COVID-19 (Wuhan Coronavirus): The Disease & Its Spread (Per Se)

[Ghost In The Machine]

At my age I notice and worry about memory loss- specifically the nouns and names of things go and come back. This kind of memory loss can also be caused by persistent lack of sleep and persistent anxiety. Both of course can stem from being ill or in the pandemic.

Yes. Am sure that is possible but I think the hard cold truth is - if you've had covid, it's gonna be that. It's not like the memory loss you get with tiredness at all. And strangely, I'm not madly anxious. The illness itself makes you anxious at the time but once it's gone, less so in some ways because you've been there and done that. I'm too practical to get really anxious and of course, the memory loss stuff happened for me a few months after covid, not during, when I did had awful sleep patterns and was anxious.

No crumbs of comfort in my reply. I realise it's sort of comforting for people to think that thousands of people are reporting things that could be something a little more everyday than covid. But might as well be honest. Nouns was, for me, the very first sign (not counting the loss of sense of smell). Then it spread to some other words too - sometimes from my "good" vocabulary, sometimes really mundane words. It is being reported by hundreds of thousands of us and is very marked and obvious if you have it. Much as I'd love to kid myself it was tiredness...

 

[Ghost In The Machine]

To be honest, I suspect I had it in March - there are reasons why it didn't seem like a normal cold/chill. My sense of smell is rubbish anyway so probably wouldn't notice anything there.

You've worried me a bit because I've been finding it hard to recall some words in conversation - not problems when writing. Been going on for three or four months. but also could be to do with the health problems I had back in the summer. Or getting old. Or becoming hypochondriac through isolation.

It is going to take a long time for the experts to work out exactly what is going on, and I tend to be a bit obsessed with logic rather than the human side of things - 40 odd years of working with programs and data can do that to you I guess.

LOL my son who works in that field is the same. He is also unsure whether he had it as he lost his sense of taste for about three weeks in the summer. But no other major symptoms. He's tried to convince himself he never had it.

I hope you did have it, in a way, Cochise, because that would mean you might have protection from some kind of T cell response in this current wave, which is some comfort.

With me it started with people's names. Really specific. Maybe 3 - 4 months out. The sense of smell thing was from the start. And still hasn't properly or reliably returned. Again that is very, very common, or anecdotally looks that way. I had a rubbish sense of smell, too anyway - and think it was a couple of weeks before I realised it was gone. The thing that was so creepy about it was my nose was not only not blocked but felt super unblocked, when I was at my most ill - it was dry and uncomfortable, not snotty like with a cold. But that was the only neurological symptom I think for the first several months.

I remember in the summer I thought my sense of smell was coming back and told my GP - he was really happy about it, as said that was a good sign the neurological things were abating. But then it didn't really come back properly. Again, others are reporting exactly this same pattern.

After a couple weeks or more of forgetting names, it spread out to being words generally - they can be complex ones or very simple ones. The distressing thing about the names was it was often people I'd known decades. My memory of their faces etc utterly intact - just the names gone. Sometimes they come back after five minutes, sometimes not. I am not sure if this is getting better or not, to be honest. I don't think it's getting worse. And that is an encouraging thought.

 

[Lb8535]

Yes. Am sure that is possible but I think the hard cold truth is - if you've had covid, it's gonna be that. It's not like the memory loss you get with tiredness at all. And strangely, I'm not madly anxious. The illness itself makes you anxious at the time but once it's gone, less so in some ways because you've been there and done that. I'm too practical to get really anxious and of course, the memory loss stuff happened for me a few months after covid, not during, when I did had awful sleep patterns and was anxious.

No crumbs of comfort in my reply. I realise it's sort of comforting for people to think that thousands of people are reporting things that could be something a little more everyday than covid. But might as well be honest. Nouns was, for me, the very first sign (not counting the loss of sense of smell). Then it spread to some other words too - sometimes from my "good" vocabulary, sometimes really mundane words. It is being reported by hundreds of thousands of us and is very marked and obvious if you have it. Much as I'd love to kid myself it was tiredness...

I did not mean to imply that I questioned your interpretation of your symptoms. I am absolutely sure that you understand your condition as well as anyone can, and better than the medical establishment. I meant to point out that the symptom of forgetting nouns is not necessarily a clear symptom of c19 barring any other indications, and what we consider to be a sign of age may in fact be treatable. Your reports on your experiences are invaluable, and I hope that you keep posting. Too many otherwise rational people are still talking about "just the flu," at least in this country. We have not even scratched the surface of how to continue to observe and treat long covid cases.

 

[Cochise]

The thing that was so creepy about it was my nose was not only not blocked but felt super unblocked, when I was at my most ill - it was dry and uncomfortable, not snotty like with a cold.

That was exactly what I had. Which was a major reason I suspected it wasn't a cold etc.

 

[Erinaceus]

I had a text from my sister this morning to let me know she has tested positive. She was approached last year to take part in the Office for National Statistics COVID-19 Infection Survey and was being tested monthly. The check on Wednesday revealed it. The checks have only involved a swab so far but now she has tested positive there will be a blood test as well to monitor for antibodies.

There were a couple of positive tests at her workplace immediately before Christmas so perhaps that's where it came from. She said her legs ached today but hasn't shown any other symptoms.

I'm glad I haven't seen her for several weeks!

 

[Naughty_Felid]

LOL my son who works in that field is the same. He is also unsure whether he had it as he lost his sense of taste for about three weeks in the summer. But no other major symptoms. He's tried to convince himself he never had it.

I hope you did have it, in a way, Cochise, because that would mean you might have protection from some kind of T cell response in this current wave, which is some comfort.

With me it started with people's names. Really specific. Maybe 3 - 4 months out. The sense of smell thing was from the start. And still hasn't properly or reliably returned. Again that is very, very common, or anecdotally looks that way. I had a rubbish sense of smell, too anyway - and think it was a couple of weeks before I realised it was gone. The thing that was so creepy about it was my nose was not only not blocked but felt super unblocked, when I was at my most ill - it was dry and uncomfortable, not snotty like with a cold. But that was the only neurological symptom I think for the first several months.

I remember in the summer I thought my sense of smell was coming back and told my GP - he was really happy about it, as said that was a good sign the neurological things were abating. But then it didn't really come back properly. Again, others are reporting exactly this same pattern.

After a couple weeks or more of forgetting names, it spread out to being words generally - they can be complex ones or very simple ones. The distressing thing about the names was it was often people I'd known decades. My memory of their faces etc utterly intact - just the names gone. Sometimes they come back after five minutes, sometimes not. I am not sure if this is getting better or not, to be honest. I don't think it's getting worse. And that is an encouraging thought.

You need to go to your GP and actually be properly assessed. If he or she is being an arse find another GP.

GP's are either amazing or they don't give a shit. This is your life - get it checked out.

Really take this further. Do not just accept your GP's view of things.

 

[Trevp666]

For the week ending Friday January 1st 2021, here is a review of the daily reported NHS England figures on SARS-Cov-2 (Covid 19) 'new' deaths.
All statistics taken from NHS England official reporting available online here, (along with a number of other statistical reports on various NHS activities);
Also now including an update on recent 'new cases' figures from the governments own 'coronavirus dashboard'.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-daily-deaths/
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/?_ga=2.58498792.313126479.1601306538-867402.1589210068

(Numbers of 'new' deaths in the regions other than England are recorded separately so are NOT represented here, nor are deaths in 'other settings' such as Care Homes.
Figures released by the ONS at a later date will include these additional statistics - it has been accountable for roughly an additional 30% - 40% on top of the NHS England numbers)

(Figures supplied by NHS England date back to the beginning of March when the UK recorded it's first day with more than 50 deaths.
The figures released daily include deaths from the day on which they happened, so can be from any previous day NOT from just within the previous 24 hours)

DATA COLLECTION BY NHS ENGLAND ON DEATHS - CLARIFICATIONS.
Clarification #1
"The total announced file is updated daily and contains information on the deaths of patients
who have died in hospitals in England and either tested positive for COVID-19,
or where no positive test result was received for COVID-19, but COVID-19 was mentioned on their death certificate"
So the data includes deaths as.... 'with C19'.... even if no positive test has been done!
Clarification #2
It was officially confirmed months ago that NHS England figures had been over-reported due to the fact that a significant number of people were being recorded as dying from SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19),
when in fact they had died of some other unrelated ailment, but their death happened some time after they had tested positive but recovered.
This explains why we had seen deaths from weeks and weeks beforehand appearing in the figures released daily.
It was reported that an adjustment was made to the figures to account for the mis-recorded deaths,
(adjusted down by 5340 using a 28 day cut-off period, which brought the existing total down to around 37,000 deaths at the time - the government were advised to use a 21 day cut-off but decided on 28 days)
We are, however, still seeing deaths included in the daily reports which come from longer than 28 days ago.
Clarification #3
It has been reported that a significant number of cases of infection, and deaths attributed to Covid-19, particularly in the earlier (peak) stages of the pandemic in the UK, were 'double-reported'.
This occurred in cases in which someone had received a positive test whilst 'in the community', and then went to hospital where they again received a positive test.
Not only was their test double-counted, if they also died then their death was double counted.
It was apparently thought to be correct procedure at the time.
I have not seen yet whether there is a plan to make an adjustment for these double-counts.

So even the NHS reporting is not as accurate as it could/should be.
(the historical numbers I show on this update have not been adjusted - assume that reported deaths on dates up to the August 15th are approximately 10% less)

CASES/TESTING INFORMATION;
A documentary on TV in November exposed the failings in the current testing labs whereby cross contamination of samples was common.
(Now further backed up by the fact that many staff at the Lighthouse Lab in Milton Keynes are having to self-isolate (during December) due to infection, including 20 of the 70 testing staff)
These cross contaminations lead to more false positive results than would otherwise be the case for those test methods, so this is inflating the count.
It has been confirmed that a significant proportion of the testing being carried out is 'repeat testing' of individuals, either that have previously tested positive (done to see how long it lasts), or those working in
care situations (to establish infection free status), so this is inflating the count.
Testing continues to increase week-on-week, and unfortunately MORE TESTS = MORE CASES, with the following results;
Yesterdays 'new cases' number,53,285
(Last weeks update gave the previous day figure as 32,725)
Numbers of tests being carried out are not available for this day but going by adjacent days it appears to be increasing in line with the amount of cases being found.
So no large %age increase at all.

'Tiered' restrictions came into force on Monday Sept 14th, followed by a new 'Lockdown 2' from November 5th, and now returning to stricter 'tiered' areas (see further below for more details).
These restrictions have all come about due to advice from SAGE group, however, the advice has been proven to be based on out-of-date data, has been 'worst case scenario', and has not been reacted to with any reference to the economic and other health effects being created.
As has been addressed elsewhere, the current 'PCR' testing is also producing many 'false positives'.
"The Lancet" shows research establishing a False Positive Rate (FPR) of around 4%, so if 4% of 500,000 are false positives then that is 20,000.
A significant proportion of the reported 'new cases' then.
Bear this in mind when looking at the figure of reported 'new cases' (as above).

Whitty and Vallance went on TV on Monday 21/9 (no questions allowed afterwards).
They suggested that further increases of cases deemed possible, doubling weekly, leading to 50,000 cases daily by the middle of October (leading to 4,000 deaths per day!)
(on that day the reported number of 'new cases' was 3899 (but since then recalculated to show just over 4000), so using their estimation we should be seeing nearly 128 million daily cases by now!!!!!!!
Which was clearly just preposterous.
That would basically mean the whole of the UK would be double-infected by now.

My concern is that these numbers are now including seasonal flu as C19 (see below)

As a result of continued pressure from SAGE and other advisers, Boris Johnson announced on Saturday 31/10 that we would be subjected to a 2nd 'lockdown' period, lasting 4 weeks, from November 5th to December 2nd, even though, as we can see from the official figures, numbers of deaths and cases peaked, levelled off, and began to drop, before the 31/10 in some areas.
During the accompanying televised briefing, charts and data were presented which WITHIN HOURS were shown to be data which was 3 weeks old, and incorrect, and misleading, forcing clarifications and corrections to be made the following day, and Whitty and Vallance being called to present information to the 'select committee' on Tuesday Nov 3rd.
However this did not prevent the government vote which was held on Wednesday Nov 4th from going against the lockdown, which went ahead the following day.

A further vote happened in the House of Commons, on December 2nd, in relation to the introduction of a new set of 'tiered' restrictions to be brought in the following day.
It was reported that up to 100 (ish) MPs would vote against, including tory backbenchers which have formed the Covid Recovery Group (CRG) after demanding a cost/benefit analysis to be produced beforehand.
Ultimately only 50+ voted against (not enough to stop the new restrictions from coming into force), but there were debates held in the House of Commons beforehand with many strong arguments against.
Sir Kier Starmer instructed Labour MPs to abstain.
This was reviewed on December 16th with more areas moved into stricter restrictions.
A 'Tier 4' was created and introduced during the Christmas Week for many areas, with no apparent end in sight.
It has now also come to light that, yet again, the previously disgraced Professor Neil Ferguson has been advising the government again with 'models' which are exaggerated.


THIS WEEKS FIGURES, NOTABLE STATISTICS AND RELATED INFORMATION/REMARKS;
2518 reported 'new' deaths this past week.
Last weeks update total was 2367, so this week is an increase of 151 on the previous weekly total, which is a 6.37% increase (last week saw a 20.1% increase on the previous week)

There were no days during this past week in which the report released for that day recorded ZERO deaths during the previous 24 hour period.
(During the time before this winter increase there had been 22 separate days in which, during the preceding 24 or 48 hours, there had been zero deaths reported)

The most reported 'new' deaths in one day, from one site, during this past week was 32.
This was achieved by EAST LANCASHIRE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST in the data released on Dec 30th.

The oldest reported 'new' death during this past week is from April 9th (over 8 months ago! - well beyond the '28 days' cut off period, and yet being reported as a 'new death'!)
This was reported by NORTHAMPTON GENERAL HOSPITAL NHS TRUST in the data released on December 31st

The last day previously which recorded more than 50 total deaths was June 24th, for which the total stands at 54.
The highest daily total of 'new deaths' recently is now 372 on Saturday December 26th (Boxing Day).
It is common though for mortality to increase around Christmastime.
However the '7 day average' remains stable.
The day with the lowest total of deaths since April is Saturday August 29th, for which the total is 2.

Thursday this past week reporting 42 'new' deaths for the whole of England, however, as the daily figure is communicated to NHS England at 5pm each day the total for the whole of yesterday is not complete.
Also, reporting over the Christmas & New Year period has been somewhat inconsistent.
Totals of deaths by age group for this past weeks released data;
0-19 = 1
20-39 = 15
40-59 = 129
60-78 = 913
80+ = 1460
(94.24% of the total number of 'new' deaths are now 'over 60', a slight decrease on last weeks %, which was 95.06%)
(58% of the total were over 80, a slight decrease on last weeks which was 59.3%)

It has come to my attention that the ONS included information in a report in early October that it would no longer be producing separate reports for C19 and Influenza.
There was no further information to indicate whether or not this meant that the C19 deaths and 'Flu deaths would be combined into one figure, or if the separate reports would be merged into one report but keeping the totals separate?
If the figures for C19 and 'Flu are going to be combined into one total then that renders all future comparisons void as we will no longer be 'comparing apples with apples'.
My concern now is that this might have already been introduced and is therefore artificially inflating the statistics as we are NOT seeing hardly any seasonal 'flu deaths now, when typically at this time of year they increase rapidly!


Below are the running totals for 'existing' + 'new' = new total - where no new figures have been reported for a day then no calculation has been entered.
(This weekly update shows the additions from all the reports published during this preceding week, in which the deaths fall within the period since
Thursday April 2nd, the date I started logging the numbers officially released)

Sorry that this is now quite a long list of dates and numbers - please scroll to the bottom for the most recent statistics.
(As the data prior to the lowest recorded figures during early August rarely changes now, I have removed that from this weekly report.
The 'highest' figure during the early weeks of the pandemic was on April 4th, with 1,111.)

S 5 (August 1st)
S 14
M 11
T 8
W 5
T 7
F 6
S 7 (August 8th)
S 6
M 8
T 11
W 4
T 4
F 5
S 11 (August 15th)
S 3
M 10
T 8
W 3
T 3
F 6
S 5 (August 22nd)
S 10
M 5
T 10
W 10
T 7
F 5
S 2 (August 29th)
S 4
M 7
T 3
W 9
T 4
F 6
S 8 (Sept 5th)
S 7
M 9
T 11
W 7
T 9
F 7
S 8 (Sept 12th)
S 14
M 11
T 12
W 16
T 20
F 19
S 11 (Sept 19th)
S 24
M 16
T 25
W 38
T 24
F 22
S 30 (Sept 26th)
S 34
M 39
T 35
W 41
T 43
F 48
S 38 (Oct 3rd)
S 38
M 40
T 50
W 58
T 57
F 50
S 61 (Oct 10th)
S 76
M 72
T 71
W 81
T 91
F 91
S 130 (Oct 17th)
S 91
M 116
T 131
W 198
T 145
F 144
S 133 (Oct 24th)
S 164
M 170
T 168
W 178
T 209
F 206
S 215 (Oct 31st)
S 222
M 222
T 208
W 235
T 216
F 232
S 272 (Nov 7th)
S 255
M 309+1=310
T 267
W 236
T 271
F 262
S 290 (Nov 14th)
S 295
M 270
T 293
W 324
T 293+1=294
F 300
S 265+1=266 (Nov 21st)
S 315+1=316
M 295
T 310+1=311
W 321+2=323
T 283
F 281+1+1=283
S 308 (Nov 28th)
S 310+1=311
M 264
T 268
W 263
T 298
F 287
S 252 (Dec 5th)
S 265+1=266
M 248+1=249
T 286
W 265+1+1=267
T 288
F 279+1=280
S 285+2+1=288 (Dec 12th)
S 269+1=270
M 287+1=288
T 296
W 255+1+1+1+1=259
T 306+3+1+2+1+1=314
F 294+1+2+2+1+2=302
S 276+2+1+1+2+1=283 (Dec 19th)
S 292+6+1+3+2+1+2=307
M 335+3+1+1+6+3+2=351
T 289+6+10+5+5+6+4+3=328
W 241+27+10+15+6+6+9+5=319
T 60+80+51+33+15+38+26+12=315
F 34+114+73+34+54+31+17=357
S 36+143+79+55+40+19=372 (Dec 26th - Boxing Day)
S 43+165+90+53+20=371
M 48+183+84+37=352
T 50+214+72=336
W 54+183=237
T 42

 

[charliebrown]

CNN claims one person dies every 10 minutes from COVID-19 every 10 minutes in Los Angeles County, California.

It is now the world’s number one spot for coronavirus.

 

[Trevp666]

So is that 1 person every 1010 minutes?

 

[charliebrown]

Yes, according to CNN.

 

[Beresford]

The figure I saw for deaths in California yesterday was 585. Around 144 deaths in LA County sounds plausible.

 

[Mythopoeika]

Apparently, Jeremy Clarkson now has it. He's about to go 'full Clarkson'.

 

[Ghost In The Machine]

I did not mean to imply that I questioned your interpretation of your symptoms. I am absolutely sure that you understand your condition as well as anyone can, and better than the medical establishment. I meant to point out that the symptom of forgetting nouns is not necessarily a clear symptom of c19 barring any other indications, and what we consider to be a sign of age may in fact be treatable. Your reports on your experiences are invaluable, and I hope that you keep posting. Too many otherwise rational people are still talking about "just the flu," at least in this country. We have not even scratched the surface of how to continue to observe and treat long covid cases.

Yes, sorry if I overreacted or seemed to - you just get so sick of people minimising it or gaslighting you telling you you're imagining it, or it is all down to (insert something else here). Not that I thought you were doing that for a minute. But I thought people reading it might possibly think so.

I'm lying here over 9 months on, struggling to breathe with lungs that looked perfectly normal on an X Ray months back. It's just so not like anything else - and with this new wave, there are going to be so many more of us. Just want to feel normal, at this point, and not keep thinking about it but I think we're at a point where there are still so many deniers about (like those reprehensible people you see on Twitter saying it is fine as it "only" kills people with underlying conditions.... and again, I know you ain't one of em) It gets very wearing constantly responding but it's hard to live with yourself when you don't. I had an experience near the start on another forum where some clever dick told me my loss of sense of smell was "probably your sinuses". So I have an itchy trigger finger when I see anything the feels even remotely like that. ;o).

I keep thinking when I'm online, on various forums, social media sites - if I could shit just one person up enough to save their life, the past few months would have been worth it.

My "underlying condition" that apparently means I deserve to die, was asthma so mild I never bothered about it. Ever. Had inhalers I never used for years on end. Had I died in March/April, they'd have put "asthma" not "covid" on the death cert. Am willing to bet you. And now, people would be on Twitter typing stuff my kids could stumble on, about their dead mum being expendable or "regrettable" but we all know what that means, because only a few people who have died didn't have "underlying conditions". My underlying condition was so deeply underlying I barely had it...

 

[Ghost In The Machine]

Apparently, Jeremy Clarkson now has it. He's about to go 'full Clarkson'.

Oh I hope it's a Road to Damascus moment. Am sure there's a joke in there somewhere, but I can't find it right now.

 

[Naughty_Felid]

Yes, sorry if I overreacted or seemed to - you just get so sick of people minimising it or gaslighting you telling you you're imagining it, or it is all down to (insert something else here). Not that I thought you were doing that for a minute. But I thought people reading it might possibly think so.

I'm lying here over 9 months on, struggling to breathe with lungs that looked perfectly normal on an X Ray months back. It's just so not like anything else - and with this new wave, there are going to be so many more of us. Just want to feel normal, at this point, and not keep thinking about it but I think we're at a point where there are still so many deniers about (like those reprehensible people you see on Twitter saying it is fine as it "only" kills people with underlying conditions.... and again, I know you ain't one of em) It gets very wearing constantly responding but it's hard to live with yourself when you don't. I had an experience near the start on another forum where some clever dick told me my loss of sense of smell was "probably your sinuses". So I have an itchy trigger finger when I see anything the feels even remotely like that. ;o).

I keep thinking when I'm online, on various forums, social media sites - if I could shit just one person up enough to save their life, the past few months would have been worth it.

My "underlying condition" that apparently means I deserve to die, was asthma so mild I never bothered about it. Ever. Had inhalers I never used for years on end. Had I died in March/April, they'd have put "asthma" not "covid" on the death cert. Am willing to bet you. And now, people would be on Twitter typing stuff my kids could stumble on, about their dead mum being expendable or "regrettable" but we all know what that means, because only a few people who have died didn't have "underlying conditions". My underlying condition was so deeply underlying I barely had it...

Yeah but it's just like the flu innit?

Some posters on this site should be fucking ashamed.

 

[Lb8535]

Yes, sorry if I overreacted or seemed to - you just get so sick of people minimising it or gaslighting you telling you you're imagining it, or it is all down to (insert something else here). Not that I thought you were doing that for a minute. But I thought people reading it might possibly think so.

I'm lying here over 9 months on, struggling to breathe with lungs that looked perfectly normal on an X Ray months back. It's just so not like anything else - and with this new wave, there are going to be so many more of us. Just want to feel normal, at this point, and not keep thinking about it but I think we're at a point where there are still so many deniers about (like those reprehensible people you see on Twitter saying it is fine as it "only" kills people with underlying conditions.... and again, I know you ain't one of em) It gets very wearing constantly responding but it's hard to live with yourself when you don't. I had an experience near the start on another forum where some clever dick told me my loss of sense of smell was "probably your sinuses". So I have an itchy trigger finger when I see anything the feels even remotely like that. ;o).

I keep thinking when I'm online, on various forums, social media sites - if I could shit just one person up enough to save their life, the past few months would have been worth it.

My "underlying condition" that apparently means I deserve to die, was asthma so mild I never bothered about it. Ever. Had inhalers I never used for years on end. Had I died in March/April, they'd have put "asthma" not "covid" on the death cert. Am willing to bet you. And now, people would be on Twitter typing stuff my kids could stumble on, about their dead mum being expendable or "regrettable" but we all know what that means, because only a few people who have died didn't have "underlying conditions". My underlying condition was so deeply underlying I barely had it...

Last info I saw was that 64% of Americans have an "underlying condition", I suspect most are obesity or diabetes. I am seeing that the watchwords for the society I live in are self-obsession and whatever the opposite of compassion is (there probably is one, but it's a noun.) Don't know how we got that way.

 

[EnolaGaia]

... whatever the opposite of compassion is (there probably is one, but it's a noun.) ...

hardheartedness, unforgiveness, cruelty, antipathy, denunciation, condemnation, vindictiveness, retaliation

https://www.synonyms.com/antonyms/compassion

 

[Lb8535]

Goodness you really do know how to research anything.

 

[marhawkman]

Fun fact about the new variant - it seems to be giving people a higher viral load as the protein spike in the virus is "stickier"... I notice this is being played down at the moment. But it doesn't take Einstein to figure out the possible consequences.

One "news" piece I saw about it mentioned that it seemed to be even more contagious, but that the vaccine would probably prevent you from getting it too.... has anyone even tested that? Yeah I'm guessing this strain(along with others) is being downplayed because the people making vaccines want people to take them.

My "underlying condition" that apparently means I deserve to die, was asthma so mild I never bothered about it. Ever. Had inhalers I never used for years on end. Had I died in March/April, they'd have put "asthma" not "covid" on the death cert. Am willing to bet you. And now, people would be on Twitter typing stuff my kids could stumble on, about their dead mum being expendable or "regrettable" but we all know what that means, because only a few people who have died didn't have "underlying conditions". My underlying condition was so deeply underlying I barely had it...

Not sure how far this goes back but the official US CDC rules more or less leave that up to the discretion of the person filling out the death certificate. Long version: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) FAQs (cdc.gov)
Short version: You get categorized as a Covid-19 casualty if

COVID-19 caused or contributed to the death

This is a judgement call from the person who fills out the official death certificate, but if they consider it something that had anything to do with your death it can get added as a contributing factor even if it's not the actual cause of death.

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

Amongst European countries, France appears to be top of the anti-vaxxers, with 59% stating they would refuse to be vaccinated against Covid.

https://www.connexionfrance.com/Fre...timent-rises-above-50-in-France-with-new-poll

 

[Cochise]

This is something else that's turned in to a ridiculous confrontation like so many things do these days. Maybe its the internet itself to blame. Almost nothing is so simple that anyone's take on it is completely correct.

There are extremists , sure. But , while accepting there is a new strain of a virus out there , it's perfectly legitimate to make some points.

First, it is NOT an especially severe virus (thank goodness). If it was then half of us would be dead. See Ebola for a recent example. Second, there is a genuine debate over what are the correct measures to take over dealing with the virus. Third, there seems to be a concentration on the predictions of mathematical modellers rather than listening to actual virologists who are expert in the field. I could raise other points, but overall just because there is a serious situation we should not be shutting down our critical faculties.

 

[ramonmercado]

Bizarre!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1345723045164404737

 

[Trevp666]

I wonder if the same department in Kaiser is also investigating whether the pope is a catholic, and if bears shit in the woods?

 

[marhawkman]

First, it is NOT an especially severe virus (thank goodness). If it was then half of us would be dead. See Ebola for a recent example.

The worst one I ever read about seemingly only affected one village in Africa. Some guy they didn't know wandered out of the jungle dying of a disease that had no name... a few days later everyone in the village had either recovered or died. No human being ever got that disease ever again because it no longer had any carriers. It was probably a virus, but no one can be sure since it literally vanished from the face of the Earth. The book I read used it as an example of a disease TOO deadly to become a plague. One of it's symptoms was causing you to bleed from bodily orifices. It may have required you to touch the blood of an infected person for transmissal but it vanished before proper analysis was done. Yeah a virus that causes nosebleeds(among other bleeding)?

COVID-19 is the opposite. It doesn't even develop symptoms in most people until after they become contagious... if they develop symptoms at all ever.

 

[Ogdred Weary]

The worst one I ever read about seemingly only affected one village in Africa. Some guy they didn't know wandered out of the jungle dying of a disease that had no name... a few days later everyone in the village had either recovered or died. No human being ever got that disease ever again because it no longer had any carriers. It was probably a virus, but no one can be sure since it literally vanished from the face of the Earth. The book I read used it as an example of a disease TOO deadly to become a plague. One of it's symptoms was causing you to bleed from bodily orifices. It may have required you to touch the blood of an infected person for transmissal but it vanished before proper analysis was done. Yeah a virus that causes nosebleeds(among other bleeding)?

COVID-19 is the opposite. It doesn't even develop symptoms in most people until after they become contagious... if they develop symptoms at all ever.

That's a proper, manly man's double-hard-bastard virus.

 

[charliebrown]

Monday on BBC radio, UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock claims South African strain much more infectious.

Matt claims this is worrisome whether the vaccine will be good against this strain.

 

[Yithian]

That's a proper, manly man's double-hard-bastard virus.

C.Norris Virus.

 

[Swifty]

The only way to kill a virus is to starve it. Period. I don't care how eloquently or passionately written refutations are or how many loopholes people can find to make themselves feel more comfortable and neither does this virus. Hands, face, space will hurt it, individuals flexing and showcasing their intellects will not. Endless 'what if' speculation and 'who's with me!' crap is costing lives on top of other ways people die. Careless talk costs lives.

 

[charliebrown]

England’s health scientists claim that the protein spike on the coronavirus is what breaks into the body’s cell.

In the South African mutant, the spike is now an all new sequence of protein.

If true, this makes a worrisome situation.

Disclaimer, I am not a medical or science person, but just saw this on the internet.

 

[ChrisBoardman]

The public sector workers who make these rules should not be paid a wage if they don't let us earn one.