What IS the fuss about omicron?

[GingerHouse]

In all seriousness, data shows that not a single person has died from omicron and that’s in countries that have low vaccine uptake too.

The virus is going to mutate all the time and as things are showing this variant is very contagious and the vaccine doesn’t work as well against it, but it’s mild to almost everybody.

I feel like this is mass panic and for what reason?! I understand wearing a mask where applicable to help reduce the spread but I just don’t get it! Is this going to happen every winter forevermore?

There are plenty of good unvaccinated carers (and plenty of crappy vaccinated ones). Just because someone isn’t vaccinated doesn’t mean that they’re not immune. If you were prepared to ‘let’ people do their job last year when there was no option of a vaccine and we knew much less about the virus then it’s hypocritical to be banging on about them putting their patients at risk now when their patients have been vaccinated and so are at lower risk than they were last year. If the other precautions they had to take to work with vulnerable people last year were considered good enough then, they should be considered good enough now.

So would you also say that because people didn't use antibiotics for meningitis and pneumonia before antibiotics were invented, that the treatments available were 'considered good enough in the 1930s, they should be considered good enough now'.

In any case, the treatments and preventives available last year were NOT considered good enough! Why do you think we had three lockdowns? We used the measures that were available, because they were all we had, not because they were considered as good enough!

@MaxNormal thanks for that. Good to see some actual data :) Looks positive so far. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Nope. I’m saying that people shouldn’t be fired from their jobs because they decided not to have a vaccine that is primarily for their own benefit, particularly when many of them are immune anyway. I sincerely hope SJ backtracks. A HoP committee recently found that there wasn’t enough evidence to support his proposal to fire unvaccinated NHS staff in April.

If the other precautions they had to take to work with vulnerable people last year were considered good enough then, they should be considered good enough now.

But you don't want "the other precautions" that were taken last year!!

@HailAdrian

I was in hospital last night and a nurse told me there was loads of children on the covid wards in comas, having seizures, etc. I had also read test that omicron wasn't in my city yet but I mentioned that and she kind of said "well who knows?" Is this situation familiar to anyone who works in a hospital? She also told us not to worry about wearing a mask.

A doctor told me last night that children aren’t affected at all. He said she says is bollocks unless you can back it up with any evidence and it’s funny how there is no evidence of what you’ve just said…… I recon it’s a load of BS!!

I’m talking about the precautions that hcps take when working with vulnerable people - masks, regular lfts etc. I’m sure that the carers that were fired would much rather have continued with those than be fired.

And we could certainly have done without having fewer carers right now when we’re trying to discharge recovered elderly people from hospital and there’s nowhere for them to go!

Think it is better not to quote any random nurse or doctor, whether they say it is bad, or good.

We can see how much covid is affecting young people, from the data.

@rrhuth

Think it is better not to quote any random nurse or doctor, whether they say it is bad, or good.

We can see how much covid is affecting young people, from the data.

Do you have links for that?…

I’m talking about the precautions that hcps take when working with vulnerable people - masks, regular lfts etc

Etc being reduced face to face appointments, patients wearing masks, other people around patients wearing masks, social distancing, non essential businesses closed so reducing chance of transmission, ergo schools and further education, places of worship etc. Many HCPs went even further than this by moving out of their homes, away from their families in order to keep transmission risks smaller for their vulnerable patients. 10 day (or 14 at one point) isolation for contacts or PCR+

That's the "other precautions" HCPs were taking last year, prior to vaccinations (and even following them for a while).

But you don't want any of that back, do you?

@starcup
www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/coronaviruscovid19latestinsights/hospitals

[quote rrhuth]@starcup
www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/coronaviruscovid19latestinsights/hospitals[/quote]
Graphs show admissions for 0-4 has been approaching but below the Jan 2021 peak level for some time, and for 5-14 has been above the Jan 2021 peak for some time.

Assume this on top of higher RSV this year and all the other regular stuff kids get would = additional pressure on bed levels.

[quote rrhuth]@starcup
www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/coronaviruscovid19latestinsights/hospitals[/quote]
Yeah and no death in under 24 year olds….

@MaxNormal

Here is some Omicron analysis from about eight hours ago.

Thank you for posting

Exactly RSV affects kids more than covid…. Hence why they e not been vaccinating the under 12’s.

Covid affect older people and vulnerable people.

@kittensinthekitchen I’m specifically talking about carers and the precautions they had to take when working with their vulnerable patients. This should be clear if you read the comments in context.

Sorry @Starcup what is your point? Who said there had been deaths?

Everyone can see from the data what is happening. Too many kids are being harmed by covid rates being very high in schools - they are missing school time, having a nasty illness, and being hospitalised in numbers that we all would wish were lower.

But yes, everyone knows that deaths amongst children are very uncommon.

Also worth remembering that schools were closed in January.

[quote bumbleymummy]@kittensinthekitchen I’m specifically talking about carers and the precautions they had to take when working with their vulnerable patients. This should be clear if you read the comments in context.[/quote]
You said HCPs.

Carers were taking these measures too.

@rrhuth

Sorry *@Starcup* what is your point? Who said there had been deaths?

Everyone can see from the data what is happening. Too many kids are being harmed by covid rates being very high in schools - they are missing school time, having a nasty illness, and being hospitalised in numbers that we all would wish were lower.

But yes, everyone knows that deaths amongst children are very uncommon.

No, kids aren’t being hospitalised really though are they? When my kids were younger we had to have 2/3 days in hospital as a precautionary measure to RSV and the same with any of my friends and their kids.

Some children will end up I hospital due to flu and that, along with RSV is more concerning regarding children, than covid has ever been.

That’s been the one positive thing about covid, in that it’s been nothing more than a mild illness to 99.9% of children.

As a consequence of previous lockdowns, they’ve lost immunity to common viruses so this winter will likely be worse for RSV and flu amongst kids.

To add it’s caused so much hardship to kids because of lockdowns but it wasn’t for the benefit of the kids was it? Never has been for them, it’s been to protect adults….

[quote rrhuth]@Silverswirl

'petulant' my arse.[/quote]
Touched a nerve.
There are right and wrong ways to speak to someone. Doesn’t matter if you are 100x more intelligent than the most intelligent human that has ever lived. You still speak to people like shit.

@Whattochoosenow

If businesses go under, there is less tax revenue and more people dependent on state support. This results in a net reduction of money paid in to support the NHS and other public sectors. It’s not rocket science- it’s income and expenditure.

Likewise if millions of people are unable to work because they have long-term illnesses from Covid (currently 1.2m with Long Covid) or other illnesses that are currently being left untreated, that's also loss of tax revenue, but also an increase in healthcare costs. And not just loss of livelihood for those people but quality of life too.

@Starcup

It’s been about adults and children. Children need adults to teach them, their family unit, and adults and children need to be able to access adequate NHS treatment.

Children spread Covid even if they have mild symptoms. Lockdowns are about controlling a spiralling infection rate, so that the NHS can cope until the rate is manageable again. The adults that care for children need a functioning NHS, and the children themselves need a functioning NHS.

Lockdowns have been used all over Europe/the World. So the majority of healthcare professionals think this is the best strategy to control Covid when infection rates spiral. I think they probably know better than you or I.

@Silverswirl

Actually, you've been far ruder to me. The phrase 'petulant teenager' is much ruder than 'uninformed'. You're quite aggressive and I am not sure why.

It is not about being more intelligent, I do not know how intelligent the OP is, and you don;t know how intelligent I am. But the OP has consistently made points that are based on either limited undersatnding or deliberate misinterpretation. It is acceptable to point out when people are wrong in my view.

You really didn't touch any nerves, I just think Jim Royle is funny.

Do have a good day, and I hope you stay happy .