Watch out! Watch out! There's another variant about

[RosieLemonade]

Anyone feel like it's groundhog day. The press seem determined to petrify people.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-57296803.amp

@RosieLemonade

* I don’t know if this is true but I’ve heard that certain deaths have all been marked as Covid when it wasn’t Covid, I don’t believe the numbers of deaths are as high as they’ve said, I call bullshit on lots of it, it’s scaremongering to keep us in.*

This. It's actually the statistics for people who have died WITH covid. Not from covid. Only obviously they don't publicise that.

Well maybe, but the number of people who have actually died of Covid is even higher. The 28 day thing undercounts by more than it overcounts a few people who died with Covid but not of it.

@RosieLemonade

* I don’t know if this is true but I’ve heard that certain deaths have all been marked as Covid when it wasn’t Covid, I don’t believe the numbers of deaths are as high as they’ve said, I call bullshit on lots of it, it’s scaremongering to keep us in.*

This. It's actually the statistics for people who have died WITH covid. Not from covid. Only obviously they don't publicise that.

Look at excess deaths then. The numbers only take into account deaths within 28 days of covid diagnosis so they also miss a lot of deaths. What do you think has been killing people?? I don’t believe everyone need be terrified either, but I don’t doubt that an awful lot of people have died

@RosieLemonade

* I don’t know if this is true but I’ve heard that certain deaths have all been marked as Covid when it wasn’t Covid, I don’t believe the numbers of deaths are as high as they’ve said, I call bullshit on lots of it, it’s scaremongering to keep us in.*

This. It's actually the statistics for people who have died WITH covid. Not from covid. Only obviously they don't publicise that.

I can't believe that you are trotting out that old trope. As others have said, it is much more likely that the way deaths are reported result in under reporting not over reporting.

Love the fact that we’re all disputing it even though I suspect that if people haven’t got it by now, they probably won’t.

Didn't we have a Yorkshire variant last week?

Can someone explain to me what the reasons would be for the government to actively want perpetual lockdowns? Is there something in it for them that I misunderstand?

Someone explained this much better than I can the other day - I'll try to find it - but basically it came down to authoritarianism and the idea that someone can manipulate a situation to make themselves the sole source of truth and control

If it's valid, it's not hard to see how this can be achieved and what the benefits are for the people involved, and some feel this is exactly what's happening

There are thousands of variants. The press need to stop reporting them like they’re automatically something to worry about:

THE HYBRID VARIANT

THE TRIPLE VARIANT

THE MUTANT MONSTER VARIANT FROM
DINOSAUR HELL

@MarshaBradyo

Can they be a hybrid? Or has one mutated closer to the other

It's not impossible but it's far less likely to happen in Corona viruses than in other types of virus where there are mechanisms in place to enable it.* It's more likely to be convergent evolution - traits which are beneficial arising independently.

*Ilnfluenza has a segmented genome and so segments can be easily swapped between strains. Retroviruses contain two copies of the viral genome. Reverse transcriptase jumps backwards and forwards between these two copies and so the resultant DNA copy contains parts of each genome - if these are different you end up with a hybrid.

The wacky covid denial is strong on this thread. Lot of people are absolutely addled it appears.

It is scaremongering because these new variants are not causing any increase in hospitalisation or deaths

I barely ever even catch a cold so I don’t think it’s likely I’ll get Covid, and I don’t know anyone that’s had it apart from elderly people and none of them have died.

I don’t believe the numbers of deaths are as high as they’ve said, I call bullshit on lots of it, it’s scaremongering to keep us in.

It's actually the statistics for people who have died WITH covid. Not from covid

Conspiracy bullshit, unscientific bullshit.

@buffyp

It is scaremongering because these new variants are not causing any increase in hospitalisation or deaths. Those rates remain low and are the only things to worry about. Other countries, including Germany, had these variants long before us but haven’t announced it. If you wish to continue to restrict your life because of this then that’s your look out. I , however, will start living my life as before and putting my family first.

Hospitalisations and deaths are both increasing.

coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

Deaths are up 43% in a week!

Puzzledandpissedoff thank you. I am curious to this theory as I just can’t believe so many people think this is a conspiracy. Surely the whole world leaders can’t be simultaneously trying to use this virus to put themselves in a position of power and control ?

There will be a Portuguese one next week once the footy fans all get back from Porto.
We have to learn to live with it , but the reports are always scary.
Let's hope the vaccine works on this new one.

@Turquoisesol

Puzzledandpissedoff thank you. I am curious to this theory as I just can’t believe so many people think this is a conspiracy. Surely the whole world leaders can’t be simultaneously trying to use this virus to put themselves in a position of power and control ?

Conspiracy theories are a psychological comfort blanket used by people who can't emotionally deal with situations.

The reality is covid is out of our control.

It is called transparency. I actually want to know about variants and if one is becoming dominant or more specifically vaccine resistant because we all know that is the concern.

It's like Sept all over again, cases increasing but as hospital admissions aren't soaring , people think its all 'scaremongering' 🙄.

Even within one person there are variants occuring as the things replicate apparently. (Please experts correct me if I'm wrong I heard it on the internet from a virologist 😂)

We are getting the "news" too early. I want to know when the vaccine is no longer very effective at all.

A still significant part of the population are still not vaccinated and many are doing LFDs. Cases will increase with reduced restrictions, that was always known. A case is still a case whether it’s asymptomatic or mild illness. Crucially a large percentage are vaccinated and the vaccine works. Some people haven’t had it, it’s not totally effective and some people will be unlucky. This is the ‘living with covid’ phase, same as living with any other communicable disease but we obviously need to monitor that things aren’t changing significantly

*small but significant part of the population

@BungleandGeorge

*small but significant part of the population

Less than half of the population are fully vaccinated, and a large proportion are children so not even in plans.

The overstating of the vaccination progress has muddled a lot of thinking (not least in the PM who seems to believe his own spin).

The reality is covid is out of our control

Yes it is, and it's been said that many problems arose from ever pretending it wasn't

The spin - "look what we've done!!" - was to be expected, but an awful lot of faith has been put in the vaccines, which is understandable but not necessarily wise

What the news reports on this either aren't saying, or are burying at the bottom of their articles, is the vaccination stats in Vietnam: a country of 97 million people, they've only vaccinated a million people so far. So about 1.03% of the population.

This variant is not helpful news for the people of Vietnam, and possibly neighbouring countries (Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Brunei). I don't think it represents a significant threat here in the UK.

Besides, we know that the vaccines we have are effective against both the UK and Indian variants; if this is a hybrid of the two, there's every likelihood that the vaccines will work against this one too.

What we should be caring about is that the Vietnamese government speeds up its vaccination programme.

Deaths are up 43% in a week!

That needs to be put in context. That is from very, very low numbers.

It's always low numbers until the numbers get bigger. People understand the context.

@CrunchyCarrot

I'm utterly fed up with this now, the fear-mongering has to stop by the press and govt. We need to start getting back to normal. Where will it end, otherwise?

In more and more people dying?!

@SirSamuelVimes

Oh no, oh dear, oh cripes.

I honestly have less than zero fucks to give about variants. It's a virus, it changes itself to survive.

We're still incredibly unlikely to die from it. And we all got to die of something.

Tell that to all the people that are already dead....oh wait....

@buffyp

It is scaremongering because these new variants are not causing any increase in hospitalisation or deaths. Those rates remain low and are the only things to worry about. Other countries, including Germany, had these variants long before us but haven’t announced it. If you wish to continue to restrict your life because of this then that’s your look out. I , however, will start living my life as before and putting my family first.

And yet not the families of your friends etc.?! What do you mean put your family first? Obviously we all want life to go back to normal but if people don't play by the rules a bit we will keep going round in circles and you may be passing things on??