Coronavirus
- Thread starter Marigold
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It really is a rotten world we're living in now. Taken over by the morons whose only love is money.
rick
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dinosaw said:
Meanwhile third world countries are the last in the line. Totally predictable but still shocking and ultimately stupid.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9160121/WHO-warns-catastrophic-moral-failure-global-COVID-19-vaccine-distribution.html?fbclid=IwAR1r0JSATqMoHwypKAISRPhJaWvpaQ4fRbc9_3A73rHGsHHXo1HmIZITKg8
dinosaw
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rick said:
The WHO haven't covered themselves in glory during this pandemic, but I have to say they are spot on with what they are saying on this issue. Not entirely surprising though is it, 9 million people die of hunger or hunger related diseases every year in the developing world and very few people seem to give a stuff. Not meaning to be pious, I give a little, but nowhere near what I could afford or probably should contribute.
I think it may ultimately be academic if some of the noises about new mutations are true. You are already seeing a number of news stories about the South African variant with scientists mentioning "tweaks" to the vaccines being needed and using phrases such as "like the annual flu jab" in describing the procedure. Moderna are already developing a third booster jab, which tells you where we are at.
dinosaw
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It's really kicking off in the EU now over the failure of the vaccine programme. Germany have said they will have shortages for the next 10 weeks and Spain is having to halt vaccinations in certain areas as they have run out. Hungary has broken ranks and ordered vaccines from Russia.The German press have been savaging the EU and Ursula Von Der Leyen in particular this week, with Die Zeit saying their performance was the best advert for Brexit. Nobody seems to be laying the blame at Astra Zeneca's door. The problem is that Germany wanted to place an order for vaccines in June but were prevented from doing so by the EU which then waited till August. So for once, it would appear that the British government got something right when they turned down the offer to join the EU procurement program, which they took a lot of criticism for at the time.
Hen-Gen
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The first example of many advantages to come dinosaw. ?
In the understandable rush to give as many people as possible a first dose, nobody now seems to be talking about the logistics of providing the second doses after twelve weeks, whilst in effect doubling provision overnight to enable progress to continue on providing yet more new people with their first doses.
dinosaw
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Marigold said:
Providing Pfizer doses in a timely matter is going to prove tricky I think. The USA has banned the export of all vaccines and materials for making vaccines and there is now going to be increased pressure on Pfizer Europe to hand over their doses to the EU, despite the EU choosing not to order them till the last minute. That might not have mattered if the one dose efficacy was the 82% claimed by PHE, rather than the 50% being shown in real world studies.
dinosaw
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This would be comedy gold if it weren't connected to such a serious subject.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55839885
Give us ze vaccine or your name vill go on ze list!!!!!
No!
In that case, ve did not vant your stinking vaccine anyway, it is rubbish!!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55839885
Give us ze vaccine or your name vill go on ze list!!!!!
No!
In that case, ve did not vant your stinking vaccine anyway, it is rubbish!!
rick
Active member
Its just a political mash up. *Sigh* It kind of the way of the world and nothing is new about it apart from the coverage. I think (optimistically) that I have actually heard some measured and unloaded comment from Gove this morning - very cautious, sober and without hype because everything is so close to not coming out of the wash clean at the moment. I kind of like the pressure that is on - but that is also a terrible thing to say for the reason it's happened. Im glad that the strongest force of opinion seems to be for reason lately and it seems to be growing. Lets face it, whatever is happening, mid Feb will be a plan for schools back - if it isn't then, whatever the reason, all hell will break loose. But it won't be that way because cases will seasonally fall as they always do. I really hope some new politics to follow.
dinosaw
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We have got ourselves into an enormous pickle. The Novavax vaccine was unveiled today, to much fanfare with a headline grabbing 89% protection against the mutation first detected in Kent. Look down the press release however and you see that it provides a less impressive 60% protection against the South African mutation. This chimes with comments Matt Hancock made last week about the Pfizer vaccine being 50% less effective against the South African strain. As the virus comes into contact with new vaccines it will continue to mutate and nobody could predict how effective any of the current vaccines will be against the strains of Covid circulating next winter.
As Patrick Vallance said, Covid-19 will probably be with us forever. Jacinda Arden who has played an absolute blinder in New Zealand stated last week that their aim going forward will be to manage the virus like flu with annual vaccine rollouts. It is worth noting though that over the past 5 years the flu vaccine has only once provide protection in excess of 50% and has been as low as 15%. That is an average, those rates are considerably lower in the over 65's.
However, in this country (and others) we have set an expectation that this vaccine rollout will eliminate the problem when clearly it won't. If we want to avoid months of lockdowns next winter we have to either accept that deaths are part of life (as with flu) or find another way to manage the risk to the most vulnerable. Sounds harsh, but I'm not sure the current way is going to be sustainable.
As Patrick Vallance said, Covid-19 will probably be with us forever. Jacinda Arden who has played an absolute blinder in New Zealand stated last week that their aim going forward will be to manage the virus like flu with annual vaccine rollouts. It is worth noting though that over the past 5 years the flu vaccine has only once provide protection in excess of 50% and has been as low as 15%. That is an average, those rates are considerably lower in the over 65's.
However, in this country (and others) we have set an expectation that this vaccine rollout will eliminate the problem when clearly it won't. If we want to avoid months of lockdowns next winter we have to either accept that deaths are part of life (as with flu) or find another way to manage the risk to the most vulnerable. Sounds harsh, but I'm not sure the current way is going to be sustainable.
Hen-Gen
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Almost as important as protecting from the disease is that it seems to make the disease less serious even if you do catch it. That’ll do me.
dinosaw
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The government has acquired even more vaccine doses, this time with a view to vaccinating the population between 2022 and 2025.
https://valneva.com/press-release/valneva-announces-uk-government-exercise-of-option-for-40-million-doses-of-its-inactivated-adjuvanted-covid-19-vaccine/
At least it shows someone in power has a minor grip on reality and a bit of foresight.
Also, who ever thought they would see government adverts like this in their lifetime?
https://valneva.com/press-release/valneva-announces-uk-government-exercise-of-option-for-40-million-doses-of-its-inactivated-adjuvanted-covid-19-vaccine/
At least it shows someone in power has a minor grip on reality and a bit of foresight.
Also, who ever thought they would see government adverts like this in their lifetime?
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rick
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Must find some cheery news from somewhere - still, this from the National Geographic seems, at least, a lengthy and detailed assessment with glimmers of hope.
https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/science-and-technology/2021/01/covid-19-will-likely-be-with-us-forever-heres-how-well-live-with-it?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB
https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/science-and-technology/2021/01/covid-19-will-likely-be-with-us-forever-heres-how-well-live-with-it?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB
dinosaw
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rick said:
Yes, that seems a logical assessment. Unfortunately the one luxury we do not have is time. Two stories out today about the toll that lockdown is taking. Children self harming and attempting suicide and people drinking themselves to death. The amazing thing is that when the ONS did a prediction on how many years of life would be lost from the first lockdown, they predicted a fall in drink related deaths as they estimated people would drink LESS!!. Either they have no grasp on reality, or more likely they were told to put lockdown in the most favourable light possible. They also predicted heart disease deaths would fall as people would eat less!!, everyone I know has put weight on. In any case, sorry for immediately responding with depressing news Rick. Also seems you are right about the deaths, now falling, as they haver every year on record from week 4 (January 28th) onwards.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55864573
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-55900624
Margaid
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So sad to hear that Captain Sir Tom Moore has died. Covid-19 on top of pneumonia meant his death was sadly almost inevitable.
