Coronavirus

[Nemo]

Not an expert, but the risk doesn't seem to be people dying directly of Omicron so much as so many people having it/isolating as a result that normal services break down and more people die of everything else who wouldn't normally.

Which is a pretty grim scenario.

[Batch]

80k yesterday, but omicron 'only' at 20% a couple of days ago.

the problem is estimates of the real number already up to 200k a day

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ft.com/content/0a93e2e3-d414-4e3e-9bc7-16b3f9a2da8c

as whitty said about hospitalisation, a smaller % of a large number could be worse than a larger % of a small number

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

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.

Of course they did. It just wasn’t identified until 27 November - so it had probably been circulating for well before that. 15 hospitalisations and 1 death.

[RobertT]

It was clear a year ago plus that the Western world simply didn't have the stomach to do what would have been needed to prevent rapid spread.

The Omicron variant could indeed be the beginning of the virus mutating towards the endemic version we live with.

If ever there was a time where you'd go all field hospital style, separating the Covid patients from the normal population, especially as the vast majority are vaccinated, now was that time.  In fact, some of the stuff the UK Govt did in 2020 would now be good policy.  Rely on the vaccine to protect the majority, protect the vulnerable for a few months and let the virus have it's way.  Get the field hospitals up and running with anti virals now approved as treatment and shove them down everyones throat who gets it - people seem far less stupid at accepting treatment than taking a vaccine.

The original reason for not doing it what way was that you didn't have vaccinations in place or any known treatments.

I'm not saying that is the best way we could have handled this, just accepting the stupidity of the Western World has got us to where we are now.

[tans]

Boris says no locking down.

Expect lockdown announcement tomorrow then

[Batch]

They've already said don't cancel Christmas parties.  Then said consider very carefully going to Christmas parties with people you don't know/don't normally spend time with.

Its almost like they know they should put further restrictions in place, but know the damage that would cause. I know, they can blame us...

[Matchworn Shirts]

Boris says no locking down.

Expect lockdown announcement tomorrow then

The country cannot afford it, also he has probably spent the last of the countrys' furlough budget on a new pram and the baby shower

[chalkies shorts]

They've already said don't cancel Christmas parties.  Then said consider very carefully going to Christmas parties with people you don't know/don't normally spend time with.

Its almost like they know they should put further restrictions in place, but know the damage that would cause. I know, they can blame us...

So strangers are more likely to pass it on than people you know. How does that work? Same as all his other shite I suppose

[Samdy Gray]

They've already said don't cancel Christmas parties.  Then said consider very carefully going to Christmas parties with people you don't know/don't normally spend time with.

Its almost like they know they should put further restrictions in place, but know the damage that would cause. I know, they can blame us...

Well, I went to a Christmas party on Saturday and I'm now feeling like shit and waiting for a PCR test result...

Maybe I should've listened to Boris.

[Bob's Orange]

88,000 cases today and 146 deaths reported today.

[horlock07]

They've already said don't cancel Christmas parties.  Then said consider very carefully going to Christmas parties with people you don't know/don't normally spend time with.

Its almost like they know they should put further restrictions in place, but know the damage that would cause. I know, they can blame us...

They’re not cancelling events because otherwise They’d have to support the hospitality trade so instead they’re relying on the usual mixed messaging to simultaneously confuse people & bleed businesses without taking responsibility for either our lack of action or our lack of support

[RobertT]

I have kind of reached a point where I wonder what the Public Health and interest benefits are in publishing daily infection numbers.  We have probably reached a point where that data is useful for the people reviewing the trends, tracking variants etc.  For the public, I would imagine Severe infection is now the key measure - which is likely Hospitalisations, people in Hospital, capacity being used etc.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

88,000 cases today and 146 deaths reported today.

Just over a month ago - 11 Nov - there were 195 deaths. So even going deeper into winter and Omicron, the rate is falling.

I’m convinced Omicron has been circulating way before it was identified at the end of November.

No doubt cases will spiral, but doubtful hospitalisations/deaths will follow at the same rate.

[RobertT]

Just over a month ago - 11 Nov - there were 195 deaths. So even going deeper into winter and Omicron, the rate is falling.

I’m convinced Omicron has been circulating way before it was identified at the end of November.

No doubt cases will spiral, but doubtful hospitalisations/deaths will follow at the same rate.

It almost certainly has been circulating for a while - they've found it in waste samples here before they even had anyone tested positive with the variant.

[Bob's Orange]

I have kind of reached a point where I wonder what the Public Health and interest benefits are in publishing daily infection numbers.  We have probably reached a point where that data is useful for the people reviewing the trends, tracking variants etc.  For the public, I would imagine Severe infection is now the key measure - which is likely Hospitalisations, people in Hospital, capacity being used etc.

I agree and it's the only number/graph I really focus on when they do the numbers on the news.