Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

Do we know the risk of the Indian Variant for under 40s unvaccinated yet?

43 replies

beebopalola · 18/05/2021 18:09

Just seems like it's been very quiet on the age front of people who have been admitted to hospital or have been registered as a case of the new strain.

Probably just because they don't have the data yet, but I was wondering if the anecdotal stories coming out of India are true and it's more severe for younger people than the previous strains.

I've been looking at articles and reports but everything seems to discuss the affect on the vaccinated and whether the vaccinated are getting it, nothing has really come up that I've seen - and I could have missed it -about the under 40s, aside from Singapore closing schools as they seem to think this strain affects children more. (not necessarily severely, but more than previous strains)

OP posts:
PrincessNutNuts · 18/05/2021 18:18

It's my understanding so far that it's not that it's more severe, but that it spreads faster to a lot more people.

So literally just by infecting more people it puts more people in hospital.

Of all ages.

Original covid wasn't that good at infecting humans.

The Kent variant was better.

The Indian variant is really good at infecting humans.

Original poster
beebopalola · 18/05/2021 20:04

Thanks

OP posts:
CobraKaiRocks · 18/05/2021 20:55

Also interested to know about this ...

Pivotthesofa · 18/05/2021 21:45

Interesting

User24689 · 18/05/2021 21:54

I think if they were young, we would definitely heard about it. We know how many unvaccinated are in hospital so they must have stats about who is in there, you would expect if they were young Hancock would have really emphasized that to drive home the vaccine message.

musicalfrog · 18/05/2021 21:58

The people in hospital were eligible for the vaccine but didn't take it up for whatever reason (or had only had one dose) therefore we can deduce not younger than 40, unless otherwise clinically vulnerable.

SunbathingDragon · 18/05/2021 22:01

I don’t think they are especially young but younger than before because the older people are fully vaccinated, with the most vulnerable either still shielding or sadly died.

PrincessNutNuts · 18/05/2021 23:07

Matt Hancock said some of the people in hospital in Bolton "are" eligible for the vaccine

So's my brother, but he hasn't been able to book yet. Let alone actually have the jab.

It doesn't mean those people refused it.

I think the government are trying to shift blame to us - the people - for not being vaccinated fast enough to distract from them letting this variant in and letting it spread for weeks.

Everyone must know people who "are eligible" but haven't had the vaccine.

But not because they are refusing it. Because they haven't been able to have it yet.

Pivotthesofa · 19/05/2021 08:13

That’s interesting @PrincessNutNuts and very carefully worded
I’m eligible now but can’t get it til my appointment on Monday, so technically the same wording could be used about me should I get ill

Pivotthesofa · 19/05/2021 08:14

I think that’s why it would be good to know the ages of those hospitalised. I’m inclined to think that if they were all young they would be used as a push for the vaccines like a PP said but they really are covering all bases so whatever happens it will be our fault

Bluntness100 · 19/05/2021 08:19

They think it’s no more severe in fact likely less severe as that’s what normally happens with viruses, the more transmissable the less severe.

The hospital numbers are tiny which would verify that.

Pivotthesofa · 19/05/2021 12:53

Let’s hope it stays that way @Bluntness100 fingers crossed we don’t see a jump in a couple of weeks

SunbathingDragon · 19/05/2021 12:58

I agree that it’s very carefully worded but a lot of the people I have seen recently who have been ill with covid have been old enough to be in minutely waiting for their second vaccine. It’s not a case that they are late 30s and eligible but not enough time to get booked.

Girlmama3 · 19/05/2021 13:56

The people in hospital with it now might have caught it a few weeks ago so might not have had their vaccine yet. Or, their second. My 66 yo parents had their second jab just over a week ago.

There is one person hospitalised who had both vaccines. No info on their age or when they had the vaccines.

Bluntness100 · 19/05/2021 15:17

There is one person hospitalised who had both vaccines. No info on their age or when they had the vaccines

Yes or if they are in becayse of Covid or with Covid.

PrincessNutNuts · 19/05/2021 16:07

In the Cabinet talks ahead of declaring it a Variant of Concern and whether it was safe to open up:

"concern raised by ministers about the impact on businesses and other workplaces of having unvaccinated workers fall sick in large numbers".

"Unvaccinated" means "young" right

https://news.sky.com/story/vaccine-surge-in-covid-hotspots-may-not-stop-indian-variant-spread-scientists-warn-pm-12310347

AlexandraEiffel · 19/05/2021 16:19

@Girlmama3

The people in hospital with it now might have caught it a few weeks ago so might not have had their vaccine yet. Or, their second. My 66 yo parents had their second jab just over a week ago.

There is one person hospitalised who had both vaccines. No info on their age or when they had the vaccines.

I thought the person who had both had been described as old and frail (or words to that effect)
Pivotthesofa · 19/05/2021 16:25

@PrincessNutNuts yes that’s what I thought however I suppose falling sick could still be mild, but they would still have to isolate

So it doesn’t necessarily illustrate concern about severity, just the fact that if enough young workers get it entire industries could be struggling to supply essential goods and services because they are having to stay home until they are recovered

Pivotthesofa · 19/05/2021 23:08

Matt Hancock has now said that the majority of the infections are in unvaccinated people and younger people.
Unsure if that means severe illness presume it means cases, as hospitalisations are that high at the moment and touch wood it stays that way

musicalfrog · 19/05/2021 23:37

Hopefully automatic isolation will soon be a thing of the past.

Mimmommum · 20/05/2021 00:11

If we were to go by what's happening in India, the new variant affects the young more and it's quite severe. Initially India didn't face much serious complications from covid (last year) because the population overall is much younger. But this strain is affecting young as well. I know several perfectly healthy people in their 20s and their 30s who have died from covid. Not through news, but these are relatives/friends of close friends. It's quite bad in India. Everyone is scrambling to get atleast one shot but there isn't enough vaccines.

OnTheBrink1 · 20/05/2021 00:44

@Mimmommum

If we were to go by what's happening in India, the new variant affects the young more and it's quite severe. Initially India didn't face much serious complications from covid (last year) because the population overall is much younger. But this strain is affecting young as well. I know several perfectly healthy people in their 20s and their 30s who have died from covid. Not through news, but these are relatives/friends of close friends. It's quite bad in India. Everyone is scrambling to get atleast one shot but there isn't enough vaccines.
Gosh- you personally know several healthy people (so 6/7/8) in their 20’s and 30’s who have died in the past year? Are you in the UK?
strangeshapedpotato · 20/05/2021 00:44

We don't actually know much about it at all yet.

It seems to spread faster - possibly a LOT faster, but possibly not that much....

It may be slightly more severe, it may not be...

It may infect young people more easily, it may not.....

The strongest evidence is that it spreads more easily, but nothing is certain yet.

There's a LOT of rubbish being talked but Van Tam made the only important point tonight - a slight fall in the efficacy of a vaccine and the first things to go are protection against symptoms and protection against onward transmission. The LAST things to go are protection against serious illness and death.

The Indian variant is of concern because if vaccines fail to stop transmission of it, then nothing except another lockdown can stop a massive third wave. If they still have a big effect, then we may get away with it. Healthy vaccinated individuals have little more to fear from this variant than any previous one.

OnTheBrink1 · 20/05/2021 00:53

@Mimmommum

If we were to go by what's happening in India, the new variant affects the young more and it's quite severe. Initially India didn't face much serious complications from covid (last year) because the population overall is much younger. But this strain is affecting young as well. I know several perfectly healthy people in their 20s and their 30s who have died from covid. Not through news, but these are relatives/friends of close friends. It's quite bad in India. Everyone is scrambling to get atleast one shot but there isn't enough vaccines.
Humm - in response to my last post, until the end of March 2021 89 people under the age of 40 with no under lying health conditions have died from covid. Across the whole of England and Wales. So for you to know several of them is quite remarkable.
paralysedbyinertia · 20/05/2021 01:07

@OnTheBrink1, I think it's pretty obvious that @Mimmommum was talking about people in India, not the UK.

Sadly, many young, otherwise healthy Indians have died, but I'm not sure if that is just a function of the massive case numbers rather than any indication of the severity of the variant.