Do you think there is more to this new strain than they are letting on...

[Zara50]

...and if so, what?

My mind is fried.

Who is 'they'?

@wondersun

I don’t want to tempt fate... but really think it’s Boris trying to get out of the fact that it’s rife in schools because they’re the viruses dream climate.

So you think he’s invented a whole new strain? Completely fabricated it to the whole scientific community?

I also think it's been overplayed.

However if it stops dickheads having enormous multi looping 20 person bubbles "because it's allowed" then that's a good thing.

The Xmas meetups were never going to be safe. If you were planning on acting within that and thinking the virus would take five days off as a result you're an idiot. Maybe the only way to stop people doing that crazy kind of shit is to tell them that suddenly it's all more infectious.

I hope that's the case anyway, cos I'm back to work on Friday on public transport and quite frankly I'm shitting myself about it.

How do we know the increases aren’t just people shopping and socialising ore xmas? Increases cases in kids due to more testing?

The government has been a prophet of doom from the start so no I don’t think there is more

So you think he’s invented a whole new strain? Completely fabricated it to the whole scientific community?

Didn't you know its only ever down to schools? Kids are the only ones who spread it!

I question the integrity of our government but I don't question the integrity of our scientists. They truly are world beating.

The only mistakes that are made, are.made by government and those appointed by them into roles they are not qualified for.

We are actually in a much better position than many countries.

We at least know what is going on due to our scientists. Others are not doing the same genomic sequencing so don't have a clue.

Hoping they're making out like it's worse than it is so they can then say it's actually not as bad and it'll be the new dominant strain. Woo go UK!

Yes it is absolutely rife here and I suddenly. know lots of people getting positive tests. Some are very ill, including teenagers.

No I don’t think anything else is going on

@Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow

How do we know the increases aren’t just people shopping and socialising ore xmas? Increases cases in kids due to more testing?

The government has been a prophet of doom from the start so no I don’t think there is more

I mean, there's overplaying it and then there's underplaying it. Here is the latter.

I think it’s been overplayed to justify “cancelling” Christmas without looking like the grinch. Seems to have backfired.

I agree with the countess, there are hundreds of paid rent a mouth scientists out there, I agree we would know something by now.

However, I've never seen Boris et all all look so absolutely terrified, worn out... Ashen.
Whatever people's personal opinion of Boris his personality is clearly one of optimism and being upbeat.
That seems to have gone.

I think there is something suspicious going on, but it could be any number of non covid related things.

There is stuff the scientists don’t know yet and they will know more in 2-6 weeks or so. So in that sense kind of but really no.

Thee Ed new strain is likely to be milder to allow itself spread faster. When people are seriously ill they are not out and about as such so not spreading disease as much.

In the case of this virus it doesn’t apply. Covid can spread before symptoms appear, so more severe mutations would still spread regardless.

It’s too early to tell whether this strain is milder, as it’s predominantly spread amongst younger people. When it’s spread via them to more vulnerable members of the population we’ll see whether it is or not.
Any confident predictions being quoted at the moment are just that, predictions, as there simply isn’t enough information yet to know what this new strain means.

Boris needed a reason to lock us all down so he created this b/s IMO and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. His whole approach has been ridiculous. Stay at home but eat out to help out etc. All of that was madness. All we can do is just enjoy our Xmas as best as can be and (in the words of Dory) just keep swimming. No point worrying about the unknown. Just stay safe and try not to worry! X

There have been lots of mutatioNS already, just this one seems to transmit faster. I believe the scientists- some politicians I don’t necessarily believe though, in this instance, even the PM is being truthful.

No. If you feel like this, step away from the news (and deffo social media.)

It’s a virus. They mutate - and usually when they do they get more infectious and less dangerous. So it being more infectious is to be expected. Let’s hope it also gets less dangerous.

I think the only thing they're not saying - but are panicking about - is the fact that lockdowns are not going to successfully contain this version of the virus.

The only lockdown that would work would be imprisonment and obviously that's not possible.

I think the scientist themselves are struggling to see a way out of this - that's what we've not been told yet.

Have you seen the rate announced in children last week in the ONS survey?? Over 2000 per 100000! That’s what has caused the panic. Imagine the death rate we will be at in a month when all those infections have reached elderly and vulnerable people. And there have been some children seriously ill with Covid. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s more serious in children now but the more children get infected the more children we will see hospitalised.

The government are paying the price for their ridiculous approach to schools that NO other country is the world is doing.

New covid strain has appeared just when there are Brexit talks.

In my area there were 200 cases per 100,000 last week, there are now 500 cases per 100,000

I'm actually scared now.

@WheneverIsForever that's horrendous. Which area are you in?

@Elephant4

I think the only thing they're not saying - but are panicking about - is the fact that lockdowns are not going to successfully contain this version of the virus.

The only lockdown that would work would be imprisonment and obviously that's not possible.

I think the scientist themselves are struggling to see a way out of this - that's what we've not been told yet.

Imprisonment is not needed. What is needed is schools to be closed! Like every other country with even half of our infection numbers are doing

Antigenic escape. There have been four probable reinfections out of 915 subjects. It is on page 3 of the NERVTAG report which spooked the Government into action.
Link to report -
khub.net/documents/135939561/338928724/SARS-CoV-2+variant+under+investigation%2C+meeting+minutes.pdf/962e866b-161f-2fd5-1030-32b6ab467896?t=1608491166921

@SoscaredforJan

Have you seen the rate announced in children last week in the ONS survey?? Over 2000 per 100000! That’s what has caused the panic. Imagine the death rate we will be at in a month when all those infections have reached elderly and vulnerable people. And there have been some children seriously ill with Covid. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s more serious in children now but the more children get infected the more children we will see hospitalised.

The government are paying the price for their ridiculous approach to schools that NO other country is the world is doing.

This.

Other than the stuff they themselves don’t know (yet), no, I don’t think there’s something they’re not telling us.

It must be exhausting to spend your life constantly worrying the government are “up to something”.