Main Coronavirus / Covid-19 Discussion Thread

[KZNSeagull]

Anyone had an anti-vax leaflet posted through their letterbox from some bunch called British Lions for Freedom? Quotes from people like Dr Robert Malone and Dr Mike Yeadon and tells people not to get their kids vaccinated and for the real news they must use search engines and video sites that I have never heard of. One of the BLFF websites is unsafe apparently!

There is nothing like going back to traditional methods to spread a message. Many will believe it though.

 

[Bozza]

On 9 Oct - 2m booster jabs had been administered in England.
By 1 Nov - 8.1m in the UK, with 275k being vaccinated a day, so shirley 9m by tomorrow.
Centres working flat out 7 days a week.

Excellent work by the Gov/Jabbers

I was more concerned a few weeks ago at the height of “failed booster programme” headlines in certain (the usual) newspapers and the zero Covid scientists eg in Independent Sage who were given huge exposure, without a media explanation that the true scientists are not in unison.

Since then, the booster programme amongst the vulnerable and old is running well.

I have no idea what any newspapers have said about the booster programme as I don't buy any nor read any of their websites.

But we started too late, went too slowly, and are still going too slowly, which is costing lives. And for some weeks the process was an utter mess, as I experienced myself trying to get my booster.

We now have c6m people who are six months beyond their second jab who have not had their booster. This number has risen steadily throughout the last month, from just 2m at the beginning of October.

[tweet]1456638171983269891[/tweet]

 

[Weststander]

I have no idea what any newspapers have said about the booster programme as I don't buy any nor read any of their websites.

But we started too late, went too slowly, and are still going too slowly, which is costing lives. And for some weeks the process was an utter mess, as I experienced myself trying to get my booster.

We now have c6m people who are six months beyond their second jab who have not had their booster. This number has risen steadily throughout the last month, from just 2m at the beginning of October.

[tweet]1456638171983269891[/tweet]

Guardian and Independent, not behind paywalls. Spent the last 18 months finding domesday scientists, almost in pain when there’s relative good news.

Did you qualify for the third jab at that time, ahead of the elderly? I tried to get myself (in my 50’s) and my asthmatic daughter booked a while back, but the very easy to use NHS link was emphatic in its reply … we weren’t 6 months past our second jabs. Fair enough, the elderly and clinically vulnerable come first.

Regarding deaths, what are the latest UK metrics on the non-vaccinated within the numbers? On Worthing and Brighton wards, a wholly disproportionate number of folk over the last 6 months have been completely unvaccinated. NOT through being clinically unable to take a vaccine, but being Covid deniers or anti vaxers. The great taboo ….. no one’s allowed to discuss this. The sanctity of life, but what about if a sizeable number of folk have given a two fingers to the science?

 

[Bozza]

Guardian and Independent, not behind paywalls. Spent the last 18 months finding domesday scientists, almost in pain when there’s relative good news.

Did you qualify for the third jab at that time, ahead of the elderly? I tried to get myself (in my 50’s) and my asthmatic daughter booked a while back, but the very easy to use NHS link was emphatic in its reply … we weren’t 6 months past our second jabs. Fair enough, the elderly and clinically vulnerable come first.

Yep, I'm classified as "increased risk of complications from Covid" so I was second jabbed on 17th April. I received my invite for the booster (from NHS national, not my GP) on 22nd October, but the website was unable to book newly eligible people at that time, and people were directed to phone instead.

This caused a very high number of people to call the contact centre, be on hold for ages and if they weren't cut off automatically, they eventually got to an agent who would tell them they had no functionality beyond what people on the website did, nothing could be booked and try again in a weak or so.

 

[Weststander]

Yep, I'm classified as "increased risk of complications from Covid" so I was second jabbed on 17th April. I received my invite for the booster (from NHS national, not my GP) on 22nd October, but the website was unable to book newly eligible people at that time, and people were directed to phone instead.

This caused a very high number of people to call the contact centre, be on hold for ages and if they weren't cut off automatically, they eventually got to an agent who would tell them they had no functionality beyond what people on the website did, nothing could be booked and try again in a weak or so.

Thanks for the other thread link. It still blooming fails for us. We’re not quite at 6 months and a week.

Tempted to just turn up at Churchill Square walk in centre, BUT tonight they’re still emphatic about it being 182 plus days from the second jab.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Yep, I'm classified as "increased risk of complications from Covid" so I was second jabbed on 17th April. I received my invite for the booster (from NHS national, not my GP) on 22nd October, but the website was unable to book newly eligible people at that time, and people were directed to phone instead.

This caused a very high number of people to call the contact centre, be on hold for ages and if they weren't cut off automatically, they eventually got to an agent who would tell them they had no functionality beyond what people on the website did, nothing could be booked and try again in a weak or so.

The NHS website is a joke, it’s awful.

It’s easier to book a flight to Australia than book anything on the NHS website, months to sort it out and nothing done.

 

[dsr-burnley]

I have no idea what any newspapers have said about the booster programme as I don't buy any nor read any of their websites.

But we started too late, went too slowly, and are still going too slowly, which is costing lives. And for some weeks the process was an utter mess, as I experienced myself trying to get my booster.

We now have c6m people who are six months beyond their second jab who have not had their booster. This number has risen steadily throughout the last month, from just 2m at the beginning of October.

[tweet]1456638171983269891[/tweet]

That's an unnecessarily pessimistic view of things.

Yes, there may be people who catch coronavirus 6 months plus 2 weeks after their second jab, who would have survived if they had had a booster and did not survive because they hadn't. Just as there will be people who caught coronavirus 6 months minus 2 weeks after their second jab, who would have survived if they had had a booster. The number either way will be too small to measure, but it exists.

But look at the numbers pragmatically. 9.4m boosters have been injected by 4th November. The total of 9.4m second jabs wasn't reached until 16th April, so even taking a strict 6 months (not 6 months plus 1 week) we should - in an ideal world - have reached that number of boosters on 16th October. We are 19 days behind. Not ideal, because in an ideal world everyone in the UK would come for their booster 6 months to the day after their second jab; but 19 days isn't bad..

 

[Bozza]

That's an unnecessarily pessimistic view of things.

Yes, there may be people who catch coronavirus 6 months plus 2 weeks after their second jab, who would have survived if they had had a booster and did not survive because they hadn't. Just as there will be people who caught coronavirus 6 months minus 2 weeks after their second jab, who would have survived if they had had a booster. The number either way will be too small to measure, but it exists.

But look at the numbers pragmatically. 9.4m boosters have been injected by 4th November. The total of 9.4m second jabs wasn't reached until 16th April, so even taking a strict 6 months (not 6 months plus 1 week) we should - in an ideal world - have reached that number of boosters on 16th October. We are 19 days behind. Not ideal, because in an ideal world everyone in the UK would come for their booster 6 months to the day after their second jab; but 19 days isn't bad..

Nah.

We could see how it was playing out in Israel with waning immunity, but we started too late and have gone too slowly since. I don't doubt there will be reasons for this - it is s massive logistical exercise after all, and has coincided with flu vaccine season.

We are moving at a fair clip now, I grant you, but we're playing catch-up.

 

[dsr-burnley]

Nah.

We could see how it was playing out in Israel with waning immunity, but we started too late and have gone too slowly since. I don't doubt there will be reasons for this - it is s massive logistical exercise after all, and has coincided with flu vaccine season.

We are moving at a fair clip now, I grant you, but we're playing catch-up.

Remember that about 200,000 of the people eligible for boosters, won't be turning up because they have died in the past 6 months. That will knock a day or so off the average delay. We did start too late, but the difference is very small.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

https://twitter.com/cjsnowdon/status/1457648828258177025?s=20

Lowest R is Western Europe atm according to the above - hopefully continues.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

My husband is still working from home, being vulnerable due to chronic asthma. Last week, his firm told everyone who could work from home, to do so, as there are five current cases of covid, out of a staff of 150ish. That's in Lewes.

My inlaws in Sheffield, respective spouses and two nephews were all quite ill, two weeks ago, despite being double jabbed. It was certainly more than a 'bad cold'.

 

[nicko31]

My husband is still working from home, being vulnerable due to chronic asthma. Last week, his firm told everyone who could work from home, to do so, as there are five current cases of covid, out of a staff of 150ish. That's in Lewes.

My inlaws in Sheffield, respective spouses and two nephews were all quite ill, two weeks ago, despite being double jabbed. It was certainly more than a 'bad cold'.

Its a booster race now across the western world as winter sets in, cases are rising and restrictions are tightening in quite a few countries now.

I'd echo your comment about more than a bad cold, anyone that is between 4 and 6 months after 2nd jab should be especially careful. I have a friend who is a carer in their 40's, they got jabbed early and recently was very sick catching covid days before their booster was due.

 

[BLOCK F]

Its a booster race now across the western world as winter sets in, cases are rising and restrictions are tightening in quite a few countries now.

I'd echo your comment about more than a bad cold, anyone that is between 4 and 6 months after 2nd jab should be especially careful. I have a friend who is a carer in their 40's, they got jabbed early and recently was very sick catching covid days before their booster was due.

It really is a case of some are unluckier than others. My wife got COVID a few weeks ago and the symptoms were very mild and I have seen her worse with a cold.
I hope your friend is recovering ok.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Conversation

Andrew Lilico [MENTION=11994]Andrew[/MENTION]_lilico
Sixteen days in a row of English cases contracting relative to 7 days before is the longest continuous run of contractions since February 2021 - when we were in full lockdown.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Conversation

Andrew Lilico [MENTION=11994]Andrew[/MENTION]_lilico
Sixteen days in a row of English cases contracting relative to 7 days before is the longest continuous run of contractions since February 2021 - when we were in full lockdown.

Oh…..that sounds promising

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

Interesting

https://amp.ft.com/content/7db2b641-c831-4876-ba0c-0f815a42c8f0

 

[dsr-burnley]

Interesting

https://amp.ft.com/content/7db2b641-c831-4876-ba0c-0f815a42c8f0

Interesting, but not necessarily cause and effect. For example, New Zealand and Iceland aren't necessarily on the low list because they are lighter, but because they are isolated islands.

What it boils down to mostly, IMO, is that richer countries are fatter (obviously) and also that richer countries are more likely to have higher covid numbers because (a) they have more old people likely to get the disease and hence die of it, and (b) they are counting better because of better infrastructure, and because they have more incentive to count because they have options (such as lockdown) that poor countries don't have.

It would no doubt be possible to produce a graph showing average life expectancy compared with obesity. And the fat countries would win. It wouldn't prove that obesity is good for you.

[Edit] looking at the graph again, even Iceland and New Zealand are fat countries. Makes my point even more. Poorer countries count fewer covid deaths, is basically what it's saying.

[Edit again] why are there so few countries there? I count 33 blobs in the "over 100" category but there are 70-odd countries with official death rates over 100 per 100k.. There are 19 higher than Belgium in deaths per 100k, all of whom are left off the chart. USA is 225 deaths per 100, not 150 as that chart puts it. Eswastini and Kosovo and Aremnia and Namibia aren't on the fat list but they are over 100 deaths per 100k. Where is Peru on that chart, the country with the highest mortality of all?

I think the interesting part of the chart is wondering who put it out there?

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n623

I think this acknowledged the other factors but concluded that there is definitive causality between being overweight / obese and catching / dying from covid.

 

[e77]

My understanding was in general terms being quite fit was good for your immune system but pushing your body like a professional athlete can make you susceptible to picking up illness as it stresses your body.

Certainly being overweight causes snoring i'm, ahem, told by others so it isn't a great leap to say if you have a respiratory illness it might hit you hard. Then again there are many other factors at play.

That said body builders with high BMI are probably quietly laughing they get flu shots for free and jump the queue for Covid boosters!

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

18th day of day of the week drops in England.