Or is the "new variant of the virus" a smokescreen?

[Nipoleon]

I'm not normally a conspiracy theorist but I'm not sure I buy this idea that something has changed with the virus (beyond the normal mutations which we have heard about for ages now). Convenient as London plunges into Tier 3 - or possibly paving the way for an imminent announcement to stop people flocking home from London to rest of the country for Christmas. All sounds very suspicious to me. Chris Whitty's body language was odd to me during the press conference too. Something doesn't sit right here.

Well, its always been considered to be a 'flu like virus', which also has a different strain every year. Put the foil hat away

Ok, please explain what's in it for the hundreds of virologists, immunologists, epidemiologists and all the others that are studying this virus to lie about what's happening? Are they all being threatened by the security services? Being bribed by the government? Use your brain.

Hardly foil hat! It's bizarre. Mutations do happen all the time but suddenly just before Xmas and on the day half the population is forced into lockdown they find a new strain never seen before which is more contagious - and it's in the south East of England. I think you would be naïve to unquestioningly accept that without any critical thinking.

Lol. Do you think no one landed on the moon?

Same amount of people that would have to be involved in this conspiracy ...

It's changed before hasn't it, not sure why it's big news that it's changed again, so I can see what you are saying Op.

I believe there is a new variant. But they are overplaying it big time IMO. Lies, damn lies and statistics. Do you really think the government never manipulate information?

It’s mutated several times already. Hardly surprising. This is what viruses do.

I think you have it the other way around, they found a new strain that's prevalent in the SE and then announced a near-immediate lockdown. Given that Kent is already T3 that's most of the SE covered by doing so.

But they haven’t said it’s more dangerous or harmful have they?

Mutations do happen all the time but suddenly just before Xmas and on the day half the population is forced into lockdown they find a new strain never seen before which is more contagious - and it's in the south East of England

You're also looking at it backwards. It's BECAUSE there's a particularly contagious strain that the SE needs to go into lockdown. Not that the SE needs to go into lockdown, now let's find an excuse!

please explain what's in it for the hundreds of virologists, immunologists, epidemiologists and all the others that are studying this virus to lie about what's happening? Are they all being threatened by the security services? Being bribed by the government?

This.

The more people who are in on the secret, the more likely it is that the secret will get spilled. You have zero evidence other than your overthinking.

Well it’s not an idea is it?
The fact that genetic science has evolved so rapidly over the last 10 years or so enabling changes in the virus to be detected so rapidly is really something to be celebrated.

I don’t think there’s anything suspicious about it.

People will still flock to and from London over Christmas, they won’t back down on the relaxed rules so the tier 3 crap really won’t make much difference. Suppose it’ll stop people in London going to the pub now so there’s that.

Viruses have different strains, it’s why we all get colds every year. The common cold is a coronavirus.

I agree with you OP. We live in London and the cases have jumped in the last week. I think they are trying to downplay the part their ineffective policies have played bu blaming it on a new strain and will then try and use that as a way of back tracking over their lunatic plan of letting people meet over Christmas.

Dr Zania Stamataki, Viral Immunologist, University of Birmingham, said:
“The emergence of different coronavirus strains a year after SARS-CoV-2 first jumped to humans is neither cause for panic nor unexpected. Mutations will accumulate and lead to new virus variants, pushed by our own immune system to change or perish." www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-the-new-variant-of-sars-cov-2/. Media pish caused by piss poor communications from what passes as a Government.

@Nipoleon

I believe there is a new variant. But they are overplaying it big time IMO. Lies, damn lies and statistics. Do you really think the government never manipulate information?

I agree with you-I think it's conveniently made the press today to discourage Xmas mixing. Hopefully scare enough people type tactics.

Viruses mutate that isn’t unexpected but given this virus has such an impact on all our lives we are hearing about it

And it maybe the reason behind the huge increase in numbers in the SE At the moment they are unsure

What is suspicious? I don’t think anyone is surprised that we are moving into Tier 3 and we have been all made aware that the few days over Christmas is purely so we can see our families/loved ones but that this comes with a risk and that we are likely to be living with restrictions for some time

No their not over playing it big time! Their being careful with a virus we still know so bloody little about!

I’m very sorry you can’t go to London for Christmas, but just cos you can’t get what you want doesn’t mean the government are over playing it.

To be honest if they’d moved faster in March maybe we’d have had better figures.

It’s like Denmark culled the mink because of a new variant or was that just the government in Denmark wanted mink furs for Christmas

Op, I suggest you go out and stock up on pasta and toilet roll in the morning....DOOMED we are

Yes.

Is this new variant more contagious? I haven't heard anything about it in Ireland.

I'm not sure there is any published evidence on the new strain yet? Until there is, it is quite hard to answer with any certainty it seems..

Everybody is giving the OP a very hard time

I don't blame her for wondering if the govt are over egging the warnings a little. If they need compliance and people don't comply unless they're scared.

Give me strength - mutations happen ALL the time. Virus doesn't care whether it's Christmas or not.

If you would like to apply some critical thinking - why not give us a synopsis on this paper on the molecular evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in Europe and North America...

science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6516/564.full

Thought not - I expect hardly any of us here on MN are qualified to "critically" examine this stuff so let's leave it to the scientists (although there might be some here!)

I did wonder from the offset how we would lower the risks/spread/restrictions with a vaccine. Surely scientists would always be one step behind with the virus constantly mutating? I remember reading in the summer that there were four possible strands of covid-19 with two(?) strands being worse than the other.

But then I had a think and realised with the highest level of biology being GCSE from years ago I’d leave the thinking to the experts.

If they cancelled Christmas now they’d be an uproar with barely anyone taking notice. Closing the pubs/inessential shops a couple of weeks before Christmas to lower the spread in January is probably a good idea (do feel bad for the businesses that have bought in the extra stock!)