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?

That’s just a rumour. On one of the linked tweets they’ve basically said there’s is no evidence for this currently.

@itsgettingweird latest theory is that it arose in an immunocompromised patient who had a chronic case of Covid. Couldn’t get rid of the virus thereby forming the perfect breeding ground for selective mutations.

[quote Nc135]@itsgettingweird latest theory is that it arose in an immunocompromised patient who had a chronic case of Covid. Couldn’t get rid of the virus thereby forming the perfect breeding ground for selective mutations.[/quote]
Thanks.

It's so difficult to know how accurate what you read is and then try and make sense of it.

Is that why it started small and then grew to exponential growth? I remember the visuals showing how it's passed and grows etc and increases.

Can I repost this as it doesn't seem to have had a response ?

Apolgies if I missed it .

Lex345 Sun 20-Dec-20 21:25:24
Does COVID bind to the same receptors as the target receptors for ACE inhibitors like Ramipril? As Ramipril doesn't work for some people (I am not clear on why this is, whether it is issues with ACE binding or resistent hypertension-the latter renders my question mute), are there any studies on correlation between COVID severity/resistance to ACE inhibitors? I know some studies were done as to whether taking ACE inhibitors increased disease severity, but it was found that it did not increase the risk.

@itsgettingweird a lot of the time it’s because things are still speculation and theory by the scientists. Sometimes they are still testing things (like do the vaccines work on this new strain or is somebody who has already had Covid immune to this new strain etc - we will know the answer to these questions shortly once the results are in) and other times they are working on theories - like the one above. But yes I would say you are right that it started as a series of mutations in this immunocompromised patients. Those series of mutations made this virus more ‘sticky’ so more likely to enter cells and infect people. This virus strain therefore had an advantage in that it was passed on more quickly and hence why since September it has outgrown the other strains. All this stuff takes time to realise - hence why even though this strain was coded back in September - it was only on 14 Dec that the government were told that this new strain was more contagious. We can slam the government all we like but I genuinely believe they are trying to do their best given the knowledge they are receiving from the scientists. I am not saying they are perfect - of course not. But all this nonsense about them wanting to ruin Christmas for no reason - I just don’t buy!

NC absolutely right

New strains appear all the time it still took NERVTAG time to see data emerge. When September is mentioned it’s because they can back trace to that date. Not that there was cause for action at that date.

The government have acted quickly given information.

If anyone listed to David Nabarro this morning one thing I’d like the WHO to consider is why it’s reasonable now to close borders but they advised against it at beginning. Could have helped back then.

The WHO have lost a lot of credibility in my eyes over this whole pandemic :-(

Glad the U.K. government is working with them and keeping them informed about this new strain though. Just a shame they weren’t more on it back in January. I suspect we will never really know what happened back then.

I noted on another thread last night just how conciliatory the tone of Boris Johnson’s speech was at the beginning of the press conference. It sounded almost apologetic as though we had fucked up and he was trying to appease other countries. It came across as very meek.

I'm in Kent.

In my area the rates have been consistently some of the lowest in the country. Just a few weeks ago we had a rate of 18 per 100,000 people. While England average was circa 200.

Just a few weeks on we are now at 750 per 100,000 people. I'm sure it's because of this new strain.

It's shot up this quickly despite 2nd lockdown and Tier 3 restrictions.

If it's spread so quickly here it will be throughout the country and I don't think there's much anyone can do to stop it

@justanotherneighinparadise what was he implying we had fucked up on? I missed the press conference yesterday.

@TheClitterati I agree. And I also suspect it is racing across the continent now too.

@justanotherneighinparadise

I noted on another thread last night just how conciliatory the tone of Boris Johnson’s speech was at the beginning of the press conference. It sounded almost apologetic as though we had fucked up and he was trying to appease other countries. It came across as very meek.

I don’t think it was this. Just strain from new strain.

We haven’t fucked up. We are one of the best countries for sequencing. We do a very high percentage.

For all you going on about scaremongering, all I can say is my bil, sil, neice and nephew and my sil mother all have covid . T2 and it’s scary . I have already lost family to it .

They have all been careful and it was caught by one person at work . Not. Socialising or partying.

Oh and I dont blame the government . My family were all being careful . It just spread because the first person in the family who had it was asymptomatic.

[quote Nc135]@justanotherneighinparadise what was he implying we had fucked up on? I missed the press conference yesterday.[/quote]
It was his tone. I thought it was quite apologetic. I was surprised as he’s usually a bolshy sod.

You can’t blame a country for a virus mutating.

NC me too I don’t know how they can say it is reasonable now but not then. Yes they probably relied too much on SARS but they are certainly not as prominent now after this. All countries have brought very good knowledge and expertise above and alongside this. Just listened to interesting piece on how scientific work itself has had to adapt - speed mostly.

@Nc135

Well said .

[quote Nc135]@TheClitterati I agree. And I also suspect it is racing across the continent now too.[/quote]

Yes it will.

Remember this whole pandemic started with one person , or possibly just a few people.

Spreading is it's mojo. It's what it does. Now it's mutated to spread even better.

@justanotherneighinparadise yep I understand the tone you are talking about - but what do you think he was implying he fucked up on. I didn’t see it.

I think Boris wasn't so much implying that we'd fucked up, so much as acknowledging that we really need them to open the ports, and so need to be meek and accommodating.

And yes, drained and exhausted by it all does show too. It's made him less bolshy and a bit more human than usual.

Just seen a tweet that says Pfizer can make A new vaccine for the new strain in 6 weeks. While that is impressive I’m worried that it is thought needed.
And would it not need months of trials, again?

@Frazzled2207

Just seen a tweet that says Pfizer can make A new vaccine for the new strain in 6 weeks. While that is impressive I’m worried that it is thought needed. And would it not need months of trials, again?

I saw not re trials

But agree a bit worrying if needed and six weeks is a long time up against this

NeurotreeWenceslas It may well emerge that we are but to be honest, with the data, definitely better safe than sorry

Which data?

I think Boris wasn't so much implying that we'd fucked up, so much as acknowledging that we really need them to open the ports, and so need to be meek and accommodating.

We need to set up alternative supply chains ASAP so we are not so reliant on the french. We are already doing it from Rotterdam. But that is another thread!

@Frazzled2207 do you have the source of that info.