Re: Coronavirus
 

500+ cases here yesterday. Now into tighter lockdown ("steady 10" people bubbles etc). Chief Medical Officer of Health struck a different tone yesterday - "We're all going to get covid with this variant, it's flattening the curve so that we don't overwhelm the healthcare system that is the thing". Still only 1 person in hospital which is a good sign. Lots of healthcare workers (600+) out sick or isolating. Contact tracing overwhelmed. Leadtime for C19 test and results 3-5 days. Schools online as of today. Welcome to 2022, feels like 2020.

Re: Coronavirus
 

Don't say that !! :lol:

It's been a while since I've heard "flattening the curve" was just thinking about it a few days ago. That's precisely what the current objective should be. The big plus on 2020 is vaccines (and a known, milder variant). I am hoping that by March we'll see the tail end of this. At least a downgrade from pandemic to endemic.

Re: Coronavirus
 

I have just said it feels like January 2021 to my sister in the UK. She said everyone there (Cheshire) is carrying on as normal apart from mask wearing. Several of her friends are on holiday overseas.

Re: Coronavirus
 

Masks *can* protect the wearer as well. It depends on material used in the mask, and most importantly how well it fits. If your glasses don't fog, and you can see the mask material move with your breathing then it is protecting you by filtering particles as well as protecting others.

If you just throw a mask on without checking how it fits and adjusting it properly, it's not likely to be protecting you very well, and it may not even be protecting others properly if you are breathing "around" the mask.

Yep. As usual, everywhere except Canada seems to just be continuing on as normal.

Re: Coronavirus
 

Yes, sure.
But for "Regular" Covid it's always been about preventing or reducing the spread of people passing it on rather than receiving it. Kind of summarised as wearing one might reduce your own chances of getting covid by about 5% while wearing them reduces the chance of you passing it to others by about 95% and everyone benefiting.

I'm making those percentages up to emphasise the differences between expelling the virus out and breathing it in.. Wearing a mask protects others was the way it was put.

I suppose, given the nature of Omicron, it would now be reasonable to say "this is is different, so a different approach is needed for masks" but the way it's being talked about now it just comes across as if there was a change of mind or mixed messaging.

Re: Coronavirus
 

@BristolUK I agree, it sounds like a change of mind.

To be blunt, I feel that the message is carry on, and spread this variant around as much as possible.

IDK what else to think really?

What else follows logically?

We are not locking down here, just asked to work from home 3 days. Schools open, a few more masks being worn, otherwise, nothing. Only vaxed people are allowed out. Other than that everybody is just doing whateverr.

I'm in North West coastal France, 91% vaxed here so they say. Still, the cases are over 200,000 a day usually atm. A lot!

Re: Coronavirus
 

originally I thought the messaging in Ontario was that - go out and spread it. But now they are doing restrictions again so who TF knows what they are trying to do?

I'm getting a little tired of "We don't have enough hospital beds, we're adding more" ... reports from people in healthcare show this is not true, Ford has received $$$$$ from the federal government for covid. He hasn't passed it on to small businesses forced to close, individuals losing income as a result of his shutdowns, etc, the least he could have done is put it towards the healthcare system and adding more capacity so we don't have to shut down. But no instead we are spending money on useless HEPA filters for schools that the staff don't know how to install so are sitting unused.

Re: Coronavirus
 

UK today:
​​​218K/14K/48
cases/hospital/deaths

Re: Coronavirus
 

How are people coping in your part of the UK? Is it pretty much ‘carry on as normal’?

Re: Coronavirus
 

It seems to be. The schools have just started to wear mask in classes but, surprisingly transport and shops are guidance only. A few months ago it was the opposite of that - go figure. Just prior to Omicron it was really getting back to normal, and then December was suddenly mixed reactions, and now January should set the outlook until spring. My sense is that the UK is about 3 weeks ahead of North America on Omicron.

Re: Coronavirus
 

And in BC finally Bonnie Henry comes round to the fact that she aint going to solve this with better masks or reduced capacity and i quote from todays update:During a news conference Tuesday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said she is trying to get out of the business of issuing public health orders to manage the pandemic.

“I do think it is over to the [private] sector,” to mitigate certain risks associated with the pandemic, Henry said, explaining many vaccinated people will likely contract a mild form of the virus in the coming weeks.

Most vaccinated people will be protected from serious illness or hospitalizations, she said.

Re: Coronavirus
 

Hmm... funny how the media in general are just cottoning on to that too.... seems they have wrung their hands and frothed as much as they can, and finally accepted its a massive over reaction to the level of threat present. If your fully vaccinated chances are, its going to be no more than a cold, if this is the case lets form herd immunity and move on! and stop wrecking business's

Re: Coronavirus
 

Good video explaining about new variants post Omicron.

Re: Coronavirus
 

I tested positive on Monday. Also mild symptoms. Runny and stuffy nose, heavy cough and sore throat. Feeling 90% better today.

I went to the drive-in at my primary doctor's office for the test. You tell them you are there and which # parking space you are in and they come out and do the test after they print out your paperwork from their computer records. About 40 minutes later they are back with the results.

In lower New York State, one school district is back to virtual school as so many teachers and school workers have called in sick.

Re: Coronavirus
 

Look on the bright side, you had omicron with mild symptoms and now you have strong natural immunity. :thumbsup:

I agreed with shutting the world down for the first strain in early 2020 before the vaccine was introduced and people were suffocating to death, but not for this milder variant.

The fear right now in BC is not from high cases or hospitalizations or even deaths, but from a third of the workforce calling in sick at the same time.

Re: Coronavirus
 

23 UK hospitals declared "critical incidents" today (signal of minimal extra capacity). Not a good week if someone is planning a heart attack !

Re: Coronavirus
 

All depends what the media want you to believe, this twitter thread has some very interesting graphs regarding UK cases.

Re: Coronavirus
 

I'm just quoting one of the senior NHS people who was on Channel 4 News tonight. If hospitals are declaring critical incidents it's a real world signal (beyond graphs) that the system is under strain.

Re: Coronavirus
 

I wonder if that is from the lack of NHS staff due to sickness , or more patients being admitted due to COVID? Either way it’s an awful situation to be in.

Re: Coronavirus
 

I think a bit of both. Or maybe a lot of both ! Hopefully in a few weeks we'll all be past the worst of this damn pandemic. Viruses are successful if they don't kill their hosts, so maybe Omicron is a blessing in disguise (apart from.those unfortunate enough not to survive).

Re: Coronavirus
 

Bird flu is next :lol:

https://news.sky.com/story/bird-flu-...firms-12510294

Re: Coronavirus
 

And then there is Flurona.
https://www.nationalworld.com/health...ariant-3512540

Re: Coronavirus
 

Anyone fancy a sportsman's bet with me that Omicron will be the variant that turns this 2 year pandemic to an endemic?

Re: Coronavirus
 

Hate to be a gloomster but according to the iSage scientists: 1. there is no reason to assume that new variant will follow Omicron; 2. the four benign coronavirus' that lead to the common cold tok hundreds of years to evolve.

Having said that, I do hope we will be in endemic post-Omicron, and that will be in early 2022.

Endemic implies the virus is prevalent in some parts of the world and not in others. If vaccination efficacy is very high, we developed countries might well be safe (in the short term). What's critical is to start allowing lesser developed countries to produce the vaccine license free.

Re: Coronavirus
 

Too early to tell, but apparently the common cold may also help protect against COVID. I hope so because my nose is like a tap right now, I bloody hate colds.

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-...finds-12512900

Re: Coronavirus
 

Let's hope something like that does emerge to totally subdue COVID. Good luck with the cold you have.

Re: Coronavirus
 

It worked against the invading aliens in WOTW. :lol:

Re: Coronavirus
 

So it did ! Ulllaaaa

Re: Coronavirus
 

No one would have believed…

Re: Coronavirus
 

... in the last years of the 19th century, that human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space.

Re: Coronavirus
 

...and yet across the gulf of the globe a virus with a mind immeasurably superior to ours, quickly drew its plans against us....

Re: Coronavirus
 

Almost ! But as it's from memory, and likely decades back memory, well done !!

Re: Coronavirus
 

Yes it was from memory and tailored to suit our predicament. ;). I remember a lot of it....still listen to it now from time to time.....one of my all time favourite albums. :) pretty much unheard of here in Canada.

Anyway we shall see if ol' covid sucumbs to the same fate as the Martians.... my feeling is it will... but we will always have non threatening Martians hanging around.... with a decidedly less exalted Ulllaaaa. if you know what I mean!

Re: Coronavirus
 

Unvaccinated Quebecers without medical exemptions will have to pay if they don't get 1st dose soon :lol:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...ebec-1.6311054

Re: Coronavirus
 

That soundtrack used to give me the heebie jeebies when I was a kid.

Re: Coronavirus
 

Very slippery slope and I cannot see it surviving a legal challenge.

Re: Coronavirus
 

Oh that's so wrong for many reasons. It smacks of insurance that won't cover pre existing conditions, or paying more if you have a genetic predisposition to certain illnesses. What about charging more for those who do dangerous sports, or ski, or ride horses, or smoke, or drink? No, it's completely against the notion of equal access to health care.

Re: Coronavirus
 

Indeed. Smacks, smacks, smacks! Stupidity is a rather preexisting condition.

P.S. They do charge extra taxes for smoking and drinking.

Re: Coronavirus
 

In that case I prescribe Jesus Christ Superstar :lol:

Re: Coronavirus
 

A distinction can be drawn on infectious disease. I believe Singapore is doing something similar.