Main Coronavirus / Covid-19 Discussion Thread

[nicko31]

| BREAKING: Fans attending sporting events in England after July 19 will require a Covid passport and will be told to wear masks

Via [MENTION=4416]Tel[/MENTION]egraphSport

Good move, if true I feel a lot more comfortable about returning to the Amex now, especially travelling on a packed train from Lewes to Falmer

I notice France is mandating Covid passports for bars, restaurants and theatres from early August. The response a huge surge in vaccination bookings

 

[Stuart Munday]

Looks like masks will be compulsory on TFL although not sure how they could enforce this, it wouldn’t surprise me if we get some more restrictions being announced over the next few days.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Good move, if true I feel a lot more comfortable about returning to the Amex now, especially travelling on a packed train from Lewes to Falmer

I notice France is mandating Covid passports for bars, restaurants and theatres from early August. The response a huge surge in vaccination bookings

Nothing like a bit of coercion

 

[LamieRobertson]

I couldn't give a shit about the government, but yes I have opted in to the NHS covid research programme and will contribute in any way I can to assist with any research should they contact me.

Good on you

 

[e77]

I couldn't give a shit about the government, but yes I have opted in to the NHS covid research programme and will contribute in any way I can to assist with any research should they contact me.

The first suggestion would probably be to get a vaccine.

 

[nicko31]

No, it won't.

What do you mean by 'resolve' anyway. Covid isn't going to be like smallpox, it won't be eradicated, ever.

The only reason we need to help poorer nations with the vaccine is to save lives in those countries. It has absolutely no effect on our own personal goals.

No effect on personal goals.....

Until a vaccine resistant strain comes about in a poor country, then it becomes everyone's problem

 

[Billy the Fish]

So where do you think the Delta variant started? Clue: It has also been called the Indian variant.

If there are less infections round the world then there is less opportunity for the disease to spread or mutate.

It's all very well saying this, but how do you achieve it and at what cost?

It would need an incredibly draconian lockdown worldwide, harsher than anything we've experienced here. Evidence - Sydney can't get rid of Delta despite having closed borders, starting from a low base and being locked down for 3 weeks now.
IMHO mainland Europe won't eradicate it with restrictions, eventually they'll have to open up with high-ish infections.

Every adult has had the chance to get both jabs, my 2nd is Friday and I'm 39, 1st jab was offered to all adults the same week I had my first. Those who don't want them, it's personal choice and they're welcome to take their chances.

 

[golddene]

Just received a text message from my Doctors practice, in response to the Gov announcement concerning relaxation of covid rules they have decided to continue with the current measures and are asking all patients unless 'exempt', to carry on with mask wearing, hand sanitisation and social distancing, so as you were from my immediate medical carers, something I intend to adhere to anyway.

 

[A1X]

There will never be a vaccine resistant strain, another nonsense post.

And exactly what about the last 18 months can make you feel so certain that anything related to this virus will definitely happen?

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

And exactly what about the last 18 months can make you feel so certain that anything related to this virus will definitely happen?

Catherine Green said:

The good news is that we also think it is unlikely that the virus can mutate in a way that keeps it functioning but makes our vaccine completely ineffective.

That's because a change in the spike protein – which allows the coronavirus to enter and infect human cells – that is radical enough to make our vaccine completely ineffective would also, almost certainly, be so extreme as to make the virus non-functional. So although it feels like Groundhog Day, and although we are all exhausted and wondering when it will ever end, we are tackling the new variant situation with our teeth gritted and the fortifying knowledge that we know more about what we are doing and where we are headed.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Catherine Green said:

The good news is that we also think it is unlikely that the virus can mutate in a way that keeps it functioning but makes our vaccine completely ineffective.

That's because a change in the spike protein – which allows the coronavirus to enter and infect human cells – that is radical enough to make our vaccine completely ineffective would also, almost certainly, be so extreme as to make the virus non-functional. So although it feels like Groundhog Day, and although we are all exhausted and wondering when it will ever end, we are tackling the new variant situation with our teeth gritted and the fortifying knowledge that we know more about what we are doing and where we are headed.

Good to see…perhaps Musti was wrong to say never….but we can’t go around all the time with a ‘what if’ mentality otherwise we might as well all wear stab vests and life jackets along with the masks

 

[dazzer6666]

Just received a text message from my Doctors practice, in response to the Gov announcement concerning relaxation of covid rules they have decided to continue with the current measures and are asking all patients unless 'exempt', to carry on with mask wearing, hand sanitisation and social distancing, so as you were from my immediate medical carers, something I intend to adhere to anyway.

Good - I don't have any issues with this and expect it to be quite a widespread approach..............can see a lot of aggro arising from those who 'demand' their 'freedom' in certain settings though. If we have 70% (if polls are to be believed) of people wanting the wearing of masks to continue at least the majority will still do so (will believe it when I see it though - as a nation we're very much an 'I know my rights' kind of place and people will indignantly say unless they have to wear a mask then they won't)

 

[LamieRobertson]

Good - I don't have any issues with this and expect it to be quite a widespread approach..............can see a lot of aggro arising from those who 'demand' their 'freedom' in certain settings though. If we have 70% (if polls are to be believed) of people wanting the wearing of masks to continue at least the majority will still do so (will believe it when I see it though - as a nation we're very much an 'I know my rights' kind of place and people will indignantly say unless they have to wear a mask then they won't)

Interesting…..for me..when I go shopping ..which just happens to be a quiet time..I won’t be wearing a mask and it will be nice to experience a bit of ‘normality’…..doctors surgeries I would expect to wear a mask ..maybe there is an argument that in the waiting room it should be a basic rule anyway.
I’ve seen various reports of individual businesses advertising their policies (both way)….yet to see the major chains make any announcements..apart from a comment by Sainsbury’s CEO….and then of course relevant to this board football….but then season doesn’t kick off for a month and hopefully by then the ‘case’ picture will look more promising than it does now.

Dazzler from chatting to your friends ..does that poll figure stack up?

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Good - I don't have any issues with this and expect it to be quite a widespread approach..............can see a lot of aggro arising from those who 'demand' their 'freedom' in certain settings though. If we have 70% (if polls are to be believed) of people wanting the wearing of masks to continue at least the majority will still do so (will believe it when I see it though - as a nation we're very much an 'I know my rights' kind of place and people will indignantly say unless they have to wear a mask then they won't)

Its almost like the gov approach on this is correct.

 

[e77]

It's all very well saying this, but how do you achieve it and at what cost?

It would need an incredibly draconian lockdown worldwide, harsher than anything we've experienced here. Evidence - Sydney can't get rid of Delta despite having closed borders, starting from a low base and being locked down for 3 weeks now.
IMHO mainland Europe won't eradicate it with restrictions, eventually they'll have to open up with high-ish infections.

Every adult has had the chance to get both jabs, my 2nd is Friday and I'm 39, 1st jab was offered to all adults the same week I had my first. Those who don't want them, it's personal choice and they're welcome to take their chances.

I was referring to the point that what happens abroad doesn't effect this country. It obviously does. You can't stop it permanently coming to the UK but you can delay it, which in this country would have allowed more people to be vaccinated.

I imagine us, Europe and the US will be fairly much open to one another in the next few months as eventually any exit wave will be boxed in by vaccinations and natural immunity caused by people having had it (I think we could have a smaller exit wave by having some restrictions but that is another conversation). This won't be the same in other countries with limited vaccination coverage.

Oddly with only 9% of the population fully vaccinated Australia looks like being locked away for quite a while yet.

 

[LamieRobertson]

I was referring to the point that what happens abroad doesn't effect this country. It obviously does. You can't stop it permanently coming to the UK but you can delay it, which in this country would have allowed more people to be vaccinated.

I imagine us, Europe and the US will be fairly much open to one another in the next few months as eventually any exit wave will be boxed in by vaccinations and natural immunity caused by people having had it (I think we could have a smaller exit wave by having some restrictions but that is another conversation). This won't be the same in other countries with limited vaccination coverage.

Oddly with only 9% of the population fully vaccinated Australia looks like being locked away for quite a while yet.

Re Oz I was reading up re their issues over state closures the other day..one state blaming another etc
I guess I could google it…but do you know why the uptake in Oz is so low…supply or reticence or both?

 

[dazzer6666]

Interesting…..for me..when I go shopping ..which just happens to be a quiet time..I won’t be wearing a mask and it will be nice to experience a bit of ‘normality’…..doctors surgeries I would expect to wear a mask ..maybe there is an argument that in the waiting room it should be a basic rule anyway.
I’ve seen various reports of individual businesses advertising their policies (both way)….yet to see the major chains make any announcements..apart from a comment by Sainsbury’s CEO….and then of course relevant to this board football….but then season doesn’t kick off for a month and hopefully by then the ‘case’ picture will look more promising than it does now.

Dazzler from chatting to your friends ..does that poll figure stack up?[/QUOTE]

Not quite but not that far off - but then I'm in a 'sensible' middle-aged cohort............I suspect it's a typical British thing - 'I'd like to see masks worn for longer, and I think the Gov have ****ed up anyway, so I'll vote yes....................but if I don't have to then I won't...........I just want everyone else to'.

As [MENTION=522]Kinky Gerbils[/MENTION] has said the 'personal responsibility' approach suggested by the Gov (with a bit of reinforcement from places like surgeries) SHOULD work - if even a reasonable number continue to wear masks in confined spaces it'll help, at least for a few more weeks until the vacc programme is largely complete.

I actually think masks are here to say - will be more like Asia going forward where people routinely wear them when ill or concerned about getting ill/pollution. People have got used to wearing them now - and judging by the number that wear them outdoors and when alone in their cars they obviously like it !

 

[dazzer6666]

I was referring to the point that what happens abroad doesn't effect this country. It obviously does. You can't stop it permanently coming to the UK but you can delay it, which in this country would have allowed more people to be vaccinated.

I imagine us, Europe and the US will be fairly much open to one another in the next few months as eventually any exit wave will be boxed in by vaccinations and natural immunity caused by people having had it (I think we could have a smaller exit wave by having some restrictions but that is another conversation). This won't be the same in other countries with limited vaccination coverage.

Oddly with only 9% of the population fully vaccinated Australia looks like being locked away for quite a while yet.

I've been wondering for a while what these 'successful' nations are going to do about opening back up...............low vaccination take up and virtually no immunity means they're a bit between a rock and a hard place. It'll be fascinating - when this is all over - to see detailed analysis of who got it right and who got it wrong (considering not just covid deaths but the wider impacts) - it's way to early to be making any judgement on that now.

 

[nicko31]

There will never be a vaccine resistant strain, another nonsense post.

Yes the virus will mutate endlessly for the rest of time and that can happen anywhere, including wealthy vaccinated countries.

But it won't 'evolve' vaccine resistance. It just means we will have to develop new vaccines to keep up with the new variants, just as we do with influenza.

We don't know what a new mutation will bring, but with high case numbers the chance of vaccine resistance in some shape or form increases.

Of course if we all took your position and refused to have the vaccine we wouldn't get enjoying the level of freedom we currently have, yet alone greater freedoms next week

 

[LamieRobertson]

I've been wondering for a while what these 'successful' nations are going to do about opening back up...............low vaccination take up and virtually no immunity means they're a bit between a rock and a hard place. It'll be fascinating - when this is all over - to see detailed analysis of who got it right and who got it wrong (considering not just covid deaths but the wider impacts) - it's way to early to be making any judgement on that now.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-...xtended-lockdown-covid-19-spreads-2021-07-14/