ONS Data

[strangeshapedpotato]

www.bbc.com/news/health-57362508

Hard to overstate what bad news this is.

There had been hope that efforts in Bolton etc were keeping it at bay, and the rise in cases reported by PHE was largely down to surge testing in virus hotspots.

Well it clearly wasn't - and a 2/3 rise in cases over a week when the Delta variant is still spreading across the country suggests that once it's everywhere, we could be looking at at least a doubling every week. That puts us 1 month away from numbers matching the peak of the second wave.

Hospitalisations will be delayed as usual, and should be proportional to infections, far lower than in Jan thanks to vaccines, but of course if the numbers keep climbing....

It's a real hammer blow.

Trouble is , sweetybumps, that even if it is just a common cold ( long covid?) It is super infectious so lots of people get it. Too many people sick and all those magical things such as water, electricity, food,internet , transport and hospitals stop working. So we're all a bit screwed.

Lots of people are not yet vaccinated and whining that you don't like the facts doesn't change them. Our government has fucked up yet again.

"Clearly you know nothing about vaccines or viruses....

so why are you posting you ignorant and unwanted opinions?"

Blimey OP, calm down.

Why do those who state that covid will grow exponentially and lead to societal breakdown ignore the fact that many people have already had covid and so are likely to have a good level of protection from variants.

@Nappyvalley15

Why do those who state that covid will grow exponentially and lead to societal breakdown ignore the fact that many people have already had covid and so are likely to have a good level of protection from variants.

Because the whole point of variants is that are genetically different and therefore evade immunity created ny previous versions.

Because the whole point of variants is that are genetically different and therefore evade immunity created ny previous versions.
This. I understand this was one of the reasons Brazil was so badly hit. The virus was allowed to spread unchecked and a mutation developed that was good at reinfecting people who had already had Covid once.

A variant is not a completely new virus. For most people reinvention is likely to lead to a mild illness.

If you really think that at this stage in the pandemic with our high rates of vaccination and with the numbers of people who have already had covid here that we are heading for societal breakdown then there is nothing anyone can say to talk you down.

The nightmare scenario is a mutation that can get round the immunity provided by the vaccine. The more Covid cases you have, the more chances the virus has to mutate. Those who argue that it doesn't matter how much the virus spreads once "the vulnerable" are vaccinated haven't grasped that point. There is also the issue that the elderly and those with compromised immune systems may have lower levels of protection from the vaccine than the average person. So very high infection rates will still lead to hospitals filling up with Covid patients in vulnerable groups.

@SouthKoreaquestion

The nightmare scenario is a mutation that can get round the immunity provided by the vaccine. The more Covid cases you have, the more chances the virus has to mutate. Those who argue that it doesn't matter how much the virus spreads once "the vulnerable" are vaccinated haven't grasped that point. There is also the issue that the elderly and those with compromised immune systems may have lower levels of protection from the vaccine than the average person. So very high infection rates will still lead to hospitals filling up with Covid patients in vulnerable groups.

Are you sure they haven't grasped the point?

But it's always going to be possible for what you describe to happen.

So what to do?

I guess you're suggesting caution. But caution doesn't remove the risk you highlight.

Or are you arguing for zero Covid? Cool — it's a consistent argument. But it's a big job, and what shall we do in the meantime?

Once you really think about the point, surely you are able to understand why some people are wanting to remove restrictions and live with the risk. (You don't have to agree with them, BTW.)