COVID-19 — Coronavirus

[Two Gun Bob]

Strictly speaking viruses are not alive in that they have no independent existence outside a host cell (they can survive for a short while only).

I have read about this before but still don't quite understand the concept. Maybe some articulate soul off here could eleborate further. If it's not living then how can it die or have no existence outside of a host cell. Is bacteria alive?

 

[Rammy Blue]

Okay all of you mad that Liverpool is not tier 4 look away now.

It is utterly absurd and today's numbers show it - though they have been doing so for two weeks and the government must have seen them and chosen to play politics not save lives.

Heads really should roll on this.

Greater Manchester had a tough day. Up to 1365 cases. Every borough apart from Bolton and Rochdale over 100. And Manchester at its highest in weeks at 311.

Yet STILL the GM % of the NW total today FELL to just 29% - lowest since Summer - because everywhere else in the NW is doing worse.

Including particularly Merseyside.

Liverpool at 356 cases and a Pop Score rise of 81 obliterated anywhere in Greater Manchester and has tripled in the last fortnight.

The Wirral at 349 and a Pop rise of 148 (triple anywhere in GM) also beat even Manchester.

It is nothing less than dereliction of duty for this government to treat Merseyside preferentially.

The numbers have been heading this way and I have been flagging them up here daily

If they try and pretend this came on them by surprise and react belatedly.

I had better not say what they are in here, Make your own mind up.

Add to that they had their new year’s eve a night early last night and it’ll be a fucking shitshow by mid/late Jan.

It‘s these kind of decisions, by the government, that they should be held accountable for at some point in the future.

 

[Ban-jani]

Everyone with sense knows that. And that it will happen.

Delaying it is not far short of criminal imo and has been for weeks since it was long obvious and those who chose not to do it to 'make people happy' because it was Christmas will in due course face a terrible comeuppance.

Just seems to be like they can’t be arsed announcing it, I have absolutely no idea why they’re not doing it.

 

[Cityfan]

Noddy question incoming....(sometimes it's the easiest ones that get overlooked )

1. Will those who have had it and recovered, need to receive a vaccine?

2. If everyone is immune via contacting covid and/or the vaccine, does the virus die?


(My unsaid implications are the chances of covid to mutate into another strain in the future in the non vaccinated populous and also the same point but abroad, and future restrictions on travel due to covid uncertainty. I'm perhaps getting a little ahead of myself. I really don't foresee the world ever going back to how it was, and my main past-time, travel, is likely going to look very very different)

The recommendation is to get the vaccination if you have had Covid as duration of immunity remains uncertain and there have been reinfections.
Viruses cannot live for long outside hosts so theoretically they can be eradicated by vaccination /immunity if the immunity is long lasting and very effective. This did happen with smallpox but I don't think anyone is thinking it is likely to happen with Covid, apart from anything else it does well in other species such as mink.
However if vaccination is very effective it could be effectively suppressed if not completely eradicated.

 

[Bluemanc100]

It's not anywhere near everyone.

I've just been into our high street, and by and large people were keeping well away from each other, I went into Wilko (surprised they were open - hardly "essential"), and again people were being sensible, then to Waitrose, I expected it to be busy, but there weren't that many in, certainly no queue to get in, and again everyone being sensible, didn't see anyone in a shop without a mask (apart from kids), walked about 2 miles in total, and didn't see anybody acting irresponsibly or selfishly.

I realise it’s not everyone but it’s obvious that there are a significant number of people in our country who really don’t give a fuck about the NHS or anybody they affect.. either that or we’re surrounded by a number of fucking imbeciles.. whichever it is it’s embarrassing

 

[MillionMilesAway]

I have read about this before but still don't quite understand the concept. Maybe some articulate soul off here could eleborate further. If it's not living then how can it die or have no existence outside of a host cell. Is bacteria alive?

Bacteria are alive, they can reproduce themselves which is one of the standard measures of 'life' (along with movement and one or two other things from memory).

Viruses need a cell of something else to reproduce - they do not have anything that makes them alive. As such, 'dying' isn't accurate but conveys the message when 'inactivated' is more accurate.

They do exist outside a cell though - that's largely how they spread. They just can't do anything.

The wording that they've 'learnt' is also colloquial - they can adapt, but that's all they do.

 

[inchy14]

But did it have a happy ending???

Glad my hunting knife turned up yesterday!!

 

[KennyG]

Has this become a game of last man standing? Nearly 1900 deaths in 48 hours and this **** thinks closing gyms is the answer!!!

 

[unicorn]

Really confused and unhappy about the delay to the 2nd Pfizer dose. My parents get theirs (in Cambridge) this Sunday; the in-laws (in Kent) were due next week but just been postponed.

How can you have 2 different regimes for the same vaccine ? How do you explain this to confused folk in their '80s (let alone me !).

Did this get discussed at the press conference yesterday ? As usual I rely on BlueMoon for all my information and unbiased analysis.

 

[cleavers]

either that or we’re surrounded by a number of fucking imbeciles

Oh that's for sure.

I think this new variant is just so easy to catch though, and nody knows they have it until they've spread it. I've just heard that a local supermarket is probably going to have to shut as 11 of their staff have it, and they all work with everyone else so it's likely others have it and don't know, plus no doubt customers will have caught it (luckily it's not one I go in).