Omicron variant and the measures implemented in response to it

[21C101]

I also think he enjoys sticking two fingers up at Mark Dripford and Mrs Murrell, as do large numbers of people who live in Wales and Scotland.

Dripford is doubly useful in that regards, as he taints Starmer by association.

Clear Blue Water.

 

[yorksrob]

What do we think about these lateral flow tests ? I've been very happy to take them when visiting the elderly or vulnerable, but I'm not comfortable with the idea that they should be taken everytime one socialises, particularly given that Omicron is less virulent, if more transmissable than previous versions.

 

[LAX54]

So given that the 3 lockdowns we suffered didn't kill off the virus why does she think another one would?

Very good question, I think the way they speak, they think the other lockdowns were 'half hearted' !

 

[Ian1971]

I can only agree with all this. One might have seen it as a conspiracy theory last March, but unfortunately it really isn’t. In some cases at least this is exactly what’s going on.

If you actually believe this you are even more deluded than you appear.

You honestly think that the Government scientists have got together and decided to bring down the whole of society by making them wear masks introducing table service in bars and place some restrictions on the number of people who can meet indoors.

Read that out loud to yourself and see if it sounds absolutely insane.
These are people who have dedicated their lives to helping people and curing disease they are not some sort of conspiracy they are good people and suggesting otherwise not only does them a disservice but also doesn’t help your arguments or promote your concerns as being reasonable

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

If the Omicron variant is as less damaging to health as is stated, why are so many affected front-line hospital staff not coming in to work?

I heard on the local TV news that visiting to hospitals in the Morecambe Bay NHS trust and to care homes in the Isle of Man has been severely curtailed.

 

[seagull]

You honestly think that the Government scientists have got together and decided to bring down the whole of society by making them wear masks introducing table service in bars and place some restrictions on the number of people who can meet indoors.

Read that out loud to yourself and see if it sounds absolutely insane.

To be fair, it would be also insane to believe those things help stop, or even control, a virus like Covid. As they demonstrably do not. Or have we already forgotten Wales and Scotland having far higher case rates over the summer despite many of those or similar restrictions being in force?

"Good people" would look at the wider effects on society of the restrictions they are so keen to promote, not just the alleged reduction in Covid spreading.

 

[Darandio]

If the Omicron variant is as less damaging to health as is stated, why are so many affected front-line hospital staff not coming in to work?

Has it been stated they are too ill to work or simply isolating? The rules on the latter remain the same regardless.

 

[DustyBin]

If you actually believe this you are even more deluded than you appear.

You honestly think that the Government scientists have got together and decided to bring down the whole of society by making them wear masks introducing table service in bars and place some restrictions on the number of people who can meet indoors.

Read that out loud to yourself and see if it sounds absolutely insane.
These are people who have dedicated their lives to helping people and curing disease they are not some sort of conspiracy they are good people and suggesting otherwise not only does them a disservice but also doesn’t help your arguments or promote your concerns as being reasonable

Certainly within Independent SAGE there are a number of individuals who have openly stated that they see the pandemic as an opportunity to force permanent changes upon society. One of these individuals is also a member of proper SAGE. They’re mixing science and political ideology, I don’t see how that can be disputed to be honest.

 

[yorksrob]

If the Omicron variant is as less damaging to health as is stated, why are so many affected front-line hospital staff not coming in to work?

Isn't it more that they have to isolate for the full seven days ?

I can see that it's necessary for them not to come in spluttering all over patients, but perhaps we ought to be looking at tests to determine when one should go back into work.

 

[Darandio]

You honestly think that the Government scientists have got together and decided to bring down the whole of society by making them wear masks introducing table service in bars and place some restrictions on the number of people who can meet indoors.

How many times have the same scientists been caught presenting false data to push an agenda for more restrictions?

These are people who have dedicated their lives to helping people and curing disease they are not some sort of conspiracy they are good people and suggesting otherwise not only does them a disservice but also doesn’t help your arguments or promote your concerns as being reasonable

If only all of them had been dedicated to curing people. Many of the scientists making a name for themselves on television and social media over the last 20 months come from completely unrelatable fields.

 

[brad465]

So given that the 3 lockdowns we suffered didn't kill off the virus why does she think another one would?

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and expecting a different result."

 

[Pete_uk]

What do we think about these lateral flow tests ? I've been very happy to take them when visiting the elderly or vulnerable, but I'm not comfortable with the idea that they should be taken everytime one socialises, particularly given that Omicron is less virulent, if more transmissable than previous versions.

Total waste of tests to use them before meeting friends. If you are meeting a immunocompromised person, then OK but all this testing seems pointless to me.

 

[yorksrob]

Total waste of tests to use them before meeting friends. If you are meeting a immunocompromised person, then OK but all this testing seems pointless to me.

That's pretty much my view. I wouldn't expect anyone to take one before meeting me, but they would probably do well to do so before meeting their granny.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

That's pretty much my view. I wouldn't expect anyone to take one before meeting me, but they would probably do well to do so before meeting their granny.

...or their grandad !!!......I am one of that brigade.

 

[johnnychips]

Does anybody else know a lot of people who have had sniffles, perhaps a bit of a cough over Xmas, and it turned out to be Covid? I know at least six, including myself, and I wouldn’t have even called it a cold. Perhaps as more people get it or know people who had it, this ‘killer virus’ thing will be demystified..

Fortunately for me, I won’t have to miss any work at college. But it must be frustrating for others to isolate for 7-10 days when they aren’t ill.

 

[yorksrob]

...or their grandad !!!......I am one of that brigade.

Fair point well made ! It's a question of taking people's risks into account.

 

[21C101]

If the Omicron variant is as less damaging to health as is stated, why are so many affected front-line hospital staff not coming in to work?

Because they are banned from doing so for at least seven days if they fail a test. Even if they show no symptoms, let alone minor symptoms.

 

[nw1]

Very good question, I think the way they speak, they think the other lockdowns were 'half hearted' !

I'm not sure how the earlier lockdowns could have been made tougher, other than to literally impose house arrest on people: ban outdoor exercise of any form, even up to an hour, and criminalise multiple visits to the supermarket per day.

 

[Shrop]

I believe the only country chasing a zero Covid strategy is China, however I am confident even China will cease that strategy at some point.

I've often wondered what is the real situation in China. It seems beyond belief that the virus started there, in the world's most populated country, and yet their death rate has become one of the lowest in the world.
Let's suppose their death rate really is this low, perhaps this means they have some form of vaccine/antidote, maybe from very early on, that they've just not shared with the rest of the world?
If not, then are they not vulnerable to a massive surge in due course?

 

[duncanp]

I've often wondered what is the real situation in China. It seems beyond belief that the virus started there, in the world's most populated country, and yet their death rate has become one of the lowest in the world.
Let's suppose their death rate really is this low, perhaps this means they have some form of vaccine/antidote, maybe from very early on, that they've just not shared with the rest of the world?
If not, then are they not vulnerable to a massive surge in due course?

I can't help thinking that the true scale of COVID in China has been covered up.


According to Worldometer, China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has only had 102,314 COVID cases during the whole pandemic.

But the UK, with a population of 66 million, has had nearly 13 million cases.

If those figures are correct, then my name is Father Christmas.

Given the extent to which the Chinese government covered up the existence of COVID at the beginning of the pandemic , it's rather ironic that the lateral flow test kits distributed by the government say "COVID 19 - Made In China"

You can say that again.

 

[Yew]

I can't help thinking that the true scale of COVID in China has been covered up.


According to Worldometer, China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has only had 102,314 COVID cases during the whole pandemic.

But the UK, with a population of 66 million, has had nearly 13 million cases.

If those figures are correct, then my name is Father Christmas.

Given the extent to which the Chinese government covered up the existence of COVID at the beginning of the pandemic , it's rather ironic that the lateral flow test kits distributed by the government say "COVID 19 - Made In China"

You can say that again.

Seek and you shall find, I imagine that in china they simply aren't testing healthy people with a cough. Their population is generally younger and less vulnerable. It wouldn't surprise me also if they still have lots of people dying of "pneumonia", and simply don't bother to investigate if it's covid or flu.

 

[philosopher]

Seek and you shall find, I imagine that in china they simply aren't testing healthy people with a cough. Their population is generally younger and less vulnerable. It wouldn't surprise me also if they still have lots of people dying of "pneumonia", and simply don't bother to investigate if it's covid or flu.

A brief look at worldometer, shows that over the past year, China has had about 15,000 cases, but only 2 deaths. Even if their population is younger and less vulnerable, to have only 2 deaths out of 15,000 cases seems abnormally low. Perhaps a lot of Covid deaths are not being reported as Covid deaths there.

 

[Shrop]

According to Worldometer, China, with a population of 1.4 billion, has only had 102,314 COVID cases during the whole pandemic.

Over the last couple of years I've recognised that Worldometer's figures for Covid have been pretty reliable, for most countries. You mention 102,314 cases, well there have been A LOT more than that EVERY DAY in the UK recently, yet their population is more than 20 times that of the UK. But surely even the Chinese couldn't hide the scale of the disaster over there, if it was even a fraction of the case and death rate of so many other countries?

 

[21C101]

In China, officials of places that have covid infections meet much the same fate as officials who failed to meet five year Tractor production plans in the USSR.

The result of that of course was that actual tractors produced bore no relation to the officially reported numbers of tractors produced.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

What is the latest "deaths due to Covid-19" figure claimed by North Korea?

 

[DustyBin]

What is the latest "deaths due to Covid-19" figure claimed by North Korea?

As of mid 2021 they hadn’t even had an infection (apparently)!

 

[takno]

Over the last couple of years I've recognised that Worldometer's figures for Covid have been pretty reliable, for most countries. You mention 102,314 cases, well there have been A LOT more than that EVERY DAY in the UK recently, yet their population is more than 20 times that of the UK. But surely even the Chinese couldn't hide the scale of the disaster over there, if it was even a fraction of the case and death rate of so many other countries?

Didn't they just heavily punish some local government officials for allowing an outbreak? I suspect the punishment was really for admitting to an outbreak.

That said, the variant that broke out in China was a lot less infectious than the one that swept across Europe, so it was easier to eliminate. Since then they have used insanely severe lockdowns in individual cities, combined with really heavy quarantine restrictions to keep later variants from taking hold.

In terms of the large population, it's fairly well spread out, so although there is a lot of city living it's in lots of cities, and they have severely limited domestic travel at various times to stop spread from one to another.

Thankfully, having made the initial mistake of copying lockdown "because it worked", few Western governments have attempted to copy the viciousness of the Chinese lockdown. We've also been faced with much less controllable variants, and an overall much denser and more mobile population.

Overall Chinese numbers probably have been lower, but unlikely as low as the official declarations suggest.

 

[Ian1971]

Radio 4 currently has a programme on that will interest some on this thread. It looks into the use of behavioural science by the Government during the pandemic to influence the populations response

 

[Shrop]

Thankfully, having made the initial mistake of copying lockdown "because it worked", few Western governments have attempted to copy the viciousness of the Chinese lockdown.

In fairness to the Chinese, we've not really had to lockdown in the UK at all. We've had requests from politicians to "Do the right thing", but in practice it's largely been voluntary compliance. Yes, pubs, workplaces, hotels etc were obliged to conform because they're easy to enforce, but a lot of the spread has been in private homes, where enforcement has been almost non existent. I suspect the Chinese people conform in their homes through fear (or respect for their law and their own fellow citizens maybe?), whereas a lot of UK people simply don't conform behind closed doors. And who can blame the UK people when our own Government act the way they do?

 

[Yew]

In fairness to the Chinese, we've not really had to lockdown in the UK at all. We've had requests from politicians to "Do the right thing", but in practice it's largely been voluntary compliance. Yes, pubs, workplaces, hotels etc were obliged to conform because they're easy to enforce, but a lot of the spread has been in private homes, where enforcement has been almost non existent. I suspect the Chinese people conform in their homes through fear (or respect for their law and their own fellow citizens maybe?), whereas a lot of UK people simply don't conform behind closed doors. And who can blame the UK people when our own Government act the way they do?

I can confirm it was a lockdown. Just because we weren't welding peoples doors shut doesn't make all the harms go away.