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.

It's quite normal for it to mutate. These viruses do. It's not a conspiracy.

It is a coronavirus. It mutates. You are now into a new winter in the Northern Hemisphere, so it is around this time that you will see new strains.

The information has come from the research labs . So if the government said nothing they would be wrong as well .

It’s a no win situation. And as Whitty said just because you can do something you don’t have to. Surely it’s common sense to look at your own family situation and decide what to do for Christmas.

@raspberrymilton

The other mutations were mentioned as well? Especially the one from Spain.

If it isn’t true then they are firstly scaring the shit out of people for no reason, and secondly reducing vaccine uptake because people will think what’s the point if there’s a new strain, will the vaccine even work now?

It's a shame people didn't do as much "Critical Thinking" when governments lied about and promoted Brexit as a good idea. But to answer you question no it is not a conspiracy, it's science.

Exactly what critical thinking do you believe you’re exhibiting by spouting off vague and alarming conspiratorial comments?

No idea why people are giving you such a hard time OP but they are the ones looking like idiots not you.

It is definitely a smokescreen and you are right to ask the question. The UK would be in a better place if more people had the ability to critically evaluate information rather than accept what the media feed us.

I dont think the OP ie saying the mutation has been made up. Rather, that it's being presented as the explanation for the sudden increase in cases in the SE, when that's down to the fact restrictions are not tight enough which is yet another screw up by the government. Yes,mutations are normal , so why are the government offering it as the explanation for what's going on in London? I smell BS.

It's also timed to coincide as an explanation for the inevitable third wave in the New Year after everyone gets together at Christmas.

"No idea why people are giving you such a hard time OP but they are the ones looking like idiots not you."

Oh god. I give up. We really ARE regressing to the mean.

@Fauvist Ban Christmas mixing while rich fuckers high value individuals get to jump off a plane and go on their merry way without quarantining. Nah Sorry but nah.

And as Whitty said just because you can do something you don’t have to

Oh is Whitty doing politics all of a sudden. Because he was all "i dont do politics" when asked about Cummings.
And people wonder why anger is growing in poorer areas.

Come on people, OP isn’t saying that there isn’t a mutation. Can’t people accept that the government choose to over emphasise a point for their own reasons?

It was blindingly obvious that London should have gone into Tier 3 after the November lockdown, cases were already rising quickly and we know that Tier 2 does not halt the rise, we KNOW this. Now they’re covering their tracks to say ‘oh, well it wasn’t our blatant favouring of London, it’s the new strain’s fault’.

So now London and the South are impacted its a conspiracy, when it impacts people that matter 🙄
When it was Bradford and Manchester no conspiracy

It's not new as in just popped up in London out of nowhere, it's already been seen in other countries and has made it here due to international travel on a timely manner, as is how viruses spread.

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

We only hear the updates from a few men.

The UK would be in a better place if more people had the ability to critically evaluate information rather than accept what the media feed us

Exactly. It's not like people don't believe in the virus. It's the other things.

We need to close down christmas mixing

was Chris Whitty on the TV yesterday?

Hancock said the new variant was more infectious and fueling spread, Whitty said there was absolutely no evidence of that and explained how normal it was to see this happening, but the media of course have gone with the ‘mutant’ virus just as Hancock knew they would, conveniently distracting from the shitshow government are putting on.

I dont think the point is that there isnt a new variant because of course there is.

It isnt surprising or odd that there is one, it is to be expected and has been known about for awhile. It isnt likely either to affect vaccines.

What the OP is right about is how it was used - in effect it became a smokescreen around the London Tier 3 announcement and London Boroughs shutting schools

Yesterday the GOvernment used it as a sleight of hand to both change the narrative as to why this is going on after a lockdown that didnt suppress it and as a justification for what they are doing.

They timed the release of the information definitely to their advantage. It doesnt make the information wrong though

The problem with this way of thinking is that it overlooks how massively leaky the system is and how reluctant people are to keep their mouths shut. People just aren't that good at keeping secrets. If there really was a genuine conspiracy here it would have leaked.

If for the sake of example you did actually had an elaborate plan to us this variant data to lock us all down with COBRA/SAGE meeting and putting everyone under orders to "scare people into submission" for Xmas think how many people would have to be roped into this. Do you seriously think if hundreds of politicians, civil servants and officials were told of a grand conspiracy to get everyone locked down for Xmas that no-one would leak it to the papers or put it on the internet

Life just doesn't work like this. If its looks like conspiracy 99% of the time its cock-up.

This is a good read: blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2020/12/10/the-latest-on-coronavirus-mutations

In fact, Derek Lowe can be trusted on a whole host of med Chem topics but his covid coverage has been excellent throughout

Of course it was going to mutate. Its a virus, it wants as many hosts as possible to stay alive. That involves changing to keep infecting people.

Your worry should be the vaccine. Will it still be effective? I'm not sure on that to be honest, maybe it will be.