Coronavirus

[Bob's Orange]

The one day jump isn’t as big as it seems, there’s been a reporting lag. But obviously it’s still a big jump in average number of cases.

Yeah, think it was 50k-59k-78k? Won't be long before it's back over 100k cases per day

[Batch]

78,000 cases today. Highest number since the start of the pandemic

they say omicron is doubling every 2 days.

exponential growth of that speed is frightening.

[Nemo]

Boris has just multiplied the cases by ten in his update, so it really is out of control now...

[horlock07]

Boris has just multiplied the cases by ten in his update, so it really is out of control now...

About all he did say, anyone would think there was a by-election tomorrow.

[tans]

Thick twat couldnt even get the figures right

[Batch]

so the whole point of the news conference

-omicron spreads easily
- get a booster


40 minutes of drivel and nothing new

[Jimmy HaveHave]

I missed it shame it's not on iPlayer!

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

I’m confused by the bleak outlook from Whitty and Co.

He says 35% of present Covid cases are now via Omicron. So, 60,000 yesterday = 22,000 Omicron cases. Yet there are only 10 people hospitalised with it. With all the piss and panic I’d be expecting people to be dropping like flies - especially as I’d imagine Omicron has been circulating longer than before they identified it.

I do wish they’d stop using case numbers as their scare factor.

[Boeta]

People don't drop like flies with covid though. Hospitalisations lag cases by 2 weeks.
Deaths lag hospitalisations by another 2 weeks.

Problem is if the government wait to find out what % of yesterday's cases will be hospitalised then millions more will have been infected. Absolute gamble with no good options for them to take

[Legends-Lounge]

I’m confused by the bleak outlook from Whitty and Co.

He says 35% of present Covid cases are now via Omicron. So, 60,000 yesterday = 22,000 Omicron cases. Yet there are only 10 people hospitalised with it. With all the piss and panic I’d be expecting people to be dropping like flies - especially as I’d imagine Omicron has been circulating longer than before they identified it.

I do wish they’d stop using case numbers as their scare factor.

I sort of understand your point but from my perspective I see it as a non win situation from the scientists/government who like the rest of us will only know the real outcome after it has peaked and with the measures they put in place. Even with widespread vaccinations it turns out to be like the plague with people dropping like flies the spit storm will unimaginable. Now with certain ‘curbs’ in place such as they are we head towards what? We don’t know 100%, when I say we I mean the scientists and the government. Hopefully it turns out to be a damp squib but they’re IMHO obviously not sure, this thing is mutating all time and sadly having to play catch up until they can nail it. It’s not good that’s for sure so who’d want to be in their shoes trying to second guess nature and keep the country safe and financially secure all at the same time?

[Samdy Gray]

With the (relative) lack of data for Omicron at the moment, a lot of the figures banded about are extrapolated from very small data sets which can appear misleading. Take the 1 million cases per day by Xmas day. Yes, that's how exponential growth works but actually by that point almost the whole population would need to have been infected (cumulatively). In reality there would be a slowing at some point.

Ed Conway at Sky is a stats guy and someone worth listening to IMO.

https://twitter.com/EdConwaySky

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

The current number of hospitalisations with Omicron is 15

[Batch]

The current number of hospitalisations with Omicron is 15

indeed, but with the caveat that hospital numbers usually a couple of weeks behind case increases..

let's hope it stays low and we can have a proper Christmas

[Boeta]

The current number of hospitalisations with Omicron is 15

Because almost no one had Omicron 2 weeks ago.

The question is how many of yesterday's 80k will be in hospital in 2 weeks. And how many from todays higher figure, tomorrow's higher figure and so on. And no one knows.

[Gnasher]

According to my daughter (who's researching COVID at Uni), the virus could be mutating itself into oblivion. Let's hope so.