Cases of SA variant found with no link to travel

[bathsh3ba]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55534727

I guess it was inevitable but let's hope it doesn't take off like the other variant.

@StealthPolarBear

This thread will be deleted soon I expect.

Why?

Boris is clueless, he will only lock down the borders years later when the damage has already been done.

@StealthPolarBear

This thread will be deleted soon I expect.

Wasn't the other deleted due to the statistics - surely threads about headlines news aren't just going to be deleted because it's bad news?

On the topic at hand, yes it seems a real worry, I would like to know more real information about how much more transmissible this variant is.

I don’t know why it wouldn’t spread

Bit of de ja vu as I remember this time last year the first case of covid

I can't see this ever ending

Endless thread deletions today. Stay positive everyone.

@Bluntness100

To be honest I think the fact it’s gone so far as door to door testing it’s a bit concerning,.

Yep. Look at what they are saying (it's fine!) Vs what they are doing (door to door testing) and make of that what you will.

The incorrect statistics were examined, discussed and rejected from what I could see on the other thread though. Ah well, ours not to reason why I suppose.

@Bluntness100

To be honest I think the fact it’s gone so far as door to door testing it’s a bit concerning,.

Another sign our private industry SERCO test and trace doesn't really work - they don't hunt backwards to find out where people got it from, unlike in many countries where the virus has been handled better.

Plus our list of symptoms is too narrow, but they can't increase it because the system wouldn't cope so we only find stuff once people get ill

I wonder if this is why symptomless testing is being offered in Kent? I just had a text this morning urging me to make an appointment to get tested. Given that’ll entail driving 6 miles parking in a multi storey car park, alongside others who may or may not have been following guidelines, I can’t say I’m keen tbh.

We've had symptomless testing for months now. Which is now upgraded to doorstep-testing!

I don’t know why it wouldn’t spread

No doubt it will, just like every other mutation there's ever been or ever will be

However they're not going to stop it - they can't even manage to stop arrivals from SA - so they might as well stop pretending it can be controlled in any great way

I put this on the other thread, but the area close to us, looked at on the government local area map, has gone from dark pink, to dark blue, and some of the area is pale blue. The local infection rate has dropped by over 50% in the last seven days. I see this as a positive. If we hypothesise that these infections were probably brought in four weeks ago, it takes this long to get genome data, then we are already through the community infection cycle. Just a (hopeful) thought.

It remains to be seen if they pick up many more asymptomatic infections. The area is a very middle class professional one, so most people will be working from home. Hopefully this will further assist in dampening any spread.

Thing is there will be new variants again and again, it doesn't sound like they could eliminate it if it is seeded around various areas

I wonder if this is why symptomless testing is being offered in Kent? I just had a text this morning urging me to make an appointment to get tested. Given that’ll entail driving 6 miles parking in a multi storey car park, alongside others who may or may not have been following guidelines, I can’t say I’m keen tbh

You could just order a postal test?

@Puzzledandpissedoff
*I don’t know why it wouldn’t spread

No doubt it will, just like every other mutation there's ever been or ever will be

However they're not going to stop it - they can't even manage to stop arrivals from SA - so they might as well stop pretending it can be controlled in any great way*

That is what I have been musing. I feel like I am watching the government and throat swabbers, chase the wind.

Chasing your tail, whack-a-mole, call it what you like.

Too many people flying in and out of the country for many months now with zero restriction, SA variant known about yet nothing done.

and no, heathrow isn't a major flight hub in a pandemic, few are flying now.

I had hoped we'd get strict controls that would ease as vaccinations increase, instead we get another missed opportunity.

Labour wanted a all countries quarantine on 4th January, not just the 24 the govt will have.

It will be interesting to see what happens as I'm adjacent to one of the D2D testing areas. We were a hotspot for a long time and we've been moving down in the last 2 weeks although we're still approx. 6 times the background infection rate that we were on Dec. 16 (mortality holding steady for last 7 days and admissions rising again).

Too many people flying in and out of the country for many months now with zero restriction, SA variant known about yet nothing done.

and no, heathrow isn't a major flight hub in a pandemic, few are flying now.

How can there be both too many people flying and at the same time few people flying?

It said on the BBC that they only check 10% of tests for the variants so surely this misses 90% - don't understand what they think they will achieve as surely it must be spread in many other places too.

I feel like I am watching the government and throat swabbers, chase the wind

IMO that is what we're watching
We had to try of course, but as folk have said from the start we've hardly ever eliminated viruses and I see no reason to suppose this one will be any different

Unfortunately we're getting to the point where mere control isn't enough for many ... they want restrictions until practically nobody's at risk and that's just not sustainable

If cases are dropping it’s not too much of a concern, they have said they are confident the vaccine will work and the door to door testing is just a precaution. Why do people panic over everything? it could have been here for months it’s as simple as If you look hard enough you will find it doesn’t mean the situation has changed just that we are aware of it!

@EmbarrassingAdmissions

It will be interesting to see what happens as I'm adjacent to one of the D2D testing areas. We were a hotspot for a long time and we've been moving down in the last 2 weeks although we're still approx. 6 times the background infection rate that we were on Dec. 16 (mortality holding steady for last 7 days and admissions rising again).

I wonder if you're local to me, as those stats sound familiar.

@EmbarrassingAdmissions

It will be interesting to see what happens as I'm adjacent to one of the D2D testing areas. We were a hotspot for a long time and we've been moving down in the last 2 weeks although we're still approx. 6 times the background infection rate that we were on Dec. 16 (mortality holding steady for last 7 days and admissions rising again).

Well, knowing the one next to me is a place of extreme deprivation, it's not going to take long to get picked up here.