Is the new variant just a scapegoat?

[Forgetmenot157]

Just that really?

Is the new variant really that big of a deal, or are the government using it to cover up the fact they royally fucked up planning for winter?

Just seems odd that out of the thousands of variants around the world one emerged here just in time for Boris to say that it was to blame for shocking winter figures (that we all knew we're coming anyway)

A bit of both, I think. 'Never ascribe to malice that which you could explain by incompetence' or however the old saw goes.

If the new variant were important or indeed real, it would be named, ie. Covid-21. I've heard that one is coming out in April though, so not long to go now!

Is this a joke?? Are you actually suggesting that the hundreds of papers such as the one below written by doctors and scientists are all fabricated so the government can cover up their mistakes??
Is 65,000 deaths and 50,000 infections a fat not enough for you yet?
Idiocy like this is part of the reason this is so bad. Perhaps try reading this from ICL to see if it helps shed some light on your conspiracy-

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.imperial.ac.uk/news/211793/new-covid-19-variant-growing-rapidly-england/amp/

@CherryRoulade

More silent hypoxia too

Would you mind sharing a link to this? Is this risk spelled out to people so they can monitor themselves accordingly if newly diagnosed?

It's real but to be expected. It's not just bad luck. It's entirely foreseeable. Boris has caused panic by using it as an excuse for his shitty winter / Christmas planning. He's given the teaching unions a weapon in their campaign to close schools. Anyone who thinks covid isn't here to stay in varying and hopefully (with vaccine) decreasing waves, is delusional. We need to try and find ways of keeping society going not throwing so many people to the wolves.

@CherryRoulade

It’s real. Completely changed the modelling for Covid19. We should be coming close to community peak but now numbers are continuing to rise exponentially. There has been poor responses because of government mandates but this variant has created much quicker and wider spread of the virus and more young people are being affected.

More silent hypoxia too - where people feel flu like and are coping at home but test their blood oxygen and it’s very low. Invest in a cheap oximeter for your medicine box.

@CherryRoulade so you are saying that the illness presents differently as well as being more transmissible? Can you link to evidence as this is not currently the official position. What insights do you have access to which support your assertion? Can you also say more about the delay in vaccine roll out being government led? Do you have evidence or is this a political opinion?

Over the last few days, we had the govt saying there is a vaccine shortage (inc the CMO) yet the manufacturers are saying the exact opposite,

There's a shortage of glass vials, that's the holdup.

If the new variant were important or indeed real, it would be named, ie. Covid-21.

Don't be daft, it has been named as B.1.1.7

It increases the R number by 0.4 - 0.7. Anyone who doesn't understand why that is a big deal must be a bit thick to be honest.

Is the new variant really that big of a deal, or are the government using it to cover up the fact they royally fucked up planning for winter?

The government would have to shoot dead 100s of scientists and 1000s of doctors to cover up anything about Coronavirus.

I think it was announced at a convenient time to cover up the shit show that Christmas mixing was, and the fact London was in tier 2 when it should have been in tier 3.

I don't know what to think really. I do think the timing is quite convenient though. Especially as the 'new' varient..is not new really, and was not when Boris deemed it so, had been about for months whe he suddenly, again conveniently when parliament ended, decided it was a huge problem. Might be coincidence, but timings have seemed weird. It does seem a worry though overall, but the announcements about it and stuff seem planned to benefit government to me.

I was not cynical but at nearly 72 hours of waiting for a test result today I now am. Im lucky and we are able to work out how to isolate and get paid. If you weren't and were feeling better it would be very easy to just sack off the isolation.

The biggest problem remains that our testing infrastructure is appalling and not doing a good enough job. Track and trace will reach my contacts (there's one and Ive warned them in actuality) at the end of the 10 days of isolation at this rate. No wonder infections are rising so sharply!

Infrastructure is also the issue in schools and hospitals!!

@HeadIsFucked

I don't know what to think really. I do think the timing is quite convenient though. Especially as the 'new' varient..is not new really, and was not when Boris deemed it so, had been about for months whe he suddenly, again conveniently when parliament ended, decided it was a huge problem. Might be coincidence, but timings have seemed weird. It does seem a worry though overall, but the announcements about it and stuff seem planned to benefit government to me.

It started in Sept but traced back only when scientists had data on spread. There are many variants and NERVTAG only brief when it’s an issue. Read up on it it’s pretty clear.

No, definitely not - until now I've only known cases once removed - now I have multiple people I know personally that have tested positive.

I don't think it's just a scapegoat. Now my native country is tracing new variant, and seems like it's spreading.

There is no evidence that it evolved in the UK (though it is not impossible), but that because of the testing regimes we use it was quickly identified as being present.

This article is worth reading. It points out that the UK have carried out nearly 50% of all the genetic sequencing of Covid-19 worldwide. To illustrate - Public Health Wales carried out 4,000 sequencing tests in a single week - more than carried out in the whole of France since the pandemic began.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55413666

I think the new variant is real and the government are seizing on anything they can to distract away from their incompetence

[quote CaveMum]There is no evidence that it evolved in the UK (though it is not impossible), but that because of the testing regimes we use it was quickly identified as being present.

This article is worth reading. It points out that the UK have carried out nearly 50% of all the genetic sequencing of Covid-19 worldwide. To illustrate - Public Health Wales carried out 4,000 sequencing tests in a single week - more than carried out in the whole of France since the pandemic began.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55413666[/quote]
Every time our UK scientists do good work (quite often) the government manage to do the worst PR job ever, right? We discover the strain (independent of where it came from) and that scientific excellence gets translated into countries closing borders against us.

No, it's not "just a scapegoat" - good summary / overview here:
mobile.twitter.com/kakape/status/1345360479233986560

It is disappointing that our scientists aren't getting the recognition they deserve - every time the government say "excellence" etc people seem to wilfully misinterpret this as some form of jingoism. I am in awe of our scientific communities and their achievements.

Society seems to be back to front - talentless people are applauded everywhere for sharing their "emotional journey" of something or other, whilst our truly inspirational people are being told we can't make a fuss - it might sound like boasting.

PinkTonic I've literally just come off a call involving all major healthcare agencies. The peak was due today but the data is now showing the new variant does not align with prior modelling. In SE there has been a 26% rise amongst over 60s in seven days; some patches within the region are operating at 250% capacity for critical care. There are sixteen critical care transfers needed today but only six beds available in region. The transport is difficult because despite having wheels there are no transfer teams.
There is far more transmission and a greater number of younger people (50 pus rather than 70 plus) requiring NIV. That might be because more are getting the variant and more are being identified at an earlier stage through home SATS monitoring, but either way it is about the impact and management of the variant. Higher numbers of infected people means greater demand.

society seems back to front
I agree but for most people emotional journeys are more accessible and compelling than anything which requires cognitive effort... such as scientific discoveries

@Yohoheaveho

society seems back to front I agree but for most people emotional journeys are more accessible and compelling than anything which requires cognitive effort... such as scientific discoveries

I think I am going to steal that comment. I have been trying to find a polite way of saying just that!

You don't have to steal it, take it with my blessing, I'm flattered that you find it useful😊