The COVID-2019 Thread

[hallelujah]

Isolation period in the UK set to be cut to 5 days by the looks of things on the back of people being forced to isolate because of a cold:

Back-to-work chaos looms with a million people in Covid isolation | Daily Mail Online

Boris to hold 5pm press conference TODAY as MPs call for isolation to be cut to five days because 'people are off work but perfectly WELL' and 'Prof Lockdown' admits Omicron is plateauing – but crippling rules see 1m locked away with mild strain

• Growing anger that the nation is being ground to a halt by a variant that is much milder than earlier versions
• Tory MP Craig Mackinlay said country in midst of a 'semi-lockdown' with 1million Britons currently isolating
• Slashing the isolation period from a week to five days could be 'the answer' to England's self-isolation misery

Danish health expert predicts Omicron scariant will see the beginning of the end of the pandemic in 2 months:

Covid: Denmark health expert Tyra Grove Krause says Omicron variant may help pandemic end in two months | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site

Top health official in Denmark has predicted that the Covid pandemic may be over in her country in just two months and it may all the thanks to the Omicron variant.

Tyra Grove Krause, the chief epidemiologist at Denmark’s State Serum Institute, told Danish TV 2 that a new study by the Institute has found that hospitalisations due to Omicron are about half that of the Delta variant.
Asked how long coronavirus will affect the lives of the Danes, she replied “I think it will have that in the next two months, and then I hope the infection will start to subside and we get our normal lives back”

Another report confirming that Omicron - from the scare-mongering Guardian even! - is basically a sore throat and a cold for almost everybody. If you have any symptoms at all that is.

New studies reinforce belief that Omicron is less likely to damage lungs | Omicron variant | The Guardian

If the virus replicates more in the throat, that makes it more transmissible, which would help to explain the rapid spread of Omicron. A virus that is good at infecting lung tissue, on the other hand, will be potentially more dangerous but less transmissible.

Even the WHO are confirming it (just like the South African docs told us, but whom were haughtily ignored in the UK at first):

WHO hails 'good news' that ultra-infectious variant is less likely to penetrate deep into lungs | Daily Mail Online

People with severe Covid can suffer from pneumonia — swelling of the lung tissue — which leads to shortness of breath and a cough, with breathing difficulties becoming so severe for some that they require a ventilator.
UK hospitalisation levels are trending upwards, but the numbers in mechanical ventilation beds have remained static and doctors on the ground are reporting that Omicron infections appear to be less severe for many.
MailOnline analysis on Monday showed the proportion of Covid patients needing to be hooked up to ventilators in London has halved since Omicron took off.
NHS England statistics show 16 per cent of hospitalised patients required mechanical ventilation in late November when the Delta variant was still dominant.
But a month later, after it was replaced by Omicron, this had dropped to six per cent.

[Loy Toy]

Interesting to read about how the Spanish Flu (H1N1 virus) seemed to dissipate after killing millions of people.

No vaccines, no lock downs and I suspect herd immunity prevailed.

[beam8]

Interesting to read about how the Spanish Flu (H1N1 virus) seemed to dissipate after killing millions of people.

No vaccines, no lock downs and I suspect herd immunity prevailed.

And it only took science 100 years to figure that out, amazing.

[Buckaroo Banzai]

Interesting to read about how the Spanish Flu (H1N1 virus) seemed to dissipate after killing millions of people.

No vaccines, no lock downs and I suspect herd immunity prevailed.

I don't understand this post. I read it three times tiring to decipher it's intent and I was unable, that might be my fault and not yours.
Do you mean that the way the Spanish flue was dealt with was preferable to the way covid is now? and it would had been better to let covid run wild, and end through herd immunity?
If I know my history (Google aided LOL) before herd immunity was archived
"From 1918 to 1919, the Spanish flu infected an estimated 500 million people globally. This amounted to about 33% of the world's population at the time. In addition, the Spanish flu killed about 50 million people "

[Latindancer]

Another one bites the dust :

Official who opposed vaccine mandate dies from Covid aged 46


And in an unfortunate choice of words, Yahoo News reports her co-workers saying "her enthusiasm was contagious".

Official who opposed vaccine mandate dies from Covid aged 46

[Buckaroo Banzai]

"her enthusiasm was contagious

Good catch , very funny

[Troy]

I don't understand this post. I read it three times tiring to decipher it's intent and I was unable, that might be my fault and not yours.
Do you mean that the way the Spanish flue was dealt with was preferable to the way covid is now? and it would had been better to let covid run wild, and end through herd immunity?
If I know my history (Google aided LOL) before herd immunity was archived
"From 1918 to 1919, the Spanish flu infected an estimated 500 million people globally. This amounted to about 33% of the world's population at the time. In addition, the Spanish flu killed about 50 million people "

I was equally confused. Today's total of over 5 million dead would be more like 50-100 million if it was not for vaccinations. History pretty much shows this from the 1918 flu outbreak.

Eventually the virus will mutate into something less harmful as per 1918 but it can also mutate into something much more severe. One never really knows.

For sure, we are lucky to be living in this century and not the last when it comes to treatment.

[Stumpy]

A new Scariant....

An official from the World Health Organization told a press conference Tuesday that another COVID-19 variant has infected a dozen people in France and has been on the agency’s radar, according to a report.

Bloomberg reported that the "IHU" variant, which was nicknamed by researchers at the Marseille-based Mediterranee Infection University Hospital Institute (IHU), has infected individuals in the southern Alps region in the country. Abdi Mahamud, a WHO incident manager, told researchers in Geneva that it's too soon to "speculate on virological, epidemiological or clinical features" of the variant that was identified in November—at about the same time as omicron

[hallelujah]

Eventually the virus will mutate into something less harmful.

It already has.

A new Scariant....

An official from the World Health Organization told a press conference Tuesday that another COVID-19 variant has infected a dozen people in France and has been on the agency’s radar, according to a report.

Bloomberg reported that the "IHU" variant, which was nicknamed by researchers at the Marseille-based Mediterranee Infection University Hospital Institute (IHU), has infected individuals in the southern Alps region in the country. Abdi Mahamud, a WHO incident manager, told researchers in Geneva that it's too soon to "speculate on virological, epidemiological or clinical features" of the variant that was identified in November—at about the same time as omicron

I saw that before along with the usual could, might, may etc.

Obviously, this latest scariant has been a bit of a let down for project fear, but they're moving on to the next even quicker than I thought they would.

Surely the press and governments can milk this one a bit more yet? After all, it is winter in the northern hemisphere, so plenty more opportunities there, I imagine.

[Troy]

^ It looks that way but I've extended my holiday based on the covid figures in Europe. There are times when being cautious works...

[hallelujah]

^ It looks that way but I've extended my holiday based on the covid figures in Europe. There are times when being cautious works...

If this Danish health expert is right, it should be the beginning of the end come Spring and we can all get back to booking holidays without the current hassle.

I do wonder if things will ever be quite the same though, give the amount of money being made from PCR tests etc.

[malmomike77]

Must be election year :

Covid: French uproar as Macron vows to 'piss off' unvaccinated

French President Emmanuel Macron has been accused of using divisive, vulgar language after he used a slang term to say he wanted to make life difficult for unvaccinated people.

"I really want to piss them off, and we'll carry on doing this - to the end," he told Le Parisien newspaper.

Three months ahead of a presidential election, opponents of Mr Macron said his words were unworthy of a president.

MPs halted debate on a law barring the unvaccinated from much of public life.

The session in the National Assembly was brought to a standstill for a second night running on Tuesday as opposition delegates complained about the president's language, with one leading figure describing it as "unworthy, irresponsible and premeditated".

The legislation is expected to be approved in a vote this week, but it has angered vaccine opponents and several French MPs have said they have received death threats over the issue.

Mandatory vaccinations are being introduced in several European countries, with Austria leading the way for over-14s from next month and Germany planning a similar move for adults. Italy's government was on Wednesday considering a compulsory vaccine pass for at least anyone over 60.

'A president shouldn't say that'

In his interview with Le Parisien on Tuesday, Mr Macron used the vulgar term emmerder to say how he wanted to stir up the unvaccinated. He would not "vaccinate by force" the remaining five million who had not had a dose, but hoped to encourage people to get the vaccines by "limiting as much as possible their access to activities in social life".

"I won't send [unvaccinated people] to prison," he said. "So we need to tell them, from 15 January, you will no longer be able to go to the restaurant. You will no longer be able to go for a coffee, you will no longer be able to go to the theatre. You will no longer be able to go to the cinema."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59873833

[taxexile]

"I won't send [unvaccinated people] to prison," he said. "So we need to tell them, from 15 January, you will no longer be able to go to the restaurant. You will no longer be able to go for a coffee, you will no longer be able to go to the theatre. You will no longer be able to go to the cinema."

first bit of sense from the granny-banger for a long time.

[HermantheGerman]

I do wonder if things will ever be quite the same though, give the amount of money being made from PCR tests etc.

Another Conspiracy Theorist

Here's the link

Conspiracy theory - Wikipedia

[Buckaroo Banzai]

If this Danish health expert is right, it should be the beginning of the end come Spring and we can all get back to booking holidays without the current hassle.

I do wonder if things will ever be quite the same though, give the amount of money being made from PCR tests etc.

I think the amount of money being lost from PCR tests and the like from numerous industries far outweighs the amount being made by one minor industry.

[Stumpy]

I saw that before along with the usual could, might, may etc.

I laughed. Said perfect play. Need another one in the pipe to keep the fear going. Big Pharma, med supply companies doing their thing.

[Buckaroo Banzai]

from the granny-banger

His marital status is a badge of honor , He married her when she was hot, and did not replace her hen she got older, it speaks miles about his integrity.

[Stumpy]

I think the amount of money being lost from PCR tests and the like from numerous industries far outweighs the amount being made by one minor industry.

I agree BB. PCR testing isn't a huge industry but to Hal's point, Big Pharma is. Remember Pfizer, Moderna and others are all still being subsidized by the US Govt to make the vaccine. So they do have motivation and that is a HUGE money maker. I am not saying various agencies are making up variants, they are real. But it is getting quite old with them shooting up this red alert flare, instill panic then a few days later backtrack saying "well...we don't know, we aren't sure etc. etc" because this hits social media and people react and most it is fear and panic.

[harrybarracuda]

9 days after the UK hit 160,000 cases a day there hasn't been a commensurate uptick in covid deaths.

Also, most hospitalisations are not for severe illness.

Providing we don't get an Ebola-like variant, this could be the beginning of the end, and I would imagine a lot of countries will be watching the UK with great interest.

[harrybarracuda]

Travel firms prepared for a surge in demand for winter sun and ski holidays on Wednesday as Boris Johnson scrapped PCR and pre-departure tests in a move that will save families hundreds of pounds.
The Prime Minister lifted all the travel restrictions introduced to combat the spread of the omicron variant, meaning fully vaccinated holidaymakers will only have to fork out between £20 and £30 for lateral flow tests on their return to Britain.
They will replace PCR tests, which are currently required on or before day two of a traveller’s arrival in the UK and cost on average £80 per person. Pre-departure tests for the fully jabbed are also ditched, saving a family of four a combined total of around £300.
Passengers will also no longer have to self isolate until they get a negative lateral flow test result. However, if positive, they will have to follow up with a PCR and self isolate for at least seven days until they test negative.
The moves - to take effect from 4am on Friday - will be a major boost for holidaymakers planning ski trips or winter sun breaks and the beleaguered travel and tourism industry.

Holiday bookings bonanza beckons as Covid day two PCR tests scrapped

[hallelujah]

I agree BB. PCR testing isn't a huge industry but to Hal's point, Big Pharma is. Remember Pfizer, Moderna and others are all still being subsidized by the US Govt to make the vaccine. So they do have motivation and that is a HUGE money maker. I am not saying various agencies are making up variants, they are real. But it is getting quite old with them shooting up this red alert flare, instill panic then a few days later backtrack saying "well...we don't know, we aren't sure etc. etc" because this hits social media and people react and most it is fear and panic.

Indeed, hence the etc at the end of my post.

Harry's post above highlights that the UK now don't require PCR tests, which is great (they do still require lateral flow tests though), but as you say, will any flare up have us returning to jabs, boosters, PCR tests, quarantine, extra insurance etc?

We've been here before where we were told that vaccines were our way out, but now we're told we need boosters and maybe a 4th shot: Omicron: Pfizer CEO says we may need fourth Covid vaccine doses sooner than expected

Certainly for the next few years, my concern is that there will always be some hoop we have to jump through if we want to travel. And lets face it, people have been scared to death by all these scariants, so most would be happy to just go with the flow.

[hallelujah]

9 days after the UK hit 160,000 cases a day there hasn't been a commensurate uptick in covid deaths.

Also, most hospitalisations are not for severe illness.

Providing we don't get an Ebola-like variant, this could be the beginning of the end, and I would imagine a lot of countries will be watching the UK with great interest.

Odd really, because having been reading about this current scariant in the press and listening to various government agencies, I thought this was Ebola combined with the plague...

(Not really, as per my earlier posts, I've been saying for weeks that it was nothing more than a sore throat and a bit of a cold - while posting evidence to support this - unless you are really really old and/or already very sick).

[harrybarracuda]

Odd really, because having been reading about this current scariant in the press and listening to various government agencies, I thought this was Ebola combined with the plague...

The general consensus since it ballooned in South Africa is that it is highly transmissible but, for most people, extremely mild, and hospitalisations are massively down.

What press are you reading?

[hallelujah]

Interesting read here about lockdowns doing more harm than good from a UK scientist.

There was a distinctive moment, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, that neatly encapsulated the mistakes and confusion of Britain’s early efforts to tackle the disease, says Mark Woolhouse. At a No 10 briefing in March 2020, cabinet minister Michael Gove warned the virus did not discriminate. “Everyone is at risk,” he announced.

And nothing could be further from the truth, argues Professor Woolhouse, an expert on infectious diseases at Edinburgh University. “I am afraid Gove’s statement was simply not true,” he says. “In fact, this is a very discriminatory virus. Some people are much more at risk from it than others. People over 75 are an astonishing 10,000 times more at risk than those who are under 15.”

And it was this failure to understand the wide variations in individual responses to Covid-19 that led to Britain’s flawed responses to the disease’s appearance, he argues – errors that included the imposition of a long-lasting, national lockdown. This is a strategy that Woolhouse – one of the country’s leading epidemiologists – describes as morally wrong and highly damaging in his forthcoming book, The Year the World Went Mad: A Scientific Memoir.

“We did serious harm to our children and young adults who were robbed of their education, jobs and normal existence, as well as suffering damage to their future prospects, while they were left to inherit a record-breaking mountain of public debt,” he argues. “All this to protect the NHS from a disease that is a far, far greater threat to the elderly, frail and infirm than to the young and healthy.

“We were mesmerised by the once-in-a-century scale of the emergency and succeeded only in making a crisis even worse. In short, we panicked. This was an epidemic crying out for a precision public health approach and it got the opposite.”

Britain got it wrong on Covid: long lockdown did more harm than good, says scientist | Coronavirus | The Guardian

[misskit]

Hind sight is 20/20.