[Misc] COVID… again

[The Clamp]

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

I hope you feel better soon

 

[Zeberdi]

I think there’s a separate conversation to be had other than the highly politicised one that seems to dog this issue.

If we have another deadly pandemic that was killing previously healthy ( and young!) people with no immediate vaccine available let there be no doubt, every responsible government will again use physical bio security measures to protect ALL its citizens, including the sick and vulnerable in Society ( even if it is primarily to safeguard the healthcare services from collapsing.

That means we either accept curfews and lockdowns until a vaccine roll out or accept that we have a government that not only regards the weaker members of society as dispensable to serve the ‘greater economic good’ but is willing to play Russian Roulette with healthy people too.

And it is likely an even more deadly strain of a zoonotic virus will jump into the human species at some point. Wet markets in Asia, climate change, international travel and poor animal husbandry ( including intensive farming) in other parts of the world almost guarantees it.

What we can do, is be better prepared by for example

• being in a better position to make a coordinated global response
• have international funding in place to help developed countries have timely access to vaccines
• research into potential zoonotic viruses that are already jumping species barriers ( like monkey pox, bird flu etc) and start producing blueprints for vaccines

Given that a doomsday virus is one of a recognisable list of extinction events for humans, it’s actually incredible that we are well prepared for another Covid pandemic but little prepared for any other potential pathogens that could spread as quickly as Covid did. With Covid we were lucky and developed a vaccine in record time because we already had a starting blueprint from SARS - next time we might not be so lucky.

 

[The Clamp]

I think there’s a separate conversation to be had other than the highly politicised one that seems to dog this issue.

If we have another deadly pandemic that was killing previously healthy ( and young!) people with no immediate vaccine available let there be no doubt, every responsible government will again use physical bio security measures to protect ALL its citizens, including the sick and vulnerable in Society ( even if it is primarily to safeguard the healthcare services from collapsing.

That means we either accept curfews and lockdowns until a vaccine roll out or accept that we have a government that not only regards the weaker members of society as dispensable to serve the ‘greater economic good’ but is willing to play Russian Roulette with healthy people too.

And it is likely an even more deadly strain of a zoonotic virus will jump into the human species at some point. Wet markets in Asia, climate change, international travel and poor animal husbandry ( including intensive farming) in other parts of the world almost guarantees it.

What we can do, is be better prepared by for example

• being in a better position to make a coordinated global response
• have international funding in place to help developed countries have timely access to vaccines
• research into potential zoonotic viruses that are already jumping species barriers ( like monkey pox, bird flu etc) and start producing blueprints for vaccines

Given that a doomsday virus is one of a recognisable list of extinction events for humans, it’s actually incredible that we are well prepared for another Covid pandemic but little prepared for any other potential pathogens that could spread as quickly as Covid did. With Covid we were lucky and developed a vaccine in record time because we already had a starting blueprint from SARS - next time we might not be so lucky.

I would imagine these things are being worked on and many will be in place.

As much as I don’t wish to see people die. We live on a planet absolutely infested with things great and small that can and will kill us.

Every now and again, pandemics will happen.

Nice to be prepared but wise to realise that such is life.

 

[dsr-burnley]

I think there’s a separate conversation to be had other than the highly politicised one that seems to dog this issue.

If we have another deadly pandemic that was killing previously healthy ( and young!) people with no immediate vaccine available let there be no doubt, every responsible government will again use physical bio security measures to protect ALL its citizens, including the sick and vulnerable in Society ( even if it is primarily to safeguard the healthcare services from collapsing.

That means we either accept curfews and lockdowns until a vaccine roll out or accept that we have a government that not only regards the weaker members of society as dispensable to serve the ‘greater economic good’ but is willing to play Russian Roulette with healthy people too.

And it is likely an even more deadly strain of a zoonotic virus will jump into the human species at some point. Wet markets in Asia, climate change, international travel and poor animal husbandry ( including intensive farming) in other parts of the world almost guarantees it.

What we can do, is be better prepared by for example

• being in a better position to make a coordinated global response
• have international funding in place to help developed countries have timely access to vaccines
• research into potential zoonotic viruses that are already jumping species barriers ( like monkey pox, bird flu etc) and start producing blueprints for vaccines

Given that a doomsday virus is one of a recognisable list of extinction events for humans, it’s actually incredible that we are well prepared for another Covid pandemic but little prepared for any other potential pathogens that could spread as quickly as Covid did. With Covid we were lucky and developed a vaccine in record time because we already had a starting blueprint from SARS - next time we might not be so lucky.

This doesn't answer the first big question, did lockdown work? For example, Peru's government followed lockdown in deadly earnest, Brazil had a fruitcake prime minister who thought it was all a hoax - and yet Brazil had fewer excess deaths than Peru. From what I can gather, lockdown would have had to have been taken far more seriously to work with this virus. To the extent of army in hazmat suits delivering food and people being literally banned from leaving the house.

 

[The Clamp]

This doesn't answer the first big question, did lockdown work? For example, Peru's government followed lockdown in deadly earnest, Brazil had a fruitcake prime minister who thought it was all a hoax - and yet Brazil had fewer excess deaths than Peru. From what I can gather, lockdown would have had to have been taken far more seriously to work with this virus. To the extent of army in hazmat suits delivering food and people being literally banned from leaving the house.

“Lockdown” was an absolute farce. Only China took it seriously and it didn’t work for them. And I suspect China only took it so seriously because they didn’t want investigators sniffing around their laboratories.

Viruses like this cannot be controlled. Not with the measures humans are prepared to endure, anyway.

It’s a nonsense.

 

[Wardy's twin]

I’m immune suppressed so I get jabbed whenever they come round.
First time I had it was for 15 days in Feb 2022 from my old mum who got hospitalised and I was lucky enough to test ok the day before she passed, and was therefore able to visit her in hospital. Day two she was out of it and I got the phone call a couple of minutes after I got home. I was lucky, many weren’t able to see their loved ones.
I had it earlier in the year for the second time and it was pretty bad and I lost around 12 pounds, half of which I have put back on, but I still don’t feel as well as I did previously. I do worry that the more often you get it, the harder it is to get back to normal.

How do you react to the jab, my wife has no natural immune system and is pretty ill for 48 hours after each jab. This time it has had longer term effects .

 

[Wardy's twin]

I had it once and was ok with it despite having dodgy lungs i.e. very minor symptoms. Only really found out because I was testing often because my wife is very vulnerable.

 

[aolstudios]

How do you react to the jab, my wife has no natural immune system and is pretty ill for 48 hours after each jab. This time it has had longer term effects .

I'm immunosuppressed & haven't had any seriously bad reactions. Seems to be quite random

 

[Wardy's twin]

I'm immunosuppressed & haven't had any seriously bad reactions. Seems to be quite random

Thanks...yeah not predictable at times.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

This doesn't answer the first big question, did lockdown work? For example, Peru's government followed lockdown in deadly earnest, Brazil had a fruitcake prime minister who thought it was all a hoax - and yet Brazil had fewer excess deaths than Peru. From what I can gather, lockdown would have had to have been taken far more seriously to work with this virus. To the extent of army in hazmat suits delivering food and people being literally banned from leaving the house.

Given the numbers of people living in favelas in Brazil whose lives are unreported, let alone their deaths, your assessment is fanciful at best.

"According to a 2022 census supplement, 16.39 million people in Brazil live in favelas, which is 8.1% of the country's population."

And that number is a guess.

Let's see now, are the numbers of people living in favelas and their excess mortality likely to be over- or under-reported by the self aggrandizing nutweasels running Brazil? Hmmmm...

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

“Lockdown” was an absolute farce. Only China took it seriously and it didn’t work for them. And I suspect China only took it so seriously because they didn’t want investigators sniffing around their laboratories.

Viruses like this cannot be controlled. Not with the measures humans are prepared to endure, anyway.

It’s a nonsense.

I normally agree with you but on this occasion....

Not wishing to rerun the Covid debate again, in the UK decisions were made that hastened the deaths of the old and vulnerable, while causing confusing and disdain for Johnson and Handoncock among the rest of us.

All might have been forgiven if the 'rulers' had acted with contrition and not tried to monetize it for personal gain. That's about all there is left now the dust has settled. At least we are shot of Johnson.

In hindsight a Swedish approach coupled with isolation of the sick and old may have allowed the pandemic to pass with less disruption.

But it is too late now.

For the record I had one episode in Jan 21 (mild symptoms), have been jabbed around 5 times, and consider myself fortunate.