Generic Virus Thread

[bickster]

42 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Show me the TV rental showroom.

Here's one

https://www.butlersrentals.co.uk/

Here's a well known nationwide chain of them

https://www.martindawes.com/tv-rentals

[bobzy]

1 hour ago, nick76 said:

Bizarre take as I’ve explained above given the other groups I’ve mentioned.

I don't think it's a bizarre take at all - I feel absolutely gutted for anyone who has started university in the last year (assume 2020 start).

From own experience, it was the most formative period of my life.  You move from the comforts (certainly in my case, absolutely **** spoon-fed at home - only in later life did I truly appreciate quite how much Mum managed to put into our home/life; unreal) of home to an entirely new city knowing nothing about it and knowing no-one.  Those first couple of days were SO **** long, trying to pluck up the courage to just go and talk to strangers, hope you strike up some common interests etc.  You've basically got to adapt to absolutely everything being completely new and those first few contacts and trips out and sussing the area and getting your feet grounded are massive, simply massive.  Some of the people I met in the first... I guess, week(?) have ended up being friends for life.  There's a real sense of camaraderie and, to an extent, survival about it all.  Not in a "we're in the outback" way, but mentally surviving and feeling comfortable and, eventually, in your new home.  Those bonds are really, surprisingly, strong.

Imagine experiencing none of that, just a hopeless undetermined length of time of being trapped in a place you don't know away from people who you don't know with no family or friends anywhere nearby.  Sure, you've got smartphones, but I imagine in many cases the loneliness and anxiety experienced would've been phenomenal.

...and then you don't further your education in any new way either.  It's no longer an educational experience, as such, you're just 'taught' online.  You can't engage with anyone academically - just left to get through everything on your own for the first time ever that you've likely done anything that 'new' on your own.

Bizarre take?  Not at **** all.

[sidcow]

2 minutes ago, bickster said:

Here's one

https://www.butlersrentals.co.uk/

Here's a well known nationwide chain of them

https://www.martindawes.com/tv-rentals

OK I take it back, Televisions are incredibly expensive and well beyond the reach of most people to ever own one.

Same with dishwashers.  Stuff of millionaires that.

[CVByrne]

So this South African study has said 80% less chance of hospital admission with Omicron and 30% less chance of then developing a severe illness. Can assume again there is a further drop from those getting a severe illness and dying. So this data would indicate there's a 7 times reduced risk of a case of Omicron resulting in a severe disease. 

So based on this data, that means case to hospitalisation rate. We need to see at lease 750k cases per day to hit the 3000 per day hospital admissions. With even fewer of those admissions resulting in deaths

[nick76]

23 minutes ago, bobzy said:

I don't think it's a bizarre take at all - I feel absolutely gutted for anyone who has started university in the last year (assume 2020 start).

From own experience, it was the most formative period of my life.  You move from the comforts (certainly in my case, absolutely **** spoon-fed at home - only in later life did I truly appreciate quite how much Mum managed to put into our home/life; unreal) of home to an entirely new city knowing nothing about it and knowing no-one.  Those first couple of days were SO **** long, trying to pluck up the courage to just go and talk to strangers, hope you strike up some common interests etc.  You've basically got to adapt to absolutely everything being completely new and those first few contacts and trips out and sussing the area and getting your feet grounded are massive, simply massive.  Some of the people I met in the first... I guess, week(?) have ended up being friends for life.  There's a real sense of camaraderie and, to an extent, survival about it all.  Not in a "we're in the outback" way, but mentally surviving and feeling comfortable and, eventually, in your new home.  Those bonds are really, surprisingly, strong.

Imagine experiencing none of that, just a hopeless undetermined length of time of being trapped in a place you don't know away from people who you don't know with no family or friends anywhere nearby.  Sure, you've got smartphones, but I imagine in many cases the loneliness and anxiety experienced would've been phenomenal.

...and then you don't further your education in any new way either.  It's no longer an educational experience, as such, you're just 'taught' online.  You can't engage with anyone academically - just left to get through everything on your own for the first time ever that you've likely done anything that 'new' on your own.

Bizarre take?  Not at **** all.

No the bizarre part was that it was said that students suffered more than most other groups.  

Every group has suffered but to say students suffered more than most is bizarre.  

I have no issue with most of the above of your post because I went through it as well at Uni years ago but I can write a suffering part for each of the groups on my previous post that would be just as compelling as your post.  

To single out students suffered more than other groups is bizarre. Have they suffered more than healthcare workers? 1st line emergency services? Elderly? Children? People who have lost small businesses and their life savings? Parents who have lost their jobs from whatever industry has been impacted like travel, entertainment or even part time work, struggling to feed their families with no available work?

The list goes on and on, everybody has suffered

Edited December 22, 2021 by nick76

[bickster]

6 minutes ago, sidcow said:

OK I take it back, Televisions are incredibly expensive and well beyond the reach of most people to ever own one.

Same with dishwashers.  Stuff of millionaires that.

The difference in prices / average for wage isn't as much as you imagine

A black and white TV cost £70 in 1970 and the average wage was £1,200 (£70 is about £800 in todays money)

Whats a TV these days £500-£600? Average wage is £25,000, then you need your subscriptions to Sky / Cable / Netflix / Whatever

Yes TVs a cheaper than they were but not by as much as you imagine

[El Zen]

Meanwhile, reports in Norway show that 60 per cent of new covid-related hospital admissions last week were unvaccinated. 

[chrisp65]

2 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

So this South African study has said 80% less chance of hospital admission with Omicron and 30% less chance of then developing a severe illness. Can assume again there is a further drop from those getting a severe illness and dying. So this data would indicate there's a 7 times reduced risk of a case of Omicron resulting in a severe disease. 

So based on this data, that means case to hospitalisation rate. We need to see at lease 750k cases per day to hit the 3000 per day hospital admissions. With even fewer of those admissions resulting in deaths

It is promising. But there are a lot of variables.

The average age in SA is 28, here its 41, we have far more older people. I would suspect that for that same reason, we also have significantly more people with other existing conditions, in that you tend to collect illnesses and problems as you get older. 5.5% of South Africans are aged over 65, it’s closer to 20% in the UK, so crudely, we have four times as many elderly as a percentage of our population.

But it is promising. I’d love for this ‘wave’ to be a non-event.

[Stevo985]

1 hour ago, bickster said:

If today's missing out students are missing out on life events, this is what they would be missing if they were me

Results Day - 4 in total, my first A Level one was a pretty shit day, my second was better but as I was resitting, I didn't really have any mates left to share it with

18th Birthday - can't remember if I had a party or went out, possibly went down the pub with my mates, completely unmemorable

Freshers Week - a complete and utter drunken shit fest full of knobheads I never wanted to meet again. I made my lifelong Uni mates much later in the Academic Year

Graduation - didn't even know I'd graduated until the evening after when I was informed by a friend that they read my name out and after that point my degree couldn't legally be taken back

Those life events? If they were me, they missed nothing

Just because you had a miserable time doesn't mean everyone else did

[bobzy]

5 minutes ago, nick76 said:

No the bizarre part was that it was said that students suffered more than most other groups.  

Every group has suffered but to say students suffered more than most is bizarre.  

I have no issue with most of the above of your post because I went through it as well at Uni years ago but I can write a suffering part for each of the groups on my previous post that would be just as compelling as your post.  To single out students more than other groups is bizarre.

I think they probably have to be honest - and certainly the most easily forgotten segment of society in these type of situations too.

I don't think many others are in such a wildly different part of their lives so whilst others may have suffered/be suffering with, for example, loneliness in a care home or losing their job or having a tough time balancing home schooling and work et al, I don't envisage the same sort of widespread 'suffering' being attributed to every facet of their day-to-day.  There's just so much that changes around being 18 and moving away from home that isn't applicable to basically anyone else in society and it's forgotten, possibly, due to a lack of physical/tangible evidence of hardship.

 

As an aside, I think most people have suffered to some extent - it's been really tough.  I went through a period at the start of this year where I 'suffered' mentally without even realising it.  It was only coming out of the other side that I kind of thought "hang on, why do I feel different?".  I'd describe it as being constantly... tired and with brain fog, no motivation etc.  Just going through the motions which isn't me at all - and I'm a pretty stoic person generally so can only imagine what some people have felt at times.  It's been shit.

[El Zen]

5 minutes ago, nick76 said:

No the bizarre part was that it was said that students suffered more than most other groups.  

Every group has suffered but to say students suffered more than most is bizarre.  

I have no issue with most of the above of your post because I went through it as well at Uni years ago but I can write a suffering part for each of the groups on my previous post that would be just as compelling as your post.  To single out students more than other groups is bizarre.

I should try to explain what I meant, then. It seems you may be putting too much emphasis on the more than most groups I know comment. By groups here, I mean broadly defined social groups. I don’t define  ‘people who have lost someone to covid’ as a social group in that context. 

[nick76]

1 minute ago, bobzy said:

I think they probably have to be honest - and certainly the most easily forgotten segment of society in these type of situations too.

I don't think many others are in such a wildly different part of their lives so whilst others may have suffered/be suffering with, for example, loneliness in a care home or losing their job or having a tough time balancing home schooling and work et al, I don't envisage the same sort of widespread 'suffering' being attributed to every facet of their day-to-day.  There's just so much that changes around being 18 and moving away from home that isn't applicable to basically anyone else in society and it's forgotten, possibly, due to a lack of physical/tangible evidence of hardship.

Wow, mate I don’t know what to say!  I get they are suffering but then you compare to the elderly loneliness or people losing their job and trying find food for their children.  You’ve honestly blown my mind that you think students then have suffered more!

4 minutes ago, bobzy said:

As an aside, I think most people have suffered to some extent - it's been really tough.  I went through a period at the start of this year where I 'suffered' mentally without even realising it.  It was only coming out of the other side that I kind of thought "hang on, why do I feel different?".  I'd describe it as being constantly... tired and with brain fog, no motivation etc.  Just going through the motions which isn't me at all - and I'm a pretty stoic person generally so can only imagine what some people have felt at times.  It's been shit.

Sorry to hear that.  I hope you are feeling better now.

 

[Rugeley Villa]

Mother-in-law has gone into panic mode again like she did this time last year. Not coming for Xmas dinner at ours and not having anyone round her house, which means a shite Xmas for her again. Her choice although I understand her worry. She’s treble vaccinated but has COPD. Sister in laws house is a Covid house, so that’s also off bounds . Not only is it Xmas but it’s sister in laws birthday on Xmas eve and my missus birthday 27th. Not nice seeing families go through this, but unfortunately it’s the way it is at the moment .

[villakram]

9 hours ago, blandy said:

So, says you then - 

Some people: The vaccines are effective.

You: 

The massive outbreaks in highly vaccinated locals around the world must be ignored. Instead, let's concentrate on a specific study with a specific population at a specific time in a specific area with specific issues. Then we can all feel better.

ok, well, thanks for that thought. I’m hoping it’s not one of your own, more one you heard someone else voice and you’re just trying it out for size. It doesn’t suit you.

Don't blame me. I'm not the one who decided to call these things vaccines and then having to do all sorts of dances when people who have been vaccinated are becoming sick all over the place.

So much of all of these issues could have been avoided if those in pharma land decided to call these what they are, instead of re-defining the pre-pandemic meaning of the word vaccine. Anyway, something to note for the next pandemic, as it's of feck all use to argue about it now.

[nick76]

5 minutes ago, El Zen said:

I should try to explain what I meant, then. It seems you may be putting too much emphasis on the more than most groups I know comment. By groups here, I mean broadly defined social groups. I don’t define  ‘people who have lost someone to covid’ as a social group in that context. 

Apologies I edited my post afterwards but too late

Quote

To single out students suffered more than other groups is bizarre. Have they suffered more than healthcare workers? 1st line emergency services? Elderly? Children? People who have lost small businesses and their life savings? Parents who have lost their jobs from whatever industry has been impacted like travel, entertainment or even part time work, struggling to feed their families with no available work?

My issue with the comment though is most people are in a group(s) that has really suffered.  This pandemic has hit every group and most people aren’t in one group but many.  Almost everybody has impacted either through losing people, hit economically, mentally, physically, emotionally or whatever and I think students have had a shit time as everybody has said but that impact has been just as bad as every other group we can think of, even just a few examples in my quote above but there are many more.  I think very few people will come out of this unscathed. Students have been hit very hard but so has almost every other group and I find it hard to accept having also been a student in the past that their suffering, while really bad) has been harder than most other groups.

[bobzy]

2 minutes ago, nick76 said:

Wow, mate I don’t know what to say!  I get they are suffering but then you compare to the elderly loneliness or people losing their job and trying find food for their children.  You’ve honestly blown my mind that you think students then have suffered more!

Sorry to hear that.  I hope you are feeling better now.

I suppose what I'm not-so-eloquently trying to get at is that students suffering is big compared to their 'norm'.  Elderly loneliness, for example, is pretty commonplace (sadly) so whilst the pandemic may well have heightened that suffering, it's a suffering that is probably quite long-standing and established.  I'm not saying being more lonely is a light thing because it's never something I wish to experience properly, but going from being lonely to being more lonely is a shuffle along a shit ladder.  Going from experiencing complete support in every aspect of your life from friends and family and then going somewhere completely new and having none of that is a bigger 'overall' change.

Would I rather be a student than a lonely, elderly person though?  Yes, of course.  It doesn't mean that students haven't - in many cases - suffered more than most, though.  Or, indeed, more than many people would ever bother to recognise.

 

 

(And I'm all good now, cheers buddy )

[The Fun Factory]

49 minutes ago, bobzy said:

I don't think it's a bizarre take at all - I feel absolutely gutted for anyone who has started university in the last year (assume 2020 start).

From own experience, it was the most formative period of my life.  You move from the comforts (certainly in my case, absolutely **** spoon-fed at home - only in later life did I truly appreciate quite how much Mum managed to put into our home/life; unreal) of home to an entirely new city knowing nothing about it and knowing no-one.  Those first couple of days were SO **** long, trying to pluck up the courage to just go and talk to strangers, hope you strike up some common interests etc.  You've basically got to adapt to absolutely everything being completely new and those first few contacts and trips out and sussing the area and getting your feet grounded are massive, simply massive.  Some of the people I met in the first... I guess, week(?) have ended up being friends for life.  There's a real sense of camaraderie and, to an extent, survival about it all.  Not in a "we're in the outback" way, but mentally surviving and feeling comfortable and, eventually, in your new home.  Those bonds are really, surprisingly, strong.

Imagine experiencing none of that, just a hopeless undetermined length of time of being trapped in a place you don't know away from people who you don't know with no family or friends anywhere nearby.  Sure, you've got smartphones, but I imagine in many cases the loneliness and anxiety experienced would've been phenomenal.

...and then you don't further your education in any new way either.  It's no longer an educational experience, as such, you're just 'taught' online.  You can't engage with anyone academically - just left to get through everything on your own for the first time ever that you've likely done anything that 'new' on your own.

Bizarre take?  Not at **** all.

Yeah well looking back on I think I kind of wasted my time in playing championship manager and watching the magic channel, whilst eating a cheese toasty.

[bickster]

41 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

Just because you had a miserable time doesn't mean everyone else did

The point is, they aren't really big life events in the grand scheme of things. Much more important and memorable events will happen in peoples lifetimes than those set events that people are going on about.

When you're older (I know I know) you'll think being at the birth of your children, getting married etc will be much more important than a few pissups that are standard events in a young adults life. Thats what those events are, pissups, they aren't particularly life changing, nor are they ultimately that memorable. Young, had an excuse to get drunk. Thats it

[El Zen]

If treated as one large single event, my student years were extremely formative. As life-defining as anything. 

But this is getting extremely off topic.

Edited December 22, 2021 by El Zen

[bickster]

3 minutes ago, El Zen said:

If treated as one large single event, my student years were extremely formative. As life-defining as anything. 

Mine too but that is an entirely different point