Coronavirus
Feb 25th 2022, 5:25 pm
#6181
BE Enthusiast
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 386
Re: Coronavirus
Mar 10th 2022, 1:52 pm
#6184
Oscar nominated
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Moncton, NB, CANADA
Posts: 50,828
Re: Coronavirus
UK Covid cases rising among those aged 55 and over
Covid rising in older people...waning effectiveness of vaccines as they had them earlier than younger ones...whose time may come later...
Cases rising in 55 and upwards so stop thinking as if it's 70s and 80s...
The R value at 55 and up is significantly greater...
A 46% rise week on week - despite reduced testing
A 12% rise in hospitalisations
Now there's a surprise.
...and...
Covid rising in older people...waning effectiveness of vaccines as they had them earlier than younger ones...whose time may come later...
Cases rising in 55 and upwards so stop thinking as if it's 70s and 80s...
The R value at 55 and up is significantly greater...
A 46% rise week on week - despite reduced testing
A 12% rise in hospitalisations
Prof Paul Elliott, director of the React study, said the rise was probably driven by factors including the lifting of all Covid legal restrictions in England on 24 February, more mixing between age groups
One idea experts are investigating is whether hospitalisation rates are being driven by “unshielding”, where people who have been extremely careful for two years have emerged into a world where infections are still rife.
Professor Peter Openshaw said the rise in cases and hospitalisations should remind people the pandemic is not over. “I think it’s a shame that the message that seems to have got out to the population is that it’s all over and we don’t need to be cautious any more,” he said.
Mar 22nd 2022, 7:23 pm
#6186
Oscar nominated
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Moncton, NB, CANADA
Posts: 50,828
Re: Coronavirus
Amid the latest reports that around 40% Covid "survivors" have long covid - even if they only had mild symptoms - I was interested in the local paper's round up of what's happened in places where mandates have been ended..
Denmark. First EU country. Mandates ended 1st Feb.
By Feb 17th hospitalisations and deaths rose by a third. Between 1st and now, 7-day average deaths went 19 to 44. Hospital numbers 975 up to 1524.
UK. Mandates ended 24th Feb. Hospital admissions up 19% since last week. 7-day average deaths was 127, now 153.
Saskatchewan. First Canadian province. Mandates ended 28th Feb.
Fewer hospitalisations but more deaths.
More deaths seems to be a constant. It seems strange that in Saskatchewan there were more deaths but fewer hospitalisations. What happened, did ill people not get to hospital in time?
Denmark. First EU country. Mandates ended 1st Feb.
By Feb 17th hospitalisations and deaths rose by a third. Between 1st and now, 7-day average deaths went 19 to 44. Hospital numbers 975 up to 1524.
UK. Mandates ended 24th Feb. Hospital admissions up 19% since last week. 7-day average deaths was 127, now 153.
Saskatchewan. First Canadian province. Mandates ended 28th Feb.
Fewer hospitalisations but more deaths.
More deaths seems to be a constant. It seems strange that in Saskatchewan there were more deaths but fewer hospitalisations. What happened, did ill people not get to hospital in time?
Mar 25th 2022, 3:32 pm
#6187
Oscar nominated
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Moncton, NB, CANADA
Posts: 50,828
Re: Coronavirus
New Brunswick News.
Vaccination rates slow down in New Brunswick as COVID-19 cases remain high
I don't suppose it occurred to her that maybe, just maybe, complacency set in because all the rules were dropped. Nah, that couldn't be it. 
Vaccination rates slow down in New Brunswick as COVID-19 cases remain high
According to the latest figures released from Public Health, just 51 per cent of those eligible have received their booster shot. It lags far behind Nova Scotia, which has 63.4 per cent of the eligible population with boosters as of March 22.
Health Minister Dorothy Shephard told reporters outside the legislature Wednesday, she's not sure why vaccine rates are stalling.
"I don't think it's because we dropped all the rules. I think it's because...I guess there's a complacency. I can't think of any other way to explain it because we have made it very clear that vaccination is the very best tool to prevent serious illness, hospitalization, ICU admission and death, those numbers have proven out all through this pandemic," Shephard said.
Health Minister Dorothy Shephard told reporters outside the legislature Wednesday, she's not sure why vaccine rates are stalling.
"I don't think it's because we dropped all the rules. I think it's because...I guess there's a complacency. I can't think of any other way to explain it because we have made it very clear that vaccination is the very best tool to prevent serious illness, hospitalization, ICU admission and death, those numbers have proven out all through this pandemic," Shephard said.
Jake Reid, the executive director of the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association, says "Now more than ever, as we see the lessening of restrictions, people need to get that vaccine. We're seeing increased rates of COVID in the population, we're seeing more people go into hospital and unfortunately more people are losing their lives"
Mar 25th 2022, 4:45 pm
#6188
Tea Drinker
Joined: Nov 2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
Posts: 5,387
Re: Coronavirus
Nothing to see here 
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-60872687
Swab tests suggest about one in every 16 people is infected, as the contagious Omicron variant BA.2 continues to spread.
Mar 26th 2022, 7:03 am
#6189
Yo
Joined: Nov 2012
Location: UK
Posts: 24,474
Re: Coronavirus
Mar 26th 2022, 11:45 am
#6190
Oscar nominated
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Moncton, NB, CANADA
Posts: 50,828
Re: Coronavirus
For anyone not clicking the link...
Nothing to see in a
sort of way
Swab tests suggest about one in every 16 people is infected, as the contagious Omicron variant BA.2 continues to spread.
That's just under 4.3 million people, up from 3.3 million the week before.
That's just under 4.3 million people, up from 3.3 million the week before.
sort of way
Mar 26th 2022, 12:50 pm
#6191
Yo
Joined: Nov 2012
Location: UK
Posts: 24,474
Re: Coronavirus
I had clicked the clink and was unpleasantly surpirised (at the updated stats). But at the same time, there is just so much apathy and (more accurately) risk taking. Few are wearing masks, social distance is a bygone practice, and summer is on the way. I think that the downside of removing mask mandates (leaving aside the effectivness argument) is that it signals all is ok. If you look at Asia, even India, everyone's wearing masks in intense heat in order to minimise spread and potential spread. Western countries are far more ready expend some unfortunate seniors in order to dispense with incovenient masks. It comes down to that, really.
Mar 26th 2022, 2:48 pm
#6192
Oscar nominated
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Moncton, NB, CANADA
Posts: 50,828
Re: Coronavirus
I'm not sure where it was but I heard a radio report mentioning something like a quarter of deaths were under 65s.
According to this for Canada, of the 36,594 deaths, 3921 are in the 60-69 range. Add in the younger ones 2638 and you get approaching one in five under 70. Or just make it one in seven deaths are under 60. Doesn't look so comforting then.
For the USA, it's one in four deaths were under 65 so that was maybe what I heard.
Not so easy for the UK but I see that the original 75% of deaths over 75 has fallen to 59% which indicates death rates for under 75s have increased from 25% to 41%. Of course they're still well into seniorhood but some of those at the younger age have likely seen their chances worsen.
Mar 26th 2022, 2:54 pm
#6193
Yo
Joined: Nov 2012
Location: UK
Posts: 24,474
Re: Coronavirus
It does look that way, without anyone actually saying it of course.
I'm not sure where it was but I heard a radio report mentioning something like a quarter of deaths were under 65s.
According to this for Canada, of the 36,594 deaths, 3921 are in the 60-69 range. Add in the younger ones 2638 and you get approaching one in five under 70. Or just make it one in seven deaths are under 60. Doesn't look so comforting then.
For the USA, it's one in four deaths were under 65 so that was maybe what I heard.
Not so easy for the UK but I see that the original 75% of deaths over 75 has fallen to 59% which indicates death rates for under 75s have increased from 25% to 41%. Of course they're still well into seniorhood but some of those at the younger age have likely seen their chances worsen.
I'm not sure where it was but I heard a radio report mentioning something like a quarter of deaths were under 65s.
According to this for Canada, of the 36,594 deaths, 3921 are in the 60-69 range. Add in the younger ones 2638 and you get approaching one in five under 70. Or just make it one in seven deaths are under 60. Doesn't look so comforting then.
For the USA, it's one in four deaths were under 65 so that was maybe what I heard.
Not so easy for the UK but I see that the original 75% of deaths over 75 has fallen to 59% which indicates death rates for under 75s have increased from 25% to 41%. Of course they're still well into seniorhood but some of those at the younger age have likely seen their chances worsen.
Mar 27th 2022, 1:44 am
#6194
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2006
Location: Kelowna
Posts: 2,514
Re: Coronavirus
I had clicked the clink and was unpleasantly surpirised (at the updated stats). But at the same time, there is just so much apathy and (more accurately) risk taking. Few are wearing masks, social distance is a bygone practice, and summer is on the way. I think that the downside of removing mask mandates (leaving aside the effectivness argument) is that it signals all is ok. If you look at Asia, even India, everyone's wearing masks in intense heat in order to minimise spread and potential spread. Western countries are far more ready expend some unfortunate seniors in order to dispense with incovenient masks. It comes down to that, really.
Would popping your mask on to walk to your restaurant table really and truly make a blind bit of difference?
Mar 27th 2022, 8:46 am
#6195
Yo
Joined: Nov 2012
Location: UK
Posts: 24,474
Re: Coronavirus
But the problem was that mask mandates only have an effect where they are in forced and enforced. We know that in order to keep the wheels of industry rolling there were allowances made, such as in restaurants, bars and of course more importantly in peoples private homes. People could meet up in groups and sit unmasked together for 2 hours or so and then head home to their possibly multigenerational household and mix unmasked with the family and any friends that popped in. The possibility of spreading the virus with the latest variants was huge. We know that closing down any places where unmasked people could congregate was causing great pain to those businesses and so they put in some capacity limits and hoped this would be seen as a good compromise. On the plus side considering the stats the hospitals are not full of dying or ventilated people and the health service is not closed to anything but COVID as it was back in earlier times. Would the reinstatement of a mask mandate have any real effect on the numbers with this current variant?
Would popping your mask on to walk to your restaurant table really and truly make a blind bit of difference?
Would popping your mask on to walk to your restaurant table really and truly make a blind bit of difference?
My point was that in signalling an "all clear" (masks are up to you) the pendulum swings too far in the other direction. Hardly anyone wears masks, and the virus spreads (killing the old). Even for me, someone fairly risk averse on Covid, I rarely wear a mask. It's not that I want to, but I would be reluctantly willing to if others were. I bet I am not alone.