[News] The Coronavirus Good News thread

[nwgull]

A quick question, if anyone is able to cut through all the conflicting advice, please...

I had covid fairly recently - finally returning a clear test exactly 4 weeks ago.

One of my sons has been unwell this week. He's taken at least one LFT every day and all been clear, but this morning's had a very faint second line. He's trying to convince himself it is a false positive, due to leaving it too ling before checking, and to be fair has taken two more LFTs a couple of hours apart that were clear.

My question is - whilst in theory I can't myself catch it again, so soon after having it, is there still a risk I can pass it on to others (even if I can't get it myself)? ?? Anyone know?

My missus caught Covid in late December. Her symptoms were mild but we kept as much distance as possible in the house until she was clear and I avoided it catching it and having to isolate over Christmas. However, I got it about 5 weeks later (also mild) and she still managed to catch it again, presumably off of me, with worse symptoms than the first time as well.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

My missus caught Covid in late December. Her symptoms were mild but we kept as much distance as possible in the house until she was clear and I avoided it catching it and having to isolate over Christmas. However, I got it about 5 weeks later (also mild) and she still managed to catch it again, presumably off of me, with worse symptoms than the first time as well.

Thanks.

 

[jakarta]

Quite a lot of it going around in RH20, but no-one seems to have more serious symptoms than flu, I'm amazed neither Mrs Jakarta or I have had it (and due to my site work we have tested weekly). I'm presuming in my case doing what I do for a living means I know about Hygiene measures and correct PPE use. Or perhaps it is that we have no Social Life!

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Only a quarter of Covid patients in Scotland's intensive care wards were there because of the virus, a study has found.

The Public Health Scotland report said that for the majority of patients with Covid in ICU, a positive test was "coincidental" to their admission.

This may have been because they tested positive after being admitted for another condition, for example.

It is the first study since the Omicron variant emerged in January.

 

[Weststander]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-62548336

The UK has become the first country to approve a dual vaccine which tackles both the original Covid virus and the newer Omicron variant.

The upgraded vaccine should be available as an autumn booster and give better protection against variants.

However, exactly how many doses are available and who will get them has yet to be announced.

All over-50s and people in high-risk groups will be offered some form of booster from next month.

The original vaccines used in the pandemic were designed to train the body to fight the first form of the virus that emerged in Wuhan, in China, at the end of 2019.

The Covid virus has since mutated substantially, with a stream of new variants emerging that can dodge some of our immune defences. They have caused large surges in cases around the world.

'Sharpened tool'
Moderna's vaccine targets both the original strain and the first Omicron variant (BA.1), which emerged last winter. It is known as a bivalent vaccine as it takes aim at two forms of Covid.

The UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has considered the evidence and given the vaccine approval for use in adults.

Dr June Raine, the regulator's chief executive, said: "The first generation of Covid-19 vaccines being used in the UK continue to provide important protection against the disease and save lives.

"What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a sharpened tool in our armoury to help protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve."

The results of experiments on 437 people showed the updated vaccine was safe and gave better immune protection against newer variants.

Levels of antibodies that were able to stick to and disable Omicron (BA.1) were eight times higher with the new vaccine than Moderna's old one.

Tests against more recent Omicron variants (BA.4 and BA.5), which are causing the UK's current wave, also showed higher levels of protection with the updated vaccine.

However, while there is better protection against known variants, it is uncertain what we will be facing in the coming months and exactly how well the updated vaccine will perform.

Stéphane Bancel, the chief executive officer of Moderna, said he was "delighted" the vaccine had been approved.

He said: "This represents the first authorization of an Omicron-containing bivalent vaccine, this bivalent vaccine has an important role to play in protecting people in the UK from Covid-19 as we enter the winter months."

In the UK, the following people will be offered some form of booster:

health and social care staff
everyone aged 50 and over
carers who are over the age of 16
people over five whose health puts them at greater risk, this includes pregnant women
people over five who share a house with somebody with a weakened immune system
Originally those aged 50-65 were not going to be jabbed. However, the immunisation campaign has been expanded because of the fast spread of variants, uncertainty about how the virus will mutate and the expectation that we will be more social this winter than in previous years - giving the virus more chance to spread.