Coronavirus (Covid19) Corner

[Sue]

I think the combination of a very infectious variant and people stopping wearing masks has been the cause.

I reckon it's mainly the very infectious variant, I picked it up in an environment where everyone was masked 90% of the time.

Bob also caught it at Christmas wearing a mask

[Gloria]

We’ve worn masks whenever we have gone in anywhere. Testing negative now but still phlegmy, the headache has finally gone.

[Big Kev]

1 in 20 infected in England last week, Scotland and Wales were 1 in 14 I think.

Infection rates are reliant on people actually testing and reporting the result, I reckon there are far more infections but asymptomatic so no one will ever know.
It's hospital admissions that will be a better trend to follow, the ONS said

Hospital admission rates remained below mid-January 2021 levels in all groups aged 15 years and over in the week ending 13 March 2022.

I did read somewhere that the current variant is having much less of an impact than a bad 'flu season' but I can't find it now.

[Wendyf]

The ONS figures are estimates based on sampling, I think, not actual reported tests. I keep hearing that over 50% of people in hospital with covid are there for other reasons.

[Big Kev]

The ONS figures are estimates based on sampling, I think, not actual reported tests. I keep hearing that over 50% of people in hospital with covid are there for other reasons.

I've noticed there's a disclaimer published, with admissions and hospital deaths, to that effect.

[Stanley]

In other words nobody is sure what is going on. That being the case they should keep quiet.

[Big Kev]

Probably best, most news media is sensationalism now. I don't remember there being this much exposure for flu.

[Sue]

I see the numbers in Rochdale have been going down again, the classic endemic up and down. I read Wendy it was three quarters of people in hospital with covid had gone in with something else and the infection was picked up with a routine swab done on arrival. Ie they were asymptomatic so even hospital admissions is no longer an indication of severity.

What I have noticed here in France is that life goes on, people don’t talk covid in general conversation and the newspapers are not full of the data. The department releases an online update once a week. People are still very aware, wearing masks etc and there was a vaccination certificate requirement . I honestly believe the media in the UK has maintained a level of fear by reporting daily and every single increase however slight with doom and gloom and fail to report with the same vigour when the numbers go down. We have become a pessimistic doom society over this. There are worse things happening in the world that no amount of mask wearing is going to resolve.

[Stanley]

"the media in the UK has maintained a level of fear by reporting daily and every single increase however slight
Couldn't agree more Sue. I avoid all the news and maintain my own precautions.

[plaques]

I see the numbers in Rochdale have been going down again, the classic endemic up and down. I read Wendy it was three quarters of people in hospital with covid had gone in with something else and the infection was picked up with a routine swab done on arrival. Ie they were asymptomatic so even hospital admissions is no longer an indication of severity.

The subsequent waves of infection follow the pattern of one group infecting others until the immediate population become infected and the rate 'R value' slows down. Then the population re-mixes and the cycle starts again. Unfortunately since peoples immune resistance starts to wane after a few months we could be seeing these waves for a very long time.

With hospitalisation, if people are entering hospital with condition 'A' and then subsequently found also to have the corvid virus the question is has the virus made the 'A' condition worse to a point of hospitalisation where without covid they wouldn't be in hospital? Of course we will never know but equally its not something that can be ignored by saying covid isn't all that bad.

As in Dirty Harry. " You've Got To Ask Yourself One Question: 'Do I Feel Lucky? ' Well, Do Ya, Punk?"

[Sue]

The shape of the curve is classic endemic and classic population curve for anything. You correctly describe how it happens but it is still classic. On the Zoe page this morning every area I checked, about 6 in all had shown the classic down turn. This is the S phase of population growth, a steep exponential increase as a new population enters an area , then at the top of the S a fluctuating up and down. We can’t hope for the J phase or sometimes called the catastrophic where the population completely collapses , like lemming population.

The virus increased rapidly when we had no resistance, its numbers now fluctuate up and down, the chances of it disappearing entirely as in the J curve is highly unlikely as with all infectious diseases. Though some have disappeared like smallpox but not by natural means . Small pox did nut mutate, so developing a way to irradicate the disease was much easier than irradiacating covid, flu, common colds and many more that we have probably never even heard of. We are always at risk of infectious diseases, many of which we have no vaccinations for and limited treatment I say we should not let covid rule our lives now. It is endemic, and will remain so , but we now have numerous treatments, vaccinations and most in the UK have a high level of immunity. Those classed at risk are the same people who are at risk for any infectious disease. In general, until covid, the vast majority got on with their lives and didn’t think on a daily basis, if I catch eg flu I will die etc

I never said covid is not that bad I said there are worse things in the world now eg Ukraine.

[Big Kev]

I never said covid is not that bad I said there are worse things in the world now eg Ukraine.

I wouldn't want covid again, same as I wouldn't want a bad cold again, neither are pleasant but the situation in Ukraine is horrendous and certainly something I wouldn't want to be anywhere near. The potential worldwide impact is certainly more of a worry than covid, it's definitely something we can't vaccinate against.

[Tripps]

Seems Matt Hancock - remember him? - has said today that the problem is over.

The 70,000 crowd at Cheltenham didn't seem at all bothered by it on Friday. Last year behind closed doors, and in 2020 a super spreader event.

The dentist, rather than make me stand in the cold, let me into the waiting room last week, but made me wear a face covering. Would have been better to open the windows.

The care home tell me yesterday that they have 4 staff and 7 residents infected, and will be locking down (again) for 14 days. It will probably be a lot longer since at each new infection (and I'm sure there will be more) the 14 days starts again.

Not everyone singing from the same hymn sheet I'd say.

Omicron.jpg

[Stanley]

"Not everyone singing from the same hymn sheet I'd say."
Exactly the impression I get David. I wonder sometimes if people listen to what they are being told.....
You know what I will be doing, being very careful!

[Tizer]

BOOK YOUR SPRING BOOSTER NOW IF YOU ARE OVER-75
I've just booked myself in for the `spring booster covid vaccination' at a local medical centre using the NHS bookings web site. I've got an appointment on Thursday morning. You can book here: NHS Booster Bookings

[Big Kev]

I'm not old enough yet
I would imagine my antibodies are way up at the moment. One of my offspring reckoned I'd got the 'high score' on my positive LFT. Not sure what the correlation between the thickness and density of the positive T line has with the volume of virus there is up your nose.

[Tizer]

Don't worry Kev, I hadn't got you down as an oldie!

[Gloria]

BOOK YOUR SPRING BOOSTER NOW IF YOU ARE OVER-75
I've just booked myself in for the `spring booster covid vaccination' at a local medical centre using the NHS bookings web site. I've got an appointment on Thursday morning. You can book here: NHS Booster Bookings

Thankyou for the heads up, I’ve just booked ours for Friday.

[Gloria]

Had to cancel our booster jabs as we have to leave 4weeks after having had Covid.

[Sue]

Well Roland has covid. He is on the mend. He is on day 5, his main symptom is tiredness and a bit of a sore throat. I have been testing but so far negativeIt stays that way. We left his birthday present with Nicole. What a visit her dog bit me! It is apparently a very easily frightened dog, but we had only come through the front gate. He rushed out as Nicole opened the door. She assured me he is vaccinated against rabies! So now I have to watch for an infected wound and covid!

[Big Kev]

Well Roland has covid. He is on the mend. He is on day 5, his main symptom is tiredness and a bit of a sore throat. I have been testing but so far negativeIt stays that way. We left his birthday present with Nicole. What a visit her dog bit me! It is apparently a very easily frightened dog, but we had only come through the front gate. He rushed out as Nicole opened the door. She assured me he is vaccinated against rabies! So now I have to watch for an infected wound and covid!

An eventful day...

[Sue]

An eventful day...

Only way forward from that was a beer and a laugh with the neighbours

[Big Kev]

An eventful day...

Only way forward from that was a beer and a laugh with the neighbours

Good plan

[Stanley]

Sorry to hear you were bit Sue. Like Gloria, thanks for heads up, I am booked in at Colne for Friday!

[Gloria]

Well done Stanley.
I felt really rough yesterday, coughing again, headache, woke up coughing in the night a few times, tested this morning and negative again, so this must be the left overs, it’s very uncomfortable.