Indian variant - will the roadmap be delayed?

[nonono1]

I was feeling very hopeful about the future until reading that the Indian variant is now spreading fast in some communities.

In light of this, do you think we will stick to the roadmap as planned, or will restrictions be kept in place for longer? It seems like we're still going ahead with the big opening up on Monday.

Also, what about weddings? My SIL is getting married in August and we're really hoping it will still go ahead!

Unless the new variant leads to significant increases in deaths and serious illness I really can’t see the govt daring to pause the roadmap. They simply won’t have the support of the vast majority of the public, and must know there would be low levels of compliance anyway.

Also, surely now vaccinations are well underway it doesn’t actually matter that much how many reported cases there are. Unless these cases are actually translating into higher death rates, there’s no excuse to not open up as planned in June.

I think we will be fine. Most adults will have had their first dose of vaccine now. My area are already offering it to anyone over the age of 18.

Glasgow city have been left in our level 3 and cannot drop to level 2 on Monday.

This is due to spread of India variant. I'm all for being sensible for local lockdowns or restrictions

@Leontine

I think we will be fine. Most adults will have had their first dose of vaccine now. My area are already offering it to anyone over the age of 18.

If one dose were enough they wouldn't be speeding up second doses and planning third doses.

We are in bolton and had covid end of november. I'm off work with long covid atm. Ds 2 was sent home this afternoon as a fellow pupil has tested +ve. I contacted school to find out who it was then I could risk assess how likely DS is to get it. They obviously wouldn't tell me who but did say the exposure < 1m but only one lesson a week. Ds1 has now tested +ve on a lateral flow test. I'm currently worried to death. Dread getting it again and have only had 1 AZ jab. I have risk factors - asthma and slightly elevated BP. I was so bloody unwell for 6 weeks. I could cry

@PromisingMiddleagedWoman

Unless the new variant leads to significant increases in deaths and serious illness I really can’t see the govt daring to pause the roadmap. They simply won’t have the support of the vast majority of the public, and must know there would be low levels of compliance anyway.

Also, surely now vaccinations are well underway it doesn’t actually matter that much how many reported cases there are. Unless these cases are actually translating into higher death rates, there’s no excuse to not open up as planned in June.

The trouble is we are making decisions now without that information.

I'm not sure why this is being seen as a national issue. It's localised.

Bolton has many problems. Big Asian Communities mixing, choosing not to take the vaccine. Some of the spread there needs to be addressed locally. These are specific issues.

The same with the new cases in areas of London.

This doesn't affect the rest of the uk. This scaremongering means businesses don't start, get going because of fear. This is doing our economy generally no good.

@Undeuxdrei

We are in bolton and had covid end of november. I'm off work with long covid atm. Ds 2 was sent home this afternoon as a fellow pupil has tested +ve. I contacted school to find out who it was then I could risk assess how likely DS is to get it. They obviously wouldn't tell me who but did say the exposure < 1m but only one lesson a week. Ds1 has now tested +ve on a lateral flow test. I'm currently worried to death. Dread getting it again and have only had 1 AZ jab. I have risk factors - asthma and slightly elevated BP. I was so bloody unwell for 6 weeks. I could cry

The statistical chance of you getting it again, when you’ve got antibodies from an infection AND from your first vaccine are so vanishingly small... You’re probably in ‘more likely to die drowning’ territory

@Reachersloveinterest

How does anyone know which variant they have got?

When I had Covid at the turn of the year, all I got was "your test was positive" not "your test was positive for xxx variant".

Has this changed?

The tests aren’t genome sequenced routinely unless it’s part of surge testing for a specific variant, so very few people will know for certain

I guess some people can take an educated guess if they know or suspect how they got it

@Oblomov21

I'm not sure why this is being seen as a national issue. It's localised.

Bolton has many problems. Big Asian Communities mixing, choosing not to take the vaccine. Some of the spread there needs to be addressed locally. These are specific issues.

The same with the new cases in areas of London.

This doesn't affect the rest of the uk. This scaremongering means businesses don't start, get going because of fear. This is doing our economy generally no good.

Original covid was a local issue once.

So was B117.

They all start in a single location.

B1617.2 is already in 50-odd locations that we know of.

Including London, Brighton, Colchester and leafy Hart in Hampshire.

I'm not sure why this is being seen as a national issue. It's localised.

The highest rates of the Indian strain are in London. People from all over the UK travel in and out of London everyday...

London had the highest number of confirmed or probable cases of B.1.617.2, followed by the North-West on 319, with 98 in the South-East.

www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/indian-covid-variant-london-uk-cases-b935080.html?amp

@PrincessNutNuts The trouble is we are making decisions now without that information.

Yes, but that it how decisions have to be made - in the here and now based on the available data. I really can’t see people, businesses etc accepting delays to opening up due to the worst case scenario that might possibly occur in the future.

[quote PromisingMiddleagedWoman]@PrincessNutNuts The trouble is we are making decisions now without that information.

Yes, but that it how decisions have to be made - in the here and now based on the available data. I really can’t see people, businesses etc accepting delays to opening up due to the worst case scenario that might possibly occur in the future.[/quote]
Exactly. Putting the country on hold and businesses losing out "just incase" won't wash with anyone a year after this.

People are more scared of the governments reaction to Covid and variants than of Covid and variants themselves.

Every variant they said could be/possibly/ a chance of it being worse than the last.

No variant so far has been vaccine resistant. So what if this is more transmissiable? If people arent in hospital or dying, who cares.

MrsHastings completely agree.

Some posters on here have little insight into real impact. I have no idea why but maybe they don’t know many affected.

No variant so far has been vaccine resistant. So what if this is more transmissiable? If people arent in hospital or dying, who cares.

THIS! A million times this

[quote PromisingMiddleagedWoman]@PrincessNutNuts The trouble is we are making decisions now without that information.

Yes, but that it how decisions have to be made - in the here and now based on the available data. I really can’t see people, businesses etc accepting delays to opening up due to the worst case scenario that might possibly occur in the future.[/quote]
In two or three weeks I think we'll know this was the wrong decision.

After having been in restrictions for 11 months out of the last 13, putting in another two weeks in order to avoid kicking off a third wave would have been a wise investment.

What's going to be more disruptive to people's lives and livelihoods?

A couple of weeks of caution that turns out to be unwarranted?

Or ploughing on regardless and setting us all up for Lockdown 4?

Yep exactly @MrsHastingslikethebattle

Some posters on here (and we all know who they are) act like we haven’t had an effective vaccination programme or the vaccines don’t work.

The scientists today have said there is no reason to think the vaccines won’t be effective against this variant. And no evidence either.

After having been in restrictions for 11 months out of the last 13, putting in another two weeks in order to avoid kicking off a third wave would have been a wise investment.

Thing is, you’d be saying that forever.

We’ve already had Brazilian, South African and now Indian variant panic. There’ll be another one along soon and another and another for the next few years. Better get used to it.

@Delatron

Yep exactly *@MrsHastingslikethebattle*

Some posters on here (and we all know who they are) act like we haven’t had an effective vaccination programme or the vaccines don’t work.

The scientists today have said there is no reason to think the vaccines won’t be effective against this variant. And no evidence either.

Exactly

@PrincessNutNuts
They won't listen. It's played out exactly the same way every time. Major deja vu.

Honestly.

I hope you guys don’t do anything risky like go out and do stuff.

Yes such deja vu. We are in exactly the same situation as Jan 🙄. Did you actually listen the press conference?

Do you actually think the vaccines don’t work? Based on what?

Now I wish we’d been stricter with arrivals from India but we are in a very different situation to Jan.

@MarshaBradyo

Honestly.

I hope you guys don’t do anything risky like go out and do stuff.

A fan of Thatcher's no such thing as society?

I was out today (with a mask).

Chris Whitty said that hospitalizations in the over 45s from the Indian variant were still v low and although it's early days may indicate that vaccines are effective. They just don't have enough data yet. I do think vaccines will mean we are still on course for 21st June - but they are trying to be transparent about current uncertainties. I thought it was a very good press conference tonight.

A fan of doing stuff within rules.

But I’m surprised some posters go out given level of risk they talk about.