Coronavirus

[Alsty]

I don't mind delaying it if it means we can avoid another lockdown later on.

 

[BigT]

A few more weeks to ensure the evidence coming through on Delta variant hospitalisation/death rates can be analysed and to allow the number of 2nd vaccinations to increase to a level that further breaks the link between infection and hospitalisation seems sensible to me.

Seems mad to come this far and then mess it all up at the last minute by removing the final few restrictions too soon.

Or you could also say mad to keep them if your living depends on the last “lot” of restrictions being scrapped.
Deaths low, hospitalisations low, vaccinated high, remember the phrase “3 weeks to flatten the curve”? That was 15 months ago......

 

[AT86]

Case numbers and hospitalisations are rising. Vaccination needs 2 doses and a further 2 weeks to build up good protection against Delta variant. 55% of UK adults have had 2 vaccines.

If action had been taken to stop travel from areas with Delta variant sooner so it did not become the dominant strain then we might not be in this situation now and June 21st could have been the date to remove the final restrictions. But it didn’t happen and we are where we are.

It is too soon to know if that increase in cases will result in a further increase in hospital admissions and higher deaths, since there is always a delay. Therefore allowing time for those figures to play out, and for more 2nd doses to be given in the mean time will help to reduce the chances of another wave.

If everything is scrapped on June 21st and there is a high hospital admission or death wave brewing it will only get worse with more mixing of the population and then even stricter measures will have to be taken again to bring it back down, impacting on even more people’s livelihoods and health.

 

[Alsty]

There's an interesting post on the BBC about the variants. Link

The R0 of the original Coronavirus first identified in Wuhan was about 2.4. That means without any mitigations (such as social distancing, vaccinations and face coverings) every person would infect 2.4 others on average. The Alpha variant first identified in Kent has an R0 between about 4-5 and the Delta variant first identified in India about 5-8. It really shows how much more transmissible it has become.

If we were just about keeping the virus under control with the Alpha variant, it won't be enough for the Delta variant. However it remains to be seen if the rising cases will turn into a third wave that will overwhelm the NHS.

 

[BigT]

Nonsense, that’s exactly what they want you to believe, hospitalisations are static more or less, some days up somedays down, only 1000 in the last 7 days, deaths have actually fallen slightly.
The link has been broken, more or less everyone who is likely to get seriously ill or die has been offered both vaccines, if they didn’t take it up that’s their hard luck, the rest of us want to get on with our lives and throw these stupid masks in the bin.
A single vaccine dose is enough in the vast majority of cases of people under 50 to stop serious disease from any known variant, forget this 33% rubbish, that’s systematic cases not hospitalisations.

 

[Benjsh]

All the 9 at risk groups now have been double jabbed.

Most people over 55 with no health concerns have now been double jabbed or had the opportunity to be anyway.

Businesses are collapsing on a daily basis. The 'cure' is now starting to do more damage than the virus itself which many people envisaged. Pubs, clubs, venues, theatres, small businesses, cinemas are on their knees.

End the madness now. Get life going again. This isn't going away either way. It's here to stay.

 

[monkeyboy]

All the 9 at risk groups now have been double jabbed.

Most people over 55 with no health concerns have now been double jabbed or had the opportunity to be anyway.

Businesses are collapsing on a daily basis. The 'cure' is now starting to do more damage than the virus itself which many people envisaged. Pubs, clubs, venues, theatres, small businesses, cinemas are on their knees.

End the madness now. Get life going again. This isn't going away either way. It's here to stay.

Agreed, the sooner we start realizing that 9000 people die a week of all the other things then it’s puts where we are with covid into perspective.
It’s a virus that mainly kills the older vulnerable citizens. With them protected let’s move on.

And any thought of a vaccine passport(ID card effectively) to get into a venue in Uk becoming the norm is not acceptable

Another country yes


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[shakey]

It is a difficult one but I would be in favour of an initial 2 week delay then review it again after that.



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[Davezilla]

If the vulnerable have been fully vaccinated then I really do struggle to see why we can't go back to normal. Yes some haven't, but that's a lot of the time by choice, so why should the rest of us suffer?

 

[monkeyboy]

It is a difficult one but I would be in favour of an initial 2 week delay then review it again after that.



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Then again,then again and so on
How many variants
The goal was to protect the vulnerable and the NHs
Mission complete
Move on


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[BigT]

Then again,then again and so on
How many variants
The goal was to protect the vulnerable and the NHs
Mission complete
Move on


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This is bang on and exactly the point, what will change in two or four weeks, very little.
We will just keep reviewing and extending for ever, there is already talk in the papers of scientists trying to convince the government to keep current restrictions in place until NEXT SPRING... no chance.

 

[monkeyboy]

It’s amazing how the media slowly points us to their upcoming narrative.

Data not dates lol
Ok let’s go with that


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[shakey]

Then again,then again and so on
How many variants
The goal was to protect the vulnerable and the NHs
Mission complete
Move on


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The vaccine takes up to 4 weeks to be fully effective. Many over 50s have only recently had their 2nd vaccine.

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[MattyH]

Delay it until more people have had the jab, Delay it until all people have had two jabs, delay it until the booster jabs have been given, delay it until the hospitalisation rates go down, dealy it until the spring, delay it until the summer, delay it until the autumn....

Time to wake up and smell the roses.

 

[Funcone]

And if you can't smell the roses, it's probably because you've got Covid.

 

[RoyJess]

Cases are rising, but the death and hospital rates have plateaued. No one is following the social distancing rules or wearing their mask properly. So I now feel it's pointless carrying on the restrictions.

If the vulnerable have been fully vaccinated then I really do struggle to see why we can't go back to normal. Yes some haven't, but that's a lot of the time by choice, so why should the rest of us suffer?

However, not everyone that is vulnerable are fully vaccinated. As @shakey say's, it takes 4 weeks for the second does to reach maximum immunity against the Delta variant.

It was also briefly mentioned on the BBC a few days ago that there are elderly people that are in the top vaccine groups that do not own a mobile phone and do not have internet that are still waiting for the GP to contact them to come forward to have the vaccine.

I can also tell you from our own experience that not all the vulnerable were prioritised as promised. My wife who comes under group 6 and is severely disabled, despite now having her 2nd jab, will not have reached maximum immunity by the 21st of June.

Personally I would lift all the restrictions and advise those that fall into the vulnerable groups that are yet to receive their 2nd jab or waiting to reach maximum immunity to continue to avoid mixing with other people indoors and to continue to wear mask indoors if they must enter a shop or mix with other people

 

[Davezilla]

Cases are rising, but the death and hospital rates have plateaued. No one is following the social distancing rules or wearing their mask properly. So I now feel it's pointless carrying on the restrictions.



However, not everyone that is vulnerable are fully vaccinated. As @shakey say's, it takes 4 weeks for the second does to reach maximum immunity against the Delta variant.

It was also briefly mentioned on the BBC a few days ago that there are elderly people that are in the top vaccine groups that do not own a mobile phone and do not have internet that are still waiting for the GP to contact them to come forward to have the vaccine.

I can also tell you from our own experience that not all the vulnerable were prioritised as promised. My wife who comes under group 6 and is severely disabled, despite now having her 2nd jab, will not have reached maximum immunity by the 21st of June.

Personally I would lift all the restrictions and advise those that fall into the vulnerable groups that are yet to receive their 2nd jab or waiting to reach maximum immunity to continue to avoid mixing with other people indoors and to continue to wear mask indoors if they must enter a shop or mix with other people

Sorry I should have been a bit clearer (I'd had a couple when I posted last night) but I meant once all vulnerable have had both doses, I didn't mean now as I do understand that some are only just having the 2nd. But realistically by some time in July we should be pretty much risk free and can therefore get back to pre-covid normality.

 

[delta79]

Personally I would lift all the restrictions and advise those that fall into the vulnerable groups that are yet to receive their 2nd jab or waiting to reach maximum immunity to continue to avoid mixing with other people indoors and to continue to wear mask indoors if they must enter a shop or mix with other people

That sound like a great way to move forward.

I would add to it a push on keeping up hand hygiene for all and the catch it, kill it, bin it NHS campaign from a few years ago.



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[monkeyboy]

The vaccine takes up to 4 weeks to be fully effective. Many over 50s have only recently had their 2nd vaccine.

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But the over 50s we’re not part of the vulnerable age category that was Another goal post that was moved


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[Matt N]

But the over 50s we’re not part of the vulnerable age category that was Another goal post that was moved


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The over-50s were always part of the JCVI top 9 priority groups, released at the start of the vaccination program. The top 9 priority groups are where 99% of hospitalisations occur, so once all of the top 9 groups are protected, we should be in a substantially better position, but we’ll have the best protection once all adults are at least partially vaccinated.

I’m aware that the government’s original target was the top 4 priority groups, but I think this was merely to start easing lockdown, as if you remember, we were in a substantially worsened position in Jan/Feb this year, so to remove everything once those groups had been done would have been extremely dangerous.

In fairness, the government did begin to ease the lockdown shortly after the top 4 priority groups were completed, so they did technically meet that promise; the top 4 groups were done in mid-February, and Boris set out the roadmap and announced the reopening of schools on 8th March shortly after.

The government and the scientists are human too. They don’t want to keep us distancing and masking for any longer than they have to.