Generic Virus Thread

[bickster]

1 minute ago, limpid said:

It's one month in the future. So that if you create a physical copy, it's got a short expiry.

Yes I understandthat logic but my COVID passport should expire without a booster on 18th December as that is 6 months from my second jab

[sidcow]

I take back what I said, we've declared a shed load of infections today.  It will probably end up being a **** ton of Omicron no doubt. 

[blandy]

22 hours ago, Rolta said:

There are lots of up and downs so it would be a push to say the UK is on a downward trend as far as I can see. It's par for the course that it'll go down a bit then up a bit.

You’re right about the undulations, but the trend since they removed the restrictions in June is upwards

[trekka]

It is the area under the line in the graph above you need to look at too.  Even if there is no upward trend (there appears to be), we have had a high number of cases for a long time.  How many people have been affected by our opening up compared to say countries that have only had a recent upsurge in cases? If we didn't have the vaccines, we'd be up shit street right now (and would have been some time ago), and arguably we're approaching that point soon. 

It was just irresponsible by the Government to relax everything when surely the sensible thing would have been to reduce the restrictions gradually over time (mandatory face masks in crowded places etc being one of those measures I would have thought would be the last to be removed).  Now we're seeing the effects of having to slowly claw those restrictions back when people have had enough of the constant dithering.  My thoughts are with those who are on the ever-extending waiting list for life-saving care due to this pandemic Government. 

/mini rant over. 

Edited December 2, 2021 by trekka

[villa4europe]

Germany has got worse... Compulsory vaccines for everyone* as of February 

* don't know the medical exemption rules 

[Xela]

On 30/11/2021 at 23:07, jackbauer24 said:

There will ALWAYS be new variants.

So there will ALWAYS be a period of uncertainty over how significant they are.

So is this what it will be like ALWAYS now?

Still, no one has explained where the exit is. I don't care about masks. I do care about expectations to be jabbed (I am double but where does it end?), never being confident events/holidays can go ahead in case there's a change in regulations and the over bearing influence and excuse for corruption by politicians. If this really is it forever... I can hand on heart say I don't want to carry on. It's depressing for everyone but I struggle in good times, this feeling is beginning to feel inescapable.

I feel you mate. I feel the same in parts. Is this what life is now? I still have a glimmer of hope we can get back to 'normal' but it doesn't look good at the moment. 

Keep your chin up mate. 

[Xela]

We're pretty much done for the year in the office now. With rising cases, busier trains due to Christmas shopping etc and lots of seasonal 'normal' bugs going around, the bosses have basically said "see you in the new year". We can go in if we want, but it's not expected. 

On one part its good, but Its going to be another Xmas season I miss in Brum. No festive drinks, or parties, or just soaking up the Christmas atmosphere. 

[MakemineVanilla]

Australia, definitely not the land of the free.

But very nice view!

 

[Rolta]

UnHerd...I wonder how many people follow that. 

[HanoiVillan]

12 hours ago, blandy said:

You’re right about the undulations, but the trend since they removed the restrictions in June is upwards

This is good, to be honest! We are successfully carrying out the original plan at the start of the pandemic, that of 'flattening the curve'. Okay, the 'to protect the NHS' part isn't going so well, but that's more down to systemic under-resourcing for the last decade. Keeping the numbers in hospitals roughly stable while reopening the country is an achievement though. 

[blandy]

1 hour ago, HanoiVillan said:

Keeping the numbers in hospitals roughly stable while reopening the country is an achievement though. 

Hmmm.  There’s only been 17,000 deaths from Covid since the June opening up. Triffic!

I’m sorry, but the numbers in all regards are too high and it’s been avoidable.  Yes daily covid hospital patient count at around 8 to 9,000 for several months is “flat”, but in June prior to easing all restrictions it was a tenth of that.

[Rolta]

51 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

This is good, to be honest! We are successfully carrying out the original plan at the start of the pandemic, that of 'flattening the curve'. Okay, the 'to protect the NHS' part isn't going so well, but that's more down to systemic under-resourcing for the last decade. Keeping the numbers in hospitals roughly stable while reopening the country is an achievement though. 

Flattening the curve should come before a drop in numbers, but that hasn't happened in the UK since it went up in June. I look at the UK and see those numbers, and I don't see that as successful. In Spain there hasn't been a lockdown since the end of the first one in June 2020, we've had schools open since then, been able to play football and so on all the time, can see doctors and dentists and so on, no discernable differences in the 'opening up of the country', and the numbers have been much lower, with some waves here and there. And really the big difference seems to be that we've been made to wear masks and there have been much fewer last minute decisions too. There were restrictions on numbers last Christmas, but no bubbles and nothing else I can remember. Oh, and deaths are half of the UK's even though Spain was ahead of the UK in getting the pandemic.

Sure there might be differences in testing numbers. Madrid will also be a bit different to the rest of Spain too as the rules are regionalised.

 

Edited December 3, 2021 by Rolta

[Rugeley Villa]

I’ve had a routine online video call regarding my thumb.  It’s infected and they said they want me to go over there so they can clean it up and have a proper look. They know I’ve got Covid but to still go over anyway. Just on way now . 

[Seat68]

7 minutes ago, Rugeley Villa said:

I’ve had a routine online video call regarding my thumb.  It’s infected and they said they want me to go over there so they can clean it up and have a proper look. They know I’ve got Covid but to still go over anyway. Just on way now . 

You knew you were in trouble when the music playing over the call was Dr Green Thumb. 

[LondonLax]

1 hour ago, Rolta said:

Flattening the curve should come before a drop in numbers, but that hasn't happened in the UK since it went up in June. I look at the UK and see those numbers, and I don't see that as successful. In Spain there hasn't been a lockdown since the end of the first one in June 2020, we've had schools open since then, been able to play football and so on all the time, can see doctors and dentists and so on, no discernable differences in the 'opening up of the country', and the numbers have been much lower, with some waves here and there. And really the big difference seems to be that we've been made to wear masks and there have been much fewer last minute decisions too. There were restrictions on numbers last Christmas, but no bubbles and nothing else I can remember. Oh, and deaths are half of the UK's even though Spain was ahead of the UK in getting the pandemic.

Sure there might be differences in testing numbers. Madrid will also be a bit different to the rest of Spain too as the rules are regionalised.

 

Here in Sweden there was never a lockdown, schools and bars/restaurants were never shut, masks have never been required and hardly anyone wears one. Vaccine uptake is around average for European countries yet the numbers for deaths/cases are some of the lowest in Europe right now. 

It’s clearly more complicated than we can pin down on a football forum

[sidcow]

8 minutes ago, LondonLax said:

Here in Sweden there was never a lockdown, schools and bars/restaurants were never shut, masks have never been required and hardly anyone wears one. Vaccine uptake is around average for European countries yet the numbers for deaths/cases are some of the lowest in Europe right now. 

It’s clearly more complicated than we can pin down on a football forum

Yeah, I do think that population density has a big influence, but now someone will highlight a highly dense country where they've had hardly anything no doubt.

[blandy]

43 minutes ago, LondonLax said:

Here in Sweden there was never a lockdown, schools and bars/restaurants were never shut, masks have never been required and hardly anyone wears one. Vaccine uptake is around average for European countries yet the numbers for deaths/cases are some of the lowest in Europe right now. 

It’s clearly more complicated than we can pin down on a football forum

Definitely. I can remember close to the start of this pandemic, thinking and saying that I thought Sweden's approach might be the best way (for Sweden) and might work well given the demographics and so on, and then a bit later thinking "actually, no, they've probably messed up there" when the rates were so much higher than other Scandi nations (at the time).

And now, again, as you say the kind of impact of the Swedish approach is looking to be (currently) beneficial.

From the outside it seems like there's adherence pretty much universally to the advice around behaviour and distancing and so on and acceptance of the scientific advice, much more so than seems to be the case in some other places (including the UK), where there have been all these nobbers raising conspiracy theories and protesting outside hospitals and schools and so on. Is that fair, and do you think (if it's true) that the population's widespread acceptance of advice and measures might be a part of the story?

[brommy]

2 hours ago, blandy said:

Hmmm.  There’s only been 17,000 deaths from Covid since the June opening up. Triffic!

I’m sorry, but the numbers in all regards are too high and it’s been avoidable.  Yes daily covid hospital patient count at around 8 to 9,000 for several months is “flat”, but in June prior to easing all restrictions it was a tenth of that.

I believe those death figures are with COVID and NOT from COVID. That is, people who have died from any cause who have also tested positive of COVID in the previous 28 days. I suspect dementia, cancer, heart disease, non-COVID respiratory diseases and many other conditions have accounted for many more of those deaths than COVID itself.

Now the vaccinations have reduced the severity of COVID symptoms for most COVID infections, it would be interesting to see the number of deaths where COVID is listed as a contributor.

[Genie]

Most places tried the do nothing/little approach and the hospitals filled up quickly meaning more drastic action had to be taken.

 

[AVFCDAN]

14 hours ago, MakemineVanilla said:

Australia, definitely not the land of the free.

But very nice view!

 

Taking that in face value it’s absolutely mad, people here lost their minds about not being able to get a pint or the size of their Christmas bubble, never mind being taken off to a camp for 2 weeks without consent.