The UK may have got it right

[VioletRiemelt]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-57911032

Australians back in lockdown, while our restrictions are gone. Our exit wave could be over by September.

There are 3 people per square km in Oz. There are 281 people per squ km in UK. It's pointless to compare how the two countries handled lockdown.

I think we have done some things rather well

I don’t.

Well, I live for your approval ArseInTheCoOpWindow

I don’t care either way.

This government has done nothing right re Covid. And not much else either.

It's going to be interesting what happens in the UK after this wave is over. This is supposed to be the 'exit wave' (guess it may not be if they have to put the brakes on if the number of cases goes so high that the resulting breakthrough hospitalisations are excessive) and if left without intervention would leave a very high proportion of the population with antibodies either through vaccination or infection.

Current wave is largely Delta fuelled with other variants not really getting a foot in - latest PHE variants data suggests that Alpha (Kent) is dying out and other variants are not gaining traction. However we know that Beta (South Africa) has some degree of vaccine evasion, particularly against AZ (?) so wondering if there will continue to be presumably smaller waves of Beta and similar variants. Guess it depends how quickly boosters can be administered. Currently Beta isn't making any ground in the UK.

@Wakeupin2022

My friend can’t book a Pfizer jab until September and is too scared to get AZ.

That's one thing we have got right. We do not have the unnecessary silliness that some countries have over vaccines, with heightened anxieties due to governments / politicians trying to win political capital.

@Wakeupin2022 Haven't we? The poster has just said her friend is too scared to get AZ?

That’s in Australia I think Rumbly.
The vaccine situation in Australia is a car crash. The health ministers publicly trashing AZ, even the PM and other people that should know better. it’s crazy as it’s the vaccine they can make themselves, Puts Macrons “quasi effective “ nonsense in the shade!

Currently Beta isn't making any ground in the UK.

Yes, really worried about Beta once Delta has burned through.

There are 3 people per square km in Oz. There are 281 people per squ km in UK. It's pointless to compare how the two countries handled lockdown.

And yet Australia is a more urbanised coutry than the UK.

You know that hardly anyone lives the vast majority of Australia, right?

But if you're thinking that population density is a contributing factor, again I mention Singapore.

I think people are forgetting that Australia is heading into peak flue season. Their July/August/September is like our December/January/February.

We went into lockdown during peak flue season so its no surprise they are doing the same. Protect people as much as possible during the most venerable period makes sense.

@WeRTheOnesWeHaveBeenWaitingFor

Let’s hope so There is no public support for more lockdowns so I don’t think the government has a choice

Well, actually there is. Or at least not to open up so fast. More than 50% of people wanted a slower and more controlled release. So did most medical advisors.

@sashagabadon ok I see, but unfortunately it still holds for the UK as there were numerous threads on here where people would not get AZ or wouldn't get their second AZ vaccine due to 'percieved risk'. I have to admit the (over)reporting by the media made me a little jumpy pre vaccination, despite the fact I do much riskier things e.g. drive a car everyday.

The only 'good' thing about cases rising is that people's perceived (and actual!) risk from Covid increases ergo greater vaccine acceptance/ take up.

Currently Beta isn't making any ground in the UK.

Yet. It's the main strain in Spain and France, and guess where a lot of Uk holidaymakers are going...

@Cowbells

There are 3 people per square km in Oz. There are 281 people per squ km in UK. It's pointless to compare how the two countries handled lockdown.

Ffs. This again. 90% of Australia is uninhabited.

Sydney has significantly higher population density than London

I feel like I’ve been reading variations of the exact same thread over the past year in which people criticise Australia and NZ by saying ‘Just wait! They’ll be sorry! Just you wait! We’ll show them!’ All I’ve seen though is far fewer deaths, far less economic destruction and much more ‘normal’ life for most people (very few school closures etc) than in the UK. And while there are grumblers and nothings perfect I don’t think there are many people in NZ and Australia who look at the UK and think ‘I wish we’d handled COVID like them’

Maybe you doomsayers are right and one day they’ll see the error of their ways and feel all that sorrow you predict but I don’t expect that’ll be for some time

I forgot to add that the ‘they’ll be sorry’ points are usually swiftly followed by howls of ‘but you can’t compare!’ when presented with evidence to the contrary

And while there are grumblers and nothings perfect I don’t think there are many people in NZ and Australia who look at the UK and think ‘I wish we’d handled COVID like them’

🤣 Exactly

I thought it was a global pandemic, not a global competition.

There was no rulebook at the start, it was trial and error in each country, some got it good, others didn't. As a world we are looking at each others actions to see what works and what doesn't.

All world leaders want to get the whole balance right.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

I don’t care either way.

This government has done nothing right re Covid. And not much else either.

Nothing at all?

Not supported families that could of lost everything with furlough, were very quick to procure vaccines, topped up universal credits, agreed to free school meals and the voucher system, loans to businesses to stop them going under and 1000s losing their jobs....... seems they've done a lot. Im not a fan of the government, but I believe they're doing their best

If you've received any of the above, please feel free to give it back.

@Jaxhog

Currently Beta isn't making any ground in the UK.

Yet. It's the main strain in Spain and France, and guess where a lot of Uk holidaymakers are going...

Thats not correct, do you mean Delta?

According to the Gisaid Research Centre, 9.3 per cent of coronavirus cases in Spain were the beta variant, compared to 3.7 per cent in France

Beta is far less tranmissible, possible less severe but AZ is less effective

I haven’t received any of the above. So don’t have it to give back.

They locked down too late too many times. How can they have done much right with the death rate we have? That’s the measure l use.

*I thought it was a global pandemic, not a global competition.

There was no rulebook at the start, it was trial and error in each country, some got it good, others didn't.*

And some got a very clear advance warning from Italy and ignored it while their PM went on holiday, sorted out his love life, missed cobra meetings, boasted about shaking hands with Covid patients and waffled on about the opportunity to make advantageous trade deals while other countries panicked about the pandemic.

It’s not a competition. No country has dealt with Covid perfectly. It’s a matter of what’s been sacrificed. Lives, jobs, mental health, freedom to travel and be with loved ones.

@Whammyyammy

I thought it was a global pandemic, not a global competition.

There was no rulebook at the start, it was trial and error in each country, some got it good, others didn't. As a world we are looking at each others actions to see what works and what doesn't.

All world leaders want to get the whole balance right.

Except the UK Government looked at what happened when the Netherlands reopened nightclubs recently thought 'ooh that went pretty disastorously wrong' but we'll reopen them regardless without any mitigations?!

You really don’t need to say global pandemic, just pandemic will do. The very nature of the word pandemic does that for you.

@Mrstreehouse

You really don’t need to say global pandemic, just pandemic will do. The very nature of the word pandemic does that for you.

If you’re going to be pedantic, I’d suggest Pedant’s Corner. But they’re pretty pernickety over there so before you go, I’d be unkind if I didn’tt point out that a disease outbreak doesn’t need to be fully global to qualify as a pandemic - it can also mean spread over a large geographic area, both in dictionary terms and in how eg WHO defines it.

It’s a pretty imprecise word, tbh.