I may be wrong but wouldn’t a further mutation be expected to be weaker/milder again, even if potentially as contagious as omicron?
SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)
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I may be wrong but wouldn’t a further mutation be expected to be weaker/milder again, even if potentially as contagious as omicron?
Yeah they say that but who wants a dump on their head? Nobody I’d wager
When you put it that way…
I think that depends on it being a direct or close evolution from omicron where as there's every chance you'll get other strains mutate.
At least that's what I've gleamed from articles covering that question.
Correct. And omicron wasn’t a direct descendant of any of the other recent variants. It came from a much earlier branch of the family tree. So if history repeats itself we could end up with a tweaked version of delta, rather than omicron 2.0.
A sidenote on some of the collateral damage following our covid response. A lot of the talk so far has been about delayed/missed diagnoses of cancer and heart disease, and things like knee replacements put on hold. What those things had in common was that they were (mostly) unavoidable. They were chasing the same skilled people and hospital facilities that covid was using.
Meanwhile another, potentially disastrous, public health storm is brewing in the young.
The talk so far has been on (academic) catch-up for the school time lost. Looks like we need to be talking about school sports, after school clubs and food poverty.
Meanwhile another, potentially disastrous, public health storm is brewing in the young.
The talk so far has been on (academic) catch-up for the school time lost. Looks like we need to be talking about school sports, after school clubs and food poverty.
Good luck catching up in school with low energy levels and foggy minds from obesity.
What's the feeling on here about masks now? I went out at the weekend and was in an increasingly small minority that was wearing one on the bus, in shops and in a bar. In the bar I reckon there were two of us out of 100 or so.
I don't mind either wearing one or not wearing one, but I'm still doing it out of a mixture of habit and a sense of community spirit. It just seems the community doesn't care any more. There's also the added benefit of keeping my face nice and warm in the cold and windy weather we're having in Manchester at the moment.
I don't mind either wearing one or not wearing one, but I'm still doing it out of a mixture of habit and a sense of community spirit. It just seems the community doesn't care any more. There's also the added benefit of keeping my face nice and warm in the cold and windy weather we're having in Manchester at the moment.
In terms of principles, I'm still suggesting anyone who knows they're at risk or still feels vulnerable - wear a KN95/FFP2 mask and avoid crowded indoor spaces.
Personally though I'll follow the rules where they still exist, my maskwearing days are coming to an end - I want to see people's faces, I want my deaf nephew to be able to lipread people again, I'm fed up of my glasses steaming up etc. I do wear a mask on public transport and in supermarkets etc - as an act of solidarity, rather than because I think it makes a significant dent in the omicron R rate. In a bar? No, not really or at least not consistently. I used to wear one on arrival and when moving around, but I think the risk is now so high once you're in a bar/restaurant etc that it's basically pointless, I also think you have to accept that risk if you choose to go in.
It's worth looking at the risk analysis from this study. This assumes a community level covid infection level of 1% (a lot lower than the UK at present. Some people see it as an argument for mask wearing in indoor and outdoor settings - I see it as a reminder that they don't fix much unless you plan to sit outdoors in silence:
Kind of the response I was expecting, although in a lot more detail. Thanks as ever Jo.In terms of principles, I'm still suggesting anyone who knows they're at risk or still feels vulnerable - wear a KN95/FFP2 mask and avoid crowded indoor spaces.
Personally though I'll follow the rules where they still exist, my maskwearing days are coming to an end - I want to see people's faces, I want my deaf nephew to be able to lipread people again, I'm fed up of my glasses steaming up etc. I do wear a mask on public transport and in supermarkets etc - as an act of solidarity, rather than because I think it makes a significant dent in the omicron R rate. In a bar? No, not really or at least not consistently. I used to wear one on arrival and when moving around, but I think the risk is now so high once you're in a bar/restaurant etc that it's basically pointless, I also think you have to accept that risk if you choose to go in.
It's worth looking at the risk analysis from this study. This assumes a community level covid infection level of 1% (a lot lower than the UK at present. Some people see it as an argument for mask wearing in indoor and outdoor settings - I see it as a reminder that they don't fix much unless you plan to sit outdoors in silence:
I've been more often than not happy to sit outside when having a drink, but the weather has been so shitty recently they didn't even bother putting any seating outside.
I stopped wearing mine when the restrictions ended on the 27th of January.
I generally don't like following the direction of Boris Johnson, and his policy based on trying to distract the general public from his (and his party's) wrongdoings. So I continued to wear them in busy public places. No judgement of anyone who didn't, mind.
I was more following law than that dosser Boris. The logic of not wearing them in pubs and restaurants made no sense so personally it was inevitable that when the mandate ended that I would follow suit.
I know this is an old post. My mother is 63, triple vaxxed but tested positive for covid (presumably omicron) 7 days ago. Still positive a week on with LFT.
She's not breathless, but since she tested positive she does get 'out of breath' quite easily when walking around the house, fine if she's sitting down. She can hold conversations just fine.
I'd assume this is fairly normal? as breathlessness is specifically mentioned on the NHS website as a symptom of covid.
Covid Twitter has got so mental over the last month or two. I mean, it’s always been mental but there’s more and more emotional hot takes from people who should know better. Denmark is currently public enemy number one for left wing American Twitter.
In terms of principles, I'm still suggesting anyone who knows they're at risk or still feels vulnerable - wear a KN95/FFP2 mask and avoid crowded indoor spaces.
Personally though I'll follow the rules where they still exist, my maskwearing days are coming to an end - I want to see people's faces, I want my deaf nephew to be able to lipread people again, I'm fed up of my glasses steaming up etc. I do wear a mask on public transport and in supermarkets etc - as an act of solidarity, rather than because I think it makes a significant dent in the omicron R rate. In a bar? No, not really or at least not consistently. I used to wear one on arrival and when moving around, but I think the risk is now so high once you're in a bar/restaurant etc that it's basically pointless, I also think you have to accept that risk if you choose to go in.
It's worth looking at the risk analysis from this study. This assumes a community level covid infection level of 1% (a lot lower than the UK at present. Some people see it as an argument for mask wearing in indoor and outdoor settings - I see it as a reminder that they don't fix much unless you plan to sit outdoors in silence:
That graph's colouring is a bit skewed - 16 the same as 99, and not that different from .25.
Any new dominant variant will almost certainly have to be more contagious. It could be more or less virulent that the strain it mutates from (as long as it is not so virulent that the host dies fast enough to offset the increased infectiousness).
Almost three days without a post in this thread (possibly a record since early 2020?)
Sign of the times, Ireland is ending mandatory testing for under-55s with symptoms (along with mask-wearing and pretty much all other restrictions).
https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2022/0218/1281557-mask-rules/
Sign of the times, Ireland is ending mandatory testing for under-55s with symptoms (along with mask-wearing and pretty much all other restrictions).
https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2022/0218/1281557-mask-rules/
Remember the outrage about people sitting on the beach. That was good
Until the next variant yeah, covids taken a backseat to Russia and Ukraine, high energy bills and the storm.
The loosening of the requirement to wear a face mask will really impinge on me being an antisocial twat. Not so much that I’ll stop, but just enough that people will stop being understanding about it.
Sorry for late reply on this. Exertional breathlessness is something that needs assessment by GP. Could be post-viral wheeze or something not covid related like a heart valvular issue. May need blood work up or investigations like spirometry. Might not be serious but best to get checked out by a doctor I think especially if not going away.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattl...ccounts-for-more-u-s-deaths-than-delta-surge/
do european countries/canada have similar numbers?
do european countries/canada have similar numbers?
Thank you, as it happens that symptom was brief and only during the height of her illness with covid. She's now basically symptom free, spare the odd headache and feeling a bit more run down than normal. Still testing positive even after 12 days! But the LFT 'positive' line is becoming much fainter with each test. I will tell her to call her GP regarding the 'easily out of breath' symptom, but I believe it has now disappeared.
Off topic: Really appreciate that you replied, thanks. I should know better than to ask for your advice because I know how awkward it can be for you to speak off the record. A friend of mine is a doctor and he *never* gives medical advice outside of work unless he chances upon an emergency. So cheers.
As always, those numbers can be misleading as they can conflate “dying with” and “dying from”. Plus it can miss people dying with covid who didn’t get tested. Excess deaths a better way to gauge the impact and excess deaths during this wave are generally down on previous waves. Often by quite a lot. In a few European countries they’re actually down on pre-pandemic numbers. The countries with the most effective vaccine roll-outs have suffered the least, obviously.
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-estimates
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I assume that free access to testing will go next but, in the meantime, does this now mean that even if you’ve got Covid you can / should go into work unless you’re not well enough to work (like with a cold or similar)?
You can do loads of comparisons at:
https://ourworldindata.org/covid-deaths
As usual it's an it depends sort of formula. Some countries who had low deaths early in the pandemic are struggling because their vaccine rollouts have failed - Greece and most of Eastern Europe are in that category. Most of these countries have had more (confirmed covid) deaths since vaccines became widely available to risk groups than they did before.
Countries who did well early on and are now highly vaccinated like Denmark (and Ireland) have seen upswings in deaths as cases rise, but on nothing like the scale of the US Delta and Omicron waves.
Countries who did badly early on, but then ran successful vaccine campaigns like the UK, are seeing deaths but on nothing like the scale of previous waves.
The US look like they will have as many deaths since vaccines became widely available as they did before - they've been more or less unique in the official figures by being bad performers in every wave. But it's probably not fair to compare them to individual European countries - state by state comparisons are probably more meaningful. Some US states are like Eastern Europe, some are like the Western European countries - it's more or less entirely about vaccine rollout.
As Pogue suggests though, you don't get the whole picture from official stats. The US and Russia manage to do badly throughout the pandemic on those excess deaths stats. Most countries who did badly early on, did better later.
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I’m not sure but it seems like no more legal requirement to isolate. But they’ll probably reveal further closer to the time.
Wonder how employers will react to positive tests being done privately or with older unused LFTs.
Especially in sectors like healthcare and care.
my mum works for a health centre and put herself forward for some random swab testing they were doing just after a nasty cold she had, after she had omnicron. When the results came back it said she had a virus which basically mimics covid. That’s probably why colds we are getting are a bit nastier currently.
Incredible really… surreal how badly this has been governed from the very beginning, and you know there’ll be no kick back, no accountability for those responsible.
There are so many things that could and should’ve been taken from this - masking up when ill like in the Far East, not having people crawling into work when ill, working from home where possible to limit needless pollution etc.
Feels like we’re being led backwards.
Yes, and you know that a lot of people won't get paid if they’re off sick (or if self employed) so now they will be under pressure to go into work with Covid (but may not want to disclose the fact to colleagues or customers), infecting others who are oblivious to the fact, who may be vulnerable themselves or be visiting family, e.g. in care homes, who are vulnerable. It’s going to be a scary time for those who are vulnerable.
Exactly. It just baffles me that they get away with it - time and time again… you’d think there’d be absolute uproar.
Turkey’s voting for (or at least, accepting) Christmas.
It just makes me so seethingly angry tbh. How such despicable people can be elected to lead in this day and age is beggar’s belief.
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With todays announcement, we survived Covid then. Well done everyone
It was going to happen sooner or later. UK has a very high vaccination + booster rate. People have been compliant with the restrictions even when it turned out the government did not follow their own rules. A lot of people never had the choice of being able to work from home in the first place being essential workers or in work that cannot be done from home.
The government scrapping rules doesn't mean people who have followed them up to now are going to change tune instantly. Equally there is a section of society who never followed the guidelines in the first place. If most of the public have done everything they were asked to do and a small fringe of people have done nothing but obstruct this by refusing to wear masks and abusing retail staff over it, breaking lockdown rules when there was no vaccine (including the government) and remaining unvaccinated a year after they have been available, what more can you do? Vaccine passports or mandates? To be frank I wouldn't be against them because I didn't need prompting to go ahead and take the most effective protection for the virus and which has been free of cost.
The government scrapping rules doesn't mean people who have followed them up to now are going to change tune instantly. Equally there is a section of society who never followed the guidelines in the first place. If most of the public have done everything they were asked to do and a small fringe of people have done nothing but obstruct this by refusing to wear masks and abusing retail staff over it, breaking lockdown rules when there was no vaccine (including the government) and remaining unvaccinated a year after they have been available, what more can you do? Vaccine passports or mandates? To be frank I wouldn't be against them because I didn't need prompting to go ahead and take the most effective protection for the virus and which has been free of cost.
