Star
Homo Secretary (OB)
I read a reputable report yesterday which said the majority of people in hospital with covid in Bolton at the moment were people who have been offered the vaccine but hadn't had it yet.
A
AGinAg (37)
Guest
Yup, this is what I've been seeing. As predicted unvaccinated people are keeping it alive and sharing it between themselves. Literally the worst.
A
AGinAg (37)
Guest
I'm meeting a friend in a couple of weeks, who spent 3 weeks in hospital, mostly on a ventilator with Covid. I am super intrigued to hear everything.
Soldi
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Not to mention the buckets of “GET VACCINATED YOUNG PEOPLE” rhetoric despite the fact that it’s not been OFFERED to them.
A
AGinAg (37)
Guest
I feel like I have to immediately shift my position in the light of this new information.
Iguana
Like beautiful robots dancing alone
I read that 'real world data' from India indicates over 90% effectiveness of AZ against the 'Indian strain'. Maybe the strain has mutated again though
A
AGinAg (37)
Guest
There seems to be some hysteria around the Indian variant. The only reputable thing I've read is that the vaccine is likely to be able to counter the likely changes in this variant. Also there will certainly be updated protection in the top up jabs.
dmlaw
Democracy doesn't work
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The government are desperately trying to distract attention from the way that they bone-headedly continued to allow flights from India because Boris Johnson was excited about his photo op with Modi by blaming ethnic minority people. It's almost hard to believe that there is suspicion over his motives when he tells people to get vaccinated.
Cloud
Mlem
Unfortunately the modelling shows it's not that simple,
1) Not everyone is fully vaccinated yet
2) Not everyone who is eligible has taken it up
3) Not everyone CAN take it up (other health issues / allergies)
4) No vaccine is 100% - prevention of hospitalisation is somewhere between 80 and 95% dependent on 1st or 2nd dose and accuracy which still leaves millions susceptible even if literally everyone in the country could and did get jabbed.
If it's 50% more transmissible like scientists are speculating, then we are still up shit creek even with the vaccine and will still therefore end up with lockdown 3.0:
No, I'm not actively threatening but saying that I'm starting to feel that way over the above modelling suggesting that our newfound freedom will be very depressingly short lived and how the 20% increase in estimated daily cases in just 1 day feeling like it's confirming the start of wave 3. It just feels endless, and the vaccines were supposed to bring us out of this but now it's model after model showing how they might not
Ellie
Super talented triple threat
I saw a counter to that suggesting a lot of people in certain areas have been unable to book a vaccine appointment. Even some having jobs that won’t allow them time off to get it done. Also the fact that people are not allowed to attend an appointment and take a baby or a young child with them is ridiculous. I actually believe that with what’s happening to me.
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A
AGinAg (37)
Guest
At worst these models are fear mongering, at best they're a warning aimed at the extremely qualified people who can respond to them.
Also data can be retreived, reported, and read with bias. There's always a different way to look at it.
Cloud
Mlem
Hope you're right and nothing comes of it. Or the Portugese variant that will undoubtedly pop up if we do get away with the Indian one. I just don't like how the recent messaging has been "actually the vaccines might not be enough to bring things back to normal" or the thought of living in a socially distanced way for the rest of our lives as we play whack-a-mole with one variant after another. Hats off to the majority's ability to cope with it considering we are fundamentally a social species
A
AGinAg (37)
Guest
There will always be bumps in the road, it WON'T be smooth sailing, BUT it's undoubtedly significantly BETTER than it was. Once I accepted that life won't ever quite look the same again, it made it easier.
This HAS happened, there's no going back, but there’s some amazing people working on it, just have faith and accept the things you can't change!
This HAS happened, there's no going back, but there’s some amazing people working on it, just have faith and accept the things you can't change!
gggggg
type: dull
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The thing is the government have put all their eggs in the vaccination basket. Hopefully, fingers crossed, it is enough. But it might not be, and they aren't skilled or brave enough to accept or admit that.
While they are putting out confident statements today, the panic is materialising in their actions. Thousands of texts have gone out today inviting those 36+ to book vaccines. You go through and there's a 1000 strong waiting queue to book. You want to be able to trust these people, but they make it impossible unless you blindly trust the rhetoric.
While they are putting out confident statements today, the panic is materialising in their actions. Thousands of texts have gone out today inviting those 36+ to book vaccines. You go through and there's a 1000 strong waiting queue to book. You want to be able to trust these people, but they make it impossible unless you blindly trust the rhetoric.
Cloud
Mlem
More on the concerns
www.newstatesman.com
I'm still not accepting of the "new normal" concept - used to love being in a crowd of people enjoying something together and that remains unthinkable - the thought of this being "for good" is... less than pleasant
Does the Indian variant mean the UK will suffer a dangerous third wave of Covid-19?
New variants of the virus and an inadequate Test and Trace system threaten to undermine Britain’s vaccine success.
www.newstatesman.com
I'm still not accepting of the "new normal" concept - used to love being in a crowd of people enjoying something together and that remains unthinkable - the thought of this being "for good" is... less than pleasant
A
AGinAg (37)
Guest
No one said it would be for good. No one said the good stuff won't begin again, in fact it is! Some of the changes may be more subtle, psychological or even for the greater good.
We all want to enjoy the things we've had to pause. The lockdowns should have been a case of "we're all in it together", alas we live politically divisive times with social media blurring the waters. But on the whole we've ALL had to collectively grin and bear it for the greater good.
We all want to enjoy the things we've had to pause. The lockdowns should have been a case of "we're all in it together", alas we live politically divisive times with social media blurring the waters. But on the whole we've ALL had to collectively grin and bear it for the greater good.
Rita
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More on the concerns
Does the Indian variant mean the UK will suffer a dangerous third wave of Covid-19?
New variants of the virus and an inadequate Test and Trace system threaten to undermine Britain’s vaccine success.
I'm still not accepting of the "new normal" concept - used to love being in a crowd of people enjoying something together and that remains unthinkable - the thought of this being "for good" is... less than pleasant
Cloud I don’t think that the majority are accepting that this will be the future. I am very much of the ilk that I live for social contact. I like to meet family/friends/strangers and intertwine with everyone and for the likes of us this is tremendously difficult and almost feels like we are not living. This is as far from normal as it possibly can be for A LOT of people with similar character traits and I am not surprised your mental health is taking a major hit with yet another lockdown possible at some point. I have to say though, I don’t think this will last forever and have to hold on to that to simply get through.
I thank you for the information that you provide on here, as although it may not be what I personally want to hear it is so much more informative than the rubbish we hear from our government or the BBC.
Cloud
Mlem
Well apparently I'm spouting plenty of rubbish myself today but just don't know what to believe any more. Just want it to end, and yeah obviously not trying to act like it's only me suffering but just not doing well with it today. The rollercoaster of "vaccinations going great, it's almost over!" and actually starting to feel a little optimistic, followed by "oh actually these graphs show why it may still be far from over" like a weekly bashing back down to earth.
Fingers crossed I guess...
Fingers crossed I guess...
funky
(OMF)
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Your best bet is to not hope for complete normality anytime soon. We have a government who is so desperate to be liked that they insist on communicating the upside and inevitably have to end up changing tack / u-turning / denying they ever said anything -
“we’ll be back to normal by the end of the year”
“We can’t close the schools”
“We should be allowed to enjoy Christmas”
etc.
it’s going to take a long time. There will be setbacks, some people will take longer than others to go back to normal and we should all be allowed to do it at our own pace. But the vaccine is having an impact and we just have to patient while it works its way (as safely as possible) into normal community transmission and becomes another bad flu we have to be jabbed against or suffer with. The numbers are promising. There’s enough idiots out there in denial so the sane ones amongst us just need to bide their time.
“we’ll be back to normal by the end of the year”
“We can’t close the schools”
“We should be allowed to enjoy Christmas”
etc.
it’s going to take a long time. There will be setbacks, some people will take longer than others to go back to normal and we should all be allowed to do it at our own pace. But the vaccine is having an impact and we just have to patient while it works its way (as safely as possible) into normal community transmission and becomes another bad flu we have to be jabbed against or suffer with. The numbers are promising. There’s enough idiots out there in denial so the sane ones amongst us just need to bide their time.
Loufoque
notorious being
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What I have noticed since coming back to the UK is that there is not quite the same level of acceptance that there will never be such thing as Zero COVID. Maybe it was the draconian lockdown coupled with transforming into an island fortress (the border control is not difficult to clear, but expensive, time-consuming and off-putting if you don't have the will for it) that made people feel like one day it would all be over.
I contrast this with France, where I think everyone gave up on the notion of eradicating the virus months ago. The reopening that's happening there with the current figures would be unimaginable in the UK. The Indian variant is still a drop in the ocean compared to France's daily numbers for the last few months.
I contrast this with France, where I think everyone gave up on the notion of eradicating the virus months ago. The reopening that's happening there with the current figures would be unimaginable in the UK. The Indian variant is still a drop in the ocean compared to France's daily numbers for the last few months.
Rita
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I suppose we just need to wait and see how effective the jab is in relation to the Indian variant because as far as I can make out at the moment nobody really knows.
Rita
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The hysteria at the moment isn’t regarding the current amount of cases here as we know they are small fry compared to the beginning of the year. It is more to do with the fact that the Indian variant is now present in most areas and could be up to 50% more transmissible (yet to be proven) and we are at the beginning of a 3rd wave that could be set to spiral and bring us back to square one.
A
AGinAg (37)
Guest
Now correct me if I'm wrong, but the Indian variant isn't necessarily why the problems in India are happening right?
If that's the case, we need clarification because otherwise it sounds more like absolute DOOM than it should.
If that's the case, we need clarification because otherwise it sounds more like absolute DOOM than it should.
Cerro de Casa
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That GIF is too cute.
Star
Homo Secretary (OB)
funky
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I think the Indian variant is a variant of the Kent variant. or SOMETHING!
funky
(OMF)
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ALL of the studies have so far shown that the vaccines work against every variant, but you're right that case studies are rushed and early so the more case studies that come out basically saying the same thing, the better.
Speak to any actual medical expert and they'll tell you the same thing: variants are normal, inevitable, and actually quite beneficial. Plus, the more a virus spreads, the lazier it gets, the variants meld into one and it becomes just another bug. All coronas start out this way, it's just that this one happened to cause pnuemonia etc, and so they couldn't just leave it. It's a bit like what happened with that flu in about 2002, but that one took 10 years to get under control; we couldn't wait that long with covid19, so they did it in a year. Bit of luck, bit of hard work, but hopefully it's paid off.
Gotta stay positive Reet!
funky
(OMF)
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I find this to be a very British thing. We just don't like inconvenient truths. I think we are a more privileged nation than France in terms of our behaviour, if not actual wealth. If something doesn't go our way, we either bury our heads or treat it like some sort of conspiracy - it can't be that bad, someone is trying to control us, did you watch that youtube clip and so on.
A bit like America, although I feel like their behaviour comes from a collective superiority complex. Not everyone
I like a LOT of Americans. But as an entire country they act like they are invincible to everything. Covid is no different.
A
AGinAg (37)
Guest
Rushed maybe, but the advantage they have is the scale of the problem. The research opportunities are huge. The fears of the vaccine initially was that it was so quick, but it was likely one of the biggest pieces of research ever conducted.