Coronavirus

Originally Posted by Pierre

Well, we can’t be thinking it’s over now can we? We need a new variant to ensure previously democratic Western governments can continue to act as tinpot dictatorships and totalitarian states.

Also helps to keep the population scared and compliant. Best course of action is to mandate vaccines that don’t prevent infection or transmission thereby keeping the population on a convenient short leash by keeping them scared.

Take the vaccine! Will it stop me from getting catching it? No! Will it stop me from passing it on? No! So you must still wear masks or you’re a bad person. Will it stop me from getting ill? Yes, but that’s only your personal health, if you care about the wider population you should still support lockdowns. But surely those at risk will have been vaccinated so even if I’m not vaccinated I’m no risk to others? Shut up, we’re keeping this going for as long as possible.

Will it stop me from getting catching it? It will greatly reduce the chances of you catching it.
Will it stop me from passing it on? It will greatly reduce the likelihood of you passing it on.
So you should still still wear masks to reduce the chances of infecting others.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Will it stop me from getting catching it? It will greatly reduce the chances of you catching it.

So no need for masks then? Social distancing and all the rest of the bollocks.

Will it stop me from passing it on? It will greatly reduce the likelihood of you passing it on.

So no need for masks then? Social distancing and all the rest of the bollocks

So you should still still wear masks to reduce the chances of infecting others.

Oh…….. you missed this bit then, why didn’t you put this bit in your answer?

But surely those at risk will have been vaccinated so even if I’m not vaccinated I’m no risk to others?

[nffc]

Originally Posted by ianch99

I would agree but can this include transit passengers flying via a third country "hub"?

So the PLFs need to ask what countries you've been to in the last 10 days.

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

An immediate red-listing of South Africa and Botswana is called for, imo.

Which is pretty much what they have done.

[Jaymoss]

Originally Posted by Pierre

So no need for masks then? Social distancing and all the rest of the bollocks.



So no need for masks then? Social distancing and all the rest of the bollocks


Oh…….. you missed this bit then, why didn’t you put this bit in your answer?

to many muppets not been vaccinated so how do you know who is and who isnt?? or do you just become as selfish as the muppet and not care if you spread it to them if you are unlucky enough to have it ?

[nffc]

Originally Posted by ianch99

Worrying report. Fingers crossed this variant is less transmissible:

COVID-19: New B.1.1.529 variant 'worst one we've seen so far', say UK experts

it has N501Y, so suggestion, probably not.


As for whether it will dominate, who knows.



It appears to have come from a severely immunocompromised patient in Botswana, which is why we have a lot of mutations all at the same time.


But SA has a low number of cases, so a new variant will proportionally show more dominant. They have a low vaccination rate but a presumed high proportion of people who have had covid. A new variant is likely to appear dominant in these cases. Whether this will show in an area with a significant Delta outbreak remains to be seen, personally, I'd prefer it was kept where it was...

---------- Post added at 22:41 ---------- Previous post was at 22:38 ----------

Originally Posted by Jaymoss

to many muppets not been vaccinated so how do you know who is and who isnt?? or do you just become as selfish as the muppet and not care if you spread it to them if you are unlucky enough to have it ?

They have had plenty of time to get vaccinated and know the risks if you don't.


I'm not going to invoke Godwin's Law and suggest the unvaccinated wear yellow bands on their arms, but, surely by not doing what they should, they are merely putting themselves at higher risk. We should simply leave them to it, knowing they can get a vaccine if they want one. I'm running out of excuses for them.


Those who can't get one for medical reasons, totally understand that.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Jaymoss

to many muppets not been vaccinated so how do you know who is and who isnt?? or do you just become as selfish as the muppet and not care if you spread it to them if you are unlucky enough to have it ?

Should we ban cars because of idiots that don’t know how to cross the road?

[nomadking]

Originally Posted by Pierre

Should we ban cars because of idiots that don’t know how to cross the road?

We do expect car drivers to behave responsibly and not put others at risk.

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by nomadking

We do expect car drivers to behave responsibly and not put others at risk.

Such an idiotic point. But I’ll try and lay it out for you because I know weren’t trying to be a tool for for the sake of it.

If the car drivers ( the vaccinated) do as they should and stay on the road.

Why are they responsible for the idiots ( unvaccinated) that run out in front of them?

The car drivers are following the rules and behaving responsibly by staying on the road.

Originally Posted by Hugh

Will it stop me from getting catching it? It will greatly reduce the chances of you catching it.

So as he said .. No.

Originally Posted by Hugh

Will it stop me from passing it on? It will greatly reduce the likelihood of you passing it on.

So again .. No.

Originally Posted by Hugh

So you should still still wear masks to reduce the chances of infecting others.

Just like we have done for the last 100+ years to stop the spread of every other potentially fatal virus ? I guess the brainwashing really does work.

[nffc]

Originally Posted by Paul

Just like we have done for the last 100+ years to stop the spread of every other potentially fatal virus ? I guess the brainwashing really does work.

Nod. Let the snowflakes continue with their faith in a rag over their face, whilst we carry on with life.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Paul

So as he said .. No.

So again .. No.

Much as we alll hanker for a simple life, you can't reduce such risk assessment down to yeses or nos.

[jfman]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

Much as we alll hanker for a simple life, you can't reduce such risk assessment down to yeses or nos.

Especially at a population level.

---------- Post added at 08:15 ---------- Previous post was at 08:14 ----------

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

This is what I warned would have happened here too if we went gung-ho with lockdowns. There’s only so much people will take.

We’ve got MPs getting murdered and terrorists blowing themselves in hospital car parks yet we don’t bow to extremist or criminal sentiment or their “values”.

[ianch99]

Originally Posted by nffc

it has N501Y, so suggestion, probably not.

Data coming out of the SA Government briefing seems to indicate otherwise:



Israel are taking this seriously:

Israeli PM warns of state of emergency due to new coronavirus variant

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met health experts on Friday to discuss how best to respond to a new variant of the coronavirus that has been detected in South Africa that he said was more contagious than the Delta strain.

“We are currently on the verge of a state of emergency,” Bennett said, according to a statement from his office. “Our main principle is to act fast, strong and now.”

Israel has reported one case of the new strain in a traveller returning from Malawi.

Israel announced on Thursday it was barring its citizens from travelling to southern Africa and banning the entry of foreigners from the region.

[Pierre]

I recall, sometime ago, someone saying on TV that if it mutated to a virus that the vaccines didn't work against, it would mean that it is no longer a version of the same type of virus but rather a new virus completely....or something like that.

[nffc]

Yes, that's what I was saying, the mutation leads to increased transmissibility in other variants, so it's probably going to have similar.


As for that graph, look at what it's actually measuring, it's the percentage of all sequenced cases. So, to reach 100% of 10 sequenced cases means only 10 tests need to show it. If you have more cases you sequence more. Alpha was dominant in a time where most of the world had a high number of covid cases, so would have taken more time to dominate than in SA, which until the last few days was registering around 300-400 cases most days. Reaching 100% of new sequenced cases in that context doesn't require too many samples to show it.


Also look at the wider picture in sub-Saharan Africa where there is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, which causes immune system deficiencies - this is where this (and the Beta variant) came from. In SA there is also a low vaccination rate and a high amount who have actually had covid. It is thought this has immune escape but that could be the circumstances there, if for example there is a lot who the vaccine hasn't worked in, and who have recovered from the virus but then their immune system hasn't responded properly in terms of future response. Beta never really took off elsewhere and you would expect it might have if it has the ability to swerve previous immunity from infection or vaccination, why is that?


Obviously it wouldn't be a good idea in practice, but the UK and Europe are experiencing much higher numbers due to Delta than anything in SA (Where ours is stable theirs isn't). If this variant was introduced to that background as opposed to a context where very few have the virus, how will it react there, and which one will be the one infecting people? If this can not only dominate Delta, but can also infect people who have had the virus or been vaccinated, and not just cause milder symptoms like Delta seems to be, then this is going to be a bigger issue. But of course, that impact isn't known yet.