Jump to content

Coronavirus (COVID-19)


Recommended Posts

What do we reckon for tomorrow then?

Early years schools back from 22nd as hoped last review?

Any changes at all to any other aspects of lockdown?

Potential for removal of shielding advice to those who can't work from home from March 1st?

Edited by Todd_is_God
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The major problem you have with "opening up" after all priority groups have had their two doses, you give the virus an exceptional opportunity to mutate once it starts spreading through the "younger" and "healthier" population. 

I think their target date was by end of April to have this done. Of course, lockdown is exceptionally horrendous for the economy, mental health etc, but I really hope the ScotGov errs on the side of caution here. I fear a situation where we open up extensively in mid Spring, the virus gets out of control again, and we end up at square one until every single person has had their two doses. I don't think there is a silver bullet solution to this, and I really wouldn't want to be in any sort of power to make judgement calls on it. 

Edited by DAFC.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, D.A.F.C said:

With testing maybe the best and easiest way would be a Bluetooth or wifi device that tests you and will allow entry to events once your phone accepts the test. A bit big brother but it would allow for easy access to football or gigs, can’t be too difficult to make something like this surely?

If youre tested at work or in another place like a GP surgery or dentists then that counts. Yes it would cost a bit but how much would another lockdown cost or 200,000 needing ICU over the next couple of years? Possibly switch testing off and on with the tier system.

This to me is a properly handled crisis, not just let’s open stuff up and hope that a transmissible virus will somehow stop spreading when we only have 30% vaccinated. It would also mean the end of masks and SD. In the event of a breakout then just close down a small area and switch on smartphone only access with negative test. Nah let’s just let it rip, no idea who or what or where it is. Punish everyone.

Believe it or not but many don't have "smart phones" with bluetooth etc, this includes the poorest in society and many in the over 65's bracket, however this seems to have been completely overlooked by many and that includes Governments and their often extremely disconnected so called "advisors".

This has also been apparent with the track and trace / test and protect apps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, DAFC. said:

The major problem you have with "opening up" after all priority groups have had their two doses, you give the virus an exceptional opportunity to mutate once it starts spreading through the "younger" and "healthier" population. 

I think their target date was by end of April to have this done. Of course, lockdown is exceptionally horrendous for the economy, mental health etc, but I really hope the ScotGov airs on the side of caution here. I fear a situation where we open up extensively in mid Spring, the virus gets out of control again, and we end up at square one until every single person has had their two doses. I don't think there is a silver bullet solution to this, and I really wouldn't want to be in any sort of power to make judgement calls on it. 

The issue with that approach is that you are using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Yes there is a risk the virus could mutate, but it comes down to calculating the risk firstly of that happening, and secondly of it happening in a specific enough way to cause the scenario you describe, then weighing that against the cost and damage of maintaining restrictions in place for an additional 4-6 months.

As we get a bit deeper into the vaccine roll out we will start venturing into the territory of putting in place restrictions to pre-emptively prevent a virus which does not exist having the opportunity to spread. That is not a path we should want to go down as at what point do we draw a line in the sand? That risk will never be zero, and never has been.

Edited by Todd_is_God
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've had more than four million cases in the UK already, including a significant proportion of those in groups that are low risk of serious illness. What evidence is there that we are at heightened risk of mutations going forward? 

At any rate, mutations happen as we've well seen. 

Edited by Michael W
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Kneal Down Caster said:

Can somebody with more knowledge than me advise. If the coronavirus efficacy is almost 90% with two doses, could we see further research and the flu jab getting up to this level ? Imagine getting back to normality and eradicating seasonal flu also !!!

I think the opportunity with the flu vaccine is that influenza is a broad term covering a range of viruses and strains, the problematic ones each year having to be guessed in order to produce the vaccine.

I've no doubt they could get there if there was a desire to do so, but the cost of achieving it vs the reward is prohibitive.

Edited by Todd_is_God
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Kneal Down Caster said:

Can somebody with more knowledge than me advise. If the coronavirus efficacy is almost 90% with two doses, could we see further research and the flu jab getting up to this level ? Imagine getting back to normality and eradicating seasonal flu also !!!

I might be talking out my arse here, but I am sure I read that the technology used in Pfizer vaccine which is apparently relatively novel could be used to more effectively tweak the flu vaccine or something like that.

Other problem is that the flu has virtually disappeared for now so nobody can be confident which strain will reappear when it eventually does.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Turkmenbashi said:

I might be talking out my arse here, but I am sure I read that the technology used in Pfizer vaccine which is apparently relatively novel could be used to more effectively tweak the flu vaccine or something like that.

Other problem is that the flu has virtually disappeared for now so nobody can be confident which strain will reappear when it eventually does.

No idea if the rna technology could help the flu vaccine but seeing as society has already accepted the risk of the current flu vaccines efficacy not being great I could imagine a reluctance to pay for rna vaccines for flu every year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, Michael W said:

We've had more than four million cases in the UK already, including a significant proportion of those in groups that are low risk of serious illness. What evidence is there that we are at heightened risk of mutations going forward? 

At any rate, mutations happen as we've well seen. 

Thats the four million cases which we know about, theres going to have been so many more people who were completely asymptomatic that havent registered on the testing etc. Think back to March/April/May and the criteria for testing whereby you had to be exhibiting symptoms. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Scosha said:
These scientists can get fucked. Hospitality industry gone forever if so. 

"Downing Street is being warned by scientists that new variants of the virus will return next winter, likely to necessitate new restrictions."

Leaving aside the fact there is nothing to suggest any hypothetical future variants will be vaccine resistant, by very definition something cannot be both new and returning.

The scientists know their days in the sun are numbered.

Edited by Todd_is_God
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...