Corona Virus: How Are We Doing?

[roubaixtuesday]

I hope you lot realise you've collectively destroyed my monthly attempt at optimism.

Ah, well, back to normal...

The vaccines are highly effective against serious disease for all variants, and a booster prevents waning over time.

There's your optimism!

 

[KnittyNorah]

Or, to put it another way, @Milzy , if vaccines were generally a bad idea, there's a pretty good chance that a goodly slice of us wouldn't be here arguing about it...

It's fairly clear that @Milzy doesn't think all vaccines are a bad idea - just Covid vaccines.
All the other vaccines are fine he specifically stated when asked.
No mention of the polio problem - in 1955, soon after mass polio vaccination began in the US, reports arose of patients who contracted paralytic polio about a week after being vaccinated, with the paralysis generally limited to the limb the vaccine was injected into. Investigations showed that 100,000 vaccines from Cutter and Wyeth contained live virus and had caused 40,000 cases of polio, killing 10.
All other vaccines are fine ...
I could continue, with further 'tales of the unexpected - vaccine selection' from all around the body - and the world.

 

[Ajax Bay]

@Gillstay said "So Covid is the weaker strain of what then ?" What are you talking about there’s many variants of Covid-19. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Mu and Omicron. The weaker ones may be weaker but become far more easily transmitted.
Delta killed many & vaccines did their best with that eventually. The later variants are able to dodge the older vaccines which is why some people say the boosters were pointless.

The original alpha variant.

@Gillstay Alpha was not the original 'wild' strain (Chine late 2019): Alpha (B1.1.7) was only designated a VOC in Sep 2020.
@Milzy Delta (B.1.617.2 ) was designated a VOC in May 2021. By then most of the most vulnerable in UK (over 75) had been doubly vaccinated, thank goodness. "Delta killed many" but way less per month than either the original or Alpha. I suggest this 'delta' (swidt) is because of the UK's superb vaccination effort (all aspects) from Dec 2020 to Jul 2021 and ongoing.

England deaths (I deprecate this metric but it is a fairly accurate one, given the error from 'with not of' and the within 28 days protocol) from:
Original = 40k (Mar - Oct 2020, 7 months))
Alpha variant = 73k (Oct 2020 - Jun 2021, 8 months)
Delta = 21k (Jun 2021 - Jan 2022, 7 months)
Since then/ Omicron = 32k (8 months)
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/deaths?areaType=nation&areaName=England

 

[Alex321]

I can't believe I've just read this!

It wasn't long ago if anyone dared admitting to not wearing a mask cries of 'selfish ', 'covidiots' , 'snowflake ' and all manner of insults were cast, what's happened to change things?

Nothing. It hasn't changed, just some people never realised that was the case.

 

[Alex321]

I understand taking precautions as such will help with your anxiety. However in the beginning we were told the vaccines would stop the spread which was false.

Not by anybody who knew anything about the subject we weren't.

We were told that the vaccines would reduce the spread - which from all the evidence I have seen appears to have been true.

We were told they’d save lives but many with the vaccines still died anyway.

Orders of magnitude fewer than were dying without them.

Unvaccinated were called plague bearers when many of those people were more careful around others than the vaccinated who acted all invincible.

There are always people going to be throwing silly insults around.

Many unvaccinated I know have never known to have showed any symptoms.

That seriously surprises me.

I know hardly anybody, vaccinated or not, who has not shown symptoms at any time.

All the vaccinated people I know have had mild cases - no worse than a severe cold. Some of the unvaccinated have ended up in hospital, though nobody I knew personally has died from it.

The big pharmaceutical companies have taken billions from the world’s governments for a product that is nowhere near as good as they said it was.

False.

Not as good as some proponents who knew little would have had us believe. But as good as the pharmaceutical companies claimed.

 

[Ajax Bay]

We were told that . . . .

Alex, with respect, do you not think my fairly swift response - here:
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/corona-virus-how-are-we-doing.258353/page-294#post-6813897
addressed Milzy's concerns?

 

[Alex321]

Alex, with respect, do you not think my fairly swift response - here:
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/corona-virus-how-are-we-doing.258353/page-294#post-6813897
addressed Milzy's concerns?

Probably, but I hadn't read ahead when I posted.

I also hadn't noticed I was responding to a post from Friday.

That is one thing I find annoying about this site, the way it keeps dropping threads from your watched list, so you don't notice a couple of days of posts.

 

[Deleted User]

Nothing. It hasn't changed, just some people never realised that was the case.

Clearly something has changed for people to suggest not needing a mask now, it wasn't long ago the very same people were slating those not wearing them.

 

[Alex321]

Clearly something has changed for people to suggest not needing a mask now, it wasn't long ago the very same people were slating those not wearing them.

True, but not what you were responding to, and so not what my response was about.

It was the "no reason to suggest others should wear one" that you were responding to, and I was talking about.

There is certainly much less reason to suggest they are still necessary as we move beyond the pandemic stage, but "no reason to suggest others should wear one" is as untrue now as it ever was. They still provide more protection for others than they do for the mask wearer.

 

[Deleted User]

True, but not what you were responding to, and so not what my response was about.

It was the "no reason to suggest others should wear one" that you were responding to, and I was talking about.

There is certainly much less reason to suggest they are still necessary as we move beyond the pandemic stage, but "no reason to suggest others should wear one" is as untrue now as it ever was. They still provide more protection for others than they do for the mask wearer.

@roubaixtuesday seems to think there's no need?

Yeah, masks are like bike helmets.

They'll make a difference, but probably a very small difference. So use one if you want by all means, but be realistic and don't expect it to be a game changer for your risk profile. And just like helmets, there's no reason to suggest others should wear one.

 

[Alex321]

@roubaixtuesday seems to think there's no need?

I know, it was your response to that post that started this exchange.

As I said, nothing in that respect has changed, but some people never did get that the main purpose of masks was protection of others.

 

[fossyant]

Just checked up on a colleague I've not seen for a few months. Still off ill with Covid after effects. Vaccinated, early 40's, regular cyclist, but suffers from bad asthma. It's knocked him for six. Fingers crossed he's back next month. He's been very cautious throughout the last two years.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

I know, it was your response to that post that started this exchange.

As I said, nothing in that respect has changed, but some people never did get that the main purpose of masks was protection of others.

I expanded on that a little later in the thread.

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/corona-virus-how-are-we-doing.258353/page-294#post-6813527

 

[DCLane]

@fossyant - it seems to be those with moderate/severe asthma who are struggling afterwards. I'm nowhere near back to normal two months after Covid and have been told 3-6 months to recover after being hospitalised. Somehow I'm teaching four days a week from Monday.

 

[Deleted User]

Somehow I'm teaching four days a week from Monday.

Why go back then, I'm guessing you'll be entitled to sick leave?