Coronavirus Pandemic

[Dio]

There's ~200 people in ICU, lower than it was in the dip before the last surge (~230, although it will probably just about crawl above that level before it burns itself back out again). There doesn't appear to be any likely trajectory towards being as bad as it was at the turn of the year from that point of view.

[gilesgoat]

Friend of mine in Italy just got Covid and she's quite into shit

I mean NOT life-treatening but "all the sympthoms of a really bad flu" , nose clogged, sore throat, reasonably fever, extreme tiredness.

She is isolating of course.

But yeah "it's still around" and yes "it's still bad" .. Covid it's not finished yet ..

[edit] - and of course tested positive from it so it's really that ..

[Dio]

Previous prediction is holding so far (indeed slightly lower than I'd predicted), and the deaths is way lower than in the April dip still, and it looks like we're just going over the burn-out hill and it will probably be dropping about ten days from now.

I have however cancelled my planned US travel for next week, holding conferences and spending days on planes doesn't seem entirely wise at this point, although frankly the horrible flights and high chance of disruption at Heathrow were as big factors.

[rowan]

Of all things, my regular ONS tests resumed yesterday.

I told the guy "oh I assumed it had all stopped when I read they were scaling it back a few months ago"
He said "everyone's been saying that but actually we've been really short staffed in this area for anyone to do the tests and so you've had a 2.5 month gap"

Looking at the numbers, I'll probably start donning masks again for the few shops I visit.

[Deckard]

More COVID at work than at any point last year and loads of customers this last month have had it too,,,,

[merman]

The new variants b4 and b5 spread more easily than measles. One in 25 were infected last week.

[gilesgoat]

So update from this Italian friend, she is improving but she's not totally out from it yet ..

So OK "it's NOT mortal" BUT "it's not even light", it's something that "knocks you off" quite bad.

Said that "your mileage may vary" it's not said that everyone is affected the same way but so far from about 4 people I heard they got it the "effects" are :

- moderate to high fever
- extreme tiredness
- "mind confusion" i.e. "can't do any job I can't / don't want to think straight"
- sore throat
- general pain/aches limbs/muscles/etc.

So yeah "if you can avoid it avoid it" because it'll put you off for about a week ( and we don't know about "post effects" yet ) plus you'll need to isolate.

Difficult to tell "how long it takes" for all that to happen from moment X of contagion "common lore" seems to tell "approx 5 days" but I suspect could be faster ( or much longer ).

So beware "shit is still around".

[VNVObit]

So update from this Italian friend, she is improving but she's not totally out from it yet ..

So OK "it's NOT mortal" BUT "it's not even light", it's something that "knocks you off" quite bad.

Said that "your mileage may vary" it's not said that everyone is affected the same way but so far from about 4 people I heard they got it the "effects" are :

- moderate to high fever
- extreme tiredness
- "mind confusion" i.e. "can't do any job I can't / don't want to think straight"
- sore throat
- general pain/aches limbs/muscles/etc.

So yeah "if you can avoid it avoid it" because it'll put you off for about a week ( and we don't know about "post effects" yet ) plus you'll need to isolate.

Difficult to tell "how long it takes" for all that to happen from moment X of contagion "common lore" seems to tell "approx 5 days" but I suspect could be faster ( or much longer ).

So beware "shit is still around".

It does vary a bit alright - tested positive yesterday (first time catching it) triple jabbed
Relatively mild (still working from home, no confusion) and not feeling tired though chest stings a little, more so when I cough (which thankfully isn't too often)

Been in and out of central London a few times and I reckon <5% wearing masks on the tube so not entirely surprised I caught it

At a conference recently up in Manchester and again most people without masks and unsurprisingly a small spike in infections in the sector I work in- dreadfully underreported in the UK
Still haven't been back home to see my father since Jan 20 but glad to see the Irish Health Service still running adds like this (released May'22)
(edit to correct YouTube URL)

[Little stoned kiwi]

New Zealand has had an uptick in cases. The medical system is falling apart and the government doesn't have the political will to use lockdowns.

[merman]

Had my fourth vaccine dose this morning (immune suppressed) and it was Moderna this time. So far no side effects.

All over 50s in the UK will get an autumn booster now, as originally it was only going to be the vulnerable.

[Foozwah]

New Zealand has had an uptick in cases. The medical system is falling apart and the government doesn't have the political will to use lockdowns.

Australia is the same. Even getting a regular GP appointment at the moment takes 2-3 days to get a slot, whereas pre-Covid it was call up a clinic and take your choice of times the same day.

It seems that regardless of political stripe, no government now wants to risk the ire of whinging cafe owners and hairdressers, or the anti-vaxxer "freedumb" cookers and science deniers.

To be honest I don't know if lockdowns would help here at this point - they'd have to be pretty draconian to stand a chance of working at all - but better education about mask wearing would be a bloody good start, and maybe bring back mandatory masking in schools/public indoor spaces, at least til we're through winter. Both lots of Covid through our family (apart from me, somehow avoided it for a bit longer yet...) have come from the kids bringing it home. I'm often the only one in a given shop or train/tram with mask on, so it's a lottery at this point when I get it, no matter what.

[KlaxonCow]

All over 50s in the UK will get an autumn booster now, as originally it was only going to be the vulnerable.

That's been confirmed now, has it?

Do we know if it's going to be the new modified Omicron-specific vaccines or not? Presumably, if they're available by then.

[PFVA]

From what I have been seeing in the American news the modified ones will only be available in the US in late Autumn.

[merman]

All over 50s in the UK will get an autumn booster now, as originally it was only going to be the vulnerable.

That's been confirmed now, has it?

Do we know if it's going to be the new modified Omicron-specific vaccines or not? Presumably, if they're available by then.

No confirmation on which vaccine - Moderna and Pfizer both working on an Omicron specific vaccine, but that was designed before b4/b5 became prevalent. There is serious work on a generic coronavirus vaccine under way which also raises the possibility of eliminating the common cold* but that could be some way off yet.


*about half of cold viruses are corona

[zip accident]

There is serious work on a generic coronavirus vaccine under way which also raises the possibility of eliminating the common cold* but that could be some way off yet.


*about half of cold viruses are corona

That's unlikely to be used, as the fat virus is also a corona virus and since that drastically reduces food consumption, the world needs that infection to become more widespread not less.