Coronavirus thread

[Que]

Sorry to hear the bad news Que!

PD

There is a delay, so the real damage will be apparent in a week or so. The govt jumped the gun too early with 72% of the population that had received vaccination, but only 41% fully vaccinated. Politicians succumbed to public pressure and were blinded by rapid declines in number of cases.

Summer holidays in July is a very big thing here, and for the past 6 months promises were made that everything would return to normal by that time. I guess stupid promises lead to stupid decisions...

They underestimated the mix of "letting loose" mostly unvaccinated youngsters and a highly contagious Delta variant.
There was an incident in a nightclub were 165 people were infected in a single night.

[Que]

Dutch reimpose COVID curbs as cases jump in young adults


Boris Johnson, take heed...

Freedom day? Boris Johnson faces a tough call as Covid cases soar

[Mandryka]

Freedom day? Boris Johnson faces a tough call as Covid cases soar

The Guardian is terrible, they love to make people panic with headlines which are really just click bate.  The head honcho of the NHS in an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme last week didn't look at all concerned.

This is an interesting and bold suggestion  -- hope I don't have to go to hospital for anything.

Health workers to be spared self-isolation rules as NHS faces staffing crisis

   Downing Street said NHS staff may be exempted from rules that require them to quarantine after close contact with an infected person, amid fears that widespread staff absences could undermine attempts to clear a mountainous backlog of treatment alongside battling coronavirus

https://www.ft.com/content/bb487d6f-2b3b-444c-a3ac-b99756643bf6

[Pohjolas Daughter]

There is a delay, so the real damage will be apparent in a week or so. The govt jumped the gun too early with 72% of the population that had received vaccination, but only 41% fully vaccinated. Politicians succumbed to public pressure and were blinded by rapid declines in number of cases.

Summer holidays in July is a very big thing here, and for the past 6 months promises were made that everything would return to normal by that time. I guess stupid promises lead to stupid decisions...

They underestimated the mix of "letting loose" mostly unvaccinated youngsters and a highly contagious Delta variant.
There was an incident in a nightclub were 165 people were infected in a single night.

165 people?!   

[Que]

The Guardian is terrible, they love to make people panic with headlines which are really just click bate.  The head honcho of the NHS in an interview on the BBC's Andrew Marr programme last week didn't look at all concerned.

This is an interesting and bold suggestion  -- hope I don't have to go to hospital for anything.

I don't think calling the decision on lifting restrictions "a though call" is alarmist.
The article was taken from The Observer BTW.

As to the rise on COVID related numbers - they speak for themselves: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

Whether it is wise to ease restrictions under these conditions and what any possible ramifications might be, time will tell.

I hope neither of us will have to go to the hospital!

But I can't wait to get my 2nd Pfizer shot, I can tell you.
Amidst all these reassurances and downplaying of risks, you would almost think I don't need it anymore...

[MusicTurner]

Had zero side effects of my 2nd Pfizer as well, it was 16 days ago.

Virus had a slight rise here in DK, now generally going a bit down again.

Typically 0.4 -0.8 % positive among the tests on a given day; that is, between 400 - 800 persons. Very varying local interpretations of likely future scenarios.

[Karl Henning]

My daughter, who lives in London, has tested positive for Coronavirus. She has had one dose of vaccine, so hopefully that will stand her in good stead. She says that she feels unwell and has completely lost her sense of taste/smell but said that it is currently not as bad as having the flu. At least she has her nice new husband to look after her!

Hoping she mends rapidly, Jeffrey!

[MusicTurner]

Hoping she mends rapidly, Jeffrey!

Yes, same here, of course.

[krummholz]

Hoping she mends rapidly, Jeffrey!

+1 to this!

[Karl Henning]

Boston City Hall, the ugliest edifice in town, is open to the public again five days a week, no prior appointment necessary. Another step back towards normal.
FWIW, the facility where I go for OT has signage requiring masks even if one has been vaccinated.

[steve ridgway]

The UK government have been explaining the new rules for England:

"Health Minister Edward Argar said he would continue to carry a mask even if the legal requirement ended on 19 July as expected. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there would be "clear and strong guidance", with people having to make their own judgements on when to wear masks. He added that rail companies could still impose their own requirements on mask-wearing once the national regulations ended".

That's all sorted then.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57797657

[Mandryka]

The UK government have been explaining the new rules for England:

"Health Minister Edward Argar said he would continue to carry a mask even if the legal requirement ended on 19 July as expected. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there would be "clear and strong guidance", with people having to make their own judgements on when to wear masks. He added that rail companies could still impose their own requirements on mask-wearing once the national regulations ended".

That's all sorted then.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57797657

I really think that all the media emphasis on face coverings is a deliberate strategy to divert attention from measures which really would be effective - ventilation, work from home, sick pay for isolators for example - but which are costly for the capitalist class to implement. Covering your face in a random way with a random bit of rag, as far as I know, won't stop you transmitting enough delta to cause a symptomatic illness.

Forget the kerfuffle about face rags, there are more important things to be addressing.

[Holden]

I really think that all the media emphasis on face coverings is a deliberate strategy to divert attention from measures which really would be effective - ventilation, work from home, sick pay for isolators for example - but which are costly for the capitalist class to implement. Covering your face in a random way with a random bit of rag, as far as I know, won't stop you transmitting enough delta to cause a symptomatic illness.

Forget the kerfuffle about face rags, there are more important things to be addressing.

Excellent points

[Mandryka]

As the implications of the UK plan becomes clearer it's interesting that no one here is saying that we should reverse the exit, install enough NPIs to control it until a much larger part of the population is vaccinated. Everyone just assumes that the role of the state is to provide maximal opportunity for the wheels of commerce to turn, offering just enough security to give citizens the confidence to work and spend.

Once again, there is no serious opposition, there is basically total agreement with some bickering about the details. How did this hegemony happen?

We may see a different approach in America and Europe, not because of anything principled, but because of the time it will take to get their population to a high level of vaccination - they will hit winter with all that means for pneumonia etc. I'm curious about what the yanks and the continentals think.

[Que]

The map of Europe is clearing up, with the exception of Portugal, Spain and the UK (no data on map). The rise of the Delta variant is a big factor in this.

The fear is that this summer Mediterranean beaches full of unvaccinated teenagers will generate another wave of infections. It's a race between vaccinations and the Delta variant - countries with a low/slow vaccination rate could get into trouble again.

Trouble ahead in Spain and Portugal and, as we now know, The Netherlands...

And let's not forget the UK: rising numbers in the run up to "Freedom Day" (cough, cough)

[Karl Henning]

As the implications of the UK plan becomes clearer it's interesting that no one here is saying that we should reverse the exit, install enough NPIs to control it until a much larger part of the population is vaccinated. Everyone just assumes that the role of the state is to provide maximal opportunity for the wheels of commerce to turn, offering just enough security to give citizens the confidence to work and spend.

Once again, there is no serious opposition, there is basically total agreement with some bickering about the details. How did this hegemony happen?

We may see a different approach in America and Europe, not because of anything principled, but because of the time it will take to get their population to a high level of vaccination - they will hit winter with all that means for pneumonia etc. I'm curious about what the yanks and the continentals think.

Waiting on herd immunity in the US, with such entrenched MAGA-zoid anti-vaccine foolishness, would be disastrous.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Trouble ahead in Spain and Portugal and, as we now know, The Netherlands...

And let's not forget the UK: rising numbers in the run up to "Freedom Day" (cough, cough)

Thank you for the updates Que.

Waiting on herd immunity in the US, with such entrenched MAGA-zoid anti-vaccine foolishness, would be disastrous.

I'm still concerned about vaccination rates in the US.  For example, there was recent news story talking about how Missouri and Arkansas had quite lower numbers of vaccination rates than in other states.   

[Mandryka]

Thank you for the updates Que.
I'm still concerned about vaccination rates in the US.  For example, there was recent news story talking about how Missouri and Arkansas had quite lower numbers of vaccination rates than in other states.   

You'll have to start providing incentives to vaccinate, or disincentives to not vaccinate. There is no option. Anywhere with delta dominant and large numbers of unvaxed people either accepts piles and piles of dead bodies or locks down hard and for a long long long time.

[MusicTurner]

For several consecutive days, numbers of infected going up here in DK, which was also expected - above 1,000 daily cases, and a positive percentage of 1-2 % of tested people. Cases are mainly in the younger groups, due to the vaccination rate, and also in quasi-ghetto/immigrant groups with illiterate people etc.
Generally, the mood is that it's not a very worrying development though, since severe cases are still few, so far. But holiday destinations/travels are likely to be restricted further.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I wonder how much Fourth of July celebrations lead to spikes in new cases?

I found this article on CNN which is updated regularly showing (by week though you can adjust it) the number of new cases by state, deaths, trends and also (in shades of orange and red) the counties with the worst infections rates:

https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2020/health/coronavirus-us-maps-and-cases/

PD