Here we go again......

[isthismylifenow]

possible new variant

In South Africa. Variant B1.1.529. Health minister here holding a briefing this afternoon.

We have had a sharp uptake in cases in the last few days.

People not happy saying it is a plot to scarper Christmas plans.

I don't think I am ready for all this again. We have had very few cases the last few months. It was nice getting some form of normality back.

I apologise, they are saying low transmissibility. How has it spread so much in one of the SA states, then?

And a scientist just interviewed on R4 confirmed that SA has v low cases atm and therefore we don’t yet know if it can put compete Delta - your point olly.

@JanglyBeads

And a scientist just interviewed on R4 confirmed that SA has v low cases atm and therefore we don’t yet know if it can put compete Delta - your point olly.

Ah good to know someone qualified has a similar opinion @JanglyBeads!

Will be helpful to hear thoughts from experts over the next couple of days

Thing is, there's nothing we can do, just have to use common sense and be careful and vigilant.

...and slam the door shut (or at the very least impose red list type quarantine) on flights from affected countries, surely? At least while we get the measure of its virulence - we're always so slow to react to new variants and they're here &spreading before we react! 🙄

Gutted, was hoping to spend Christmas in Botswana.....🙄

@Walkacrossthesand

...and slam the door shut (or at the very least impose red list type quarantine) on flights from affected countries, surely? At least while we get the measure of its virulence - we're always so slow to react to new variants and they're here &spreading before we react! 🙄

Not slow in this instance.

We are quite shocked and stunned here in SA as the speed of action taken.

There are a lot of unhappy folk this side.

Now we wait to see which other countriee follow suit.

Wasn’t this to be expected? It was always going to mutate wasn’t it.
I can’t see the Government implementing lockdown, it costs the economy too much.

I just looked up the rate of vaxxed people in South Africa. It's so low, 23.51% fully vaccinated? That's quite concerning.

Is this strain any worse than all the others?

*variant

I am sorry. It is totally crap for you before christmas. In your place I would be stocking up to the ceiling with fine wine, making sure I have plenty of projects for the kids to do just in case, and planning a smaller but immensely fun Christmas anyway.
I hope the variant turns out to be nothing much, and we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

And if I can say op, with respect, I support our government's decision to take the cautious route and red list for now. Can you imagine the backlash and fall out if they do nothing and the variant turns out to evade vaccines?
It would is a legal as well as an ethical and moral decision - and given that we know nothing about the variant and won't for several weeks surely it is better to be safe than sorry. You can see how much we have suffered already - no one in SA can possibly blame other countries for choosing to take care of their populations.

@xxxGirlCrushxxx

www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03552-w

I’m heartbroken! We were due to see family in SA for Christmas, I’m still holding on to some hope that we might make it there!

I’m with you @Fairylights25. There is still a lot to clarify around this variant and I appreciate the caution.

@EmpressSuiko how bloody awful for you, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you that emerging information is favourable for your journey.

@Cornettoninja thank you, my husband is devastated, he was diagnosed with cancer last year, luckily he is still healthy and ok but desperately wanted one last Christmas in SA with his family, it would be my first Christmas there, our last visit was over 5 years ago, I really am hoping nothing comes of this new variant and restrictions get lifted in time

@EmpressSuiko it sounds like you’ve all had a tough time

It’s so much harder to process any disappointments after the last two years anyway, even small ones are amplified I find and yours sounds so important. I really hope that your trip can go ahead.

I feel so awful for Botswana and South Africa etc, we need to send them vaccines asap. The whole world should rather than panicking here about ourselves. All those HIV positive people as well. Fine close the borders but the world needs to start pulling together to help the countries out in a crisis.

@Incognito22333

I feel so awful for Botswana and South Africa etc, we need to send them vaccines asap. The whole world should rather than panicking here about ourselves. All those HIV positive people as well. Fine close the borders but the world needs to start pulling together to help the countries out in a crisis.

We have the vaccines. The uptake is very low though. Even a drive to offer a food voucher with a vaccine has not really taken off.

There is a massive push now, and immune compromised people have from today, been offered a booster in next few days. But it's the same 30% that will have a 3rd dose.

Another variant? No doubt we'll have another booster on the way.

@Acinaces

Another variant? No doubt we'll have another booster on the way.

Which would be a ‘good thing’ if a variant proves to be a problem and could be countered by current vaccines (which were developed for variants not even in circulation any more so it’s logical there will be newer ones developed).

@Walkacrossthesand

...and slam the door shut (or at the very least impose red list type quarantine) on flights from affected countries, surely? At least while we get the measure of its virulence - we're always so slow to react to new variants and they're here &spreading before we react! 🙄

By the time we know which countries are affected it will be too late, so what we actually need to do is stop flying.

I feel so awful for Botswana and South Africa etc, we need to send them vaccines asap

They'd be better of with financial aid to compensate for the financial devastation that red listing them just before their peak tourist season is going to bring.
South Africa has vaccines.

We have the vaccines. The uptake is very low though. Even a drive to offer a food voucher with a vaccine has not really taken off.

Is there a sense of why the uptake is so low?