Generic Virus Thread

[Kuwabatake Sanjuro]

58 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Yeah, that period when Delta went through India like a knife through butter (because there were no vaccines then) there were people publicly dying in and outside hospitals but hundreds of thousands in their homes uncounted. 

Rivers became awash with bodies. 

I would bet there were probably a million or more uncounted in India alone. 

Then you have places like North Korea who claim not to have even had any cases.  Yeah, I really believe that. 

Belarus has been ridiculous.

 

[picicata]

3 hours ago, sidcow said:

An interesting (and extremely sad) statistic I saw the other day was that more Americans have now died from Covid than WW2. 

We've got a way to go but we're moving towards half as many deaths from Covid as WW2 combat deaths. 

Whilst not wanting to belittle the deaths of the people who have died with COVID, those who died in WW2 were healthy young men. The vast majority of those who have died with COVID have been at death's door and COVID has been the final straw.

[sidcow]

51 minutes ago, picicata said:

Whilst not wanting to belittle the deaths of the people who have died with COVID, those who died in WW2 were healthy young men. The vast majority of those who have died with COVID have been at death's door and COVID has been the final straw.

You've done a really excellent job of belittling the deaths of people who have died of Covid there.  You really have. 

[TheAuthority]

Covid is on a tear through NYC. A lot of Broadway shows have had to close because of infections in the production crew and performers. Even Radio City Christmas Spectacular which is owned by Madison Square Garden has cancelled for the rest of it's run. Thats 32 shows a week all the into New Year - an absolute shit ton of ticket sales just gone.

[bobzy]

9 hours ago, JoshVilla said:

To play devil's advocate, the obvious answer is that people are concerned, rightly or wrongly, about the long term effects which, unfortunately, we will only know either way with the passage of time. That's literally the only way we will know (long term being 5/10 years plus)

I’m actually more worried about the long term effects of covid tbh. A friend of my missus has been off work since March 2020 with “post-viral fatigue” following what we think (no testing ) was a very brief period of having covid whereby she had no taste/smell for a few days and no other symptoms. Almost 2 years of not having the energy to get through a day, let alone enjoy family time. 

[Mozzavfc]

11 hours ago, Delphinho123 said:

Genuine question. 

With this new variant and obviously plenty more to come, how many jabs are people going to actually need? Is there a point where we run out of arms to put needles into? I’ve heard stories of Pfizer saying we’ll need three more on top of the two we already have…

According to Chris Whitty we've got Covid for another 18 months or so, until we have vaccines and anti-virals that cover multiple strains. Seeing as we had nothing 18 months ago, it's a pretty amazing turnaround

Quote

Each six months will be better than the last six months", England's chief medical officer has said, as he predicted it could be "possibly 18 months" until a wide range of vaccines covers all variants of the coronavirus.

Professor Chris Whitty said it is likely that COVID vaccines and anti-viral drugs will do "almost all of the heavy lifting" when it comes to tackling future strains - unless they are "extremely different".

He told the Commons Health and Social Care Committee: "If I project forward, I would anticipate in a number of years - possibly 18 months, possibly slightly less, possibly slightly more - that we will have polyvalent vaccines, which will cover a much wider range, and we will probably have several antivirals."

Sky new link

[Phil Silvers]

Ordered PCR kit on NHS app 18.30 last night, just been delivered, that's v good 

[JPJCB]

12 hours ago, Delphinho123 said:

Genuine question. 

With this new variant and obviously plenty more to come, how many jabs are people going to actually need? Is there a point where we run out of arms to put needles into? I’ve heard stories of Pfizer saying we’ll need three more on top of the two we already have…

I guess that’s the thing that worries me. That this never ends and we just keep injecting people every time a new variant comes along.

I can’t really say this pandemic has affected my mental health and I’ve been lucky enough to have had employment throughout, but there are times when I think, are things ever going to be normal again? Are we ever going to go through a day where we don’t have statistics thrown at us without context? I can see why this has affected so many.

One of the worst things about it all is that the topic of Covid has elevated itself onto a similar platform as politics and religion. Everyone has an opinion. It’s a poisonous topic to even discuss at work or down the pub because people are so militant about what the right and wrong thing to do is. It’s changed people. Nowadays, if it’s mentioned, I just stay quiet. 

We have an annual flu jab so I don’t see what’s so worrying about having the same for Covid but with a greater push to people taking it. It’s really not that much of a hassle to get jabbed for most people and the risk/reward is massively favourable both to the individual and society 

[Panto_Villan]

8 hours ago, sidcow said:

You've done a really excellent job of belittling the deaths of people who have died of Covid there.  You really have. 

While I agree with most of the stuff you post, I feel like your reflexive criticism of a post like this might be going a bit far.

Sure, covid might have killed more people than lost in combat in WW2. Knowing the raw numbers helps put the scale of the crisis into context. However covid is still not a tragedy on the same scale as the WW2 losses and it’s not a good look to get on your high horse if someone points that out.

[sidcow]

28 minutes ago, Panto_Villan said:

While I agree with most of the stuff you post, I feel like your reflexive criticism of a post like this might be going a bit far.

Sure, covid might have killed more people than lost in combat in WW2. Knowing the raw numbers helps put the scale of the crisis into context. However covid is still not a tragedy on the same scale as the WW2 losses and it’s not a good look to get on your high horse if someone points that out. 

I wasn't in any way trying to portray it as a tragedy on the same scale of World War 2, I was simply stating the numbers as a comparison, the American deaths is unquestionably a striking figure.  It had relevance to the post I was responding to. 

But its just plain wrong to say the vast majority were on deaths door. 

I am 51 with diabetes. If I got Covid it would almost certainly be very very bad for me and there are thousands in that kind of group who have died.  I can assure you I'm not about to keel over any time now.  I've got a full time job, a family including a daughter still at school, both parents still kicking around. 

There are plenty of deaths in younger people. 

There again seems a common theme running that anyone with pre existing was going to die anyway.

There are currently over 3m people in this country age 65 to 70 the majority of which will be looking forward to a decade or more healthy vibrant lives. I doubt many of them would appreciate their Covid death was inevitable as they were at deaths door anyway. 

Yes I feel it's belittling their deaths. 

Edited December 18, 2021 by sidcow

[Panto_Villan]

1 hour ago, sidcow said:

I wasn't in any way trying to portray it as a tragedy on the same scale of World War 2, I was simply stating the numbers as a comparison, the American deaths is unquestionably a striking figure.  It had relevance to the post I was responding to. 

But its just plain wrong to say the vast majority were on deaths door. 

I am 51 with diabetes. If I got Covid it would almost certainly be very very bad for me and there are thousands in that kind of group who have died.  I can assure you I'm not about to keel over any time now.  I've got a full time job, a family including a daughter still at school, both parents still kicking around. 

There are plenty of deaths in younger people. 

There again seems a common theme running that anyone with pre existing was going to die anyway.

There are currently over 3m people in this country age 65 to 70 the majority of which will be looking forward to a decade or more healthy vibrant lives. I doubt many of them would appreciate their Covid death was inevitable as they were at deaths door anyway. 

Yes I feel it's belittling their deaths. 

I’d be interested in seeing the figures. My understanding is that two main groups are affected - the elderly with comorbidities who have a significant chance of death whether or not they get vaccinated, and people 50+ who choose not to get vaccinated. The former are at deaths door, whereas the latter have made a choice that exposes them to risk - they probably had a lot more life to life, but they made the choice not to live it.

I get why you’re sensitive but you’re highly unlikely to die if you follow the medical advice and have your jabs and boosters even with diabetes. You’re not someone that is at deaths door - of course it’ll feel like the deaths are being belittled if you imagine yourself in that category, but I don’t know why you’re doing that?

[KentVillan]

13 hours ago, picicata said:

Whilst not wanting to belittle the deaths of the people who have died with COVID, those who died in WW2 were healthy young men. The vast majority of those who have died with COVID have been at death's door and COVID has been the final straw.

That’s debateable, unfortunately.

There’s a measure called quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) which is used to work out the impact, and as they say here, “Contrary to some suggestions in the media, we find that even relatively elderly patients with high levels of comorbidity can still lose substantial life years and QALYs.”

A lot of people seem to have fixated on the fact that most deaths are age 65+ and / or diabetic, immune suppressed, etc. But your life expectancy at 65 is another 2 or 3 decades! And conditions like diabetes aren’t death sentences.

Covid has killed a huge number of people well before their time. 

[tinker]

Having caught COVID (after  the 1st  vaccine) and having 3 COVID jabs this year im conflicted on ongoing 'booster jabs'. I felt worse after the last vaccine than I did when I actually had COVID. ( COVID did go on for longer )

The disturbing part of watching all this unfolding is the agenda of people trying to pressure others into having the vacinne or medical procedure, it's a frightening thing to observe.

COVID is here to stay, vaccines will not eliminate it completely, it will adapt many new strains just like flu. 

Maybe compulsory vaccines will come about , are we all happy with this ?  I'm not .

Edited December 18, 2021 by tinker

[Rugeley Villa]

11 minutes ago, tinker said:

Having caught COVID (after  the 1st  vaccine) and having 3 COVID jabs this year im conflicted on ongoing 'booster jabs'. I felt worse after the last vaccine than I did when I actually had COVID. ( COVID did go on for longer )

The disturbing part of watching all this unfolding is the agenda of people trying to pressure others into having the vacinne or medical procedure, it's a frightening thing to observe.

COVID is here to stay, vaccines will not eliminate it completely, it will adapt many new strains just like flu. 

Maybe compulsory vaccines will come about , are we all happy with this ?  I'm not .

Compulsory vaccines is just damn right wrong . I don’t think it will come to that, but there are people losing their jobs for not having the vaccines. My missus friend works at a rehab centre for addicts. She doesn’t want the vaccine, she’s had Covid , but has been told her vaccinated or lose job. 

[sidcow]

Remembering how they managed to trace so many infections back to Cheltenham at the start of the original pandemic which eventually lead to it being classed as a super spreader event. 

And bearing in mind that was "original" covid which seems to be significantly less transmissible than Omicron. 

I wonder with just the Leeds match on today if they will look back in a couple of months and identify just how many cases were attributable to that match.  

It may end up being a real blessing that so many games were cancelled this weekend. 

[JoshVilla]

2 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Remembering how they managed to trace so many infections back to Cheltenham at the start of the original pandemic which eventually lead to it being classed as a super spreader event. 

And bearing in mind that was "original" covid which seems to be significantly less transmissible than Omicron. 

I wonder with just the Leeds match on today if they will look back in a couple of months and identify just how many cases were attributable to that match.  

It may end up being a real blessing that so many games were cancelled this weekend. 

Are the Covid passports in effect now?

Interesting question though - if there is a big spike in cases linked to that game, who do we blame? The unvaccinated people who had to make sure they did a test and were negative? Or the vaccinated people who didn't have to do a test because as long as they're triple jabbed then that's enough? I guarantee it'll be the former.

I'm not insinuating anything, it's just an interesting point IMO.

[robby b]

I'm currently on day 3 of a 10 day self-isolation because I got a positive PCR test result on Wednesday evening, boo.  I've felt rubbish now since Sunday, like the flu because every day I've had shivers, muscle aches and a headache.

I went nearly two years avoiding it but now it's finally got me, the fiend! (This is the first time I've had it as far as I know, unless I've had it symptomless at some point)

I got double-jabbed but the second one was seven months ago so they've worn off. Living in Wales I couldn't get a booster in time as Wales is way behind England with the booster program apparently, for some reason.

Edited December 18, 2021 by robby b

[sidcow]

6 minutes ago, JoshVilla said:

Are the Covid passports in effect now?

Interesting question though - if there is a big spike in cases linked to that game, who do we blame? The unvaccinated people who had to make sure they did a test and were negative? Or the vaccinated people who didn't have to do a test because as long as they're triple jabbed then that's enough? I guarantee it'll be the former.

I'm not insinuating anything, it's just an interesting point IMO.

With Omicron it seems people are infectious much quicker and before they really develop symptoms which is one of the reasons why it's so transmissible. 

I'm not sure it's a case of blaming anyone really.  Probably more a question of if games should be played behind closed doors again. 

We'll have more data on Omicron on the coming days so we'll know for sure if it's significantly less harmful or not.  That'll drive a lot of decision making I would think. 

Edited December 18, 2021 by sidcow

[Genie]

I’m one of the shrinking group to have not had it, yet.

We have a day out at Hatton Country World next week which makes me feel quite nervous. 

Caught between “be safe” and “carry on with life as best as you can”.

 

[NoelVilla]

38 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Remembering how they managed to trace so many infections back to Cheltenham at the start of the original pandemic which eventually lead to it being classed as a super spreader event. 

And bearing in mind that was "original" covid which seems to be significantly less transmissible than Omicron. 

I wonder with just the Leeds match on today if they will look back in a couple of months and identify just how many cases were attributable to that match.  

It may end up being a real blessing that so many games were cancelled this weekend. 

In Copenhagen they have identified a show with Ricky Gervais as an event that has caused a lot of spread. Was indoors but don't think that matter if you are close enoguh to people.