It's over

[starfro]

From within the Government the figures they are seeing suggest that the virus is receding far far quicker than their experts predicted.

Christ Whitty has come out and said that we'll never see a lockdown again.

We could release everything now, like Israel did when they were at a similar vaccination level, and see no uptick in cases. I'm sure they are going to continue to follow the very conservative roadmap, but really there is no need, as immunity levels from both vaccination and infection are sufficient.

Great news!

[quote Jo99996]@1dayatatime the hardcore lockdowners on here will argue that the Chinese figures are correct and that our numbers are bad because we didnt weld people into buildings and that we cant do as we're told like the Chinese.

also they'll tell you that we have covered up another 50,000 death or so[/quote]
The hardcore lockdowners are lucky to be able to express their Government cover up theories on social media in the UK, deluded as they maybe.

Try that on Weibo in China and they'll find themselves hanging out with the Uighur Muslims in a re-education camp.

Oh, no! What are the lockdown lovers going to do!

It's been over for me for a while now .

@Cornettoninja

I’ll have to disagree with you there *@Bluntness100*.

There’s ridiculousness at both ends of the scale but that’s outrageous exaggeration in an attempt to discredit moderate concerns. Its nowhere near the mark! It’s as unnecessary as wagging fingers at ‘granny killers’ and calling people selfish killers for not wanting a vaccine.

Honestly I’m just tired of the dramatics people see fit to vomit all over the place...

I think the key point here is that the varying severity of the impact of Covid in different countries is not just the level of restrictions but also heavily influenced by the differing ways of measuring Covid deaths and the number of tests being done.

The UK has had 4.3 million positive case but If you don't test many people then you won't get any cases!
The UK has recorded 127k deaths of people that have died from whatever cause but have had a positive Covid test within the past 28 days. How many of those would have died anyway is impossible to prove. But if you look at the number of Covid deaths in the UK with no underlying health conditions then the figure is around 800.

www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/deathsfromcovid19withnounderlyinghealthconditionsbyage

Alternatively in more autocratic states the Government can simply lie and state they've only had 3 cases of a poorly tummy and the only death being a dachshund called Edward.

@Dissimilitude So, I suspect this will indeed be the last total lockdown. Past the summer, I suspect we'll retain social distancing and mask wearing in many settings, for another year or two.

It is certainly a cultural shift in the West. It felt so odd wearing a mask out in the beginning. Now, as it is more widespread, use of masks may even endure for some people and be more common on trains, planes etc.

@starfro
If sending kids to school spending 8 hours in close proximity to other children has little to no effect on cases, there must be a large amount of immunity built into the population

Because of the mask wearing... Believe it or not it matters and makes a difference

[quote NC4UmpteenthTime]@starfro
If sending kids to school spending 8 hours in close proximity to other children has little to no effect on cases, there must be a large amount of immunity built into the population

Because of the mask wearing... Believe it or not it matters and makes a difference[/quote]
Primary school kids aren't wearing masks.

Op, two local primaries to me were only open 10 days, when they had to shut. Not just individual classes, both whole schools. There was that many cases, they had no choice. Quite a number of parents at both schools have now got the virus.

Cases are rising in our area, it is really is not a good idea to 'release' everything now.

ONS has Scotland's antibody rate at approx 42%. In part due to a slower vaccine rollout, but also due to not being as hard hit as other areas of the UK.
Some caution is fine by me.

@Waxonwaxoff0 I know... They're poxy small places unlike secondaries where you have 1000+ under one roof and that's just students....

[quote NC4UmpteenthTime]@starfro
If sending kids to school spending 8 hours in close proximity to other children has little to no effect on cases, there must be a large amount of immunity built into the population

Because of the mask wearing... Believe it or not it matters and makes a difference[/quote]
Majority school aged children aren't wearing masks though

@Wellbythebloodyhell they are in the school I work at and the surrounding schools

@Perihelion

ONS has Scotland's antibody rate at approx 42%. In part due to a slower vaccine rollout, but also due to not being as hard hit as other areas of the UK. Some caution is fine by me.

Vaccine rollout is only marginally slower in Scotland This compares just England to Scotland so you can see more clearly. But I agree, caution is sensible.

@starfro
If sending kids to school spending 8 hours in close proximity to other children has little to no effect on cases, there must be a large amount of immunity built into the population

I think it’s more that younger children just don’t get it so much. That’s been observed all through this.

I sure hope so.
Bit worried about the Brazil situation though.
And, we need the whole world to be vaccinated before ‘it’s over’
Was wonderful to see my mum yesterday though.

As much as I am eager to go to a pub and eat in a restaurant I do think having a gap between stages to gauge any rise in hospitalisation is the best way.

We absolutely do not want another variant appearing that is worrying and for the time being travel bans should remain in place. I would hate to see us all back to square one after all this.

New variants are appearing all the time. It’s a virus, it mutates.

I think it’s more that younger children just don’t get it so much. That’s been observed all through this.

I think that’s been true since the start (or at least hopefully it affects them less if they do catch it) and hope it continues that way. But weirdly, in ds’s primary school they had three confirmed cases in the last two weeks of term, one in reception. We’re in a really low-covid area too. New variant at work maybe?

More happily, in ds1’s secondary there have been no cases in his year group since they went back in March - all wearing masks in classrooms and communal areas.

But weirdly, in ds’s primary school they had three confirmed cases in the last two weeks of term, one in reception. We’re in a really low-covid area too. New variant at work maybe?

Or just because it was actively being looked for? Children get it but aren't as affected by it.

I think it’s more that younger children just don’t get it so much. That’s been observed all through this

There was a graph showing the rise in cases in primary and secondary before the latest lockdown and that the first case in a household was often from a child so I don’t think that’s the case re children not getting it.

Oh, no! What are the lockdown lovers going to do!
They’ll constantly hiss ‘variants! mutations! filthy kids must be muzzled! schools must be shut if someone sneezes as it is obviously a hitherto undetected mutant variant that will kill teachers if they are not paid more!’

What a thoroughly unpleasant post.

The latest indie sage meeting showed data which indicated primary school age children now seeing rising infection rates, a flattening and slight rise in secondary age.

I do think the difference (from before, when secondary went up faster after opening) is due to the masks in secondary. There are still no masks in primary.

The increases among school aged children will eventually result in increases in parents (and those age groups) as happened before. Most of whom are probably still unvaccinated.

Let's hope the vaccination proceeds through those age groups faster than we those those increases in transmission feed through.

@starfro

From within the Government the figures they are seeing suggest that the virus is receding far far quicker than their experts predicted.

Christ Whitty has come out and said that we'll never see a lockdown again.

We could release everything now, like Israel did when they were at a similar vaccination level, and see no uptick in cases. I'm sure they are going to continue to follow the very conservative roadmap, but really there is no need, as immunity levels from both vaccination and infection are sufficient.

Great news!

I don't believe a word that has been announced, all local groups I am on have reported increase in cases not a decrease

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

I think it’s more that younger children just don’t get it so much. That’s been observed all through this

There was a graph showing the rise in cases in primary and secondary before the latest lockdown and that the first case in a household was often from a child so I don’t think that’s the case re children not getting it.

It really is the case. Lots of research.

www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2020/sep/largest-study-confirms-children-significantly-less-likely-catch-covid-19