New COVID Variant in South-East

[umpteennamechanges]

Just seen the breaking news about the new COVID variant in the South East.

Seems to be nothing to worry about on the face of it...but wondering if anyone has / knows of any more info?

@MercyBooth

Why bother to publish? Everyone on social media is a virologist already.

Be assured the government funded research centre is on to this already.

www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-the-new-variant-of-sars-cov-2/

Useful timing

Isn't it just?

@MoirasRoses

You do realise Bristol are in teir 3 ? Not exactly northern ?

I'm sick of hearing about people not following the rules. My daughter caught it from a friend she sits next to in school, tested positive, then her other friend tested positive as well as her dad, and then the original girl's dad. No one had broken any rules!

We have moved into tier 3 from having one of the lowest rates in the country, we have not all gone from rule abiding citizens to law breaking Mavericks within 2 months yet here we are.

“Over the past few weeks a few of the UK PCR testing labs have picked up on this new variant.‘

So yes used in part for tier 3 announcement as have known for a few weeks. But also know very little do no idea re spread.

Why useful timing ? It could just be the reason cases are spreading so fast ? Please tell me you are not trying to politicise a worldwide pandemic?

Ok, so we're going to presume this variant is fine and the vaccine will still be effective against it, with no evidence that is true - and just hope for the best? Does it seem to anyone else that we squander our warnings, and then furiously bolt doors as horses disappear over the horizon? Fuck's sake.

I have deja vu to January.

Yes I agree it is to make people follow the rules because at the moment it looks like the rules arent working, lockdown didnt work at all if it is rising

And to be honest Matt Hancock has zero scientific background at all he is an economist so presumably doesnt really know the meaning behind this.

Why we had him in the commons and not someone with a medical/science background like I dont know the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific advisor in the form of Whitty/Valance do it

Pics no I doubt it. It is being studied.

@PicsInRed

Ok, so we're going to presume this variant is fine and the vaccine will still be effective against it, with no evidence that is true - and just hope for the best? Does it seem to anyone else that we squander our warnings, and then furiously bolt doors as horses disappear over the horizon? Fuck's sake.

I have deja vu to January.

I think here though it would have to be evidence that it didnt work.

I think it is a variant that has been around for awhile though in other countries and probably has had some vaccine testing. This isnt a new variant to the UK

@Lastdanceagain

I think hear more about people breaking rules on mumsnet than anywhere else tbh.

When they did a tv poll 80 % of people said they would not break the Christmas rules .

[quote CoffeeandCroissant]www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-the-new-variant-of-sars-cov-2/[/quote]
That's a useful link, thank you

@SomewhereEast

I'm a bit cynical about it. Public compliance is weakening, Christmas is coming and the government's no doubt about to make a whole a bunch of highly unpopular announcements re tiers which will go down like a lead balloon in many constituencies, so its a great time to wheel out something scary (scary graphs having fallen out of fashion).

I must admit this is my thinking also, there is no doubt a bunch of people sitting round a table somewhere in government tasked with trying to brainstorm new and innovative ways of getting people to toe the line, using psychology to get the masses to comply. This particular development would be a remarkably useful and effective way of doing that. Doesn't mean it isn't true of course, but they could be selectively releasing info when it suits them to do so and really over-egging the fear factor. I wouldn't put it past this government.

MoirasRoses

You do realise Bristol are in teir 3 ? Not exactly northern

And Kent

Sounds like mink covid

@niceupthedance

Sounds like mink covid

Based on what?

[quote Unsure33]@Lastdanceagain

I think hear more about people breaking rules on mumsnet than anywhere else tbh.

When they did a tv poll 80 % of people said they would not break the Christmas rules .[/quote]
What people tell pollsters - even anonymously - is often very different to what they actually do.

More like stink Covid.

Sounds like mink covid

Based on what?! I actually think if it was the mink strain they would have said to raise compliance as they know people were really worrying about that a while ago.

@niceupthedance

Sounds like mink covid

What on earth makes you jump to that conclusion?

I really don't want to see another situation where the authorities make reassuring noises about how fine this all is ... then suddenly 💥 it's panic stations in the New Year and we're locking down hard again, when it's really too late to do so, and we no longer have an effective vaccine.

If we look at the European response when a new variant was identified in mink - and compare it to our own response now - we're simply not responsive enough, quickly enough.

I'm not so much worried from an immediate health perspective, I'm worried that we got a viable vaccine at the last possible moment before probably after economic disaster and we simply cannot afford another 12 months and another £400 billion to wait for a new vaccine.

If it is the mink strain, the vaccines won’t work. That was why all the mink were slaughtered.

There is no suggestion that this is that strain. None.

It is irresponsible to just throw statements like that out there with no factual basis whatsoever.

Have they said it isn't mink covid?
Been around a while
In other countries
Why would it not be? Did they eradicate it? How do we know

People are complying here. We can go shopping etc etc. We can’t go to pubs. I don’t know anyone mixing households indoors. Schools are gradually sending all the kids home to self isolate,

So it’s those poor people who are on the roads that can’t work at home that have to go to work ie distribution centres, shops NHS and the self employed.