Coronavirus

[Paddy Pumpkin]

Maybe you could think of British Covid like this caller to a radio show

https://youtu.be/9Ml6tCtuIOw

[Lavanda]

Now you only need a dose of vaccine given with a narrow needle so you get less vaccine per person, or in other words treat more people with less vaccine.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/0 ... lies-20pc/

Is there anybody left alive who thinks any of this is actually making sense?

[Pamela1]

No sense whatsoever..

[katy]

Point taken about mix and match!

Interesting how the UK are trying to keep the South Africa variant ( that the vaccines might not work on) out. I read that the EU are considering similar measures.

The British variant was tracked back to a case in Autumn. How many new variants are there out there in the world just developing? It doesn’t bode well for international travel

I fear the UK will be banned from everywhere this year, even if all the nation was vaccinated. The advanced UK system that detected the new variant has now become ours! Not much said about the Denmark one now. Have noticed in the foreign press the terms used. In Spain the press call it "La cepa Britanica. France media it is virus Anglaterre and yesterday Merkel called it the British virus. Yet if anyone refers to it as the Chines virus it's "Raycist"

Further to this, the WHO says calling variants by country is discriminatory (I think they read my posts ) Behind a paywall in Telegraph. Here is a clip. It is quite a long article.

The World Health Organization is planning a naming system for new Covid-19 variants to avoid stigmatising countries that discover new strains of the disease.

In the last few weeks new variants have been identified all over the world - including in the UK, South Africa, Brazil and Russia - that are now taking over the previous dominant strains.

The UK variant has now been detected in around 46 countries and, like the South African variant, is more transmissible than previous types.

The identification of these variants has led to travel bans and restrictions on the countries where they were first detected, prompting Professor Tulio de Oliveira, an academic at KwaZulu Natal University and the man who led the work to identify the South African variant, to declare that the UK and South Africa were being being “sanctioned because they were transparent about the results of their genomic surveillance”.

The UK conducts far more genetic sequencing than many other countries - and has sequenced around 10 per cent of infections, with plans to increase that to 20 per cent by March.

Professor Sharon Peacock, head of Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium, said the UK's high level of genomic surveillance meant "if you're going to find something anywhere, you're going to find it probably here first".

[olive]

That is all too sensible, lets just stick with the racism of viruses. Much more fun.

Ban people from Denmark.

[katy]

Why has Europe been so slow.
https://www.itv.com/news/2021-01-14/why ... id-vaccine

[Lavanda]

Maybe being slow is not a bad thing. With the post about the 23 dead people in Norway and the 240 vaccinated people in Israel now with Covid, maybe the vaccine is NOT the solution? I shall now wash my mouth out with disinfectant ...

https://www.timesofisrael.com/240-israe ... 5xN817DKpw

[katy]

My thoughts too Lavanda. What if the vaccine doesn't work. Read that around 23 in a Spanish care home have caught the virus days after being vaccinated. Expained that the virus must have already being developing . Not sure about the deaths yet, jury is out until more investigation.

[katy]

Given all the figures being pumped out as to how many have tested positive surely we are on our way to herd immunity. I also read that virus's lose their strength when that happens.

[Lavanda]

I agree, Katy. I think, sooner or later, we will all have to get it and get over it ... or not. That's the tough bit — the 'or not' bit.

[ashtondav]

I agree, Katy. I think, sooner or later, we will all have to get it and get over it ... or not. That's the tough bit — the 'or not' bit.

My doctor friend says you wouldn’t say that if you worked in a hospital. Yes, for the majority it’s a flu. For a significant minority it’s pneumonia with worse lung scarring. A vaccine will probably immunize you. It may possibly cause problems. Each individual must choose between the probable or the possible.

[olive]

Or (despite my valliant efforts to be positive) we get more of these viruses and they make coronavirus look like a walk in the park. Have a look at Nypah virus just waiting to jump to humans from fruit bats. In a normal year, 2 million visitors a year to Ankh Wat with plenty of defecating/urinating fruit bats everywhere. Try not to visualise that please.....

Six months ago, I jokingly said in 12 months time we will all only be going out with a nifty space helmet sat snugly on our shoulders with a military grade air filter system on our backs. I can still see that as the number one Xmas gift 2021

Meanwhile UK TV carries adverts for summer 2021 holidays and are taking bookings by the shedload. Must be folk thinking the vaccination gives immunity.

[Pamela1]

My thoughts too Lavanda. What if the vaccine doesn't work. Read that around 23 in a Spanish care home have caught the virus days after being vaccinated. Expained that the virus must have already being developing . Not sure about the deaths yet, jury is out until more investigation.

They do say it can take a week or two before the body has built up some protection after the first jab.Sounds a bit like the flue jab, perhaps the 23 residents have not had time for their bodies to build up the protection..

[elusive]

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.diar ... t_amp.html

New restrictions

[katy]

Some on Spanish social media blaming the Brits for spreading la cepa Britanica as it has appeared in expat areas. What about the 4 flights per day coming into Madrid from South America, no mention of the Brazilian strain. I assume many from Madrid managed to sneak into Andalucia.

[elusive]

As it was reported at the time the first cases of the brit strain were brought in by spaniards returning to madrid from the uk. Same in the malaga area aswell.

[Paddy Pumpkin]

Some on British Social media this morning blaming Spaniards for bringing Covid to the UK in the first place as it appeared in immigrant areas. I love Dr. Facebook.

No mention of all the flights at the time coming from China or Italy or indeed of all the British immigrants or holidaymakers returning to Britain.
I assume many from these flights managed to sneak into these immigrant areas, well actually just go as there was no movement restrictions for periods of times.

[olive]

All a bit academic but we are all good at blame culture .

How long before travellers to and from Brazil/ Portugal bring the so called Brazilian variety into Spain and then the rest of Europe?

The Chinese had the right idea back in April ( I think it was) that incoming travellers self isolated in nominated hotels, at their own expense, on arrival. £100 a week ( again from memory)

[Paddy Pumpkin]

It is still like that for arriving passengers in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. The cost in Singapore is $2,000 SGD, about 1,300 EUR. The hotel is assigned when you arrive. You might get the Ritz or the Pitz and you are inside that room for 2 weeks, no exceptions.

They did lockdown got it to zero and maintained the vigilance. Those countries now live almost a normal life and are not facing further lockdowns nor are they paying for Xmas.

[Lavanda]

Big headlines for the UK today. The government is so successful in its vaccination programme they are going to start on the over-70s. Buried in the text is the fact that only 40% of the over-80s have been 'done'. In the Daily Telegraph comments to the story (and story is a pretty good word for it) there are hundreds of people writing that their over 80 or even over 90 year old grandparents or parents still have not received any word at all about when they would be vaccinated.

Now why is that not the headline, I wonder.