New strain stuff.....

[MistressoftheDarkSide]

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/18/boris-johnson-calls-crisis-meeting-to-discuss-response-to-new-covid-strain

So,it's just a variant, nothing to see here, blah blah blah..... I'm pretty sanguine about this stuff but dropping this late at night as a headline right now..... I'm getting mightily pissed off with the uncertainty and the subtle fear mongering......

Any thoughts?

@Staffy1 need to get vaccines out ASAP and reduce transmission as much as possible till then. Not looking likely though given logistics/vaccine production delays. All we can do is alter our own behaviour as much as possible eg wear N95 (I find that wearing a make that causes vacuum so you feel it moving in and out when breathing, not perfect but good fit, there’s lots on Amazon) at least and ventilate, ventilate, ventilate.

Another win for 2020. Don't worry though, however the Government handle this it will be world-beating because we’ve got our best guy on it. He’s got his NHS pin badge on and he is ready to do whatever it takes to keep us all safe(ish).

Never fear, Super Cock is here!

I think the government are playing it up to cover for the fact their response has been shit again. Same old same old.

I read an interesting comment, scientific illiteracy is so great that many if not most don’t behave as they should. If it were a terrorist who had killed 68k and left 1:10 injured (Long Covid) we’d all be paying far more attention. A virus however, what is it? How does it spread? Is it harmful? Interesting.

Huge swathes of the world have trashed their economies, restricted the freedoms of their population and interfered and controlled the personal interactions of their people in a way that would have been unthinkable a year ago, and it's clear that this will continue for well over a year. I honestly don't know how much more attention you think should have been paid.

Well Oxford vax will be approved before Christmas says the telegraph so that is a game changer

Presumably viruses and their mutations work on a Darwin principle; the most successful ones survive and thrive. While plenty of other mutations fizzle out as don't infect people so well.

@laudemio

Well Oxford vax will be approved before Christmas says the telegraph so that is a game changer

Let's hope so!

@Hardbackwriter my point was in relation to people who trivialise Covid and its effects, not Government. The virus cannot magically infect people. Apart from those forced into unsafe workplaces (I’m thinking teachers and school kids as a prime example) if we all took more care in our behaviour we could at least protect ourselves and loved ones more. In the absence of a competent Government that’s all we have.

I’m not sure the Oxford Vaccine is considered efficacious enough for the 25m vulnerable. It’s certainly not ideal nor the aim. The aim was the more efficacious Pfizer for them if possible. Whether in desperation they get Oxford now I don’t know. Remember though it wasn’t as robust statistically in older age groups. Just because it appears 90% of people think the BRITISH Ox Vaccine will save us doesn’t mean it will. Needs proper thought re implications.

I’d like to ask a question and forgive my nativity. Would this new strain be likely to be as infectious to people who have recently had the ‘old’ strain. We are all recovering from getting COvid through a hospital appointment early last month... I don’t think I’d survive another bout.

Forgive my naivety 😊

@LavenderBee

I’d like to ask a question and forgive my nativity. Would this new strain be likely to be as infectious to people who have recently had the ‘old’ strain. We are all recovering from getting COvid through a hospital appointment early last month... I don’t think I’d survive another bout.

We don't know yet, it could go either way. The most likely outcome is that having had one strain will give at least some protection from a similar strain but there are mechanisms by which having had a similar virus can result in worse disease the second time around. I think there's no cause for panic just yet but you can't assume you're safe from covid if you've already had it.

@Oaktree55

I’m not sure the Oxford Vaccine is considered efficacious enough for the 25m vulnerable. It’s certainly not ideal nor the aim. The aim was the more efficacious Pfizer for them if possible. Whether in desperation they get Oxford now I don’t know. Remember though it wasn’t as robust statistically in older age groups. Just because it appears 90% of people think the BRITISH Ox Vaccine will save us doesn’t mean it will. Needs proper thought re implications.

The Oxford Vaccine is about vaccinating populations rather than people.

@Stellaris22
Am in Norwich where this is prevalent. Yes it's serious. Honestly? I think it's a common strain but because Norwich has such an excellent bio medicine research unit, I think we are just the first to pick up on it.

^^
Interesting.
I'm in Norwich too. I think I read in the local press that they linked the new strain to the outbreak in Wymondham and the food factory, that happened a couple of months ago?

There are definitely more cases in our lovely city and surrounding areas.

The worrying thing about this new variant is that the areas we've been told it's got a high prevalence in are areas where the November lockdown was working but then cases started to rise again before the lockdown was lifted.

I don't think London numbers really went down this lockdown.

Heard some science bod on the radio (didn't catch who they were with driving at the time) saying that although covid becoming more infectious was a serious concern, especially in the short term with hospitals overwhelmed etc, in the long term it was likely to make it less of a threat as the more infectious a virus becomes often the less deadly it is, as it doesn't want to burn through the supply of people to spread it. Does this sound likely to the posters on here with viral experience?

@PickAChew

Apparently there are 2 distinct changes every month. This is the same as flu. I the case of coronavirus, there was a bug genetic shift that lead to covid 19 and now we are seeing constant drift and the more favourable drifts will make covid 19 more successful. Less favourable ones will self extinguish.

Potentially less deadly? That's what tends to happen in successful viruses.

Though this one's USP is that you're highly contagious for 2 days before symptoms....

It wouldn't care what happens next.

@tobee that makes no sense. We have no data as to how sterilising any of the vaccines are as yet so vaccinating the population to protect the vulnerable is at best a hope.

According to the ONS survey, they went down until late November when they started going back up before lockdown finished.

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/coronaviruscovid19roundup/2020-03-26

Any changes to make the virus less dangerous will take years not weeks/months.

@Oaktree55 well that is what Prof Sarah Gilbert has said. I should say vaccinating populations

@everythingthelighttouches I'm not scientifically minded at all, so apologies if this is a stupid question! DH and I both had positive tests 5 weeks ago. We live in the SE, so it could potentially be this new strain. Does that mean we can still catch the other strain?

This is a screenshot from The Times a few days ago:-

Also where is your source that the Pfizer vaccine was for vaccinating the vulnerable @Oaktree55 ?