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.

Does the Oxford vaccine work against this one? BBC link about the variants mentions some of the other vaccines working but not the Oxford one for some reason.

I'm sorry if you live in relevant postcodes.
Hancock said you should absolutely stay at home see no one and take a test

www.thesun.co.uk/news/13914802/hancock-press-conference-uk-south-africa/?utm_medium=browser_notifications&utm_source=pushly

[quote 3asAbird]I'm sorry if you live in relevant postcodes.
Hancock said you should absolutely stay at home see no one and take a test

www.thesun.co.uk/news/13914802/hancock-press-conference-uk-south-africa/?utm_medium=browser_notifications&utm_source=pushly[/quote]
If you go to work and send dc to school as KW. Do you stop? Not sure if this is obvious either way

I'm right next door to one of these post codes. Don't imagine it will be long until it gets picked up here. Lots of deprivation. Lots of people unable to work from home. Cases here have been ridiculously high for so long here, get scared just taking the kids out for a walk.

I don’t really understand but if you look at worldometer then the stats have really come down for South Africa, surely if this variant was more contagious they would be in a dreadful state?

I'm sure I read somewhere that it effects younger people. But cant remember where I read this.

But if the number of new cases is on the downward trajectory in SA thats good news. plus I think that it might also be that SA have a younger population? So, do we really know that its less deadly to older age groups?

No idea they usually like to treat education like separate to the virus like its immune.
The dfe knew about the new Kent varient when they threatened Greenwich with court.
But I think this term primary and secondary school teachers that are working are having lateral flow tests twice a week and have to follow up with pcr tests.
Some keyworker bubbles burst during lockdown.
But some schools have 50% attendance pupils who are not tested.

If you look at worldometer then the stats have really come down for South Africa, surely if this variant was more contagious they would be in a dreadful state?

Don't spoil it, Pinotwoman

[quote 3asAbird]I'm sorry if you live in relevant postcodes.
Hancock said you should absolutely stay at home see no one and take a test

www.thesun.co.uk/news/13914802/hancock-press-conference-uk-south-africa/?utm_medium=browser_notifications&utm_source=pushly[/quote]
Well that's a load of bollocks then - as people living in the adjacent postcode in that list attend the school I work at (what with it being an area of deprivation and more specifically filled with the families of critical workers and vulnerable children).

Could it be that the virus travelled on imported foods? In 1st lockdown they went at length how long the virus lives on various surfaces. What if someone asymptomatic was picking, packing or unpacking fruit/veg, eg grapes?

Could also be the cargo crews as areas down south interestingly are fairly close to Heathrow/Gatwick where many work for airlines.

You could just order a postal test?

Nope not here you can’t. You have to physically attend a test centre at the nearest town.

Makes me wonder why there are such differing approaches in different areas. Dbro’s work insisted he get tested before returning after Christmas. He had to lie about having symptoms just to get a test, thankfully it was negative.

[quote 3asAbird]I'm sorry if you live in relevant postcodes.
Hancock said you should absolutely stay at home see no one and take a test

www.thesun.co.uk/news/13914802/hancock-press-conference-uk-south-africa/?utm_medium=browser_notifications&utm_source=pushly[/quote]
www.surreycc.gov.uk/people-and-community/emergency-planning-and-community-safety/coronavirus/surge-testing

Not according to SCC. You carry on as normal.

Why isn’t this allowed to be talked about here?

Have you heard that you will be tested @NoWordForFluffy?

I live in one of the post codes - but 0.3 miles from the border of where they are stopping door to door testing (according to google maps and our local council page).

Dd is at school at the moment and I know 2 of the Key worker pupils she plays with atm are just within the zone. I don’t think they’re banned from leaving the house?

I took the tube to work this morning, getting on a bit further up the line from Heathrow. It was the busiest I’ve seen it since this year. Lots of people of people with suitcases who had presumably just landed. Most seats taken (definitely not gaps between everyone sitting) and lots of people standing too. Obviously not as busy as usual rush hour.

Can someone explain (or PM me) the comment about not being able to discuss this/why the other thread was deleted?

No, @RibbonsOnMars, it all seems a bit up in the air at the moment. I'm sure it'll come clear in the next day or so.

This is from my local council website

This applies whether they have symptoms or not, after a local resident tested positive for the South African strain of the virus.

The individual is understood to have been tested for the virus at the end of December despite not having travelled to South Africa or been in contact with anyone else who had. The person, who is not being identified, is being praised for following all public health guidance and self-isolating. They have now made a full recovery.

So they tested positive over a month ago?

Vaccine efficacy for the SA variant went down from 85% to 60%. What will it do to the Oxford AZ one - lower it to 40%? That doesn’t even meet the threshold for approval.

Down to 60% for novavax**

It just hasn't been controlled. Travel has been easy since the start and I'm sick of it now.

Thanks @NoWordForFluffy
In my area they seem to just be testing a fairly small section of 2 postcodes (although it’s a densely populated area so it will be lots of people)

@YogaLite

Could it be that the virus travelled on imported foods? In 1st lockdown they went at length how long the virus lives on various surfaces. What if someone asymptomatic was picking, packing or unpacking fruit/veg, eg grapes?

Could also be the cargo crews as areas down south interestingly are fairly close to Heathrow/Gatwick where many work for airlines.

There is no mystery about how the variant came into the country, there have been thousands upon thousands of people arriving in to the country every day and the quarantine requirements have been very badly monitored. People have been allowed to travel on public transport as they leave the airport, too. It doesn't have to have been anyone directly from South Africa either, this variant will be all over the world by now - we saw the same with the "Kent variant" and how quickly it has spread.

The same will happen with future new variants too.

They seem to be suggesting that they're going to test all 80k people over the age of 16, but there's nothing on our council's website yet. Once they get their act together I shall see what's what!

@Circumlocutious

Vaccine efficacy for the SA variant went down from 85% to 60%. What will it do to the Oxford AZ one - lower it to 40%? That doesn’t even meet the threshold for approval.

The Janssen vaccine was 100% effective at preventing hospitalisation and deaths though.

Fauci said it is not discouraging that the vaccine did not tout 94% and 95% efficacy rates, like phase 3 data from Pfizer's and Moderna's mRNA vaccines.

^"When one looks at potential impact for severe disease, we have now a value-added additional vaccine candidate," he said, noting that no hospitalizations or deaths were recorded among South African study participants who received the vaccine. Overall, the vaccine proved to be 57% effective in preventing moderate to severe COVID-19 in South Africa, where the dominant strain of the virus is variant B1351.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/01/jj-vaccine-shown-prevent-85-covid-19-hospital-cases-deaths