Coronavirus (2021) thread

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johnnymarrsbarres said:
Has anyone managed to get hold of any lateral flow tests?

We're going to the in-laws on Tuesday for Christmas and we've all agreed to do tests etc, especially as there will be a couple of grannies there.

NHS ordering page has been down for about 4 days and our local chemist hasn't had any either, bit of a piss take.
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I got given a load a few months ago by a relative who was given them through work. They’ve kept us going for the last few weeks.
 
ell said:
Chris Whitty yesterday praised the South African scientists and medics, then immediately went on to rubbish everything they've said, weird.
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No he didn't. He praised them and explained that their observations being reported may not transfer like for like to our conditions. Different age demographics, we're entering our cold/flu season they should be leaving theirs, the fact that their vaccination push was closer to their outbreak than ours, hence our booster acceleration by the way.

That's what I heard anyway and it makes sense to exercise caution until we get reliable data.
 
inbetween said:
The 'mildness' is only relevant for vaccinated people and that's because our immunity from vaccination or a previous infection is solely responsible for making this infection mild.

In reality is there evidence to argue that boosters aren't necessary and unvaccinated people shouldn't get vaccinated because this variant is milder? Absolutely not.
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Every time we get a new variant we ask the question what effect will this have. I believe it is milder but I had the booster because there is huge uncertainty.
 
Dr Susan Hopkins tells the committee that for Omicron, the R value is between 3 and 5 in the UK, and that the variant is spreading rapidly - doubling in size every two days.

The current R value of the Delta epidemic in the UK is estimated to be between 1.1 and 1.2.
 
BlueHammer85 said:
Data on the severity of Omicron won't be known for another fortnight, government scientists have said.

Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical sdvisor for the UK Health Security Agency, said at least 250 patients would need to be admitted to hospital before there could be a statistical analysis of the disease.

That's likely to be between Christmas and New Year or early January
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Presumably, that means UK specific data. Data from South Africa should be available around the 22nd.
 
johnnymarrsbarres said:
Viruses don't evolve to become more severe. There's no evolutionary pressure on them to do so.
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its not as clear cut as that, certainly short term. A virus can easily mutate to make it more dangerous but it would need to have other qualities that allow it to take hold over existing variants. and with an IFA of 1% the pressure to become less dangerous is very very low. If it made it have an IFR of 20% then we take the action to stop it and that eveloutionay pressure kicks in again.

For example if Omicron + Delta managed to get into a cell at the same time, it could form a hybrid strain with the damage of Delta but the evasion of omicron, that evasion would give it the edge it needs.

worst case I can see is if Omicron mixed with MERS.
 
inbetween said:
The 'mildness' is only relevant for vaccinated people and that's because our immunity from vaccination or a previous infection is solely responsible for making this infection mild.

In reality is there evidence to argue that boosters aren't necessary and unvaccinated people shouldn't get vaccinated because this variant is milder? Absolutely not.
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Sounds like shit news for the anti-vaxxers. I'm just off to fetch the world's smallest violin!
 
johnnymarrsbarres said:
Ah..might just have to keep trying then.

Like bloody Glastonbury tickets back in the day.

Or getting through to supporter services at City.
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We've got dozens of boxes here at work. Can sort you out at £70 a box. That works out at a tenner per LFT so cheaper than what all those private companies are charging ;)
 
Citizen of Legoland said:
No he didn't. He praised them and explained that their observations being reported may not transfer like for like to our conditions. Different age demographics, we're entering our cold/flu season they should be leaving theirs, the fact that their vaccination push was closer to their outbreak than ours, hence our booster acceleration by the way.

That's what I heard anyway and it makes sense to exercise caution until we get reliable data.
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The determination to believe that experts are ignoring SA but internet randoms understand what's happening would be funny if it weren't part of a wider danger on misinformation.
 
Marvin said:
Regarding the study about omicron, bronchioles and lung tissue. This is a useful summary.

https://www.med.hku.hk/en/news/press/20211215-omicron-sars-cov-2-infection

They point out that it's still capable of causing severe illness. It does though make me attach more significance to the reports from SA about milder illness. Form your own opinion.
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I think you are right because surely any built up resistance would not have occurred in SA since most unvaccinated yet still mild effects.
 
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