Coronavirus

[jfman]

I know I fully agree - sums up most of what I said yesterday.

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by jfman

I know I fully agree - sums up most of what I said yesterday.

Another couple of months, jfman, and you'll be watching that glorious pint being poured.

[jfman]

I absolutely cannot wait. Even if I have to sit out in the Scottish cold. Or as we call it all the months except July.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

Another couple of months, jfman, and you'll be watching that glorious pint being poured.

I'll be doing more than just watching it being poured!

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by jfman

I absolutely cannot wait. Even if I have to sit out in the Scottish cold. Or as we call it all the months except July.

Cannot argue with that....

---------- Post added at 14:57 ---------- Previous post was at 14:57 ----------

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

I'll be doing more than just watching it being poured!

Same here, Andrew.

[Hom3r]

last January (2020) if you saw someone wearing a mask in your local supermarket you would think WTF.


now you wouldn't bat an eyelid, and the same will happen in the next few years, i will still wear mine until we hit the 80/90% of the population having their second jab.

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by Hom3r

last January (2020) if you saw someone wearing a mask in your local supermarket you would think WTF.


now you wouldn't bat an eyelid, and the same will happen in the next few years, i will still wear mine until we hit the 80/90% of the population having their second jab.

I will wear one where and if it's necessary, if it's dropped and therefore not required then I will definitely not wear one.

[heero_yuy]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

I will wear one where and if it's necessary, if it's dropped and therefore not required then I will definitely not wear one.

Me too. As a glasses wearer it's a PITA.

[Hom3r]

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

Me too. As a glasses wearer it's a PITA.

I bought some antifog stuff from Amazon, no agro this time of year.

[Mr K]

There's new variant out, oh joy.... Bit concerning how often this bleeding thing mutates.

Another coronavirus variant with a potentially worrying set of mutations has been detected in the UK and should be targeted in surge testing, experts have said.

The variant, known as B1525, is the subject of a report by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, who say it has been detected through genome sequencing in 10 countries including Denmark, the US and Australia, with 32 cases found in the UK so far. The earliest sequences were dated to December and cropped up in the UK and Nigeria.

The team say the variant has similarities in its genome to the Kent variant, B117, and it contains a number of mutations that have worried researchers, including the E484K mutation to the spike protein – a protein found on the outside of the virus that plays an important role in helping the virus to enter cells.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...droidApp_Other

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Mr K

There's new variant out, oh joy.... Bit concerning how often this bleeding thing mutates.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...droidApp_Other

Like every virus known to man?

The very reason why the “common cold” is incurable. The very reason we need a flu jab every year.

More sensationalist clap trap, if a new variant is going to make the headlines every time one appears we’ll hear of nothing else.

[jfman]

Originally Posted by Pierre

Like every virus known to man?

The very reason why the “common cold” is incurable. The very reason we need a flu jab every year.

More sensationalist clap trap, if a new variant is going to make the headlines every time one appears we’ll hear of nothing else.

Well it doesn't hit the news every time. Only where it's identified as a variant of concern by our esteemed scientists, or has the same qualities as one or more of them (and likely will be added).

This could be because it is more transmissible or it evades the vaccines. Considering the success of the vaccine programme to date it's vital that everything is done to ensure that this isn't rapidly undone by an emerging new strain or we are back to lockdown and restrictions. Which we all agree is undesirable.

Keeping R below 1 for now while trying to test, trace, isolate cases is key to future success.

[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by jfman

Well it doesn't hit the news every time. Only where it's identified as a variant of concern by our esteemed scientists, or has the same qualities as one or more of them (and likely will be added).

This could be because it is more transmissible or it evades the vaccines. Considering the success of the vaccine programme to date it's vital that everything is done to ensure that this isn't rapidly undone by an emerging new strain or we are back to lockdown and restrictions. Which we all agree is undesirable.

Keeping R below 1 for now while trying to test, trace, isolate cases is key to future success.

That would be keeping R below 1 for the vaccine susceptible virus. If a more transmissive mutation takes hold, you've got another R number to worry about until the vaccine has been updated and administered.

We really could be in trouble.

[papa smurf]

Don't forget your paranoia jabs.

[jonbxx]

Yeah, it's easy to get excited about new strains but new strains can and do pop up all the time. Check this site out on how many different strains have been sequenced globally - https://nextstrain.org/ncov/global . Press 'Play' on the left hand side for some great data visualisation :-) Note that this site can only handle 3000 strains at a time.

New strains are of interest but it's what happens clinically that is important here.

The good news is that the mRNA and Adenovirus vaccines have been shown to work well in trials and the preliminary data from vaccinated populations seems to look good. These vaccines can be easily modified to take into account any changes which elude the immunity raised from the current vaccines. Remember, the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine was designed and made in 2 days...