Yeah agree. Especially given that the reports from Brazil is that the p1 is affecting a much younger sector of the population, which by in large remain unvaccinated on these shores. Also still the question of efficacy against this variant for those who've had the vaccine, particularly only one dose thus far.
Also agree with Healdplace and Shemnel. Localised lockdowns to prevent spread of a variant which was over here in February or March, when people have been freely travelling throughout the country seems another stupid idea.
We've been warned against importing variants for goodness knows how long so it's sad that we've even allowed ourselves to find us in a position where we are now at a bigger risk than we ought to be.
Sadly herd immunity is a pointless quest until maybe 90% of the world has been vaccinated. Not 90% of the rich world. And we are miles off that goal.It would also explain why Manaus got hit again. they thought they were at herd immunity levels ( 65/70% ). but higher r0 means higher herd immunity % so it opened up a lot of people to it.
WonderfulBBC just reported now on the variant from London already now being found in the West Midlands.
It is moving north and will soon be near you unfortunately.
seemingly homing in on younger people.
But it is behaving like that as it infects more often the easiest to infect. That is how it spreads. Language is meant to convey what happens. And this does. In no way does it infer intelligence. It is how the science works.I have to say language like this, and things like 'evading a vaccine' really grinds my fucking gears.
You're giving a degree of intelligence to a virus which makes it seem like some predator hiding around corners and choosing its victims which is categorically not the case.
It doesn't choose to only infect those that aren't protected - it doesn't float down the street and single out the unvaccinated. If there were 10 people in a room it would have a go at all of them, but only have success in some. That's the opposite of homing in.But it is behaving like that as it infects the easiest to infect. That is how it spreads. Language is meant to convey what happens. And this does. In no way does it infer intelligence. It is how the science works.
Big meteors hit Jupiter all the time and - thankfully - much less often the Earth. Saying that is not inferring intelligence on meteors it is pointing out it does that because Jupiter is a lot bigger target and so easier to hit.
Its been here for over a month. Remember the surge testing in March?BBC just reported now on the variant from London already now being found in the West Midlands.
It is probably moving north as happened last March with the first wave and will soon be near you unfortunately.
IN a free society that is almost impossible to stop.
Especially if it impacts mostly on younger people.
Primarily I imagine as they are out there in greater numbers with little restraint and less likely to be vaccinated versus the ones over 50 who take this a little more seriously as they know the risk increases with age and unlike someone at 21 do not think they are invulnerable as they have probably experienced death around them.
I never suggested any of these things.It doesn't choose to only infect those that aren't protected - it doesn't float down the street and single out the unvaccinated. If there were 10 people in a room it would have a go at all of them, but only have success in some. That's the opposite of homing in.
Evasion by definition indicates a degree of intelligence.
And the meteor comparison isn't a good one - the earth doesn't evade meteor strikes. Something being less likely to happen isn't the same as evasion, or even avoidance.
I never suggested any of these things.
Argue with people saying it is evading anything. I am not.
BBC just reported now on the variant from London already now being found in the West Midlands.
It is probably moving north as happened last March with the first wave and will soon be near you unfortunately.
IN a free society that is almost impossible to stop.
Especially if it impacts mostly on younger people.
Primarily I imagine as they are out there in greater numbers with little restraint and less likely to be vaccinated versus the ones over 50 who take this a little more seriously as they know the risk increases with age and unlike someone at 21 do not think they are invulnerable as they have probably experienced death around them.
The first paragraph is literally explaining the concept of homing in and how it doesn't apply here, which were your words.
Then I moved on to meteors, again which you brought up. Maybe i looked at it wrong. Are you suggesting meteors home in on Jupiter?
As far as I recall - no - they were not implying that just that it was increasing. But these waves have tended to move north or south in the past year. The first wave lingered in parts of the Midlands and North more than down south as lockdown ended when it was more over in the south than it was in the areas that got hit harder later.Did they say it 'moved north'? For example, it is traced to a person in London. I cannot imagine people from London are the only ones who have travelled abroad.
The study yesterday though on the efficacy of the vaccines in the over 80s is very good news and possibly why these new variants are seemingly homing in on younger people.
Five weeks after just one dose of Pfizer and AZ the over 80s were found to have strong immune responses in 93% Pfizer and 87% AZ - which is well up on what people of that age would be expected to show.
And - perhaps as importantly - triple the T cell presence too - which many seem to think are what stops a Covid infection becoming serious or life threatening. Which is what both these vaccines seem to be doing well given the hospital data.
Just 1972 in hospital with Covid in England and only 322 in N Ireland, Scotland and Wales together (down from over 39,000 in UK in mid/late January) has not happened by magic or just by lockdown. Older people are clearly getting very ill less often.
BonkersHans Kristian Gaarder, a prominent conspiracy theorist in Norway, has reportedly died after contracting COVID-19.
The 60-year-old had suggested the virus was "something that will be like a cold or light flu” and claimed restrictions were a means of “camouflaging that the coronavirus does NOT spread from person to person".
He is reported to have hosted two illegal gatherings at his barn in Gran on 26 March and 27 March, less than two weeks before he died on 6 April.
Officials believe Mr Gaarder had been ill for more than a fortnight without seeing a doctor and may have infected others.
While he had not been tested for the virus before his death, an autopsy revealed he was infected.