don't leave the house that much. In fact, the quietness on the streets was refreshing.

Yes totally for it, cases have been rising 40% every week and the government here has promised strong measures since the partial lockdown 2 weeks ago. These aggressive measures will possibly include shutting down hospitality a couple of hours earlier ffs. Again bottled it and another punishment for the fully vaxxed.

 

[Garethw]

Why if it's 59 cases that have been discovered in South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana so far?

Because we are averaging over 45k infections daily and are hitting 1000 deaths a week for the first time in over 6 months.

 

[Garethw]

59 was reported here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59424269. Regardless, I can't see the need to call for mandated mask wearing & working from home off the back of something which isn't even in the UK yet @Garethw

It wasn’t in relation to that new variant.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Good thread on all the mutations, if anyone wants to get nerdy.

 

[calodo2003]

Why if it's 59 cases that have been discovered in South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana so far?

Do you really think it's just going to be a few cases? It's probably vastly underreported right now.

 

[Dante]

Sigh. Time to stock up on toilet paper.

 

[F-Red]

Do you really think it's just going to be a few cases? It's probably vastly underreported right now.

Not at all, it'll spread like wildfire. However in the context of the UK adjusting mask mandates and working from home, which is what I responding to, off the back of this news it is somewhat naive.

We have been here with many other variants, time will tell on it's impact.

 

[711]

Not really. Three main unknowns are does it cause more severe illness? Is it more transmissible? Does it evade an immune response? (prior infection or vaccine)

The mutations it has make it likely that it is more transmissible and evades immunity but there’s no hard evidence to confirm either of these possibilities. It’s spiking in a country with only 25% vaccinated so can’t necessarily be blamed on vaccine escape.

But their delta surge was almost over which is most likely down to immunity from prior infection. So if you see covid cases surging…

Point taken, unfortunately. The UK has to put on a travel ban, but it will already be here, or on it's way with people taking roundabout routes in. And if it's too late for us it will for you too, sorry to say.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Had to happen the same fecking day we hire Rangnick.

The lord giveth…

 

[Garethw]

Not at all, it'll spread like wildfire. However in the context of the UK adjusting mask mandates and working from home, which is what I responding to, off the back of this news it is somewhat naive.

We have been here with many other variants, time will tell on it's impact.

My comment was in relation to the UK’s current situation. Not because of this variant.

Things are unlikely to get better over the next few months and I’d much rather we reintroduce mask wearing and working from home now as it will give us a fighting chance to stop another national lockdown.