The Southeast strain

[BabyLlamaZen]

I didnt see the whole briefing so I'm not sure if this was mentioned or anyone has any information on this.

I know it's much more easily transmitted. Does anyone know what this means? As in stays on surfaces longer, you can get it at a further distance from people? As well transmitted outside as inside?

Bit scared now as I have been getting takeaway coffees and popping into more food shops than normal. Argh.

I’m worried about whether the vaccine will be effective. I’ve heard that Medics and scientists are worried despite the attempts at reassurance !

Where have you heard that "medics and scientists" are worried?

A dr who works in a hospital in the north west. The strain is in the SE however I assume it is a topic of discussions all over the Uk. I’m just hoping it’s a worry rather than anything concrete that hasn’t been released in the public domain yet

Asilisa76 a doctor won't have any special knowledge in that regard, its not their area of expertise.

ughhhhh

I have thought they panicked because people who had March covid got ill with this mutated one again. I can't see what else would make this situation so bad that they had to bring in tier4.

It literally said on the news before that it may spread more easily but is no dangerous than the current strain

@secretlyhappy

I have thought they panicked because people who had March covid got ill with this mutated one again. I can't see what else would make this situation so bad that they had to bring in tier4.

That it is far more transmissible and the implications of many more people than predicted getting sick.

@Asilisa76

A dr who works in a hospital in the north west. The strain is in the SE however I assume it is a topic of discussions all over the Uk. I’m just hoping it’s a worry rather than anything concrete that hasn’t been released in the public domain yet

So you haven't actually hear of any scientists saying that then?

The spike protein seems to bind better to the receptor so you need a lower viral load to get infected. This makes it easier to catch it by any of the modes of transmission but it might have a bigger effect on airborne transmission as that would be the medium where you'd likely encounter the fewest viral particles. This probably makes it a lot easier to catch from people you got nowhere near.

They said no current evidence - that doesn’t mean there won’t be in the future - but I really hope not will be an utter disaster

@QueenStromba

The spike protein seems to bind better to the receptor so you need a lower viral load to get infected. This makes it easier to catch it by any of the modes of transmission but it might have a bigger effect on airborne transmission as that would be the medium where you'd likely encounter the fewest viral particles. This probably makes it a lot easier to catch from people you got nowhere near.

Rats

@AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii

It literally said on the news before that it may spread more easily but is no dangerous than the current strain

Yes but the current strain isn't very fun. That's what I'm trying to avoid. 🤣

@BabyLlamaZen yes I am not denying that but can’t get worked up over it

[quote AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii]@BabyLlamaZen yes I am not denying that but can’t get worked up over it[/quote]
Even though you can catch if far more easily when measures would normally be ok?

@BabyLlamaZen nope honestly can’t get worried over it when it literally is no more dangerous than the current strain. Yes it may spread more easily that doesn’t necessarily = more hospital cases

My dh is a doctor and was pretty certain the vaccine will work on the new strain. Let's bloody hope so

From the Guardian:

“If the new variant was going to have a big impact on disease severity, we would have seen that by now,” said Ewan Birney, deputy director general of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and joint director of its European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge.

“Hospital cases as a proportion of numbers of infections would have either rocketed or dropped dramatically. Neither has happened, so we can conclude that the impact on numbers of severe cases is likely to be modest: slightly more or slightly fewer.”

he also said he was 99% sure that the vaccines would still work.

@AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii if it spreads more easily then can’t more people catch it?

Yes it may spread more easily that doesn’t necessarily = more hospital cases

But assuming it has the same proportion of infected people who need hospitalisation, just the increase in numbers of people catching it would lead to higher numbers needing to be hospitalised. The bed situation in London and the South East is already very bad.

Which is exactly why Hancock should have kept his mouth shut about this until the scientists had a chance to assess the impact of this new strain rather than trying to use it to scare everyone to death and into compliance...

Viruses mutate all the time and there are already several variances of Covid in circulation. The flu mutates just the same.

At this point I would say the government has no clue whatsoever when it comes to dealing with this pandemic and are behaving in way which is so irresponsible as to be criminal.

@Asilisa76

A dr who works in a hospital in the north west. The strain is in the SE however I assume it is a topic of discussions all over the Uk. I’m just hoping it’s a worry rather than anything concrete that hasn’t been released in the public domain yet

One doctor does not equal "medics and scientists".

Unless he is a doctor specialising in epidemiology and has been studying the new strain, he doesn't know any more than the rest of us.

You might as well say "my Auntie Pat is worried"

@Requinblanc

Which is exactly why Hancock should have kept his mouth shut about this until the scientists had a chance to assess the impact of this new strain rather than trying to use it to scare everyone to death and into compliance...

Viruses mutate all the time and there are already several variances of Covid in circulation. The flu mutates just the same.

At this point I would say the government has no clue whatsoever when it comes to dealing with this pandemic and are behaving in way which is so irresponsible as to be criminal.

How on earth is scaring people into compliance a bad thing? Even now there are people who still think their family Christmas is more important than everyone else. Clearly you don't know anybody sick of covid or who is breaking themselves physically and mentally as a keyworker.

@Requinblanc

Which is exactly why Hancock should have kept his mouth shut about this until the scientists had a chance to assess the impact of this new strain rather than trying to use it to scare everyone to death and into compliance...

Viruses mutate all the time and there are already several variances of Covid in circulation. The flu mutates just the same.

At this point I would say the government has no clue whatsoever when it comes to dealing with this pandemic and are behaving in way which is so irresponsible as to be criminal.

So you'd be ok finding out that there was a new strain and experts were ordered not to tell you? I can see the thread titles now.

When you say "the government has no clue" do try to remember that it's every government on the planet not just Boris. All doing essentially the same things with the same information.