Coronavirus (2021) thread

[Healdplace]

England vaccinations as of last night 3, 791, 594

3, 365, 492 first doses (275, 434 yesterday)

426, 102 second doses. (1775 yesterday)

So with the other 3 nations who have not updated fully or at all this weekend we will be pushing towards 4 million people vaccinated in next couple of days even without second doses added. Possibly tomorrow as the new hubs start then.

 

[artfuldodger]

My test came back negative but I still can’t stand up without been off balance! Have no idea what’s up so just lay in bed all day even lifting my head off the pillow makes the room spin

Probably labyrinthitis. Feels like seasickness crossed with a hangover. I started with it about 15 years ago. Get it on and off but never as bad as the first time. I take Buccastem, but there are others. Ring your GP or get someone to go to the chemist. In the meantime if you have anything in the house for migraines or travel sickness, they may help.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Blimey mate.
That’s some trawl but I’m not surprised. Seems like a very similar set of symptoms.
I couldn’t get out of my bed till midday when just about managed to crawl to the living room.
I could barely eat breakfast & the tea was insipid. Nodded off within ten mins woken by a relative phoning me.

Feels like lead coursing through my veins rather than oxygen. Sick feeling and try my best not to start a coughing fit. Migraine on top of everything else too.

As Kaz said, it’s a tad unusual being sick due to coughing so violently but this is what happens.

The flat is driving me mad too but the ex dropped supplies off earlier.
Saw a runner from the window and that seems a universe away.
The lethargy is unreal.

I’d only been in the job a week and already taken four days off. It’s a job I’m lucky to have and it’s taken a lot of work to get there (one of the benefits of the lockdown was the focus) so I understandably feel guilty about that. What do I do though?

Hope you start to mend up soon mate. We’re alive at least and some major positives are on the horizon.
Take care.

There will always be other jobs, but there will only ever be one of you.

It's as serious as it gets if it takes a hold of a person in the wrong way.

I'd urge you to get up every day, don't lie in bed. I got up same time as normal, sat upright on sofa with a sleeping bag to keep me warm.

Half the battle was positive mindset and feel lying in bed does nothing but emphasise how bad you are feeling.

My wife brought me loads of hot water to drink, hydrating is absolutely key, as I was constantly pissing out water via my temps or the antibiotics.

Much as this has shaken me to the core, it has also done me a massive favour. I put my business of 30 years into liquidation just a couple of weeks before I picked up Covid in December.

My wife and young kids saw their dad physically vulnerable for the first time in their lives, it has scared the shit out of me and them.

I've always struggled to live in the moment and day-dreamed my life of surely better things to come, failing to appreciate my efforts and successes along the way.

No longer. I have everything I need, more than many people, with a much more chilled outlook on things.

Get yourself well. Covid has shown that no matter how much you plan your life, you can't control everything.

 

[sky tot]

There will always be other jobs, but there will only ever be one of you.

It's as serious as it gets if it takes a hold of a person in the wrong way.

I'd urge you to get up every day, don't lie in bed. I got up same time as normal, sat upright on sofa with a sleeping bag to keep me warm.

Half the battle was positive mindset and feel lying in bed does nothing but emphasise how bad you are feeling.

My wife brought me loads of hot water to drink, hydrating is absolutely key, as I was constantly pissing out water via my temps or the antibiotics.

Much as this has shaken me to the core, it has also done me a massive favour. I put my business of 30 years into liquidation just a couple of weeks before I picked up Covid in December.

My wife and young kids saw their dad physically vulnerable for the first time in their lives, it has scared the shit out of me and them.

I've always struggled to live in the moment and day-dreamed my life of surely better things to come, failing to appreciate my efforts and successes along the way.

No longer. I have everything I need, more than many people, with a much more chilled outlook on things.

Get yourself well. Covid has shown that no matter how much you plan your life, you can't control everything.

Glad to hear your on the mend . If or when you decide to go back into business, share with your Blue friends ( same goes for everyone) we should all try and help local businesses, especially ones own by blues .

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Some thoughts on how fast cases are falling.

Firstly, it's brilliant that they are falling at all with the new variant.

Secondly, over the past week, taking 7 day average figures, cases have fallen about 20%, to about 50,000

At the point where restrictions were reduced to their least, last summer, cases were at just 400.

If cases continue to drop at the current rate, 20% per week, it will take roughly 21 weeks to reach 400. That's to mid June.

That takes no account of vaccination. If vaccinating just reduces cases, but has no effect on transmission, then the number of cases is reduced proportionately. Let's say half the population is vaccinated by May, that reduces the time to 400 cases by just 3 weeks to 18 weeks. End May.

If vaccinating reduces transmission significantly, then the *rate* of fall will accelerate. Let's say we average 30% fall per week rather than 20%, which is likely a best case scenario, roughly equivalent to vaccinating competely stopping transmission. That'll get us to 400 cases by 12 weeks, mid April.

Thought it might give some perspective on how well things are going.

Very preliminary figures, only a short period of lock down to judge effect, huge uncertainty on vaccination impact, but thought might give some perspective.

Stay home, try to stay strong, be kind.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

if I recall it was the meningitis vaccine and it was used as has similar reactions when being taken.

Yes, I've now quoted the phase I paper upthread. The covid vaccine had wise reactions, but not serious.

 

[Manc in London]

The placebo used in the Oxford trial was actually a real vaccine for a different bug (I forget which one).

I vaguely recall reading, alternatively, that the reason was
(1) so people on the placebo actually got some benefit
(2) So the likely reactions were more similar than if saline was used, so participants couldn't guess which arm they were on.

Not sure what the reality was, I'd guess (2)

I thought they used a vaccine used for meningitis treatment.

 

[Manc in London]

Here you go, from the phase I study published in the Lancet

DEFINE_ME

The meningitis vaccine was indeed used as a comparator to improve blinding.

Nevertheless, there were more systemic reactions to the covid jab, summarised here:

None of these were judged serious.

View attachment 8424

Bugger. I responded to your previous post before reading this!

 

[BlueAnorak]

Bit misleading because it refers to the one day Christmas bubble rather than the whole December blow out.
You'd be hard pressed I would have thought to track the effect of one day.
IMO the terrible death numbers we are experiencing now are a combination of the new virus and the month long December party.

No. Its down to a virus variant that is 50% more infective.
What worked to prevent infection before no longer does. For example, a couple of Covidiots can no longer be allowed for in supermarkets. The list goes on.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

No. Its down to a virus variant that is 50% more infective

I think the evidence is that it's both, and hard to completely disentangle.

Case numbers were going south long before the new variant arrived, and in Ireland the catastrophic Christmas wave seems to be at most partially associated with the variant.