Omicron variant and the measures implemented in response to it

[Horizon22]

Fixed that for you...

Say what? How on earth do you stop a virus as contagious as Omicron (which is an order of magnitude more transmissive than Delta)
from "running rampant" through the population - are you suggesting that the country needs to go back into full lockdown??

You cannot blame companies for following the guidance that has been given.

In a video I linked to in a post earlier today, John Campbell said it's as high as 80%

Yes it will reduce further and in due course it has to be dropped entirely. Unfortunately for you, it probably won't reduce before Monday.

Although I read that it was only 25% in London? - 75% were hospitalisations primarily due to Covid.

 

[yorkie]

Although I read that it was only 25% in London? - 75% were hospitalisations primarily due to Covid.

When was that? It may have been the case when Delta was the dominant variant?

Edit: I've just re-watched John Campbell's video and he does say it used to be significantly higher, and shows a graph demonstrating this point.

I don't think the Government provides official stats to break down cases with Covid and cases where the patient has actually been admitted due to Covid and not something else, so it's very difficult to make sense of the hospitalisation figures when they include asymptomatic or mild cases where people are not actually being treated due to Covid.

As the virus becomes milder and as our population immunity increases, "with Covid" becomes less and less relevant by the day...

 

[DerekC]

But most of all their motives are mostly selfish to varying degrees sadly

I do wish people could rise above this sort of thing. To everyone involved this is an unprecedented situation with a huge amount of uncertainty and it's not at all surprising that people have different reactions to it. What selfish motives could there be for wanting more restrictions? Anyone with any sense is worried. Some people are just plain scared.

 

[yorkie]

What selfish motives could there be for wanting more restrictions?

Anyone who welcomes restrictions which barely affect them, but have a huge impact on disadvantaged people, is being selfish.

Their motives could vary from being scared and unable to think rationally (due to appalling messaging and effectively brainwashing), a reluctance to admit being wrong and a requirement to 'save face' and unwillingness to move on and admit the virus is becoming the 5th endemic human coronavirus, or a vested interest in restrictions (perhaps due to a desire to work from home, or their business benefits from restrictions).

Whatever their motives, we have to put our foot down now and say 'enough is enough'. If people don't want to get back to normal, they have no right to drag others down with them.

Anyone with any sense is worried. Some people are just plain scared.

This shows how utterly appalling the messaging has been.

When are these people ever going to be able to get back to normal? If being triple jabbed and given the knowledge the virus has evolved into a less virulent form doesn't do it, what will?!

 

[Horizon22]

When was that? It may have been the case when Delta was the dominant variant?

Edit: I've just re-watched John Campbell's video and he does say it used to be significantly higher, and shows a graph demonstrating this point.

I don't think the Government provides official stats to break down cases with Covid and cases where the patient has actually been admitted due to Covid and not something else, so it's very difficult to make sense of the hospitalisation figures when they include asymptomatic or mild cases where people are not actually being treated due to Covid.

As the virus becomes milder and as our population immunity increases, "with Covid" becomes less and less relevant by the day...

I saw it on a Twitter thread, I can’t find it again now. I don’t know how reliable that data is, but it was filled with various images about data, some of which was a bit hysterical but that did catch my eye.

 

[43066]

I do wish people could rise above this sort of thing. To everyone involved this is an unprecedented situation with a huge amount of uncertainty and it's not at all surprising that people have different reactions to it. What selfish motives could there be for wanting more restrictions? Anyone with any sense is worried. Some people are just plain scared.

We are now two years into this thing. Anyone with any sense knows that once they’re vaccinated the risk is minimal and we need to get back to normal. I’d suggest anyone who is “scared” at this point is unable to assess risk properly.

There are a number of reasons why people might want restrictions to continue, whether it’s taking pleasure in seeing the lives of others curtailed, fetishising a big state controlling our lives (Susan Michie) or simply disliking other people going out and enjoying themselves.

 

[brad465]

South Africa are now lifting their night time curfew and stating they believe their fourth wave, dominated by Omicron, has peaked, with fewer hospitalisations compared to previous waves:

South Africa says Omicron wave may have peaked

Officials relax restrictions noting lower hospital admissions from the Omicron variant than feared.

www.bbc.co.uk

South Africa has lifted overnight curfew rules, with officials saying the country may have passed the peak of its fourth wave of Covid-19 infections.
A government statement said the Omicron variant, while highly transmissible, had seen lower hospitalisation rates than previous waves.
There had been "a marginal increase" in the number of deaths, it added.
The variant - first reported by South Africa last month - is spreading fast elsewhere leading to widespread curbs.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a "tsunami" of infections from Delta and Omicron variants that could overwhelm health systems.
But in South Africa, the government announced on Thursday that some rules were being relaxed.
A statement released after a special cabinet meeting said cases and hospital admission rates had dropped in almost all provinces across the country.
For the week ending 25 December 2021, the number of confirmed infections stood at 89,781 - down from 127,753 the week before.
The changes announced include lifting restrictions on movement between midnight and 04:00. Businesses will also be allowed to sell alcohol under normal licensing rules, instead of closing at 23:00.
Overnight curfew rules of varying severities have been in place since a national state of disaster was declared in late March 2020.
The country still has "spare capacity for admission of patients even for routine health services" despite the Omicron wave.

Hopefully our Government will be seeing this and holding out for longer in England.

 

[NorthKent1989]

I do wish people could rise above this sort of thing. To everyone involved this is an unprecedented situation with a huge amount of uncertainty and it's not at all surprising that people have different reactions to it. What selfish motives could there be for wanting more restrictions? Anyone with any sense is worried. Some people are just plain scared.

If this was March 2020 I’d agree with you but we’re nearly two years on with a vaccine program now, so I stand by my view that any one whose calling for restrictions of any kind at this point is acting selfishly, they’re only concerned with Covid and nothing else, they also have zero clue on how the economy works as if we have more lockdowns where’s the money coming from, the pro restrictions crowd have been pretty selfish since last year

 

[bramling]

I do wish people could rise above this sort of thing. To everyone involved this is an unprecedented situation with a huge amount of uncertainty and it's not at all surprising that people have different reactions to it. What selfish motives could there be for wanting more restrictions? Anyone with any sense is worried. Some people are just plain scared.

Putting aside everything else, I think it’s naive to believe there aren’t selfish or nefarious objectives.

There’s certainly scope to consider to what extent they play out, but they certainly exist.

Remember the “cyclists stop panting virus through our village” stuff last year? Or the Acton Bridge nutcase?

 

[brad465]

The Times are fronting a story today stating NHS chiefs do not believe further covid restrictions are needed, despite surging hospital admissions:

Tomorrow's Papers Today - UK Front Pages - Latest Newspaper Headlines

All of UK's Tomorrow's Front Pages ✅ Updated Daily between 7PM - 11pm ✅ The Mail, Express, Times, Guardian and many more Proudly supporting #buyapaper

www.tomorrowspapers.co.uk

 

[farleigh]

Great news

 

[Cowley]

Great news

Definitely. Makes you wonder who people will actually listen to if this isn’t enough of a statement of how things are looking now.

 

[bramling]

Definitely. Makes you wonder who people will actually listen to if this isn’t enough of a statement of how things are looking now.

Nothing will be good enough for elements of the blue-heart brigade - their obsession with Covid is now pathological.

It seems to bear little relevance to Covid now, and more about gazing in that rose-tinted mirror.

In fairness, I realise this doesn’t apply to all.

 

[43066]

The Times are fronting a story today stating NHS chiefs do not believe further covid restrictions are needed, despite surging hospital admissions:

Tomorrow's Papers Today - UK Front Pages - Latest Newspaper Headlines

All of UK's Tomorrow's Front Pages ✅ Updated Daily between 7PM - 11pm ✅ The Mail, Express, Times, Guardian and many more Proudly supporting #buyapaper

www.tomorrowspapers.co.uk

View attachment 108010

Great news. It’s extraordinary how much the “mood music” has changed over the last few weeks. It really does feel like we’re through the worst of this now.

 

[Cowley]

Nothing will be good enough for elements of the blue-heart brigade - their obsession with Covid is now pathological.

It seems to bear little relevance to Covid now, and more about gazing in that rose-tinted mirror.

In fairness, I realise this doesn’t apply to all.

I do think some people (hopefully the majority) will relax and move on with life if they feel reassured that things are much safer than they were a year ago. It’s going to take a while though and digging people out for feeling worried is not going to be the way to do it.
We need to find a way to engage with each other and encourage each other not to worry if we’re ever going to get out of the cycle of polarisation and fear.

 

[duncanp]

Great news. It’s extraordinary how much the “mood music” has changed over the last few weeks. It really does feel like we’re through the worst of this now.

Has anyone noticed how quiet the "SAGE scientists" have been over the past few days?

It's as if they realise they are flogging a dead horse with their scare stories, and that people, especially the government, aren't taken in by their dodgy "modelling" any more.

 

[Berliner]

Has anyone noticed how quiet the "SAGE scientists" have been over the past few days?

It's as if they realise they are flogging a dead horse with their scare stories, and that people, especially the government, aren't taken in by their dodgy "modelling" any more.

Not that I disagree, but it is Christmas, they are most likely off, or working a lot less. I am sure they will be back in a few days to tell us all how bad we were over the festive period and call for curbs until August or something ridiculous.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Has anyone noticed how quiet the "SAGE scientists" have been over the past few days?

It's as if they realise they are flogging a dead horse with their scare stories, and that people, especially the government, aren't taken in by their dodgy "modelling" any more.

It is very selfish of those people dying without first signing an affedevit that they are not sure that Covid-19 is partly to blame for their coming demise and even more selfish are those dying just to increase the death statistics.

It would be the same if the Black Death were to revisit Britain.....
Doctor......."That is a bubo in your armpit and you have the plague and you must confine yourself to your hovel"
Patiient....."No it's not, it's just a pimple and I am not going to miss the witch-burning ceremony outside the castle. All our village is going".

 

[duncanp]

Great news

The fact that it is NHS senior managers saying this is highly significant, because until recently they have been vocal about the need for new restrictions to prevent the NHS from being "overwhelmed".

I think Boris Johnson will be pleased, as it gives him more justification to avoid introducing any more restrictions.

Nicola Sturgeon, Mark Drakeford, Professor Pantsdown, Susan Michie, Devi Sridhar, Real SAGE and Fake SAGE on the other hand.......

 

[Bantamzen]

It is very selfish of those people dying without first signing an affedevit that they are not sure that Covid-19 is partly to blame for their coming demise and even more selfish are those dying just to increase the death statistics.

It would be the same if the Black Death were to revisit Britain.....
Doctor......."That is a bubo in your armpit and you have the plague and you must confine yourself to your hovel"
Patiient....."No it's not, it's just a pimple and I am not going to miss the witch-burning ceremony outside the castle. All our village is going".

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make, and I realise that you have recently suffered a personal tragedy. But the fact remains that SAGE's modelling has been shown to be wrong, yet they have continued to make covid sound like the black death & ebola combined. Sadly some people will die from covid, as they will from influenza and even the common cold. But the damage done to society and the economy (which pays for the NHS) is now being considered by many worse than the damage done by covid.

So just to reiterate, for the vast majority of the population covid represents no more than the risk of feeling a bit grotty for a few days. However for those a more severe risk from it, we have the NHS to help advise, vaccinate & treat them. As it is with every other illness to anyone at risk. But if we are to keep this valuable service, we need the taxes to keep flowing. And that won't happen if we keep panicking and shutting down or restricting businesses.

 

[greyman42]

The Times are fronting a story today stating NHS chiefs do not believe further covid restrictions are needed, despite surging hospital admissions:

Tomorrow's Papers Today - UK Front Pages - Latest Newspaper Headlines

All of UK's Tomorrow's Front Pages ✅ Updated Daily between 7PM - 11pm ✅ The Mail, Express, Times, Guardian and many more Proudly supporting #buyapaper

www.tomorrowspapers.co.uk

View attachment 108010

I would expect Sage and the lockdown enthusiasts to launch a desperate push for measures in the new year to try and save face.

 

[adc82140]

From the Sky News live feed, the Chairman of the Council of the BMA (the doctors trade union) has made himself look a bit silly. He should really do his homework before spouting his mouth off.

New Year's Eve live news: London welcomes 2022 with spectacular fireworks display

Many large celebrations cancelled across the UK and nightclubs closed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; people cross border to celebrate in England; London fireworks display goes ahead but people urged to watch on TV.

news.sky.com

Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the council at the British Medical Association, told Sky News: "What's concerning is that we are seeing significant increases in people in hospital.
"In fact, as of yesterday, the number of people admitted and also the number of patients in hospital is at a level as high as during the lockdown earlier this year in spring, in February-March.
"Now that is a significant number and it is increasing, so while the proportion of people who end up in hospital as a result of Omicron is smaller, we are definitely seeing significant increases."
Dr Nagpaul said 25,000 people with COVID were admitted to hospital in the four weeks leading up to Christmas and those admissions have been preventing six million people on the NHS waiting list from being treated.
But asked whether those admissions were people taken to hospital because of coronavirus, or for other health reasons and "happened to have COVID", he replied: "That's a very good question and, in fact, that's data I don't have and data it is really important is made available, because I absolutely agree, we need to differentiate between the two."

https://news.sky.com/story/new-year...e-risky-12506669?postid=3175047#liveblog-body

 

[Furryanimal]

The Times are fronting a story today stating NHS chiefs do not believe further covid restrictions are needed, despite surging hospital admissions:

Tomorrow's Papers Today - UK Front Pages - Latest Newspaper Headlines

All of UK's Tomorrow's Front Pages ✅ Updated Daily between 7PM - 11pm ✅ The Mail, Express, Times, Guardian and many more Proudly supporting #buyapaper

www.tomorrowspapers.co.uk

View attachment 108010

That is great news...I’m coming to England for sport!
Now..how do those of us not in England get our First Ministers to take notice?

 

[duncanp]

From the Sky News live feed, the Chairman of the Council of the BMA (the doctors trade union) has made himself look a bit silly. He should really do his homework before spouting his mouth off.

New Year's Eve live news: London welcomes 2022 with spectacular fireworks display

Many large celebrations cancelled across the UK and nightclubs closed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; people cross border to celebrate in England; London fireworks display goes ahead but people urged to watch on TV.

news.sky.com

Surely as Chairman of the BMA Council, it would be a simple matter for Dr Nagpaul to find out the number of hospitalisations that are "with COVID" compared to those that are "because of COVID".

After all, all he has to do is to ask one of his colleagues.

The only conclusion I can draw is that he DOES have the data, but it doesn't show what he wants it to show, and doesn't support his locktivist inclinations.

He is also being selective in his comparisons. Current levels of hospitalisation ARE comparable with those during the last lockdown, but only during the later stages of the lockdown in late February/early March when admissions and total number of patients had already fallen 70% from the peak in January.

 

[LAX54]

South Africa are now lifting their night time curfew and stating they believe their fourth wave, dominated by Omicron, has peaked, with fewer hospitalisations compared to previous waves:

South Africa says Omicron wave may have peaked

Officials relax restrictions noting lower hospital admissions from the Omicron variant than feared.

www.bbc.co.uk

Hopefully our Government will be seeing this and holding out for longer in England.

Not only ours but all the other Governments around the World, that are doing the exact same thing, and sometimes even more severe.
IF they have reopened the Nightingales for Covid.... who will staff them ? as the Hospitals are short already ! Why not move all the bed blockers to the Nightingales, they would not need NHS trained staff then to look after them !

 

[21C101]

There is also a good slew of those in tfe medical-health complex with very left wing and authoritarian views, who see this as the greatest opportunity since the 1926 General Strike of remaking society in a top down authoritarian and communitarian way (with of course them as self ordained experts deciding the rules).

They will twist and contort every reason to lockdown. They are frightened, not of the virus but of the people, who as they see it, they lost control of in 2016 ending unelected technocratic government....

..and replacing it with control by MPs, mostly provincial who are bullyable by the unenlightened provincial reactionary electorate (who can throw them out every five years) and therefore are steadily dragging the government away from techocratic progress to backwards right wing reactionaryism.

Steve Baker and the 100 rebel backbenchers stopping lockdown is a primae face example to them, confirming their worst fears (as does voters in formerly rock solid labour seats voting for them).

JP Morgan doing their own stats and discrediting the public sector university doom forecasts, is also, to them, the unnacceptable face of capitalism becuse competition is destroying the reputation and monopoly of good and great progressive technocrats who should be heeded whether right or wrong because they are the right sort of enlightened, progressive people, not ghastly, greedy, city of London types.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

There is also a good slew of those in tfe medical-health complex with very left wing and authoritarian views, who see this as the greatest opportunity since the 1926 General Strike of remaking society in a top down authoritarian and communitarian way (with of course them as self ordained experts deciding the rules).

What were the main changes to society in Britain after the 1926 General Strike?

 

[Crossover]

Not that I disagree, but it is Christmas, they are most likely off, or working a lot less. I am sure they will be back in a few days to tell us all how bad we were over the festive period and call for curbs until August or something ridiculous.

Probably wanting to get their own parties out of the way before jumping up and down about banning stuff for all again!

 

[21C101]

What were the main changes to society in Britain after the 1926 General Strike?

Not a lot, it failed.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I wonder how long it will be for the next variant of the virus to evolve, which country will be first to be so affected and will it be more virulant than the current strain?