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Coronavirus - how is it/has it affected you?

Jamesbrown said:
Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government measure!
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William Pitt introduced income tax The 9th of January 1799 AD William Pitt the Younger - Britain's youngest ever Prime Minister when he came to power in 1783 at the tender age of 24 - introduced income tax as "a temporary measure" in his December 1798 budget, coming into force on 9th January 1799.
 
Tashyboy said:
First time ave picked the grand sproggs up from school today for a couple of weeks. If I had a quid for every female in the school yard under 30 that did not have a mask on or an exemption lanyard I would be rich.
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I am with Bim Guy on this. Why do people wear masks in the open air?

I understand China where they have a major smog problem and people are protecting themselves.
 
Robster59 said:
I had my second AZ Vaccine last Friday. In both cases I felt no ill effects whatsoever. So I'm now fully vaccinated, as is Mrs Robster. But we're still being incredibly diligent. We always sanitise our hands whenever we've been in anywhere. We still wipe down our shopping, wear masks, socially distance. The virus is still out there, we don't know what new strains are out there, we don't want to infect anyone, so we are still very careful. We go to visit the Father in Law in his home and the last thing we want is to be the cause of a breakout there. I'll be honest. I thought today as I sanitised my hands and put a mask on to enter a shop, I just don't know when we will get back to the old "normal".
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For your info. from the Health section of the BBC website:-
2. You're extremely unlikely to catch Covid from touching things
At the start of the pandemic, a lot of focus was on surfaces. People washed groceries and avoided touching buttons at pedestrian crossings. Councils shut playgrounds and cordoned off park benches.
Yet it's been all but impossible to find an outbreak linked to an infected surface.
"It's to do with how the virus actually enters your system - it's through the airways," says Dr Eilir Hughes, a GP and campaigner for more protective PPE for NHS staff.
The virus takes hold in the body via the respiratory system - that's why testing for it involves a swab up the nose and down the back of the throat.
It would take an extremely unlikely chain of events for infected droplets on an object to end up in someone's nose or throat.
Hygiene is important, but washing hands and surfaces excessively, and avoiding touching objects - so-called "hygiene theatre" - has little impact on the spread of Covid.
 
D-S said:
For your info. from the Health section of the BBC website:-
2. You're extremely unlikely to catch Covid from touching things
At the start of the pandemic, a lot of focus was on surfaces. People washed groceries and avoided touching buttons at pedestrian crossings. Councils shut playgrounds and cordoned off park benches.
Yet it's been all but impossible to find an outbreak linked to an infected surface.
"It's to do with how the virus actually enters your system - it's through the airways," says Dr Eilir Hughes, a GP and campaigner for more protective PPE for NHS staff.
The virus takes hold in the body via the respiratory system - that's why testing for it involves a swab up the nose and down the back of the throat.
It would take an extremely unlikely chain of events for infected droplets on an object to end up in someone's nose or throat.
Hygiene is important, but washing hands and surfaces excessively, and avoiding touching objects - so-called "hygiene theatre" - has little impact on the spread of Covid.
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I am somewhat sceptical of this opinion ( which goes against the original science thinking, IIRC). I do not believe all other medics think the same way as Dr Hughes.
As it says, Covid begins as a respiratory invasion. But so too does flu and the common cold. All are viruses.
It was only in recent years I recollect medical advice starting to emphasise that they can be spread by touch. Some medics even thinking it spread more by touching contaminated objects, people being more careful of sneezing and coughing indiscriminately.
Of course, you can never prove exactly that a particular person became infected with Covid, flu or common cold , because they touched some object. To do so would mean proving that no other method could possibly be the actual route.
And that is impossible.
Likelihood and evidence are two completely different things.
Being very keen to prevent infection by one method ( airborne, including droplets, ), as Dr Hughes apparently is, does not mean it must follow that it is not spread by other means.
 
We are rather dreading the announcement about the 21st that we are to get maybe this weekend. Our lad has got some work lined up for lats week June and into July - at last...but that is all very much at risk if the announcement goes the ‘wrong’ way.

We will not be at all happy if it comes to that as surely it could have been avoided. We hear so much about the rights of individual choice around wishes, actions and behaviour - as if these choices pose no risk to others...and as much as some might like to deny or ignore it, individual choices can and do affect others - and often quite significantly.

My lad knows it is very important for there not to be further ‘closing downs’ as his sector just cannot operate in such uncertainty, but I am not sure young folk in general will put up with an extension to the restrictions on their lives.
 
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SwingsitlikeHogan said:
We are rather dreading the announcement about the 21st that we are to get maybe this weekend. Our lad has got some work lined up for lats week June and into July - at last...but that is all very much at risk if the announcement goes the ‘wrong’ way.

We will not be at all happy if it comes to that as surely it could have been avoided. We hear so much about the rights of individual choice around wishes, actions and behaviour - as if these choices pose no risk to others...and as much as some might like to deny or ignore it, individual choices can and do affect others - and often quite significantly.

My lad knows it is very important for there not to be further ‘closing downs’ as his sector just cannot operate in such uncertainty, but I am not sure young folk in general will put up with an extension to the restrictions on their lives.
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My money is that there will be an extension of the present step for an initial period of 2 weeks or so. The Government are terrified of having to go backwards so they'll err on the side of caution and wait to see whether the increase in cases does lead to hospitalisations.
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
We are rather dreading the announcement about the 21st that we are to get maybe this weekend. Our lad has got some work lined up for lats week June and into July - at last...but that is all very much at risk if the announcement goes the ‘wrong’ way.

We will not be at all happy if it comes to that as surely it could have been avoided. We hear so much about the rights of individual choice around wishes, actions and behaviour - as if these choices pose no risk to others...and as much as some might like to deny or ignore it, individual choices can and do affect others - and often quite significantly.

My lad knows it is very important for there not to be further ‘closing downs’ as his sector just cannot operate in such uncertainty, but I am not sure young folk in general will put up with an extension to the restrictions on their lives.
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I'm with you. Its time to crack on and try to repair some of the damage.
Shelter and protect those that need it and let the rest of us go back to normal.

People can still take all the precautions they want and chose not to go places should they wish to.
 
bobmac said:
It would seem that the vast majority of people who are being hospitalised are people that have not had the vaccine and that's their own fault. (not including medical exemptions)
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That seems to be the case. A few will be people who get the virus shortly after vaccination before it has time to take effect, shouldn't be too many (although will be a few) full vaccinated who just didn't get a great response, but mostly unvaccinated. Very few genuine medical exemptions (contraindications to vax), really only allergy/hypersensitivity to the specific components of the vaccine and some of those can find one or other vaccine that works for them depending on what the sensitivity is to.
 
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I have a fear that restrictions will be in place almost until September...when the furlough scheme ends.

It’s relatively easy to look at and accept a current extension to restrictions if you are working or furloughed...an extension becomes less attractive and acceptable if you are not, or if you are faced with loss of work or no income through being furloughed.

My instinct is that if this PM of ours accepts advice that an extension now is required then it absolutely must be required, and I would go along with it. However my lad will have lost 18months of his career and 18 months of income that he will never be able to recover, and I and my lad will expect someone or other to accept responsibility for this further extension, even if none is accepted by anyone for any (mis)management of the pandemic response overall.
 
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Not such good news

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19...re-resistant-to-vaccines-phe-reports-12330068

The Delta (Indian) variant is about 60% more transmissible than the Alpha (Kent) variant and vaccines are less effective against it, Public Health England has said.

More than 90% of new COVID-19 cases in the UK are now the Delta variant.


The variant, first identified in India, has taken over from the Alpha variant as the most dominant in the UK.

Since last week, the number of Delta variant cases across the UK has increased by 70% to 42,323.

New PHE research suggests the Delta variant is associated with an approximately 60% increased risk of household transmission compared with the Alpha variant.


And Delta cases are doubling across all regions of the country in between 4.5 days to 11.5 days.

In England, 39,061 Delta variant cases have now been confirmed, with 2,035 in Scotland, 184 in Wales and 43 in Northern Ireland.
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SwingsitlikeHogan said:
I have a fear that restrictions will be in place almost until September...when the furlough scheme ends.

It’s relatively easy to look at and accept a current extension to restrictions if you are working or furloughed...an extension becomes less attractive and acceptable if you are not, or if you are faced with loss of work or no income through being furloughed.

My instinct is that if this PM of ours accepts advice that an extension now is required then it absolutely must be required, and I would go along with it. However my lad will have lost 18months of his career and 18 months of income that he will never be able to recover, and I and my lad will expect someone or other to accept responsibility for this further extension, even if none is accepted by anyone for any (mis)management of the pandemic response overall.
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The 'someone or other' is not an organisation or dept or official body.
It's the muppets who don't SD and/or who refuse vaccines.
And you know that.
 
GB72 said:
After dose 2, the vaccine is still 75-85% effective, not really seeing that as a massive concern. Ethan may correct me but I would have thought that any normal vaccine produced that had that level of protection would be hailed a massive success even if it is not he 95% protection as offered against the alpha variant.
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Indeed. I think a lot depends on what happens to the 15-25% who do not get protection against symptomatic Covid. If they have a mildly unpleasant flu like illness, no worries. If some of them end up in ICU, much bigger problem.

Part of the anxiety you are seeing in anticipatory anxiety, and I think the real fear is that the epsilon or theta variant might be much less amenable to the vaccine. I for, and it is a highly transmissible variant, we are back to last summer because it will wipe out much of the assumed community immunity among those of us who have been vaccinated.
 
Really was impressed with the set up for my second jab. Administratively speaking, the first jab must have been easier as you turn up and get the jab du jour and off you go. Yesterday they were seamlessly juggling second jabs on various vaccines, first jabs on the under 30s who cannot have AZ etc and all with a friendly smile and getting you through quickly and efficiently without feeling like you were on a production line.
 
Ethan said:
Indeed. I think a lot depends on what happens to the 15-25% who do not get protection against symptomatic Covid. If they have a mildly unpleasant flu like illness, no worries. If some of them end up in ICU, much bigger problem.

Part of the anxiety you are seeing in anticipatory anxiety, and I think the real fear is that the epsilon or theta variant might be much less amenable to the vaccine. I for, and it is a highly transmissible variant, we are back to last summer because it will wipe out much of the assumed community immunity among those of us who have been vaccinated.
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In theory, and this is just the sort of thing that plays around in my head with no basis in reality, could the theta variant, lets say, end up being far more infectious, vaccine immune but only gives you a mild cough lets say. Understand that the natural fear and assumption is that each variant will get worse but is it possible for the variants to go in the other direction.
 
GB72 said:
In theory, and this is just the sort of thing that plays around in my head with no basis in reality, could the theta variant, lets say, end up being far more infectious, vaccine immune but only gives you a mild cough lets say. Understand that the natural fear and assumption is that each variant will get worse but is it possible for the variants to go in the other direction.
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The Theta variant could just as easily be the one that wipes us all out as it could just give us a mild cough. Same could be said for any number of viruses.

No point worrying about something that you have absolutely no control over.
 
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