Coronavirus

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

Boris’ advice to a Conservative Association

“Say the first thing that comes into your head – it’ll probably be nonsense, you may get a bad headline, but if you make enough dubious claims fast enough, you can get away with it”

And:

“Sometimes it’s better to give the wrong answer at the right time, rather than the right answer at the wrong time.”

Sounds about right.

[Bob's Orange]

So into tier 4 now.

As it is just the wife and I at home we had planned to spend the morning at some local
hotels to help out giving food to the homeless which I suppose we won’t be able to do now.

Haven’t checked how this is going to affect house moves, we are due to move in January now, hopefully we still can.

[Wobbly Bob]

Looks as if our borders are being closed for us.

Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

[pauld]

Looks as if our borders are being closed for us.

Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

It's almost as if EU countries can close their borders with very little fuss after all.

[Batch]

I hope to fuck the vaccine is still effective against this new varient (obviously).

According the one virologist there are 22 changes (mutations) in this new varient all at once, where its normally 1 or 2. 

Fuck.

[pauld]

I hope to fuck the vaccine is still effective against this new varient (obviously).

According the one virologist there are 22 changes (mutations) in this new varient all at once, where its normally 1 or 2.  

Fuck.

Heard quite a bit from scientists over the last few days on this and they all seemed fairly confident the vaccines would still be effective against the new variant, and the thousands of other new variants also likely to be in circulation and to come. Variants and mutations are what viruses do, vaccine development is well used to dealing with it.

[pauld]

Looks as if our borders are being closed for us.

Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

[4D]

It's almost as if EU countries can close their borders with very little fuss after all.

As long as it works both ways.

[4D]

Paul's Cabs 

[pauld]

As long as it works both ways.

That was kind of the point.

[Batch]

As long as it works both ways.

Nah, they put an "everyone but the UK" clause in. That's why we are leaving.

Oh wait.

[horlock07]

Heard quite a bit from scientists over the last few days on this and they all seemed fairly confident the vaccines would still be effective against the new variant, and the thousands of other new variants also likely to be in circulation and to come. Variants and mutations are what viruses do, vaccine development is well used to dealing with it.

Put my details into the tracker thingy and it suggests I should be in line for the vaccine sometime late March or April, and I am level 6!

[pauld]

I hope to fuck the vaccine is still effective against this new varient (obviously).

According the one virologist there are 22 changes (mutations) in this new varient all at once, where its normally 1 or 2. 

Fuck.

This might help, roundup of some scientific reaction to the new variant (assuming it is new, of course), they seem cautiously optimistic about the vaccine implications and that this kind of mutation is just pretty standard

https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-the-new-variant-of-sars-cov-2/

[RedRag]

Heard quite a bit from scientists over the last few days on this and they all seemed fairly confident the vaccines would still be effective against the new variant, and the thousands of other new variants also likely to be in circulation and to come.

Probably completely inappropriately but Mandy Rice-Davies comes to mind here.

[Batch]

Its all very contradictory Paul. Even the first sentence

you are here: science media centre > roundups for journalists > expert reaction to the new variant of SARS-CoV-2
December 14, 2020
expert reaction to the new variant of SARS-CoV-2

Matt Hancock announced that a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been identified in his speech to the House of Commons.

 

Dr Lucy van Dorp, senior research fellow in microbial genomics at the UCL Genetics Institute, said:

“It is frustrating to have claims like this made without the associated evidence presented for scientific assessment and the variant remains to be officially announced. It seems COG-UK will release further details soon1 and a preprint may follow2.

“The possible candidates based on some of our own observations (current as of 30th November) is that this may refer to a double deletion in the coronavirus spike protein (positions 69/70) or alternatively a spike mutation in the receptor binding domain N501Y3. There is some experimental support for N501Y increasing receptor binding experimental settings and mouse models. There have also been some reports that the spike double deletion has a moderate impact on antibody recognition.

“At the same time it is important to remember that all SARS-CoV-2 in circulation are extremely genetically similar to one another and our prior should be that most mutations have no significant impact on the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2.

But the Government say it may be up to 70% more so.

Hopefully as you say it still falls within normal mutation bounds, meaning the vaccine is still a go.

I blam the BBC expert for casting doubts.