[Misc] COVID… again

[Grizz]

I caught that proper nasty second variant back in October 2020 and was wiped out for about 3 weeks. Then caught it again September 2021 if I remember rightly, but that was a lot milder. Nothing since and nothing beyond the two jabs they gave us back then. Don't do a lot of flying, but commute every day on the Tube, so surprised I haven't caught it again.

 

[ROSM]

During the Pandemic people talking the UK down as an obsession often quoted the continent as a paragon of Covid virtue. Including the nordic nations, then NZ was mentioned relentlessly. O’Brien and the NSC left were obsessed. O’Brien lied on a daily basis that the UK had the highest per capital death rate in Europe, he must’ve got bollocked because be revised it to countries with a population greater than 15m. Italy and Spain were worse. Eventually the lies quietly disappeared.

On this forum the Nordic nations and NZ were put forward as paragons of virtue, how was it that the UK didn’t have their Covid death rates.

On a trip to Norway during a break from lockdowns, Norwegians said to us why do Brits keep saying that. We have a low population, low population density, we’re not an international airport hub.

So why did the party politicised about everything bang on about the EU, nordic nations and NZ? When the metrics on much of mainland Europe were awful too, when as you say outlier locations have a different circumstance.

My other point is that people wouldn’t put up with all the tough measures a second time. Sweden can offer small alternative routes. Stuff here or in mainland Europe such as one outdoor walk per day, not meeting up with friends or family in a park, I think they’d be ignored. Quite possibly a lot more besides.

I'm not going to get into the politics of this. As much of what you and others have said about others (on both sides) misinformation was information that was right at a point in time

There is one simple inescapable fact and that is the uk was poorly prepared for a pandemic that was predictable and due based on historical data. The reasons for it's unpreparedness was poor investment in health services, poor stocks of ppe based on market force provisioning policies and when this was pointed out in 2016, to disband the body who could have fixed it and metaphorically putting fingers in their ears and saying 'blah blah blah I can't hear you'

We also as a country had moved to a culture of not trusting experts so we ended up with the worst possible govt (note I am talking people not politics) when we needed them most.

This is what led to longer and deeper action including full lockdowns. Earlier more structured activity including A/B shift working, remote working, retail and leisure social distancing, protection of care homes and health facilities and if we wanted to go back further, improved public health awareness ahead of a pandemic etc would have been very useful

 

[dsr-burnley]

Unless the pupils at the school and their parents - plus anybody they may come into contact with - has zero association with the world outside of the school and are living in a hermetically-sealed bubble, then I’d maintain it is a futile exercise.

I'm sure it's likely that the pupils will come into contact with covid at some point. That does not mean it's futile to ensure that people who are known to have covid, don't spend all day with them.

 

[dsr-burnley]

I'm not going to get into the politics of this. As much of what you and others have said about others (on both sides) misinformation was information that was right at a point in time

There is one simple inescapable fact and that is the uk was poorly prepared for a pandemic that was predictable and due based on historical data. The reasons for it's unpreparedness was poor investment in health services, poor stocks of ppe based on market force provisioning policies and when this was pointed out in 2016, to disband the body who could have fixed it and metaphorically putting fingers in their ears and saying 'blah blah blah I can't hear you'

We also as a country had moved to a culture of not trusting experts so we ended up with the worst possible govt (note I am talking people not politics) when we needed them most.

This is what led to longer and deeper action including full lockdowns. Earlier more structured activity including A/B shift working, remote working, retail and leisure social distancing, protection of care homes and health facilities and if we wanted to go back further, improved public health awareness ahead of a pandemic etc would have been very useful

You're certainly correct about protection of care homes, but for the rest, I doubt that any degree of lockdown would have done any good. This thing was just too infectious. China tried full lockdowns (ie. boarding up the buildings with people still inside) and that still wasn't enough to stop it.

Too many people are needed to move about and interact (food industry and carers, especially) to make lockdown practical for this virus. This is presumably one of the reasons that we are no longer told to test and isolate - even though it can still be a serious illness - because isolating will make very little difference. (It doesn't help that this virus is at its most infectious before the symptoms appear.)

 

[ROSM]

You're certainly correct about protection of care homes, but for the rest, I doubt that any degree of lockdown would have done any good. This thing was just too infectious. China tried full lockdowns (ie. boarding up the buildings with people still inside) and that still wasn't enough to stop it.

Too many people are needed to move about and interact (food industry and carers, especially) to make lockdown practical for this virus. This is presumably one of the reasons that we are no longer told to test and isolate - even though it can still be a serious illness - because isolating will make very little difference. (It doesn't help that this virus is at its most infectious before the symptoms appear.)

We no longer test because following various mutations and with the vaccine provisioning it's largely the same as other flu (which in itself is a killer for many).

Lockdowns do have a value..I think chris whitty called it flattening the sombrero. All pandemics follow similar paths with 2 peaks close together. You need to lower those peaks until you can find a more sustainable solution e.g. vaccines which in this case don't prevent the illness but do limit its impact

 

[Han Solo]

The rich got richer from the Pandemic. Way beyond PPE crooks.

The wealth gap grew. Half the UK used it to save £338b, whilst the other half saw any savings wiped out.

Ye, was the same here. This is the percentage of the Swedish GDP owned by our slightly less than 600 billionaires. The 68% puts us as the 13th worst nation in the world in terms of economic equality, in between Laos and Oman.

 

[Sorrel]

I have a few kits on hand which I bought from Amazon, because I care for my Mum and if she gets covid it could be fatal, so I make sure to test whenever I have symptoms in order to self-isolate/take extra precautions to minimise risk of infecting her.

But I wouldn’t need tests to know I’ve got it if I didn’t have them, it’s all the same symptoms as the first time I had it but even worse.

Tight chest, asthmatic sounding constant cough, whistling when breathing and hurting to breathe/short on breath, on top of the sore throat, dizziness, fatigue and weakness.

I feel f***ing terrible.

I "liked" your post - but I meant sympathy. Horrible being ill.

I'm 64 with no underlying conditions but, not been offered a covid jab since the second one ?

Yes - I did all the 2021 vaccinations, but not don't know about anything since then. Probably wouldn't have them unless there was an important reason to...

During the Pandemic people talking the UK down as an obsession often quoted the continent as a paragon of Covid virtue. Including the nordic nations, then NZ was mentioned relentlessly. O’Brien and the NSC left were obsessed. O’Brien lied on a daily basis that the UK had the highest per capital death rate in Europe, he must’ve got bollocked because be revised it to countries with a population greater than 15m. Italy and Spain were worse. Eventually the lies quietly disappeared.

On this forum the Nordic nations and NZ were put forward as paragons of virtue, how was it that the UK didn’t have their Covid death rates.

On a trip to Norway during a break from lockdowns, Norwegians said to us why do Brits keep saying that. We have a low population, low population density, we’re not an international airport hub.

So why did the party politicised about everything bang on about the EU, nordic nations and NZ? When the metrics on much of mainland Europe were awful too, when as you say outlier locations have a different circumstance.

My other point is that people wouldn’t put up with all the tough measures a second time. Sweden can offer small alternative routes. Stuff here or in mainland Europe such as one outdoor walk per day, not meeting up with friends or family in a park, I think they’d be ignored. Quite possibly a lot more besides.

Politicised conversations/commentators always try and make the country look bad if they don't like the party running the country. Those who do it for money or are perpetual campaigners are best ignored.

Personally I would be much more against restrictions next time - but maybe that's just me. I didn't like it the first time and circumvented rules when I could (quietly, not wanting to annoy others). I would have preferred advice/information but no coercion. Hopefully we won't see a similar event again.

 

[ChickenDipper]

Of course, nobody can say for definite how many times they’ve had it. Many don’t bother testing now either. Those with vulnerable loved ones etc take care.

 

[Hugo Rune]

Just tested positive.

I’ve been feeling pretty rough all day. The idea popped into my head to use the last test I’d squirrelled away. No messing, a very heavy and thick line from the off.

This will be my third time. The first time I was ill but not for more than a few days, not too bad. The second time I tested positive for just one day but no symptoms (and we had a home game that ducked out of) whilst the rest of my family were testing positive for a week or so.

I’ve had 4 jabs (I think). The first and last made me ill for 48hrs or so. I don’t have them anymore and will take my chances.

Hopefully I’ll be back at work on Tuesday as I’ve given up on improving for tomorrow. I sicked out of a work Xmas do today so not all negative news!

 

[Pevenseagull]

All I have learned from this is that Napper is a bit of a prick.

A little learning everyday.


I should point out that I am an arsehole before anyone accuses me of anything

 

[Zeberdi]

Unless the pupils at the school and their parents - plus anybody they may come into contact with - has zero association with the world outside of the school and are living in a hermetically-sealed bubble, then I’d maintain it is a futile exercise.

The difference in that scenario is that the choice to avoid places/people in the ‘world outside of the school’ where these vulnerable kids could catch Covid is taken away from them and their parents in an educational environment because they still have to attend school by law.

We no longer test because following various mutations and with the vaccine provisioning it's largely the same as other flu (which in itself is a killer for many).

Just to be clear, the Coronavirus is cold virus not a flu virus and which can have more lasting effects.

The flu virus has a much higher death rate at the moment cf to Covid but that doesn’t mean to say Covid is not still potentially lethal for some people who are clinically very vulnerable (like myself) but as strains get increasingly weaker, it’s hoped SARSCoV2 will just become the 5th strain of the common cold virus already endemic to humans.

Agree with the rest of your post.

 

[jcdenton08]

Seriously considering hospital. Waiting for a call back from 111 about what to do; very laboured breathing and waking up gasping for air. Not good

 

[Zeberdi]

Seriously considering hospital. Waiting for a call back from 111 about what to do; very laboured breathing and waking up gasping for air. Not good

I wonder if you have flu as well - or even a secondary pneumonia infection -there’s more serious flu infections around than serious Covid strains - a double whammy might explain the severity of your symptoms.

While you’re waiting for 111, drink some fluids and rest sitting up.

Hope you feel better soon.

 

[ROSM]

Just to be clear, the Coronavirus is cold virus not a flu virus and which can have more lasting effects.

The flu virus has a much higher death rate at the moment cf to Covid but that doesn’t mean to say Covid is not still potentially lethal for some people who are clinically very vulnerable (like myself) but as strains get increasingly weaker, it’s hoped SARSCoV2 will just become the 5th strain of the common cold virus already endemic to humans.

Agree with the rest of your post

You are of course right..i was trying to simplify but an error slipped in

 

[Since1982]

I am offered and take every COVID jab that is going due to my various auto immune deficiencies and blood cancer. I've had it once, in 2022 - a nasty bug for a few days but I feel fortunate not to have struggled with it as others I know have. Let's hope that next time we are better prepared and better led.

 

[The Clamp]

Never had it. Which was a f***ing miracle given where I worked all through Covid and that I didn’t really pay much attention to the rules* when I wasn’t at work.


*not because I don’t think infection control isn’t important but because the government and WHO had a lot of it wrong. Most of the restrictions were an ineffectual nonsense. And I don’t adhere to nonsense. Law or no law.

 

[jcdenton08]

Never had it. Which was a f***ing miracle given where I worked all through Covid and that I didn’t really pay much attention to the rules* when I wasn’t at work.


*not because I don’t think infection control isn’t important but because the government and WHO had a lot of it wrong. Most of the restrictions were an ineffectual nonsense. And I don’t adhere to nonsense. Law or no law.

Which bits did they have wrong?

Most of it made sense to me, face masks, washing your hands, social distancing - all of these helped minimise the infection spread, right?

 

[The Clamp]

Which bits did they have wrong?

Most of it made sense to me, face masks, washing your hands, social distancing - all of these helped minimise the infection spread, right?

It was the application and enforcement of it all they got wrong.

Half measures.

I can’t be arsed to go into it all now so long after the fact.

Anyway. It’s been downgrade now from global emergency to just another mild winter concern for the vulnerable. So my opinion on the details of 4 years ago is largely irrelevant.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

Covid again, ohwey ohwey
Covid again, ohwey owhey
Covid again. Covid again

Etc...

 

[jcdenton08]

It was the application and enforcement of it all they got wrong.

Half measures.

I can’t be arsed to go into it all now so long after the fact.

Anyway. It’s been downgrade now from global emergency to just another mild winter concern for the vulnerable. So my opinion on the details of 4 years ago is largely irrelevant.

I’m not vulnerable and have been unable to get out of bed except to stagger to the toilet and back, doesn’t feel like a mild winter concern to me. This is an infection which will kill people each year