[COVID-19] General Discussion

Bada-Bing! · May 17, 2021

Ragey Erasmus said:
Won't happen

Probably not. But still, personally I am avoiding going back to the office again until at least they know what is going on with this new variant.

At least 4 I shared the office with have not been vaccinated yet and my office is not that well ventilated either.

Bada-Bing! · May 17, 2021

6 people in Bolton hospital with the Indian variant - 5 had had one jab and the last one who was "frail" had already had two jabs. Not disclosed how long after the jabs they got the infected.

The rest of the patients, not the 6, could have had the jab (they were old enough) but didn't have it.

All of them could have been spreading it prior to being admitted.

Which Tyler · May 17, 2021

Ragey Erasmus said:
Won't happen

Some will; but it won't be huge numbers - and many will want to, but not feel able to - eg me through emotional blackmail from Mum ahead of the bank holiday weekend.

LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan) · May 17, 2021

Wonder how old they were.

Bada-Bing! · May 17, 2021

Akker Van Der Tigs said:
Wonder how old they were.

If you're referring to the covid patients in Bolton I think we can only infer the frail patient was elderly and 80 plus. I don't think Hancock revealed the ages of the other 5.

The others who caught it and were hospitalised as a result because they didn't choose to be Vaccinated well, despite being old enough and available to them, that's just a lesson to those who haven't been vaccinated yet should ASAP if offered it.

RedruthRFC · May 17, 2021

TRF_Olyy said:
Doctor on the news this morning was saying that most cases of the Indian variant is in the under45s (i.e. the non vaccinated)

Bringing second jabs forward at the expense of vaccinating more younger people seems a strange choice in light of that

Isn't this exactly how all new variants have spread? It doesn't strike me as a revelation that would or should cause a rethink in a strategy decided upon based on a huge number of factors.

RedruthRFC · May 17, 2021

The_Blindside said:
6 people in Bolton hospital with the Indian variant - 5 had had one jab and the last one who was "frail" had already had two jabs. Not disclosed how long after the jabs they got the infected.

The rest of the patients, not the 6, could have had the jab (they were old enough) but didn't have it.

All of them could have been spreading it prior to being admitted.

Was it specified how many "other" patients there were? I know we're not talking about a statistically significant sample size, there's a big difference between 50% of people requiring hospital treatment having been vaccinated to some extent and 10%.

Bada-Bing! · May 17, 2021

RedruthRFC said:
Was it specified how many "other" patients there were? I know we're not talking about a statistically significant sample size, there's a big difference between 50% of people requiring hospital treatment having been vaccinated to some extent and 10%.

12 others.

TRF_Olyy · May 17, 2021

RedruthRFC said:
Isn't this exactly how all new variants have spread? It doesn't strike me as a revelation that would or should cause a rethink in a strategy decided upon based on a huge number of factors.

My issue is that it has caused them to change vaccine strategy, but the change means that the people who are getting this variant are now not getting vaccinated

RedruthRFC · May 17, 2021

TRF_Olyy said:
My issue is that it has caused them to change vaccine strategy, but the change means that the people who are getting this variant are now not getting vaccinated

I get that. Has an official source confirmed that B.1.617 is the reason that the strategy has been changed? I haven't heard that, so all I could say is that this change to the strategy is coming at the same time as B.1.617 becoming popular.

TRF_Olyy · May 17, 2021

RedruthRFC said:
I get that. Has an official source confirmed that B.1.617 is the reason that the strategy has been changed? I haven't heard that, so all I could say is that this change to the strategy is coming at the same time as B.1.617 becoming popular.

Most vulnerable offered second dose of COVID-19 vaccine earlier to help protect against variants

Action is part of measures to tackle rising cases of the B1.617.2 variant of concern.

www.gov.uk

Bada-Bing! · May 17, 2021

I got my second AZ dose 8 weeks after my first. I Was expecting it 12 weeks after my first jab.

RedruthRFC · May 17, 2021

TRF_Olyy said:
Most vulnerable offered second dose of COVID-19 vaccine earlier to help protect against variants

Action is part of measures to tackle rising cases of the B1.617.2 variant of concern.

www.gov.uk

Thanks. Good to see that they're following JCVI advice in making these changes, but the burning question to me is why this strategy was considered suboptimal and is now optimal. I could understand if this variant is thought to be even more skewed towards affecting older people badly, but there's no mention of anything other than it being more transmissible across the board. That cynical / realist in me (delete as appropriate) thinks that now the May elections are out of the way, we can use B.1.617.2 as an excuse to switch to a strategy that places more emphasis on saving lives and less on winning votes. Now that the problems that came from our shores haven't washed up on them again, Boris is lining up B.1.617.2 as his latest patsy.

TRF_Olyy · May 17, 2021

My guess is they're predicting supply chain issues due to the situation in India so are prioritising getting as many 2nd jabs done as possible before starting the first round for the younguns

Pensioners waiting 16 weeks instead of the 12 weeks (when 12 weeks was a controversial enough strategy initially anyway) is a worse headline than 30yr olds waiting another month for their first jab

Bada-Bing! · May 17, 2021

RedruthRFC · May 17, 2021

Shows how tight our borders are that the metric by which we are making the decision to add countries to the "red list" requires infected people to land in the country.