The End is CerTEIRnly in Sight ...

[dancemom]

New thread, possibly the last?

@WouldBeGood

Well, it ain’t for me. I’m never near enough anyone to spread it anyway, and asymptomatic spread is rare.

Just need to stop counting cases anyway and look at hospitals/deaths.

Off to watch Eurovision 😃

I must admit I tend to agree. Endless bloody testing is just prolonging this crap. If anyone came to my door and tried to persuade me to do a test they’d be getting the door slammed in their face. As long as people aren’t getting hospitalised and dying en masse cases are irrelevant. We always knew cases would rise when things opened, we can’t stay shut forever to stop it.

I’d stay home with symptoms but we haven’t moved on from “stopping the spread starts with all of us” for over a bloody year now. I’m also quite cynical about the alleged asymptomatic transmission.

I should add that as a fat middle aged woman I would imagine the chances of me being lucky enough to get it asymptomatically would be zero.

In the news today, that AZ and Pfizer are only 33% effective against the Indian variant after 1 dose. So there's the potential for a large increase in hospitalisations, because a fuckton of people in group 1-9 haven't had their second jag, let alone those not had their first.
Edinburgh yesterday evening looked kind of busy and the tourists with wheely suitcases are back.
I'd like to be optimistic, our rate of vaccination is fantastic, but I don't know if it's quick enough for the current opening up of life, combined with the Indian variant.

The prevalence of the Indian variant still isn't that high though. It'll be interesting to see how well the accelerated vaccination programme works in Glasgow.

I see Humza said this morning that no one's vaccine will be delayed as a result of the Glasgow vaccine programme, so I'm sure that will be of great relief to the folk in areas of 4 cases per 100,000.

It's definitely still around and causing problems. Our neighbours all had it 3 weeks ago, the dad pretty badly (was in hospital a couple of days) and the parents are mid 40s like me. They had their first jab appointments this week, which now have had to be put off since there's a minimum wait after you've had Covid.

My DD is self isolating after a close contact at nursery tested positive. I've just been to have her tested as that's now recommended for close contacts. We're in Edinburgh, DH and I had first jabs two weeks ago. Hoping that's enough to protect us if DD does have the virus.

• 378 new cases of COVID-19 reported
• 21,002 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results – 2% of these were positive
• 0 new reported deaths of people who have tested positive (noting that Register Offices are now generally closed at weekends)
• 3,108,819 people have received the first dose of the Covid vaccination and 1,828,930 have received their second dose

The Herald reporting Glasgow restrictions will likely be lifted if cases don't start translating into increased ICU pressure. First sign of a pivot and surely inevitable unless the SG would rather just progressively put us all back in Level 3.

@SempreSuiGeneris

The Herald reporting Glasgow restrictions will likely be lifted if cases don't start translating into increased ICU pressure. First sign of a pivot and surely inevitable unless the SG would rather just progressively put us all back in Level 3.

I'm very heartened by these snippets of common sense. An admission finally that the 'getting COVID close to zero' plan is little more than an unobtainable and very damaging pipedream? and unnecessary if COVID isn't causing severe disease anymore

@Perihelion I think the information published by PHE last night shows a much higher Vaccine Effectiveness (VE) against variants than 33%. The science baffles me a bit, despite and undergraduate and post graduate pharmacy degree, but lots of good news on Twitter today about this. twitter.com/kallmemeg/status/1396220535735046149?s=21

Even the scientists of doom are me saying the Indian variant is likely not more transmissible nor does it evade vaccines. Which are effective., although obviously not 100%.

Should be panic over now. Especially if even Himza’s been allowed to say so

And the AZ vaccine effectiveness reports need to be read in context. It’s good news. Twitter is good for explanations.

Its all very well saying AZ is effective at 80% or so 12 weeks after the second dose. Thats still a long way off for lots of us mid 50s still going out to work 5 days and getting on busy trains....whilst still waiting for their second dose.

If i was safely working from home with a car to drive everywhere the numbers wouldn't trouble me too much. I'd have the patience and optimistim more privileged people can have. And maybe less connection with people actually out and about all week in busy areas who feel vulnerable and worried about the vaccine still.
Must be nice to be sitting at home.

@ssd you really aren't the only one not sitting at home. I'm in a school with 1200 mask-avoiders, plus public transport daily.

I know it feels like you're alone in this, but you're not. (or - I've started doing aperitif Sundays since this shite's started. )

I know. It just feels like it on here sometimes. I hold back from posting a lot. The tone feels a bit sneery and privileged. And anyone saying they feel anxious still is shot down, whilst not really acknowledging we are all in different places with this.

@ssd any joy in getting some FFP2 masks ordered? Might help your anxiety a bit as they are very high protection especially for public transport etc.
They are a bit warm to wear and have to be tight on your face but it might help knowing your protected.

I got 2 packs from boots online @Scottishskifun, but they are single use only and £10 for a pack of 5, so expensive. I wear a mask all day at work in a store in a shopping mall with hardly any air conditioning and its sooo hot, especially when I'm feeling hot cos of my age .

I agree with what you mean though.
I should try to find some that aren't single use only, i had one at the start which was great but it got wrecked.

@ssd it's finding things which will help however small. Maybe keep one in your bag for a very busy train which causes anxiety to rise.

I think many people have anxiety we have spent 14 months being told that being in proximity to anyone has potential to kill us or them! That's going to take a toll on how people feel!

My anxiety level only went down after I actually got covid!
Any level of antibodies is a good thing try not to focus so much on percentages just know your body already has more protection then it did this time last year.

I don’t find it nice to be sitting at home. I’ve been quite unwell because of it.

I’ve never been that worried about catching Covid as I’m fifty and fat but not in a high risk category. My reasoning is that, not because of privilege.

I understand that some people are more anxious than I am about it so I thought some more encouraging facts might be nice to hear rather than the scaremongering we often get. I certainly feel pleased that things are not as bad as they can seem to be.

I’ve been very careful to approach this whole thing by looking at the facts, as I previously suffered from health anxiety and was determined to make sure I didn’t spiral down that route again.

Jennyfromtheblock 33% after the first dose, which is where a lot of the population currently is. VE is good when past 3 weeks, fully vaccinated.

I have stolen my dc's pop it fidget you and am finding it very helpful
Maybe not so good on public transport though!
You get slightly cheaper kn95 masks from Lloyds. I used a different place for my last batch and regret it as they are too tight round the ears.

Its the facts that worry me. Knowing i only have 33% protection just now from this new varient is actually less than i thought i had.

How long till your next dose?
You're still unlikely to meet someone with the variant, and then you'd have to meet three of them to be as likely to catch it as if you hadn't been vaccinated.

But it’s not only 33% - that's if you’re exposed to it for a sufficient amount of time and in the right way for transmission. And it protects against serous illness as a result. So the actual odds are much better.

Ski, i keep one in my bag. But i get in such a faff. They only put trains on with 4 carriages and they get so busy. So i check where i can sit without anyone behind me, right across from me or next to me, then i open the window. Its amazing how little people bother opening windows. Then i try to remember to hand sanitise. And if someone comes on at a station and are right next to me i move. And i try not to touch my mask. Or put my phone on the table. And people just pile on, some coughing away and masks under their noses. Im in an area worst in Scotland apparently. And my job involves getting too close to people regularly, its unavoidable.

But i know what you mean too wouldbegood, i know working from home cant be easy either.

It’s total shite across the board @ssd.