Topic: COVID-19:VERIFIED news sources, 0 politishit, 0 CONSPIRACY SHITE

[Red-Soldier]

I agree.

[djahern]

I might change my mind by tea-time though.

[Red-Soldier]

I might change my mind by tea-time though.

I'm an ecologist, not a virologist, so I bow to your superior knowledge 

[kavah]

Bloody hell the "Worst Ever" variant label is very worrying. I hope they can contain it in South Africa

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/25/what-do-we-know-about-the-new-worst-ever-covid-variant

[WhereAngelsPlay]

It won't be stopping me traveling as and when I can.

Happily went to Italy earlier this month - I'm double jabbed, I wore my mask at all times in the airport (where I distanced) and on the plane, there are better COVID precautions over there, we stayed in our own apartment, etc. etc.

The risk was minimal, and probably less than me getting on a train down to London or going in a bar/pub/restaurant/shop over here given the vast majority don't wear masks or use hand sanitiser.

The risk isn't minimal,centres of travel are (shock fucking horror) where people from all corners of the world mingle and pass on the variants,not everybody is as "careful" as you.

Had we shut travel down from the off then we'd all be in a much better place now,instead the pricks in charge thought headline grabbing whilst keeping all borders open was the way to go.


It's also fucking weird how you all jump on KH no matter what she says in any thread,the same fuckers always pile on her.She doesn't give a fuck lads,so you're not going to hound off the forum no matter how hard you try.

[WhereAngelsPlay]

After having my positive result, the missus and my parents who i live with had to get tested, missus come back positive parents both negative thankfully!

She's had no symptoms at all but then i told her she did have a dry cough about 12 days ago so maybe i've caught it from her?

5 day left of isolation for me!

My cousin and his youngest have both just tested +,both double jabbed and careful.

[Wabaloolah]

It won't be stopping me traveling as and when I can.

Happily went to Italy earlier this month - I'm double jabbed, I wore my mask at all times in the airport (where I distanced) and on the plane, there are better COVID precautions over there, we stayed in our own apartment, etc. etc.

The risk was minimal, and probably less than me getting on a train down to London or going in a bar/pub/restaurant/shop over here given the vast majority don't wear masks or use hand sanitiser.

yes agree with that, currently sat in a departure lounge on the way to Bristol, mask wearing probably around 50%!
I have no issue with people going away but still don't get why people have an issue wearing a mask. OK it's not comfortable for an extended period of time but it helps to keep people safe.

Hopefully the regulations are followed more stringetly in Dublin

[WhereAngelsPlay]

they might have on the surface to seem like a 'strong' and 'decisive' government, but wouldn't be surprised if you can fly to the UK via a third or fourth country from South Africa without anyone batting an eyelid. i think that's where the vigilance needs to be.

also not hugely a fan of the optics of just 'closing borders'. testing is important. assuming this variant doesn't just die out it'll end up on these shores eventually (and more than likely already is here). we need to enhance our testing etc and be ready whilst aiding African countries.

Exactly,if you're banning flights from S.Africa then you should also be banning flights from all countries that still allow travel.

As it is they might as well lay on free flights for all S.Africans into Newcastle.

[So… Howard Philips]

Bloody hell the "Worst Ever" variant label is very worrying. I hope they can contain it in South Africa

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/25/what-do-we-know-about-the-new-worst-ever-covid-variant

Newspaper in shocking headline shock. 

[Jm55]

The risk isn't minimal,centres of travel are (shock fucking horror) where people from all corners of the world mingle and pass on the variants,not everybody is as "careful" as you.

Had we shut travel down from the off then we'd all be in a much better place now,instead the pricks in charge thought headline grabbing whilst keeping all borders open was the way to go.


It's also fucking weird how you all jump on KH no matter what she says in any thread,the same fuckers always pile on her.She doesn't give a fuck lads,so you're not going to hound off the forum no matter how hard you try.

I think that’s a touch unfair. I personally disagreed with the idea that nobody should be allowed on holiday until the pandemic is declared over, it isn’t ‘jumping’ on anyone, it’s disagreeing with a point of view on a discussion forum.

If you think that we should close the borders and allow nobody in or out until we reach a point worldwide where Covid isn’t a threat then that’s your prerogative but I certainly don’t.

[No666]

Agree with this, this is completely different to the emergence of alpha pre-vaccine and emergence of delta early in the vaccine roll out. It's hugely unlikely this new variant would be capable of bypassing immunity completely. It might get around it a bit with regards to infection but even then the important thing is that efficacy against severe disease holds up. It sounds grim with the mutations this one has, but the number of mutations is meaningless, it's what they actually do that counts.

It's still too early for any total panic with this one, the panic is based solely on it's emergence in an area that had very low recent levels of infection. That may still mean this variant has no or very little advantage with transmissibility. South Africa was due a spike in infections, this increase corresponds almost exactly to when their sudden spike began last year - the last week of November. Because of the low levels previous to this, a variant could quickly make up a large proportion of cases helped by a couple of perfectly timed super spreader events and look like it's outcompeting delta. That's where we are now - infections suddenly started to increase (like they did this week last year), they sequenced specifically those sequences from the area with highest increase in infections and found a new variant. Variant looks scary with lots of mutations. Questions now are is it really outcompeting delta or is it an artefact of surge sequencing a particular area, does it have a growth advantage, does it evade immune response? We can infer answers to these by the graphs of prevalence that have come out yesterday but it's not conclusive proof at all for any of these things. We'll just have to wait for more data over the next few days and weeks.

It's hugely encouraging this was found and publicised by the scientists in South Africa so quickly, surveillance is crucial going forward over the next few years. Travel bans like the UK have done are a political necessity for the ruling government (to cover their own arses if it's bad) while more information comes through which should come quickly. UK should also offer support though, you want to encourage countries to report these things quickly which they wont in the future if the only response is a travel ban. South Africa have done exactly what the world complained that China didn't in January 2020. Our response must be different or those complaints against China were just empty.

Thanks for that DJ. I’m currently stuck in jo’burg, having rushed back from the kalahari when the news broke so I could quarantine at home, only for the uk government cancel all flights till Sunday. Got far more risk of picking it up here than there. Your post felt like a sliver of reason in the chaos.

[stewil007]

Apropos of nothing else, i've now been boostered!!

[Millie]

Apropos of nothing else, i've now been boostered!!

So have I 

[12C]

Four areas recording rises on Merseyside and once again mine is in there. It's entirely not surprising when considering how people are just not thinking for themselves. While I understand the frustration that people feel in regards of the government, why does it have to come down to just that? I mean wearing a mask on public transport shouldn't need any guidance from government or even the public travel organisations, it should be basic common sense and curtesy to your fellow citizens. But we continue to get huge parts of the country assuming everyone else needs to take action and not themselves. It completely frustrates me but at the same time leaves me entirely not surprised by how much selfishness continues to drive so many people's actions, on a daily basis.

I was on the 82 bus the other day. Single decker Stagecoach. All the windows were marked with a message  “these windows cannot be closed” - a few people on it, driver with a mask. All good - sat towards the back next to a window.
Then a middle aged woman gets on. Unmasked she started to come down the bus slamming the windows shut. Apart from my surprise that they actually closed, I was stunned by her sheer arrogance. The driver didn’t say a word, nor did a couple of people at the front. She got to the window I was sitting by and went to shut it. I put my fist in the gap so it wouldn’t close, and said as politely as I could that she wasn’t shutting it. She started to ague that it was cold. She must have realised I wasn’t going to move so she went to the back corner of the bus and moaned about me until I got off the bus at my stop.

The selfishness of some people is just wrong.

[Red Beret]

I was on the 82 bus the other day. Single decker Stagecoach. All the windows were marked with a message  “these windows cannot be closed” - a few people on it, driver with a mask. All good - sat towards the back next to a window.
Then a middle aged woman gets on. Unmasked she started to come down the bus slamming the windows shut. Apart from my surprise that they actually closed, I was stunned by her sheer arrogance. The driver didn’t say a word, nor did a couple of people at the front. She got to the window I was sitting by and went to shut it. I put my fist in the gap so it wouldn’t close, and said as politely as I could that she wasn’t shutting it. She started to ague that it was cold. She must have realised I wasn’t going to move so she went to the back corner of the bus and moaned about me until I got off the bus at my stop.

The selfishness of some people is just wrong.

Dunno how Stagecoach get away with running that single decker on such a busy route in the first place. Was on it myself this morning heading into town.

[SouthDerryLaggo]

Covid is really getting to me now to be honest, feels like its a never ending cycle. Really hope the football isn't cancelled with this new variant

[Red Beret]

What is this new SA variant anyway?  I've had a few people freaking out to me now about how it evades vaccines. Surely once it's analysed it shouldn't be too much work to adapt vaccines to it, or am I being naive as to what's involved?

[filopastry]

What is this new SA variant anyway?  I've had a few people freaking out to me now about how it evades vaccines. Surely once it's analysed it shouldn't be too much work to adapt vaccines to it, or am I being naive as to what's involved?

The good news is that you would still get some protection from existing vaccines, that will be reduced but they would still be protective to some degree.

I think Pfizer have said it would be about 100 days to develop a vaccine for a new variant, and then I would think would need a few months for testing, so there would be a gap before anyone could start rolling out specific variant vaccines for B.1.1.529

[killer-heels]

What is this new SA variant anyway?  I've had a few people freaking out to me now about how it evades vaccines. Surely once it's analysed it shouldn't be too much work to adapt vaccines to it, or am I being naive as to what's involved?

Unless I am mistaken, my basic knowledge of it is that its a new variant with a shit load of mutations, and that a shit load of mutations would help it avoid vaccines, but to what level we dont know yet and how infectious or dangerous it is, we dont know yet.

[filopastry]

Belgium have confirmed one case of B.1.1.529.

On the upside it was a case with minor symptoms, the negative was that the patient flew in from Egypt rather than anywhere in southern Africa, and it was 11 days after arrival before they showed any symptoms.

[Red Beret]

The good news is that you would still get some protection from existing vaccines, that will be reduced but they would still be protective to some degree.

I think Pfizer have said it would be about 100 days to develop a vaccine for a new variant, and then I would think would need a few months for testing, so there would be a gap before anyone could start rolling out specific variant vaccines for B.1.1.529

Thanks.  Based on that assessment it would probably be mid to late spring before a largescale vaccine rollout was underway. Probably around May.

Unless I am mistaken, my basic knowledge of it is that its a new variant with a shit load of mutations, and that a shit load of mutations would help it avoid vaccines, but to what level we dont know yet and how infectious or dangerous it is, we dont know yet.

That is worrying. This thing seems hell bent on causing havoc, doesn't it? 12 months ago most were saying it had hit its evolutionary limit, but it just keeps surprising us. Will be a real nightmare if it becomes even more deadly.

[killer-heels]

Belgium have confirmed one case of B.1.1.529.

On the upside it was a case with minor symptoms, the negative was that the patient flew in from Egypt rather than anywhere in southern Africa, and it was 11 days after arrival before they showed any symptoms.

On the plus side, we could have Mane and Salah for the January fixtures.

11 days is mad and that could be a problem for Belgium.

[Jm55]

The good news is that you would still get some protection from existing vaccines, that will be reduced but they would still be protective to some degree.

I think Pfizer have said it would be about 100 days to develop a vaccine for a new variant, and then I would think would need a few months for testing, so there would be a gap before anyone could start rolling out specific variant vaccines for B.1.1.529

The main issue is surely to do with protection against death and serious illness.

I’ve read a lot about this variant and a lot of scaremongering headlines but nothing definitive to suggest it will actually evade immune response, hopefully it’s just a case of caution rather than reacting to some information which isn’t yet in the public domain.

[Red-Soldier]

Belgium have confirmed one case of B.1.1.529.

On the upside it was a case with minor symptoms, the negative was that the patient flew in from Egypt rather than anywhere in southern Africa, and it was 11 days after arrival before they showed any symptoms.

They were also unvaccinated.

[Jm55]

They were also unvaccinated.

Was about to ask this…

[filopastry]

The main issue is surely to do with protection against death and serious illness.

I’ve read a lot about this variant and a lot of scaremongering headlines but nothing definitive to suggest it will actually evade immune response, hopefully it’s just a case of caution rather than reacting to some information which isn’t yet in the public domain.

With some of the specific mutations it has, we will almost certainly see reduced vaccine effectiveness, we just don't know how badly the effectiveness will be reduced yet.

Thanks.  Based on that assessment it would probably be mid to late spring before a largescale vaccine rollout was underway. Probably around May.

That is worrying. This thing seems hell bent on causing havoc, doesn't it? 12 months ago most were saying it had hit its evolutionary limit, but it just keeps surprising us. Will be a real nightmare if it becomes even more deadly.

Actually the statement from BioNTech is below which you could maybe read somewhat more optimistically

[Red Beret]

It would be seriously bad if this variant is capable of rampaging through unvaccinated populations.  Here's hoping it doesn't get loose to such an extent, but I'm probably pissing in the wind on that one.

[filopastry]

It would be seriously bad if this variant is capable of rampaging through unvaccinated populations.  Here's hoping it doesn't get loose to such an extent, but I'm probably pissing in the wind on that one.

There is still a chance that transmission could be lower than feared and it turns into a bit of a non event, very limited data at present. Fingers crossed anyway

[didi shamone]

The main issue is surely to do with protection against death and serious illness.

I’ve read a lot about this variant and a lot of scaremongering headlines but nothing definitive to suggest it will actually evade immune response, hopefully it’s just a case of caution rather than reacting to some information which isn’t yet in the public domain.

Yea, lots of doomsday headlines without evidence to back it up. Lots of "could" and "might" involved.

Worth remembering that highly effective anti virals are also in the pipeline so a variant with some vaccine escape could be easily mitigated with them eventually.

I hate how the media go into full fear mode with this sort of thing. They're terrifying people unnecessarily.

[filopastry]

Four cases in Israel, one had 3 Pfizer (booster 2 months ago), one had 2 AZ (second in mid July), one had 2 J&J (second 2 months ago) no word on the 4th so probably unvaccinated, no word on severity of symptoms there, they were identified by PCR tests on landing in Israel.

[Red-Soldier]

Yea, lots of doomsday headlines without evidence to back it up. Lots of "could" and "might" involved.

Worth remembering that highly effective anti virals are also in the pipeline so a variant with some vaccine escape could be easily mitigated with them eventually.

I hate how the media go into full fear mode with this sort of thing. They're terrifying people unnecessarily.

I briefly skim the Covid news online if there's something of interest, but, apart from that, it's been a media blackout from me for ages now!

Vaccines were always going to get us out of this and they work extremely well.

[flemingcool]

Is it possible that this new variant could be more transmissible and less dangerous?  And that this could actually be good news?  Any possibility!?

[Red Beret]

There is still a chance that transmission could be lower than feared and it turns into a bit of a non event, very limited data at present. Fingers crossed anyway

Here's hoping. There seems to be a lot of scaremongering going on.  Wish the media would rein it the fuck in until we know more.

[BlackandWhitePaul]

I was on the 82 bus the other day. Single decker Stagecoach. All the windows were marked with a message  “these windows cannot be closed” - a few people on it, driver with a mask. All good - sat towards the back next to a window.
Then a middle aged woman gets on. Unmasked she started to come down the bus slamming the windows shut. Apart from my surprise that they actually closed, I was stunned by her sheer arrogance. The driver didn’t say a word, nor did a couple of people at the front. She got to the window I was sitting by and went to shut it. I put my fist in the gap so it wouldn’t close, and said as politely as I could that she wasn’t shutting it. She started to ague that it was cold. She must have realised I wasn’t going to move so she went to the back corner of the bus and moaned about me until I got off the bus at my stop.

The selfishness of some people is just wrong.

Not only is she stupid she's a fucking imbecile.

Using the excuse that she's cold she closes all the windows on the bus starting from the front and working her way to the back of the bus until she gets to the one where you are sitting which you insist remains open . . . . . she then goes to the back of the bus sitting behind you and the open window.

[jillcwhomever]

I was on the 82 bus the other day. Single decker Stagecoach. All the windows were marked with a message  “these windows cannot be closed” - a few people on it, driver with a mask. All good - sat towards the back next to a window.
Then a middle aged woman gets on. Unmasked she started to come down the bus slamming the windows shut. Apart from my surprise that they actually closed, I was stunned by her sheer arrogance. The driver didn’t say a word, nor did a couple of people at the front. She got to the window I was sitting by and went to shut it. I put my fist in the gap so it wouldn’t close, and said as politely as I could that she wasn’t shutting it. She started to ague that it was cold. She must have realised I wasn’t going to move so she went to the back corner of the bus and moaned about me until I got off the bus at my stop.

The selfishness of some people is just wrong.

Just mind blowing at times how stupid some people are. Anyway I am back in work next week, dreading being on the trains with them getting fuller up to Christmas. But I suppose having had it, I will at least get the benefit for a while.

[surfer. Fuck you generator.]

Man if this were a Brad Pitt zombie movie we would be on World War Z 6:...  (we've run out of cool titles,  sorry - the producers)

[djahern]

Yea, lots of doomsday headlines without evidence to back it up. Lots of "could" and "might" involved.

Worth remembering that highly effective anti virals are also in the pipeline so a variant with some vaccine escape could be easily mitigated with them eventually.

I hate how the media go into full fear mode with this sort of thing. They're terrifying people unnecessarily.

Took a hit there too today. Full results from Merck's Molnupiravir trial had a drop in efficacy to 30% from 50% for prevention of hospitalisation and death. It still looked better for older populations maybe.

30% is still something though.

[djahern]

Is it possible that this new variant could be more transmissible and less dangerous?  And that this could actually be good news?  Any possibility!?

It is possible, we have no or very little information on the status of those with positive tests for this variant.

[filopastry]

WHO have designated B.1.1.259 a Variant Of Concern, I thought they usually went Variant Under Investigation first, but maybe that isn't always the case

[Broad Spectrum]

The risk isn't minimal,centres of travel are (shock fucking horror) where people from all corners of the world mingle and pass on the variants,not everybody is as "careful" as you.

Had we shut travel down from the off then we'd all be in a much better place now,instead the pricks in charge thought headline grabbing whilst keeping all borders open was the way to go.


It's also fucking weird how you all jump on KH no matter what she says in any thread,the same fuckers always pile on her.She doesn't give a fuck lads,so you're not going to hound off the forum no matter how hard you try.

Have you any background in academic science, in particular virology or epidemiology? Posted this earlier from someone who is actually in a position to comment on shutting borders, and she's been against this pretty much from the beginning:

https://twitter.com/mugecevik/status/1464132156062535689

To those less familiar with virology, which is most of the population, shutting borders makes you 'feel safer'. In reality at this stage of the pandemic, it does nothing.

I guess we should shut travel even to lorry drivers crossing the channel from Europe, and just rely on what we produce in the UK to see us through to the end of this in...oh wait there's no end in sight and this could continue for the next decade? Surprised how little people have changed over the last 12 months, it's cringeworthy.