scrubbedexpat099

Sky were also covering the big exit from London, trains packed no social distancing. Just found out a relative passed on Friday, now not close and one of those in normal times I would have thought about going to the Funeral but now not an issue.

Danny B

Yeah I saw that. Shandy drinking southerners taking the new strain home to their parents in other regions for Christmas. Recipe for disaster.

scrubbedexpat099

There was an interview on Sky and I think one was from Bristol and the other Leeds going home for Christmas.

Danny B

It's these international flights from the UK that I worry about, especially the ones landing in YVR.

scrubbedexpat099

If anybody thinks they will be able to stop the new strain from entering well no chance.

scrubbedexpat091

I wouldn't be surprised if the new strain is already here and in the US and contributing to the explosive spread California is seeing.

Jerseygirl

There have been loads of infected people flying into Toronto these past few months. I don’t think they have banned flights from my country during the last 10 months.

scrubbedexpat091

Canada has never banned flights, they have only placed restrictions on people entering, but the exemptions make the swiss cheese holes pretty big.

caretaker

Getting vaccinated is extremely cool.
Oct. 28, 1956, backstage at “The Ed Sullivan Show,” the 21-year-old Elvis Presley—the smooth-faced, pouting, swivel-hipped hero of American youth—extended his left arm. In went the needle. Off went the flashbulbs. A polio star was born.

Stumpylegs

Exactly, this new strain may already be alive and well in other regions (or similarly a similar mutation creating a similar but not identical transmission rate is almost certainly prevalent somewhere else) - the difference being now that this "new strain" gave the government the excuse/reasoning to tighten restrictions Boris has previously been saying wouldn't happen - Despite anyone with half a brain knowing its being getting out of hand here since the end of the lockdown in early December.

Siouxie

Virus's mutate and adapt, it's nothing new.. there are over 200 variations/mutations of Covid 19**. This adaptation / mutation is to allow it to spread more easily, however, there is nothing showing that it is more virulent in it's effect on people (i.e. it's not having any worse effect than the usual variety - people aren't getting more seriously ill than the more common variety), nor that it's causing more deaths. It's been in the UK since September! More hype to feed the hysteria that is boris.
There are similar mutations elsewhere in the world already

**Correction - as of July 2020 apparently there were a total of 1,234 mutations (and doubtless more since)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s10038-020-0808-9

Jerseygirl

Most of Ontario will be locked down for 28 days from Christmas Eve...Northern Ontario for 14 days. Senior schools closed until 21 Jan...elementary schools until 11 Jan. Ford is expected to give further details tomorrow.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7534030/o..._9LYSpWtqEZMEE

scrubbedexpat091

Maybe a new variant in South Africa as well, but the study hasn't been peer reviewed, appears severity is no worse, but it spreads faster and test swabs have higher viral load. Appears to be a different variant than UK one.

"Scientists are examining this particular variant closely because it includes several changes in the part of the virus that allows it to attach to human cells, which is a key target for antibody therapies and vaccines."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/19/w...s-variant.html

The new variant is named 501.V2.

spouse of scouse

The words Boris and hysteria go together very well, the man's all over the place.

It's good that the new variant doesn't seem to be more deadly, although of course with more people contracting the virus there will inevitably be more hospitalisations and deaths.

Danny B

As of midnight tonight Canada has banned flights from the UK.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/can...irus-1.5849598