SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)

Tricky to summarise but apparently one of the big medical journals published a small study proving that masks don’t reduce the oxygen in your blood. The linked article was a physician saying that studies like that do more harm than good. They’re based on a small number of subjects and the people whose minds are made up about masks will easily find ways to criticise the findings (why didn’t they look at CO2, as well as O2? etc) So publishing weak data, with an obvious agenda just makes people more distrustful of science in general.

Yeah both the summary and the things you posted above make sense. The problem is people will always gravitate to the opposite of mainstream, so being open and truthful I don't think would work either.
 
Anyone else got friends/family who are just constantly breaking or trying to get others to break the rules? Honestly completely brain dead, finding it very hard not to call them out on it.
 
:lol: I can’t tell if this is satire.

It's actually not, although rereading I can see how it would be taken that way.

I mean as in we're being safe and then are being looked down on by certain family members, despite the fact they are aware I'm high risk. Like how do I stop that ending in an argument
 
It's actually not, although rereading I can see how it would be taken that way.

I mean as in we're being safe and then are being looked down on by certain family members, despite the fact they are aware I'm high risk. Like how do I stop that ending in an argument
Completely agree mate! Must be even more infuriating when you’re high risk too!

I understand that it’s frustrating for some, but the same people who are moaning about these rules being implemented are the ones out there spreading it.
 
No update from @StuCol who was hospitalised. Hope he’s ok!
Hey guys. I’m glad to say I’ve been allowed home to recover now, and I’m on the mend. I can admit to being petrified , and seeing things in hospital I’d rather not have seen. But I’m a lucky one. I’ll get better now.
Thanks for all your comments .
Stu
 
Hey guys. I’m glad to say I’ve been allowed home to recover now, and I’m on the mend. I can admit to being petrified , and seeing things in hospital I’d rather not have seen. But I’m a lucky one. I’ll get better now.
Thanks for all your comments .
Stu

Glad to hear you're on the mend
 
Hey guys. I’m glad to say I’ve been allowed home to recover now, and I’m on the mend. I can admit to being petrified , and seeing things in hospital I’d rather not have seen. But I’m a lucky one. I’ll get better now.
Thanks for all your comments .
Stu
Good to hear. Take it easy until you're sure you're alright.
 
Hey guys. I’m glad to say I’ve been allowed home to recover now, and I’m on the mend. I can admit to being petrified , and seeing things in hospital I’d rather not have seen. But I’m a lucky one. I’ll get better now.
Thanks for all your comments .
Stu
Great to hear that you're back home. Take care during the recovery, and be patient with yourself.
 
Covid-19 new cases in USA now running at over 175k per day and accelerating. That means at least 1.25 million new cases per week. It's basically spiralling out of control.
 
Yeah I think the USA is more akin to newqauy
Hey guys. I’m glad to say I’ve been allowed home to recover now, and I’m on the mend. I can admit to being petrified , and seeing things in hospital I’d rather not have seen. But I’m a lucky one. I’ll get better now.
Thanks for all your comments .
Stu
brilliant news, pleased to hear you’re on the mend!
 
Hey guys. I’m glad to say I’ve been allowed home to recover now, and I’m on the mend. I can admit to being petrified , and seeing things in hospital I’d rather not have seen. But I’m a lucky one. I’ll get better now.
Thanks for all your comments .
Stu

Glad to hear you’re on the mend mate! Take the recovery steady!
 
Hey guys. I’m glad to say I’ve been allowed home to recover now, and I’m on the mend. I can admit to being petrified , and seeing things in hospital I’d rather not have seen. But I’m a lucky one. I’ll get better now.
Thanks for all your comments .
Stu
Glad to hear you’re home and on the mend. Look after yourself, and welcome back
 
Covid-19 new cases in USA now running at over 175k per day and accelerating. That means at least 1.25 million new cases per week. It's basically spiralling out of control.
That’s the confirmed cases. Given the number of mild to asymptotic cases of this virus it’s safe to assume that actual figure is at least x4 times. That would make it around 5M a week, crazy. Herd immunity should come before the full scale vaccine rollout for the US.
 
That’s the confirmed cases. Given the number of mild to asymptotic cases of this virus it’s safe to assume that actual figure is at least x4 times. That would make it around 5M a week, crazy. Herd immunity should come before the full scale vaccine rollout for the US.
Am I being ignorant in saying that you don’t really get herd immunity without a vaccine? That’s what I have been lead to believe anyway, especially when it is looking more like people can get this twice.
 
Hey guys. I’m glad to say I’ve been allowed home to recover now, and I’m on the mend. I can admit to being petrified , and seeing things in hospital I’d rather not have seen. But I’m a lucky one. I’ll get better now.
Thanks for all your comments .
Stu
Excellent stay well.
 
Hey guys. I’m glad to say I’ve been allowed home to recover now, and I’m on the mend. I can admit to being petrified , and seeing things in hospital I’d rather not have seen. But I’m a lucky one. I’ll get better now.
Thanks for all your comments .
Stu
Glad to see you back Stu!
 
Hey guys. I’m glad to say I’ve been allowed home to recover now, and I’m on the mend. I can admit to being petrified , and seeing things in hospital I’d rather not have seen. But I’m a lucky one. I’ll get better now.
Thanks for all your comments .
Stu
Excellent, wishing you a speedy and full recovery.
 
Hey guys. I’m glad to say I’ve been allowed home to recover now, and I’m on the mend. I can admit to being petrified , and seeing things in hospital I’d rather not have seen. But I’m a lucky one. I’ll get better now.
Thanks for all your comments .
Stu

Thats great news, what a relief for you and your family.
 
US cases are about on par with France UK Italy per capita. To match some high days of euro countries it would need to be 200-250k
 
Am I being ignorant in saying that you don’t really get herd immunity without a vaccine? That’s what I have been lead to believe anyway, especially when it is looking more like people can get this twice.

Not really. Most people do get immunity, but the problem with herd immunity is we don't know how long a previous infection gives you immunity for, it could only be a few months. By the time you get it a second time your immunity could have worn off. Plus, how many people will die getting to herd immunity?
 
Am I being ignorant in saying that you don’t really get herd immunity without a vaccine? That’s what I have been lead to believe anyway, especially when it is looking more like people can get this twice.
Not really. Most people do get immunity, but the problem with herd immunity is we don't know how long a previous infection gives you immunity for, it could only be a few months. By the time you get it a second time your immunity could have worn off. Plus, how many people will die getting to herd immunity?

If you don’t get long term immunity from catching the virus there’s a good chance the same is true of vaccines. At the end of the day, as far as your immune system is concerned, a vaccination is a poor approximation of the infection itself.

Realistically, if/when we ever get anywhere near herd immunity it will be a combination of prior infections and vaccinations. I personally don’t think we’ll get there but we’ll get close enough to get life back to more or less normal.
 
Hey guys. I’m glad to say I’ve been allowed home to recover now, and I’m on the mend. I can admit to being petrified , and seeing things in hospital I’d rather not have seen. But I’m a lucky one. I’ll get better now.
Thanks for all your comments .
Stu
Brilliant news mate! Good to have you back
 
If you don’t get long term immunity from catching the virus there’s a good chance the same is true of vaccines. At the end of the day, as far as your immune system is concerned, a vaccination is a poor approximation of the infection itself.

Realistically, if/when we ever get anywhere near herd immunity it will be a combination of prior infections and vaccinations. I personally don’t think we’ll get there but we’ll get close enough to get life back to more or less normal.
I see! Thank you for the response.
 
Hey guys. I’m glad to say I’ve been allowed home to recover now, and I’m on the mend. I can admit to being petrified , and seeing things in hospital I’d rather not have seen. But I’m a lucky one. I’ll get better now.
Thanks for all your comments .
Stu

Glad you are feeling better mate.
 
Hey guys. I’m glad to say I’ve been allowed home to recover now, and I’m on the mend. I can admit to being petrified , and seeing things in hospital I’d rather not have seen. But I’m a lucky one. I’ll get better now.
Thanks for all your comments .
Stu
StuCol 1 - 0 Covid

Welcome back mate.
 
If you don’t get long term immunity from catching the virus there’s a good chance the same is true of vaccines. At the end of the day, as far as your immune system is concerned, a vaccination is a poor approximation of the infection itself.

I know you are being cautious but aren't you being overly pessimistic in that it is likely that the best immune response - antibodies and t-cells - will only be seen in the worst cases of natural covid infection. Although the continuing lack of significant reinfection suggests some protection is common in all identified cases. So it is quite possible that a vaccine will, on overage give a better response as it is likely to be as good or better than getting a bad does of the real thing. That combined with significant t-cell longevity recorded for other human coronavirus is surely cause for optimism?

And I also don't think you can dismiss vaccines as a poor approximation of the real thing in that they are often designed to target the most important part of a virus and also often give a better response than an actual infection even if we have to give a booster to achieve that.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thecon...tter-immunity-than-an-actual-infection-145476

Realistically, if/when we ever get anywhere near herd immunity it will be a combination of prior infections and vaccinations. I personally don’t think we’ll get there but we’ll get close enough to get life back to more or less normal.

Hard to know until we know how effective a vaccine is, how long it protects us for and what the take up rate will be. I note here the government are slowly backing away from predictions. At first they hinted it would be compulsory, then aimed for 95% and now are talking about "everyone" who wants a free vaccine. I hope they reinforce this with some encouragement in the tax system (reduce the Medicare levy for people who are fully immunised for example).
 
Personally, I think the vaccines should be mandatory, but only after the vaccines are proven to be safe. Which means, after all clinical trials have shown it is safe, the first wave may be voluntary, as there are supply issues anyways. But later waves of vaccines should be mandatory once it is shown to be safe even after multiple waves and longer term results are available. Whether some people like it or not, should not even come into the equation as public health trumps whatever stupid delusion some people live under. They should also give green passes to people who are vaccinated so that they can do more activities. Like travel. Or attend live football matches. Etc. Which would help incentivize further the demand for vaccination.
 
Personally, I think the vaccines should be mandatory, but only after the vaccines are proven to be safe. Which means, after all clinical trials have shown it is safe, the first wave may be voluntary, as there are supply issues anyways. But later waves of vaccines should be mandatory once it is shown to be safe even after multiple waves and longer term results are available. Whether some people like it or not, should not even come into the equation as public health trumps whatever stupid delusion some people live under. They should also give green passes to people who are vaccinated so that they can do more activities. Like travel. Or attend live football matches. Etc. Which would help incentivize further the demand for vaccination.

With sentiments like this on the rise it's easy to see why some worry about the lingering after-effects of the pandemic, e.g. a greater desire for authoritarianism and a step closer to totalitarianism.
 
With sentiments like this on the rise it's easy to see why some worry about the lingering after-effects of the pandemic, e.g. a greater desire for authoritarianism and a step closer to totalitarianism.

Absolutely this. I'm stunned that anyone would want to live in a country where you're forcibly restrained/sedated whilst someone on the government payroll shoves a needle in your arm. That's before even thinking about how unfair it would be to expect medical professionals to carry this out against people's will.

Alongside the desire amongst certain groups for the use of far greater government force in restricting movement, far greater surveillance of the populace, the celebrating of coercive police practices and the desire to enforce draconian measures that cost other people their lives and livelihood; it makes me very worried about how future governments will harness the power of fear (similar to what happened after 9/11).

It's even more mind boggling as the very same people who want authoritarianism thrust upon them are often massively loathing and distrusting of the current government, despite wanting them to hold sweeping new powers. You'll hear someone talk of the horrors brought upon the poorest in society in one breath and then want that same government to have carte blanche to forcibly inject those same vulnerable people in another. It seems absurd to me.

As a previous poster mentioned in terms of a vaccine a tax incentive would be a far greater and less terrifying thought.
 
With sentiments like this on the rise it's easy to see why some worry about the lingering after-effects of the pandemic, e.g. a greater desire for authoritarianism and a step closer to totalitarianism.
It's common to see people mistake public health issues for authoritarianism. E.g. Anti maskers may have the freedom to not wear a mask. But their freedom to not wear a mask is not greater than everyone else's freedom to not be harmed by an anti maskers science denial.

I have absolute freedom to swing my fist. But my freedom to swing it ends at the tip of your nose. If I go further, I am harming you and that is basically assault.

At the end of the day, we have to let the scientists/epidemiologists focus on the science and we need to listen to their advise on public health matters.

Polio vaccines, BCG, Measles vaccines, etc are standard in many countries and have helped eradicate many diseases. We cannot continue to allow public health continue to be eroded on the misguided notion of freedom.
 
Absolutely this. I'm stunned that anyone would want to live in a country where you're forcibly restrained/sedated whilst someone on the government payroll shoves a needle in your arm. That's before even thinking about how unfair it would be to expect medical professionals to carry this out against people's will.

Alongside the desire amongst certain groups for the use of far greater government force in restricting movement, far greater surveillance of the populace, the celebrating of coercive police practices and the desire to enforce draconian measures that cost other people their lives and livelihood; it makes me very worried about how future governments will harness the power of fear (similar to what happened after 9/11).

It's even more mind boggling as the very same people who want authoritarianism thrust upon them are often massively loathing and distrusting of the current government, despite wanting them to hold sweeping new powers. You'll hear someone talk of the horrors brought upon the poorest in society in one breath and then want that same government to have carte blanche to forcibly inject those same vulnerable people in another. It seems absurd to me.

As a previous poster mentioned in terms of a vaccine a tax incentive would be a far greater and less terrifying thought.
Calm down. Nobody's advocating a single thing you are talking about.