Coronavirus (2021) thread

[Healdplace]

Of course, a caveat to the above is the haphazard regional way these vaccinations are being done in the UK. It is miles from a uniform policy.

I know first hand from my 89 old friend that even THE most vulnerable and aged were not at the front of the queue as she only got her letter 4 weeks after many who were less vulnerable had had it in the North West. So it was more like a lottery than a plan by the sounds of it.

They announce today they are sending out letters to the over 70s. She at 89 in the very vulnerable shielded from day one category still has not had a first dose. Though happily will on Friday.

It turns out those letters go out regionally and only some areas are inviting the over 70s as announcee today as if ot were fir all as they have done most of the older ones now through local policies or age dynamics regionally and vaccination numbers are escalating fast so they have to plan ahead.

Meanwhile in Wales they chose to limit vaccine to the very elderly and protect all health care workers first.

Not saying that was wrong but - as with different rates in different countries in the UK getting into care homes - this means there is no simple way of looking at how well the vaccination programme should be protecting age groups.

As you definitely cannot assume that by now most over 80s and/or the most vulnerable have had a jab uniformally.

Even on BBC Rip Off Britain this week the three over 70 ladies who present that showed the utter lottery by the youngest of them with no other issues having had it and the oldest with issues not even the letter inviting them.

Unsurprisingly - hopeful as we all are over the vaccine roll out - the sheer relief it is happening is masking the rather disjointed mess it seems to be in terms of reaching the targets. Inevitable I guess given the haste and complexity.

 

[Healdplace]

Hopefully bears out in hospitalisations in a week or 2

That is hopeful the numbers really are reflecting the end of the post Christmas surge and the impact of the restrictions. Especially in the south. Where the numbers were huge and have fallen the most.ed

Though as I noted last night (I post all the UK hospital regions data around 7 pm every evening as the Gov.UK website is always at least a day out of date for some reason) there WERE signs of some turnaround in the southern regions yesterday - though only early signs not enough to be sure things really are starting to slow.

 

[kaz7]

Thanks all.
no better this morning but I’ve pulled myself out of bed so I get brome kind of routine (good advice @tolmie's hairdoo )

I have one position where the coughs stop (lying on my left) if I switch then the coughing frenzy erupts. Sat upright/forward if possible helps.
I’m so cold I can’t face a bloody shower...I’m looking like Ian Beale Vagabond era.
These weird waves of skin chills too...almost like the nerves have been frozen.

stay safe everyone.

Stay warm , hydrate , if you have paracetamol take it four hrly, lay in whatever position stops the cough , it is the really grinding bit of this illness, it is horrific and knackering , dont surpress it as such , it is important to keep your airways open ,it will get better , hang on in there

 

[inbetween]

Doesn't the second dose make the affect of the vaccine last longer? I thought first dose was always known to be good but the second dose makes it last longer. Could be massively wrong here though

The first dose is the first exposure if you like and the second dose is a booster where the body responds again to the same threat. The second dose should give a stronger and therefore longer lasting antibody response because the body knows what to do this time but nobody really knows how long.

What's poorly understood though is the immune systems response elsewhere (T-cells etc) and this is probably why the efficacy results were so impressive, unbelievably impressive actually. A study I read has said most people may be resistant to COVID hence the large number of asymptomatic/mild cases. This is thanks to pre-existing T-cell memory and not antibodies which are non-existant in the absence of prior infection/vaccine. Vitamin D apparently is also a major indicator given the demographics of the people who get really sick as most are known to be Vitamin D deficient.

T-cells really are the superstars in fighting COVID-19 - but why are some of us so poor at making them?

www.bmj.com

Although we can't take the chance, it's very likely that the vast majority of people will not need the vaccine because upon exposure to COVID they'll get the exact same asymptomatic/mild symptoms that they'd get had they caught COVID without a vaccine. This is perhaps why the governments accelerated programme to get the first dose out quickly is actually quite a good idea (although indeed a risk).

 

[Healdplace]

Scottish data:

0 deaths. Though that is common with Sunday data not a guide to much. It was 1 last week.

1429 cases At a rather high 12.3% positive. It was 1782 last week at 11.5%

This might suggest fewer tests were done yesterday.

1959 in hospital (up 41 in day)

146 on ventilators (down 1)

 

[ayrshire_blue]

Scottish data:

0 deaths. Though that is common with Sunday data not a guide to much. It was 1 last week.

1429 cases At a rather high 12.3% positive. It was 1782 last week at 11.5%

This might suggest fewer tests were done yesterday.

1959 in hospital (up 41 in day)

146 on ventilators (down 1)

Highest % positive since 5th January. Hopefully an anomaly, suppose time will tell.

 

[blueparrot]

Highest % positive since 5th January. Hopefully an anomaly, suppose time will tell.

Yes but a much lower number of positives from only a 0.8 % rise in positives from last Monday, so on balance good news.

 

[Healdplace]

Highest % positive since 5th January. Hopefully an anomaly, suppose time will tell.

Indeed.

 

[Healdplace]

Wales data:

20 deaths - it was 17 last Monday.

1332 cases - it was 1793 last Monday.

At 9.8% positive.

The Wales Weekly Pop score has fallen again for 7th straight day from 322 yesterday to 306 today.

That is below Oldham, best borough in GM, whose Weekly Pop last night was 324. Highest in GM being Manchester at 470.

 

[mrbelfry]

The first dose is the first exposure if you like and the second dose is a booster where the body responds again to the same threat. The second dose should give a stronger and therefore longer lasting antibody response because the body knows what to do this time but nobody really knows how long.

What's poorly understood though is the immune systems response elsewhere (T-cells etc) and this is probably why the efficacy results were so impressive, unbelievably impressive actually. A study I read has said most people may be resistant to COVID hence the large number of asymptomatic/mild cases. This is thanks to pre-existing T-cell memory and not antibodies which are non-existant in the absence of prior infection/vaccine. Vitamin D apparently is also a major indicator given the demographics of the people who get really sick as most are known to be Vitamin D deficient.

T-cells really are the superstars in fighting COVID-19 - but why are some of us so poor at making them?

www.bmj.com

Although we can't take the chance, it's very likely that the vast majority of people will not need the vaccine because upon exposure to COVID they'll get the exact same asymptomatic/mild symptoms that they'd get had they caught COVID without a vaccine. This is perhaps why the governments accelerated programme to get the first dose out quickly is actually quite a good idea (although indeed a risk).

Thanks. My response was in reply to the reports from Portugal really about not being surprised that the vaccine works after one dose. Thanks for the added detail.

I routinely get mocked for using bluemoom as a covid resource but I like to view it is an aggregator for news and opinion. These informed kind of posts are reasons why I think it is valuable