The Coronavirus Thread

Yeah I'm gonna stop here. Sick of this thread being so toxic. I just shared some good news and get attacked from the first sentence by you. Be Kind.

 

Ah well there you go then, I don't see it as good news in the larger picture, I see it as a burden and unnecessary complication logistically and on an already chin strapped NHS delivery service.
The priority (IMHO) should be to get everyone jabbed post haste, not add more moving parts to the system.

If it doesn't incur appreciable delays in getting the greater population jabbed, then great, I'm happy for the public to be able to pick and choose whatever they want. And going forward on boosters in years to come then take your pick by all means.

That was me being neither kind nor unkind, I'm rather blunt and forthright, if you're offended or upset then please report my posts and put me on ignore, it'll save your blood pressure.

Now if you'll excuse me I've got some warzone that needs playing.

 

Good lord you even break up that post into quotes and launch paragraphs at it.

I wouldnt be surprised if you used 'strawman', 'ad hominem' and 'butthurt' in there somewhere to get internet warrior bingo.

 

We're all stressed and frazzled after a year of the COVIDz. We're worried for our loved ones and our jobs, it's hard to go out and unwind. And we know how written posts can come across a bit blunter than intended without a non-verbal meta-communicative context.

So let's take a deep breath... and release. mrlongbeard: oscy is speaking from a place of his nan being in hospital because of her AZ vaccination. oscy: I think mrlongbeard did not see your post on that and thus didn't get that. I'm sure no offence was intended.

We're nearly there. We may have a summer this year. Hang in there.

 

When it comes to the risk of blood clots with AstraZeneca it's a question of risk. If you take a large enough (and diverse enough) population of people who have had the same vaccine then pure statistics means that some of those people will develop blood clots. The way we've handled this, as a country, has been refreshingly evidence-based. Evidence of an increased risk of blood clots to certain populations (people under 30) was identified; it's a very small risk and a very small increase in risk, but it's still not zero. So we don't offer it to that population. There's also evidence that another population (people under 40) may also have a very very small increased risk of blood clots so we offer that population a choice: you can have AstraZeneca and accept that tiny increase in risk, or you can have a different vaccine. It's up to individuals to assess that risk and make their own decision. If you've already had the first dose of AZ and now you're being offered a different vaccine, it's very likely that you'll need a third vaccine dose because you'll be starting a new course of vaccination. This means you're waiting even longer before you're fully immunised, which puts you at increased risk of catching or spreading COVID-19.

And I really don't think you can classify that as a U-turn. This isn't government legislation we're talking about, this is evidence-led advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation - just look at the list of members, not a single MP among them:

• Professor Andrew Pollard, Chair (University of Oxford)
• Professor Lim Wei Shen, Chair COVID-19 immunisation (Nottingham University Hospitals)
• Professor Anthony Harnden, Deputy Chair (University of Oxford)
• Dr Kevin Brown (Public Health England)
• Dr Rebecca Cordery (Public Health England)
• Dr Maggie Wearmouth (East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust)
• Professor Matt Keeling (University of Warwick)
• Alison Lawrence (lay member)
• Professor Robert Read (Southampton General Hospital)
• Professor Anthony Scott (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine)
• Professor Adam Finn (University of Bristol)
• Dr Fiona van der Klis (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Netherlands)
• Professor Maarten Postma (University of Groningen)
• Professor Simon Kroll (Imperial College London)
• Dr Martin Williams (University Hospitals Bristol)
• Professor Jeremy Brown (University College London Hospitals)

It's not fair to categorise evidence based decisions as a 'U-turn', it's how science works: we formulate hypotheses, test, observe the outcome of the tests, refine our understanding based on the observations, and start again. It's entirely possible to overturn decades - or even centuries - of well understood and well accepted concepts based on new evidence. This is not a failure and it is not a "bad" thing, in fact it's quite the opposite: it means we have new information about something and we now understand it even better than we did before.

Frankly I'm staggered that the government is so far keeping their nose out, it's one of the main reasons that the vaccination programme across all four nations is going so well compared to elsewhere in the world. But of course it's government, so it's not exactly hard for them to find a way to **** it all up (and this is true of all governments, it doesn't matter which team happens to make up the government).

I'd be quite happy with vaccination not being enforced by the government but to be a requirement of participating in society. Want to send your kids to school? Then they need to be vaccinated. Want to travel abroad? Go get those jabs, pal. Want to be treated for a vaccine-preventable disease? Sure we'll treat you now but you're damn well getting the vaccine as part of that treatment.

If someone wants to express their right to choose not to be vaccinated - for anything - then that should damn well come with consequences. If you're able to get the vaccination - meaning you're not allergic to any of the ingredients, you're not already seriously ill or immune-compromosed, you don't have an underlying health condition which could be exacerbated, etc, etc - and you choose not to then you should face at least some consequences for putting others at risk of vaccine-preventable diseases. The point of heard immunity is that those who can't be vaccinated are protected by those who are.

 

What about to make an 'another u-turn' joke?

 

The UK had ordered hundreds of millions of Covid Vaccine doses from various manufacturers long before the decision to offer an alternative to the AstraZeneca one to under 40s was made.

So if it reduces risk to offer younger people the Pfizer, Moderna, whatever instead and we've already ordered them anyway I really don't see the problem as it is rather obvious that the plan was never to give everyone the same one in the first place.

 

Ordered yes, ask the EU how that's going
But seriously, yes they did order more than enough for every man, woman, child and their pets and then some, but then the US stopped supplying certain components to India, and then a month or so later poop hit the fan in India (the worlds largest vaccine supplier)

Of course we'd be in a better place to comment if stock levels were known / published, but they aren't.............. so I divert to default cynicism mode
Either way I've (& the wife) had both jabs now (AZ) not died, puked, suffered or had any side effects, so we'm alright.

 

Getting my second dose of microbots on Friday - the force will be strong in me!!

 

I've got myself booked in on Thursday for a clinical trial of one from Medicago (Canadian I think). Made from plants apparently.

Unless I get the placebo.

 

Mines at the end of the month.

Should also get my antibodies test to see how 5G I am.

 

Please don't test positive for 5G, or I might have to set fire to you!

 

I think I got the Rona' in late Jan 2020. I was very ill after spending a fantastic 2.5h wait in immigration in the US, standing in a queue alongside a flight that came in from China. I remember thinking at the time its weird how they are all wearing masks and even spoke about it with my wife when I got home. Shows how ignorant I was.

That initial illness likely has no bearing on antibodies now, however, now I have had one jab I am more than happy to find out how much "Immunity I got in my community".

 

Pfizer dose 2 done, bring it on SARS CoV-2.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if that were the case. My parents were in Italy in late Sept 19 and there were a lot of Chinese tourists around.
They both came home and were ill not long after with a mystery cough for about 6 weeks.

I have AZ round 2 on June 5th, which should be fine. I didn't suffer much with round 1, hoping round 2 will be as straightforward.
My wife was ill for a couple of days after her AZ, and was bad enough to have a day off work in bed the day after.

 

Just gainied 100hp and immunity to Covid, ready for my Quest to the land of the Living

 

What is the hashrate like on them microchips? Should at least be enough to pay for a night out

 

I have a feeling I may have missed my second dose. I thought it was 12 weeks....

Will have to chase that when I get home tomorrow.