[bytejunkie]

Originally Posted by Nibbles

once the pandemic is classed as being over or tailing off

medical experts are saying its already endemic, not pandemic. therefore its with us for good, unliekly to tail off.

the sooner we all get used to the fact that a covid vaccine in the over 50's is as good an idea as a measles vaccine in the under 5's the better.

there will always be those that choose not to have it. thats fine, thats their choice. and its ok to wish that they didnt walk (breathe) amongst us too.

[Lynxi2k]

Do we wear seatbelts because we think we are going to crash or because if we do crash it reduces the chance of injury or death to us or others?

Not sure there is much of an argument until you have to pay for the vaccine, while it's free and pretty much no hassle, why wouldn't you get one? Could save someone's life...

I still wear a mask while i'm in indoor public spaces too.

I get a regular flu jab.

I am 37.

[Nibbles]

Originally Posted by bytejunkie

medical experts are saying its already endemic, not pandemic. therefore its with us for good, unliekly to tail off.

the sooner we all get used to the fact that a covid vaccine in the over 50's is as good an idea as a measles vaccine in the under 5's the better.

there will always be those that choose not to have it. thats fine, thats their choice. and its ok to wish that they didnt walk (breathe) amongst us too.

Indeed, I watched this the other day. Very informative.
https://royalsociety.org/science-eve...with-covid-19/

Although I could have just looked on FaceTube at what a random had posted about her brother's friend's daughter's uncle, who died from saying the word covid vaccine.

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Our daughter works in a hotel and she said they removed their reception screens weeks ago.

i know some removed reception screens as they felt them to be a barrier when speaking to guests - and use a facecovering for staff instead. We took the view that they are a good comfort blanket and feedback was that guests didnt mind them, so we kept them in place....

I dont get the rush to kick everything out - the virus hasnt gone, the vaccine helps but doesnt end the virus so do what you can and hope that between them it keeps it under control....

[CajunBMW]

Originally Posted by Scoobyd

Who knows. Depends what the medical advice is in 6 months time. But if this virus is still out there in large numbers and the recommendation is to get another booster then sure, why wouldn't I? No skin off my nose.

What's the issue with having a regular vaccine to help keep yourself and others safe? People have the flu vaccine each year. No real difference in my eyes.

Up to you whether you have the booster of course. Though just remember it's not only yourself you're potentially risking by not. Your other posts talk as though everyone that's vaccinated is 100% protected. They're not. As brilliant as the vaccines are some people will and are still slip through the net.

I look after my parents and my dad is vulnerable. So I'll be continuing to do everything necessary to keep them, myself, and others safe.

Can't understand why anyone wouldn't have the booster myself but to each their own.

My guess is the booster will eventually be a once a year booster, much like the flu shot. Again that is a guess. After this winter they (scientists and medical folks) will have a pretty solid view of how long immunity to the vaccine truly lasts, how long immunity to a natural infection truly lasts, and the best combination of boosters and how those boosters add to that immunity. That will then provide the strong rationale for the correct timing of the boosters. Of course it could vary among age groups.

Also this point and need for the booster maybe driven by the virus' seasonality. If like the flu, the virus becomes a winter issue then a shot each fall would be warranted, if on the other hand it is just always circulating (sort of like now) then everything would depend on the duration of immunity and how that works in different age groups. That would then be the rationale for timing of any boosters.

The virus has clearly reached an endemic stage and I think there is no doubt that we now have 5 coronaviruses in general circulation now, although I guess we are still in a pandemic based on what constitutes a pandemic.

Cheers,

[Tengocity]

I don't think there will be another lockdown. We've been like this since July and there is a relatively consistent range of daily infections. Every time an expert says it's about to go exponential it flattens off then falls. Boosters will keep that going, so I'll happily have it if it keeps us in this "reasonable" situation, where it's ultimately not a major factor is most people's lives anymore.

I think it's going to be fascinating to look back in a few years time when we will see much better how different government strategies worked out in the long run.

Sweden's excess mortality rate certainly doesn't suggest their approach was completely wrong. But I think it's the longer term excess mortality rates that I'm interested in seeing.

So many people have had critical procedures and treatment delayed or cancelled and that is going to have an impact in years to come.

[MY340i]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...-nhs-struggles

Asked directly about the possibility of another lockdown this Christmas, Johnson replied that there is nothing in the current data that signaled the need for restrictions, but warned: “clearly we cannot rule anything out.”

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by MY340i

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...-nhs-struggles

Asked directly about the possibility of another lockdown this Christmas, Johnson replied that there is nothing in the current data that signaled the need for restrictions, but warned: “clearly we cannot rule anything out.”

And what else would you expect him to say? keep all options open given its an unknown at times and how it develops and mutates could surprise us / him / the scientists...

[MY340i]

Ireland has curfews now…. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59305710

[MY340i]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

And what else would you expect him to say? keep all options open given its an unknown at times and how it develops and mutates could surprise us / him / the scientists...

Make masks compulsory many months ago…. Rather than just flabbering about talking about plan b etc etc. So much waffle and no action.

[225]

Agree about the covid jab becoming annual like the flu jab and that's just going to be life. Hardly a big thing to do to potentially save yours or someone else's life. I have noticed more people wearing masks again which is good and especially this time of year why not, it will help you stop getting colds if nothing else.


I have my booster in a couple of weeks and I'm all for my 3rd microchip to bill Gates or who ever the current evil overlord is currently.

[sahajesh]

GMB are doing a story on is it fair to lockdown the unvaccinated - I say, unless you have a medical exemption, then yes.

Enough of this "I'm OK", "I'm too young" bollocks.

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by sahajesh

GMB are doing a story on is it fair to lockdown the unvaccinated - I say, unless you have a medical exemption, then yes.

Enough of this "I'm OK", "I'm too young" bollocks.

In a lot of ways I agree with you but I wonder about the practicality of enforcing something like that? The police have more than enough to do already without getting involved in enforcing a lockdown that would only apply to some but not all....

[RobUK]

Christmas 2021 lockdown in England? Highly unlikely unless some variant makes the figures go ballistic. Reason? The buffoon-in-chief announced last summer that his roadmap for exiting lockdown restrictions would be "cautious and irreversible" and he won't want to lose face.

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by RobUK

Christmas 2021 lockdown in England? Highly unlikely unless some variant makes the figures go ballistic. Reason? The buffoon-in-chief announced last summer that his roadmap for exiting lockdown restrictions would be "cautious and irreversible" and he won't want to lose face.

Lose face? Has he got any left to lose, the master of the U turn? Mind you, he didnt have much to start with...

[sahajesh]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

Lose face? Has he got any left to lose, the master of the U turn? Mind you, he didnt have much to start with...

He can afford to lose one face from the two he has.

[sahajesh]

Originally Posted by JNW1

In a lot of ways I agree with you but I wonder about the practicality of enforcing something like that? The police have more than enough to do already without getting involved in enforcing a lockdown that would only apply to some but not all....

I know, that's what's unfortunate.

Some places have mandated COVID passes for access, yes that causes additional load on organisations and customers, however I think most of the customers wouldn't mind.

Do something similar for booster jab e.g. a secondary pass that shows you have 3 jabs.

Easy to write down, harder to implement I know.

[ArthurKing]

Originally Posted by MY340i

Make masks compulsory many months ago…. Rather than just flabbering about talking about plan b etc etc. So much waffle and no action.

Compulsory where? They are already mandatory on TFL and I can tell you first hand its not as high compliance as you think it would be.

Even on other Public Transport, they were never enforced and having gone months without them, its going to be a hard sell to get them back. I get on at 05:58 and other than the train driver, there are no other staff to enforce masks, guards went years ago and expecting to see a ticket man is a laugh. Once you reach the London stations there are staff but its pointless telling people getting off a train to wear them.

You could mandate them in shops but is it going to make a substantial difference to the case numbers? It might take the edge off but with 80% double jabbed, I just don't see unmasked Shazza in Primark as a significant contributor to 50k cases a day.

If you want to get case numbers down low so say <5k a day over winter you are going to need severe restrictions again, no mixing households, working from home again etc.

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by ArthurKing

If you want to get case numbers down low so say <5k a day over winter you are going to need severe restrictions again, no mixing households, working from home again etc.

And I suppose you could argue having lots of cases doesn't really matter unless and until they start to equate to lots more hospital admissions and/or lots more people dying? If lots of people have the virus but have either no symptoms or symptoms akin to a common cold then arguably so what - providing the vulnerable are vaccinated and not getting seriously ill or dying does it matter if infections are high?

But I suppose the counter argument to that is a high level infection perhaps increases the chances of the virus mutating and a new strain that's vaccine resistant emerging....

[ArthurKing]

Originally Posted by JNW1

And I suppose you could argue having lots of cases doesn't really matter unless and until they start to equate to lots more hospital admissions and/or lots more people dying? If lots of people have the virus but have either no symptoms or symptoms akin to a common cold then arguably so what - providing the vulnerable are vaccinated and not getting seriously ill or dying does it matter if infections are high?

But I suppose the counter argument to that is a high level infection perhaps increases the chances of the virus mutating and a new strain that's vaccine resistant emerging....

The vaccine isn't a cure and on the basis we are unlikely to get much above 80% is fully vaxxed of those eligible, I would argue that its going to spread no matter what we do.

Look at Gibraltar, virtually everyone has had a vaccine and its spreading again there, cases are on the up.

Pretending we can stop it entirely is a fallacy, the only concern moving forward is whether hospitals can cope and this is what any future 'restrictions' will be based on.

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by ArthurKing

The vaccine isn't a cure and on the basis we are unlikely to get much above 80% is fully vaxxed of those eligible, I would argue that its going to spread no matter what we do.

Look at Gibraltar, virtually everyone has had a vaccine and its spreading again there, cases are on the up.

Pretending we can stop it entirely is a fallacy, the only concern moving forward is whether hospitals can cope and this is what any future 'restrictions' will be based on.

I agree the vaccine isn't a cure and that we'll have to live with Covid 19 for the foreseeable future. The only point I was making was high levels of infection don't necessarily have to mean the reintroduction of lots of restrictions; if a relatively high level of infection isn't translating into lots more people going into hospital and/or dying - because the vulnerable have been vaccinated and protected - I'd argue it's no different from "normal" colds and flu and we don't introduce restrictions for those.

[RobUK]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

Lose face? Has he got any left to lose, the master of the U turn? Mind you, he didnt have much to start with...

Originally Posted by sahajesh

He can afford to lose one face from the two he has.

You have a point there


Another big difference between Christmsas last year and this is that there are now a couple of promising Covid-19 therapeutics (like Lagevrio) available.