When will this shit end?

[zahidf]

59 minutes ago, Mr.Tease said:

Can't believe some people are still pretending they don't understand the caution is mainly over variants developing that can bypass some of the immunity

There's caution and then there's maintaining  horrible restrictions on our freedom for no good reason. VAriAnTs aren't a good enough reason unless there is evidence of vaccine escape (at which there isnt any at the moment)

[stuartbert two hats]

48 minutes ago, Mr.Tease said:

Can't believe some people are still pretending they don't understand the caution is mainly over variants developing that can bypass some of the immunity

I'm not pretending that I believe that keeping prevalence down to protect the immunocompromised before we have vaccinated more of the population is a significant consideration.

As @El Matador says, if it really was mainly about variants, then it wouldn't be a valid reason to keep things going indefinitely - and indeed the UK's plan is to ease restrictions almost entirely in two months. Given that the population of the world is unlikely to be vaccinated this year, emergence of new variants is likely to be an issue well beyond easing of restrictions in this country. So it seems to me that variants aren't top of the list.

Are we at cross purposes on what you mean by "caution"?

[stuartbert two hats]

1 minute ago, zahidf said:

There's caution and then there's maintaining  horrible restrictions on our freedom for no good reason. VAriAnTs aren't a good enough reason unless there is evidence of vaccine escape (at which there isnt any at the moment)

And the UK government appear to agree with you.

[Hannibal Schmitt]

Despite the third corona wave, the German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Olaf Scholz is optimistic that people will be able to go on vacation in the summer. "I very much hope that vacation trips in the summer will also be possible," he told "Welt am Sonntag". That depends, among other things, on how the pandemic develops in Germany's neighboring countries.
"The picture is still too unclear to dare to make more precise forecasts - we are currently in the middle of the third wave. But I firmly expect to be able to sit in the beer garden in summer and watch the next Bundesliga season in the stadium," emphasized the SPD -Chief and candidate for chancellor.

[Fuzzy Afro]

1 hour ago, Mr.Tease said:

Can't believe some people are still pretending they don't understand the caution is mainly over variants developing that can bypass some of the immunity

This idea that a variant will just “beat” the vaccines is pie in the sky anti-vax nonsense 

[zahidf]

 

[stephos83]

A really interesting article about the accuracy of LFTs, and other tests:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/18/obscure-maths-bayes-theorem-reliability-covid-lateral-flow-tests-probability

 

[Freddyflintstonree]

2 hours ago, Supernintendo Chalmers said:

Think I'll socially distance myself from that one...

Haha fair enough. I got tickets for me and my partner. Weird to think we will be going to a gig in two weeks... 

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

13 minutes ago, Freddyflintstonree said:

Haha fair enough. I got tickets for me and my partner. Weird to think we will be going to a gig in two weeks... 

I'm only joking, I'm jealous. My last non-socially distanced gig was in February 2020. Crazy when you think about it. Have a great time! And report back!

[JoeyT]

 

[steviewevie]

5 minutes ago, JoeyT said:

 

they can't confirm that. 

[Guest]

Yeah they can’t confirm that, it’s too unpredictable. It’s very likely step 3 will happen but the weeks after will be key with indoor mixing being allowed again. They need to be flexible and adapt accordingly if things go in certain ways. 

[Fuzzy Afro]

I’m off to do some indoor mixing today 🙂 

[efcfanwirral]

There is a pilot event for live music early May. It wasn't on the original list but here it is.

I'm annoyed I'm not in the liverpool city region by literally a couple of miles due to my council area, despite being wirral in "peninsula" terms

[steviewevie]

They don't have to wear masks outdoors in Israel now.

[zahidf]

 

[Mr.Tease]

2 hours ago, stuartbert two hats said:

I'm not pretending that I believe that keeping prevalence down to protect the immunocompromised before we have vaccinated more of the population is a significant consideration.

As @El Matador says, if it really was mainly about variants, then it wouldn't be a valid reason to keep things going indefinitely - and indeed the UK's plan is to ease restrictions almost entirely in two months. Given that the population of the world is unlikely to be vaccinated this year, emergence of new variants is likely to be an issue well beyond easing of restrictions in this country. So it seems to me that variants aren't top of the list.

Are we at cross purposes on what you mean by "caution"?

I don't think we are! I think we probably are on the same page (I don't take issue with people arguing about how cautious we should be, it's just when articles pretend they don't know what factors are underpinning the caution) 

I think it's fair to say there are one or two variants they're concerned about vs the AZ vaccine (they probably want more real world data before they can make definitive conclusions), and they think we'll Likely need the booster shot from September to cover them- look on it as an overly cautious dress rehearsal, and once theyve got it down, they'll go with annual boosters with less/next to no restrictions. 

[zahidf]

Nicola Sturgeon also said that her understanding was that the Indian strain of coronavirus was no more transmissible and no more likely to evade vaccines.

“At the moment it is a variant of interest as opposed to a variant of concern but I think the thing we’ve got to recognise about Covid is that it is mutating and we are seeing new variants appear in different parts of the world,” she told Sophy Ridge on Sunday, on Sky News.

“We don’t know where the variants of real concern are going to come from which is why an approach to international travel that tries to categorise risk with some countries categorised as red list countries and other countries deemed to be safer, I think poses a risk because none of us know right now where the next variant that might be problematic is going to occur.”

[steviewevie]

• AstraZeneca could release a modified vaccine against South African variant by end of the year, an official told an Austrian newspaper this weekend. Sarah Walters, AstraZeneca’s Austria country manager, told the Kurier newspaper that the firm had “started modifications to the vaccine for the South African variant and we expect it will be ready by the end of the year, should it be needed”.

[Hannibal Schmitt]

21 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

• AstraZeneca could release a modified vaccine against South African variant by end of the year, an official told an Austrian newspaper this weekend. Sarah Walters, AstraZeneca’s Austria country manager, told the Kurier newspaper that the firm had “started modifications to the vaccine for the South African variant and we expect it will be ready by the end of the year, should it be needed”.

Yeah, that has been one page about AZ problems and one extra column with the interview, headlining „Unfortunately we had a lower yield  than expected“ Walter speaking of delivery problems to the EU and how vaccination is also an emotional topic which effects everybody. Also saying that studies against variants had only a small size, so how the AZ works against those variants can`t be exactly told but probably having a low to middle protection against those. She hopes that together with the University Oxford they can adjust the vaccine against the SA variant by end of the year.

[zahidf]

 

[steviewevie]

More fake Sage.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/18/patent-waiver-covid-vaccines-uk-variants

[Fuzzy Afro]

9 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

More fake Sage.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/18/patent-waiver-covid-vaccines-uk-variants

Way to slap the face of the scientists and pharmaceutical giants getting us out of this mess who deserve to be handsomely rewarded for their incredible work.

 

Fake SAGE can get in the bin. 

[steviewevie]

#PeoplesVaccine

https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/our-campaigns/pharma/we-need-global-access-to-covid-19-vaccines/call-for-a-peoples-vaccine/

[stuie]

On 4/17/2021 at 12:03 PM, JoeyT said:

I can confirm that mask wearing between equipment is 0% at my David Lloyd gym.

Did a spin class earlier and didn’t see one person with a mask. That includes those who went from changing room to the outside area where the bikes are.

Its a ridiculous guideline and glad that everyone is ignoring it. 

If you can do spin with a face covering on you aren’t doing it right! Even if it’s focused on resistance and not sprints. 
 

Bloody stupid to expect people to even try and do that. If you go in a spin studio, you are surely aware of the risks and making your own risk assessment. 

Edited April 18, 2021 by stuie