It seems like the U.K. may have a better Covid strategy after all

[Warhertisuff]

... at least since the emergence of Delta. I generally supported the restrictions before last summer, but thought that opening up in July was sensible. It's too early to tell
for sure, but at the moment it looks like the right call.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59378849

[quote Delatron]@lescompagnonsdeloue
I see unfortunately France has had a huge spike in cases today too.

I actually genuinely wish that masks were the magic solution everyone thinks they are. How simple would that be? Everyone mask up and no virus. But they don’t seem to be. Cases are rising now in many countries across Europe mask mandate or not.

It’s boosters that will be key. (And not lurching in and out of lockdown)[/quote]
Vaccines have always been the way out of trouble.

Beyond that it's masks combined with restrictions, but you can't hide away forever. Maybe the issue with masks is they work a bit too well, in the sense that your immune system is weakened due to lack of exposure to germs. Things open up properly again and then hey presto, everyone gets ill.

On the one hand people are saying “masks don’t cut transmission”

And on the other people are saying “Europe has had mask restrictions why their cases have been lower.”

So which is it?

@MissAmbrosia

1st October I think. I am too old for these things , It was clear from the Belgian figures a few weeks back that the cases were growing predominantly in the school age kids (0-19) and the 30 - 49s (their parents) not in the 20 - 29 young adult population. Most deaths here are still the over 70s and 2/3rd of hospitalizations are unvaccinated.

Oh right we had cases in summer pre school going back - maybe Euros / nightclubs / other but then the school increase too

I think Scotland had a harder time as more was opened at once but maybe not for Belgium

@PersephoneJames

On the one hand people are saying “masks don’t cut transmission”

And on the other people are saying “Europe has had mask restrictions why their cases have been lower.”

So which is it?

masks do reduce transmission - but only a bit

the vaccines and boosters are a huge factor in this overall

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/11/23/astrazeneca-jab-could-reason-britain-faring-better-europe-says/?utm_content=telegraph&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1637662468-1

Just came on to post the Telegraph article.

No idea if it's going to prove, on further investigation, to be true, but wouldn't it be GREAT if it is?

Also, I still love that Prof Snape is still involved in all this.

Telegraph article is very interesting. We’ve not seen t-cell response studies from vaccine companies yet. Well I haven’t. If it’s true about AZ then that’s very good for this country.

Well OH had Pfizer inc. booster. I had AZ my booster will be Pfizer. Interesting article. Thanks

@thevassal

People keep posting about wales case figures and mask doing nothing.
Well the mask wearing here is...
Masks not needed in hospitality. So pubs, resturants etc running as precovid and no masks.
Shops should have masks but in reality very few customers here are wearing them (slightly more than over boarder in England possibly but not significant)
Alot of people who are wearing then are wearing then off their noses.
Masks are worn by teachers but only in communal areas.
So in reality there is very little difference in mask wearing in england or wales.

So masks coild make a difference to numbers if worn

@RedToothBrush

The UK looks very very different to everyone else above it and that is going to matter coming into winter. Thats why there is such concern - its about the R value not cases and what that means for the coming weeks.

Great post. The problem in Europe isn't necessarily where they are now, it's where they are likely to be on a few weeks if they do nothing. The contrast with the U.K. is that if we carry on our current path, things won't look much different (though that doesn't mean things can't change).

@Delatron

Telegraph article is very interesting. We’ve not seen t-cell response studies from vaccine companies yet. Well I haven’t. If it’s true about AZ then that’s very good for this country.

The article is being completely rubbished by many of the indie SAGE scientists on Twitter.

But, but, but.... were not wearing masks, pubs and restaurants are open, people are going on holiday, people are selfishly living and enjoying their lives.. these selfish actions should of doomed us all 🤣🤣🤣

@Delatron

Telegraph article is very interesting. We’ve not seen t-cell response studies from vaccine companies yet. Well I haven’t. If it’s true about AZ then that’s very good for this country.

This is one of the worst pieces of disinformation I’ve seen in a long time. Every study that’s come out over the past few months has shown AZ waning worse than Pfizer in its protection against infection/hospitalisation/death.

The latest UKHSA surveillance report makes it very clear:

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1034383/Vaccine-surveillance-report-week-46.pdf

See pages 5,6&7.

@Delatron

Telegraph article is very interesting. We’ve not seen t-cell response studies from vaccine companies yet. Well I haven’t. If it’s true about AZ then that’s very good for this country.

It’s a load of BS if you ask me, AZ protection has been proven to wane the quickest in studies so far and that chap has a cheek to make such completely unfounded claims. He admitted himself that he has zero data to prove what he is saying.

.

I admit I was surprised to see the headlines.
I guess all the studies shown so far on waning protection have been in antibodies. He is claiming that the lasting protection is from t-cells. It’s a bold claim. Do we think he would make this claims based on nothing? I don’t know.

The report says the research is about to be released so until we have that I agree it’s just speculation.

Interesting graphs @PrincessNutNuts, where did you find those?

princess strange comparisons..........

I just noticed that Soriot commented that we have had fewer hospitalisations in the UK than in Europe.

Various factors to consider here, though.

One is that you'd need to take into account different availability of hospital beds and different thresholds for admission.

In our first wave it might be that people were allowed to die at home of covid (or in their care homes) rather than be admitted to hospital.

I’m also really disgusted about the finger pointing - ‘ha ha, look at the continent, they didn’t want our AZ and now look how they are suffering’.

I mean what is that about?

I still wouldn’t take AZ because of their blood clotting issues.

Strange graph. Why lump EU together if you followed that you’d be mistaken in thinking individual countries aren’t facing fast growth

In the article do you mean @Schulte ?

I was grateful to have AZ and it has had a huge amount of unnecessary bad press. It’s a shame other countries delayed vaccinated people because of this.

I think huge stocks of AZ have been sent to the third world now. So just as long as we all can get the far superior Pfizer eh?

Research is showing AZ as your first vaccines then booster of Pfizer is actually the best combination. I don’t understand the hate for AZ but maybe I’m missing something.

Vaccinating people

Let’s not start that discussion again, I don’t think ‘hate’ for AZ is the right word at all. But the way what’shisname is behaving is questionable at best.

And yes I mean in the newspaper headlines. To give him the benefit of the doubt, the journos probably added their own interpretation to what he actually said.

@521Jeanie

If it’s being ‘rubbished’ by the independent sage activists, that generally means it’s 100% accurate ime.

We’d never have left lockdown if it was up to independent sage and would now be facing the same issues as Europe.