Coronavirus

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by mrmistoffelees

Their borders are pretty much shut until 2022, with the abruptness they're imposing lockdowns, and IF (big if) they can speed up their vaccine roll out they will should manage to keep this under control.

Suspect New Zealand's situation has contributed to why Amazon moved production of Lord of The Rings Trilogy to Blighty although it was not mentioned at the time.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58196473

It might have hastened the decision but really, that decision was inevitable. Amazon is building a significant production base in the UK and it makes no sense for them to be making a show in New Zealand just because a film series based on the same books was made there 20 years ago.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by mrmistoffelees

Their borders are pretty much shut until 2022, with the abruptness they're imposing lockdowns, and IF (big if) they can speed up their vaccine roll out they will should manage to keep this under control.

Might not "pretty much" be the problem if the virus is getting in?

Yes, of course, they'll keep it under control. But they're in for a long ride.

[mrmistoffelees]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Might not "pretty much" be the problem if the virus is getting in?

Yes, of course, they'll keep it under control. But they're in for a long ride.

Indeed they are, but at the end of said ride they will have significantly less cases & deaths than most nations.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by mrmistoffelees

Indeed they are, but at the end of said ride they will have significantly less cases & deaths than most nations.

Agreed - but for the UK at least, the long haul would trash the economy further than it could stand. I don't knoe enough about the NZ economy to understand whether or not it is in a very bad way.

[jfman]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Agreed - but for the UK at least, the long haul would trash the economy further than it could stand. I don't knoe enough about the NZ economy to understand whether or not it is in a very bad way.

A 48 hour lockdown? A week in some parts?

Huge swathes of the economy have been open for prolonged periods. No distancing, no masks, and our freedom day has been a damp squib as those privileged enough to work from home stay hiding under the stairs or in their conservatories.

The long term economic consequences will be felt for years to come.

My but you’re a ray of sunshine this fine evening.

[mrmistoffelees]

Originally Posted by Chris

My but you’re a ray of sunshine this fine evening.

Well there are a lot of talking ar**s on here (and I include myself) might as well bring yours in too

[1andrew1]

Also interesting that Trump was given a personal assurance by the Chinese President that Covid 19 was under control.

Trump team thought UK officials ‘out of their minds’ aiming for herd immunity, book says

As the scale of the threat became increasingly clear in January and February 2020, officials in Donald Trump’s administration were trying to convince him to take the threat seriously, despite personal reassurances he had been given by the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, that it was under control.

But they were even more shocked by the approach being taken in the UK. In a book to be published next Tuesday, Aftershocks: Pandemic Politics and the End of the Old International Order, British health experts at the time are described as being “oddly pessimistic about their capacity to defeat the virus”, rejecting measures such as a ban on mass gatherings.

“We thought they were out of their minds. We told them it would be an absolutely devastating approach to deal with the pandemic,” one US official told the authors, Thomas Wright, a foreign affairs expert at the Brookings Institution, and Colin Kahl, who is now under secretary of defence for policy. “We thought they were nuts and they thought we were nuts. It turns out, in the end, we were a little more right than they were.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...tershocks-book

[joglynne]

First monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 approved for use in the UK

Published 20 August 2021
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has today given approval for the first monoclonal antibody treatment for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in the UK.

Following on from a thorough review of the evidence carried out by the MHRA, and recommendation by the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), the government’s independent expert scientific advisory body, the MHRA has approved Ronapreve as the first monoclonal antibody combination product indicated for use in the prevention and treatment of acute COVID-19 infection for the UK.

Developed by Regeneron/Roche, the drug is administered either by injection or infusion and acts at the lining of the respiratory system where it binds tightly to the coronavirus and prevents it from gaining access to the cells of the respiratory system. Clinical trial data assessed by a dedicated team of MHRA scientists and clinicians has shown that Ronapreve may be used to prevent infection, promote resolution of symptoms of acute COVID-19 infection and can reduce the likelihood of being admitted to hospital due to COVID-19.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/f...-use-in-the-uk

[Sephiroth]

Is that the stuff that kept Trump alive?

Btw, thanks for putting this up.

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Is that the stuff that kept Trump alive?

Btw, thanks for putting this up.

And the stuff that Florida is now pushing for instead of the vaccine for some reason.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by joglynne

First monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 approved for use in the UK



https://www.gov.uk/government/news/f...-use-in-the-uk

Very encouraging.

In addition, Roche and Regeneron also announced results from the phase 3 2069B trial, which found that REGEN-COV reduced the overall risk of progressing to symptomatic COVID-19 by 31% and by 76% after the third day among recently infected, asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.

On top of reducing the risk of symptomatic infections, the total number of weeks patients experienced symptoms decreased by 45% with REGEN-COV treatment, with viral burden also dropping by over 90%.

http://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/ro...n_risk_1366688

[Sephiroth]

Would you think that the UK is more or less in steady state?

The numbers are stable-ish; the hospitals have continuing low-ish numbers suffering Covid.

The rest of us are getting on with life, perhaps with additional care than 18 months ago.

There must be a point coming where everyone's either had Covid or been double jabbed at which point wouldn't we be in flu mode?

Originally Posted by Sephiroth

Would you think that the UK is more or less in steady state?

The numbers are stable-ish; the hospitals have continuing low-ish numbers suffering Covid.

The rest of us are getting on with life, perhaps with additional care than 18 months ago.

There must be a point coming where everyone's either had Covid or been double jabbed at which point wouldn't we be in flu mode?

I am hoping that's what's happening for sure. The cases are very slowly increasing but not to a huge amount so I do hope that this is the virus slowly spreading ahead of winter and by then the population has a high amount of immunity. What will help is a lot of these numbers now will be double jabbed people with a mild case of COVID giving them even more immunity as well.

I am living as normal now. I was never that cautious. Going to pubs as soon as they opened e.t.c but over the last weekend I've been in a theatre without a mask, the Emirates stadium with 60,000 other people and many pubs.

The best moment was in a busy pub. There was a crowd at the bar to go order. It was all normal. It all felt normal. Not 'new normal' but old normal.