LFT negative today, will test again tomorrow. Feeling fine. Utterly bored with being stuck inside though. I wish I was out in that glorious weather. Oh wait....
Has there been much research yet on whether vaccines are preventing long covid?
That's an interesting one. Knew relatively few people who caught it in the first wave but a lot who did are still not fully fit even now, whereas I know loads who've had it in the last 6 months, all vaccinated, reporting milder illness and I can't think of anyone struggling after more than a month
With the lack of reporting on the News channels, I was utterlerly shocked to go to GOV.UK and find the vaccine numbers for my London Borough:
62% First Vaccine
56% Second Vaccine
29% Booster
So roughly speaking in a Borough of 330k people 1/3 of the Borough or only 100k have had a booster and half with a second jab
Holy **** thats worrying.
Apparently that's because many folk registered in the area no longer live there. Well, that's the excuse/reason that is being repeated.
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/J44Nnyf6/Screenshot-20211227-110239.pn g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/J44Nnyf6/Screenshot-20211227-110239.pn g"/> [/img][/url]
Well my PCR test came back negative, thank goodness, don’t what caused the sore throat though!
We've just cancelled a gathering because a guest's brother has his third test-confirmed dose of Covid this year, despite vaccination. Early twenties so it's just cold symptons each time.
Extrapolating contacts that one case puts a lot of people out of action until mid january if they all follow goverment advice to the letter. Extrapolating for the whole of society the whole of France grinds to a halt within a month unless they relax the rules.
Is that all people or all eligible people? I assume that they differentiate?
Extrapolating for the whole of society the whole of France grinds to a halt within a month unless they relax the rules.
It's almost inevitable that this will happen all over. A sustained doubling rate of 3 days might be slowed by some extra restrictions, but not by much. Either we grind to a complete cold, dark, hungry halt or we ignore isolation requirements and carry on. Those at risk and those supporting them will need to take additional precautions.
62% First Vaccine
56% Second Vaccine
29% Booster
It's not massively different to my borough :
68.2% first vaccine
61.9% second vaccine
35.9% booster
I don't think it reflects on logistics but on vaccine hesitation.
We're both still testing positive via LFTs on day 9 of self isolation, so it'll be the full 10 days for us. Quite frustrating to have the carrot of early release dangled, but for it not to work out like that.
We’re on day 6 and about to do a lateral flow. Other than to go for a PCR test, we haven’t set foot out of the house since last Monday night.
How I feel…
Fingers crossed for a negative. Otherwise I may start self-harming. I still tested positive yesterday. Here goes…
We’re both still testing positive via LFTs on day 9 of self isolation, so it’ll be the full 10 days for us.
Same for me. My day zero (first day of symptoms) was 4 days before I tested positive though, so although today's my last official day of isolation, I'll be giving it a few more days to be on the safe side. The rest of my family have until the 31st / 1st anyway, so it's not like I could do much anyway...
Fingers crossed for a negative. Otherwise I may start self-harming.
Nah, it's quite hard to get tickets for the Etihad. You'll be okay @binners
Anyone managing to get LF tests kit delivery slots at the moment?
I keep refreshing the page but a constant no go for me.
I'm in the SE.
Best of luck Bonners.
Croydon figures are much the same, on fact Ernie, are you a Croydonite?
Apparently that’s because many folk registered in the area no longer live there. Well, that’s the excuse/reason that is being repeated.
Yup there's been a net decrease of migrants from the UK this last year, 80,000 less eu citizens alone, and London has the highest proportion of migrants in the country
And London itself has seen an exodus of people since pandemic, 700,000, that's not far off a tenth of the population!
https://www.ft.com/content/11647220-e84a-4ab4-b362-7bc2d07b7a64
My mate tested positive today, so most likely Omicron, was also positive in August so most likely Delta. So you can get it twice.
Yeah, but the questiob was if you can get 2 strains simultaneously. What is actually happening at cell level? Are all your lung cells affected by a single virus, or are there enough to go round? Bit embarrassing but even 2 years in I don't have a proper idea of how this works!
We need the advice of a doctor…
Croydon figures are much the same, on fact Ernie, are you a Croydonite?
Yes those figures I gave were the latest figures for Croydon.
Yeah, but the questiob was if you can get 2 strains simultaneously.
Why wouldn't you? Your body is constantly having to deal with viruses, if it gets overwhelmed by one you get an infection. But as far as I know viruses don't wait in a queue for their turn lol
Why wouldn’t you? Your body is constantly having to deal with viruses, if it gets overwhelmed by one you get an infection. But as far as I know viruses don’t wait in a queue for their turn lol
So if this is the case why would one covid variant outcompete another ?
So if this is the case why would one covid variant outcompete another ?
Exactly this :-). My original question - what is the thing that viruses "compete" for?
Viruses are competing for hosts in order to reproduce, think on a population level not an individual level.
Sorry but this is going in circles. What makes one person a host for virus A but not for virus B? What part of the person ("host") is being competed for?
There is a degree of effectiveness against other variants from the immune system response to the 'first' variant encountered. If you get infection variant x, you generate antibodies that are active for so long, and make it harder for another infection to 'take' soon after. Omicron is so infectious lots of people generate antobodie, and that makes it a difficult environment for delta, or a.n.other variant to thrive in unless it can dodge said antibodies.
So England is going its own way on Omicron...for the moment. I thick its fair to say this is a purely political decision but it could still be the right one perhaps.
Guess we'll know which UK countries are right in a couple of weeks.
Just managed to finally order some test kits too.👍
Just managed to finally order some test kits too.👍
Same. It's worth trying fairly often, as they seem to get restocked frequently
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/astrazeneca-oxford-europe-fears-b1982611.html
Anyone have any insight into this claim? Centred around the Oxford AZ vaccine possibly providing better and longer lasting protection via a “cellular response” which I assume is from Bills 5G chips …..
I’ve no idea who Clive Dix is, or the details of what data he’s using to suggest this.
Exactly this :-). My original question – what is the thing that viruses “compete” for?
In my experience it always comes down to brick and ore (unless I'm thinking of Settlers of Catan)
The lower levels of 2nd and booster vaccination uptake are partly due to appointments only being available through GP practices or vaccine hubs with office hours only. Easily accessible for the older population that doesn’t work, those in stable middle level occupations, where taking time off for example is much easier. Those with less stable work benefits, the younger generations only recently receiving their 2nd jabs a few months ago contributing to lower uptake levels.
It’s only in the last month, well two weeks really, that most of the population have been able to book a booster jab.
When I went for my booster, an ad hoc walk in session that was advertised except for word of mouth, there was only a handful of people there and the majority were OAPs. The two women in their twenties were having there second jabs.
Like it or not public health services need to be 24/7, much like manufacturing, supermarkets, retail and hospitality. Especially in times of global pandemics. But the funding from government, and the tax payer, has to be significantly higher to be able to provide that service.
What makes one person a host for virus A but not for virus B?
Its more applicable for strains of the same virus although at the most extreme level if it kills you then another virus cant reproduce.
For the strains if you fight off variant a then your immune system will have antibodies for some time afterwards and even after that would be more likely to respond quicker.
So if variant b is fairly similar to a then if it turns up afterwards your immune system is more likely to deal with it before it really gets chance to get a foothold in you and as part of that reduce the chances of passing it on to others.
Hence when repeated across a population variant b will find fewer and fewer hosts who arent prepared for it and then die out.
One counter which omicron seems to be good at is being different enough from the other strains that the immune system doesnt recognise it as quickly and hence it can attack people who have had the other strains.
There is a degree of effectiveness against other variants from the immune system response to the ‘first’ variant encountered. If you get infection variant x, you generate antibodies that are active for so long, and make it harder for another infection to ‘take’ soon after. Omicron is so infectious lots of people generate antobodie, and that makes it a difficult environment for delta, or a.n.other variant to thrive in unless it can dodge said antibodies.
Note that this assumes that antibodies produced in response to Omicron infection prevent infection with Delta.
I don't think anybody has shown that to be the case yet, and we know that antibodies produced in response to two dose vaccination and/or Delta infection do not provide sufficient protection against Omicron infection to prevent Omicron from spreading.
Is it not the case that Omicron variant doesn't seem to cause such bad illness as the vaccines are doing their job? And also those that may not have been vaccinated have already been exposed to Delta?
Just had a chat with my lad.
A guy at his office in on hospital after catching Omicron. He's only 24 but has a health condition that means he couldn't have the vaccine.
Blood clots in the lungs the poor little sod. Must be horrid for his family.
I think the biggest issue at the moment is the number of people with covid unable to work rather than the number of cases in hospital. Keeping cases down in hospital doesnt help so much when 25% of your staff are sick or isolating. The travel sector is also being hit badly.
Yep - I can see food production, energy, transport etc all about to grind to a halt if we maintain the current isolation times.
Are the figures for the number of people self isolating published anywhere?
Keeping cases down in hospital doesnt help so much when 25% of your staff are sick or isolating. The travel sector is also being hit badly
I'm more worried that 25% of hospital staff are isolating, to be honest.
Are the figures for the number of people self isolating published anywhere?
Should be the same as the number of positive tests?
MCTD that was my point, the 25% was a figure I heard on the BBC radio news for an A & E department, other departments have higher rates apparently.
Isolation times seem to be getting reduced / release criteria relaxed, at least I think they are but I'm now totally confused about exactly what you are supposed to do when.
Said Mr “I only have a cold” went off sick with Covid 3 days after the meeting, with the people that sat either side of him at the meeting going on to develop Covid, as did the person he shared a car with to that meeting.
Maybe senior management should be reminded of their Health responsibilities under the Health & Safety At Work etc. Act 1974. And their duty to Manage this under the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999?
Should be the same as the number of positive tests for the past 10 days?
Surely?
Huge numbers being reported for Scotland over the past weekend - 30,000 - and that's with results being slowed down due to the holidays. Assuming a similar infection level across the whole of the UK that's going to be around 350,000 just for three days. At the rate of growth we are seeing, it could be around 1,500,000 for the ten day period starting 25th December. That's going to have a huge impact on all sectors.
And in Scotland all the household contacts of the Positives need to isolate too. That will double the number.
Unless they're NHS workers where a negative PCR will let them return to work
