When will this shit end?

[steviewevie]

My missus is now up and moaning at me as usual.

[Crazyfool01]

Just now, steviewevie said:

My missus is now up and moaning at me as usual.

out of reactions but like on both counts 

[balthazarstarbuck]

6 minutes ago, JoeyT said:

Well the J&J vaccine is coming in strong.

The graphics really appealing to my inner teenager 😂

 

And that’s why J&J stands for Johnson and Johnson.

[parsonjack]

1 minute ago, steviewevie said:

My missus is now up and moaning at me as usual.

Good to hear normal service has been resumed 👍

[steviewevie]

Just now, crazyfool1 said:

out of reactions but like on both counts 

I'm just wary that eveything I write about her sounds a bit  ohh-err rude.

[incident]

5 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

which makes me wonder why is the flu vaccine so rubbish in comparison ?  is it because flu changes more ? 

Yeah, that's a large factor.

There's so many different variants of flu in circulation that one vaccine couldn't cover them all.

The specific makeup of the flu vaccine changes each year - basically they try and predict which variants are likely to spread widely this time, and new formulas are created to provide protection against the most likely 4ish. So if the predictions are wrong the vaccine is automatically massively less effective - and given the production timescales the predictions need to be made about a year ahead of time.

[parsonjack]

Have they located the missing Brazilian variant carriers yet? 

Maybe they're looking in the wrong place and should limit the search to just a small strip down the middle of the country?

[zahidf]

5 minutes ago, incident said:

Yeah, that's a large factor.

There's so many different variants of flu in circulation that one vaccine couldn't cover them all.

The specific makeup of the flu vaccine changes each year - basically they try and predict which variants are likely to spread widely this time, and new formulas are created to provide protection against the most likely 4ish. So if the predictions are wrong the vaccine is automatically massively less effective - and given the production timescales the predictions need to be made about a year ahead of time.

I wonder if they can use the new technology and infrastructure from Covid to improve the flu vaccines.

[balthazarstarbuck]

2 minutes ago, parsonjack said:

Have they located the missing Brazilian variant carriers yet? 

Maybe they're looking in the wrong place and should limit the search to just a small strip down the middle of the country?

Smoothly done.

[Crazyfool01]

😍😋😀😀😀both posts 

[Crazyfool01]

9 minutes ago, incident said:

Yeah, that's a large factor.

There's so many different variants of flu in circulation that one vaccine couldn't cover them all.

The specific makeup of the flu vaccine changes each year - basically they try and predict which variants are likely to spread widely this time, and new formulas are created to provide protection against the most likely 4ish. So if the predictions are wrong the vaccine is automatically massively less effective - and given the production timescales the predictions need to be made about a year ahead of time.

Yep hopefully now things can get speeded up and work better given what we have been able to achieve with covid 

[squirrelarmy]

1 hour ago, Barry Fish said:

There is a hopeful truth in that - but it doesn't change the reality of a over stretched NHS today.  And its clearly not over until that isn't the case and the real threat of it happening again is gone.

NHS still hasn’t returned to normal. I’m due to have some quite major surgery at some point soon and that operation has been delayed until the hospital can safely do it. 
 

Most elective surgeries aren’t getting a look in. 

[JoeyT]

3 minutes ago, squirrelarmy said:

NHS still hasn’t returned to normal. I’m due to have some quite major surgery at some point soon and that operation has been delayed until the hospital can safely do it. 
 

Most elective surgeries aren’t getting a look in. 

It must vary vastly from hospital to hospital.

My Dad has an elective op happening in the next 2 weeks at the RUH hospital in Bath.

[fatyeti24]

35 minutes ago, JoeyT said:

Well the J&J vaccine is coming in strong.

The graphics really appealing to my inner teenager 😂

 

 

28 minutes ago, balthazarstarbuck said:

And that’s why J&J stands for Johnson and Johnson.

😄 

I'm glad it wasn't just me who saw that!

[funkychick2007]

2 minutes ago, squirrelarmy said:

NHS still hasn’t returned to normal. I’m due to have some quite major surgery at some point soon and that operation has been delayed until the hospital can safely do it. 
 

Most elective surgeries aren’t getting a look in. 

This is so true!! And i feel really guilty when i have a bad day and just want my op done!! They are doing a really good job but its such a difficult situation because ieven the planned surgeries are not guarenteed and covid dependent!! Such a mix of feelings!!

[Neville Street]

11 minutes ago, parsonjack said:

It is.  I'm 57 so Group 8 and not heard anything as yet about an invite.  We were blasting through previous groups here in Mendip but it's def slowed the last week or so.

I think the groups get bigger as we move through them, or at least so far, due to demographics. There are more 50-60 year olds than 70-80 year olds, etc. Not sure if the rates of jabs/day has dropped off.

[Toilet Duck]

40 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

which makes me wonder why is the flu vaccine so rubbish in comparison ?  is it because flu changes more ? 

What @incident said...plus, these Covid vaccines are specifically made to target the exact virus we are trying to defend against. Our flu jabs are more strain-specific than variant specific (to use terms that we are now all becoming familiar with!). So they target major features the variants within a strain have in common, but aren’t completely redesigned every year (we combine what we have for the most prevalent types...so for example, the quadrivalent one hits 4 different strains). While we have “accepted” a degree of flu-related deaths each year, we don’t have to and I’m genuinely excited to see what genetic vaccines can do for our annual fight against flu! 

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

45 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

which makes me wonder why is the flu vaccine so rubbish in comparison ?  is it because flu changes more ? 

The flu vaccine isn’t rubbish, it’s only routinely given to over 50s and the uptake is about 75%. As we all know from Covid as we’re all experts on things like efficacy now, no vaccine is 100% effective which includes the flu vaccine. Even if 100% of over 50s were vaccinated some people would still die from it because the flu vaccine isn’t 100% effective.

A maximum of 20,000 deaths a year in a population of 66m is tragic for those involved, but it is not a lot (for a virus that mutates endlessly) in the wider scheme of things, and like Covid a high majority of those deaths will be in particularly elderly and unwell people whose immune systems won’t take much to tip them over the edge, if it wasn’t flu it could be something else.

The Covid vaccines aren’t rubbish but if we get deaths down to flu levels for it every year we’ll be doing well.

Also from an infrastructure point of view, millions are vaccinated for flu every year and it’s already a very slick operation irrespective of Covid, but again even if you vaccinated the whole country against Flu you’d still get a few thousand deaths, just like we always will with Covid.

[Crazyfool01]

1 minute ago, Deaf Nobby Burton said:

The flu vaccine isn’t rubbish, it’s only routinely given to over 50s and the uptake is about 75%. As we all know from Covid as we’re all experts on things like efficacy now, no vaccine is 100% effective which includes the flu vaccine. Even if 100% of over 50s were vaccinated some people would still die from it because the flu vaccine isn’t 100% effective.

A maximum of 20,000 deaths a year in a population of 66m is tragic for those involved, but it is not a lot (for a virus that mutates endlessly) in the wider scheme of things, and like Covid a high majority of those deaths will be in particularly elderly and unwell people whose immune systems won’t take much to tip them over the edge, if it wasn’t flu it could be something else.

The Covid vaccines aren’t rubbish but if we get deaths down to flu levels for it every year we’ll be doing well.

Also from an infrastructure point of view, millions are vaccinated for flu every year and it’s already a very slick operation irrespective of Covid, but again even if you vaccinated the whole country against Flu you’d still get a few thousand deaths, just like we always will with Covid.

apologies if that appeared flippant or throw away .... I was just intrigued in the comparison ... Ive had my flu jab for 10 years now and won't hesitate again ... this year was the slickest ever ... I had a 4 min window I think ... quite incredible 

[squirrelarmy]

23 minutes ago, JoeyT said:

It must vary vastly from hospital to hospital.

My Dad has an elective op happening in the next 2 weeks at the RUH hospital in Bath.

The SW hasn’t been hit as hard as West Yorkshire. Cases are still climbing here. 

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

5 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

apologies if that appeared flippant or throw away .... I was just intrigued in the comparison ... Ive had my flu jab for 10 years now and won't hesitate again ... this year was the slickest ever ... I had a 4 min window I think ... quite incredible 

Oh I didn’t think you were being flippant at all, it’s just that it’s the nature of viruses, and vaccines, especially one like flu with an endless ability to mutate. I think it was someone else who mentioned using the Covid infrastructure for flu, but I don’t think it’s necessary, trying to vaccinate everyone below 50 (aside from people who are advised to have it) just wouldn’t be worth it and they already comfortably vaccinate anyone above that age that wants it.

Edited March 3, 2021 by Deaf Nobby Burton

[st dan]

My wife’s hospital now has zero (yes zero) designated Covid wards!

There are that few patients currently in the hospital with Covid, that they can allocate them into their own side / barrier rooms for treatment and recovery. Looks like the end may now actually be in sight!

[gizmoman]

https://www.hsj.co.uk/quality-and-performance/exclusive-nhs-in-london-asked-to-plan-for-possible-covid-surge-later-in-2021/7029605.article

Exclusive: NHS in London asked to plan for ‘possible covid surge later in 2021’

They claim to have seen a leaked document which asks them to plan for another surge, you have to wonder where they think this surge is coming from if most people are vaccinated.

The guy seems to be a proper journalist,

https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/british-journalism-awards-for-specialist-media-2018-inside-housing-named-publication-of-the-year-full-list-of-winners/

The prize for Investigation of the Year went to James Illman of the Health Service Journal for his work looking at the East of England Ambulance Services Trust, one of the worst performers in the country on the most urgent response times.

[incident]

Just now, gizmoman said:

They claim to have seen a leaked document which asks them to plan for another surge, you have to wonder where they think this surge is coming from if most people are vaccinated.

Plan for a possible surge.

They also plan for a possible nuclear attack.

[st dan]

Just now, incident said:

Plan for a possible surge.

They also plan for a possible nuclear attack.

Yep, in fact I’d be very concerned if they didn’t have contingency plans drawn up.