Omicron variant and the measures implemented in response to it

[DustyBin]

Oh for crying out loud. It was never just about deaths. Ever.

If nothing was done where exactly would all those people who needed hospital help to *survive* Covid-19 go? There would be more of them than we’ve actually had.

Where do all the other people who need a bed in hospital go when the beds are taken up with folk on oxygen due to Covid? How do people get cancer surgery or trauma surgery when there are no intensive care beds available because Covid-19 folk are in them? And there’s a lot of surgery that requires an intensive care bed to be available even if it’s not actually expected to be used, too.

How many more would we actually have had though? I don’t claim to have a definitive answer, however we know that infections, hospitalisations and deaths don’t grow exponentially, they reach a peak and then decline. The extent to which even our “full” lockdowns affected this is open to debate.

I stand to be corrected here but I don’t actually recall “protect the NHS” being cited as a reason for imposing restrictions until the end of 2020?

I think there’s some doubt over how the South Africa data applies to us — we have a fatter and older population than they have.

I do think that the advice should have been rather more nuanced than it is. WFH advised for CEV households only, rather than everyone. There doesn’t seem to be any distinction made for those most vulnerable this time around.

True, however we also have a much higher vaccination rate.

In regard to your second point I completely agree.

 

[adc82140]

I think there’s some doubt over how the South Africa data applies to us — we have a fatter and older population than they have.

But we have a significantly more vaccinated population than they do, and also a lot lower level of immunocompromised people. They have an estimated 7.7 million people with HIV.

 

[kristiang85]

Boris has said now one person has died 'with' Omicron.

If it wasn't 'of' Omicron, then why is it even mention-worthy?

 

[Freightmaster]

Boris has said now one person has died 'with' Omicron.

If it wasn't 'of' Omicron, then why is it even mention-worthy?

Breaking News...

Covid: First UK death recorded with Omicron variant

People should set aside the idea Omicron is a milder variant and get their booster jab, the PM says.

www.bbc.co.uk

MARK

 

[oldman]

I stand to be corrected here but I don’t actually recall “protect the NHS” being cited as a reason for imposing restrictions until the end of 2020?

Consider yourself corrected .

B. Johnson, announcing the first lockdown in March 2020 - 'And therefore I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.'

 

[brad465]

I think there’s some doubt over how the South Africa data applies to us — we have a fatter and older population than they have.

I do think that the advice should have been rather more nuanced than it is. WFH advised for CEV households only, rather than everyone. There doesn’t seem to be any distinction made for those most vulnerable this time around.

Most of what's happened in this pandemic was set in stone (pardon the weight pun) from the start. The population was not suddenly going to lose weight overnight, if anything restrictions have increased obesity due to reduced exercise and more comfort eating to cope with restrictions. As for the older population, perhaps we need to revisit this concept that we must keep people alive for as long as possible, regardless of the quality of life they have in their final years. This isn't for everyone, but I'd be begging for something like pneumonia or covid to come along and finish me off if it meant not living out my final years in a care home with little concept/awareness of what's going on.

The entire structure of our economy and society was not setup at all to handle covid, no amount of restrictions were ever going to make that better. We just have to learn from this experience for the next one, which will include increasing NHS capacity, education on healthier lifestyles and a debate on quality vs quantity of life.

Boris has said now one person has died 'with' Omicron.

If it wasn't 'of' Omicron, then why is it even mention-worthy?

Breaking News...

Covid: First UK death recorded with Omicron variant

People should set aside the idea Omicron is a milder variant and get their booster jab, the PM says.

www.bbc.co.uk

MARK

At least for now he has mentioned "with" not "of", something that was rarely done earlier in the pandemic.

As for why this is even mention-worthy, that'll be because Johnson is up the proverbial creek without a paddle and is doing every desperate announcement/move possible to try and get out of there.

 

[Towers]

Boris has said now one person has died 'with' Omicron.

If it wasn't 'of' Omicron, then why is it even mention-worthy?

Because jabs.

 

[Furryanimal]

This was posted on another forum of mine.No idea if its been posted here but it is food for thought

 

[kristiang85]

Consider yourself corrected .

B. Johnson, announcing the first lockdown in March 2020 - 'And therefore I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.'

Wasn't the banner he stood behind saying 'Stay Home > Protect The NHS > Save Lives'?

I could be wrong, but that's the image I have in my head.

 

[brad465]

This was posted on another forum of mine.No idea if its been posted here but it is food for thought
View attachment 106890View attachment 106891

Do you have the original link for this? I think myself and others would benefit from sharing this further.

 

[oldman]

Wasn't the banner he stood behind saying 'Stay Home > Protect The NHS > Save Lives'?

I could be wrong, but that's the image I have in my head.

Why are you replying to me? It was dustybin who thought the slogan dated from December 2020.

 

[DustyBin]

Consider yourself corrected .

B. Johnson, announcing the first lockdown in March 2020 - 'And therefore I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.'

Fair enough I honestly couldn’t remember (it was nearly two years ago!).

Always happy to stand corrected.

 

[bramling]

Oh for crying out loud. It was never just about deaths. Ever.

If nothing was done where exactly would all those people who needed hospital help to *survive* Covid-19 go? There would be more of them than we’ve actually had.

Where do all the other people who need a bed in hospital go when the beds are taken up with folk on oxygen due to Covid? How do people get cancer surgery or trauma surgery when there are no intensive care beds available because Covid-19 folk are in them? And there’s a lot of surgery that requires an intensive care bed to be available even if it’s not actually expected to be used, too.

So instead you don’t get as far as that, as you can’t even get through the “front door” of the NHS, as all the GPs are too busy sticking needles in arms.

I dread to think how many cancer cases have been and are going undiagnosed.

We’re at the point where extra NHS capacity should by now have been provided to deal specifically with Covid, or there should at least be some plan to be doing that. Yet strangely no mention at all. We know the issue with the Nightingale hospitals was staffing them, but surely after two years?

 

[kristiang85]

Why are you replying to me? It was dustybin who thought the slogan dated from December 2020.

I was agreeing with you.

 

[Towers]

....We know the issue with the Nightingale hospitals was staffing them, but surely after two years?

Well indeed. But then bright Boris has decided instead to do his best get rid of thousands of NHS staff next year with 'Ze Jabz' mandate instead, so that probably isn't a help in the long run!

 

[quantinghome]

This was posted on another forum of mine.No idea if its been posted here but it is food for thought

The source of the article appears to be this website:

https://principia-scientific.com​

It appears to have started out as a climate change denialist site and expanded its scope from there.

They appear to have copied it line-for-line from a Daily Mail article published on 30 November. So it's a recycled 10-day old story.

The criticism in the original Mail article is around the UK's decision to impose travel restrictions from South Africa, which many people questioned at the time, and turned out to be pointless as we were already seeing significant community transmission of Omicron in the UK. So it doesn't really have any bearing on the development of Omicron in the UK and the debate over the best way to respond.

 

[MikeWM]

Boris has said now one person has died 'with' Omicron.

If it wasn't 'of' Omicron, then why is it even mention-worthy?

An increase of infinity over yesterday! We're clearly doomed.

As I pointed out yesterday, probably about 600 people died yesterday *with* Heliobacter Pylori, which can be very serious and the ulcers it causes can kill you. Why aren't we shutting down society until we eliminate that deadly plague?

 

[asw22]

Wasn't the banner he stood behind saying 'Stay Home > Protect The NHS > Save Lives'?

I could be wrong, but that's the image I have in my head.

The Stay Home message quoted was there from March 2020 onwards until
around May 2020 it became Stay Alert > Control the Virus > Save lives

 

[kristiang85]

An increase of infinity over yesterday! We're clearly doomed.

As I pointed out yesterday, probably about 600 people died yesterday *with* Heliobacter Pylori, which can be very serious and the ulcers it causes can kill you. Why aren't we shutting down society until we eliminate that deadly plague?

About 1550 people died yesterday within 28 days of eating a potato.

Let's ban these evil, deadly things!

 

[52290]

About 1550 people died yesterday within 28 days of eating a potato.

Let's ban these evil, deadly things!

I ate one month ago and I'm still here!

 

[asw22]

I don’t understand the maths here with the booster jabs by the end of December. There have been about 46 million second doses and about 23 million booster doses. Therefore there needs to be 23 million booster jabs in 19 days. As it is a case of ramping up to 1 million a day, then the total by the end of December will only be about 16 million at best.

<< "A fortnight ago I said we would offer every eligible adult a booster by the end of January. Today, in light of this Omicron Emergency, I am bringing that target forward by a whole month.

Everyone eligible aged 18 and over in England will have the chance to get their booster before the New Year"/ >>

Quote from the speech in << >>


Note the keyword offer.
I seem to remember around April / May 2020 when so many PCR tests would be given by the end of May 2020 and to meet the target a test being sent in the post was counted even if it wasn't returned by the deadline so I think that an offer letter or text being sent out will count this time as well.

Meanwhile it doesn't look like he has consulted with the NCVS (used to be NHS) re how a sudden surge of demand would be met in a sensible way.

And not to mention that vaccinating an entire population within a month loses a benefit of spreading out immunity over time.
Pfizer said that an omicron variant preventing vaccine will be available in 100 days (April 2022)
So I wonder whether the current booster will be replaced by the April 2022 vaccine while the booster has its efficacy reduced to 0 just like the first two have been.

 

[Howardh]

Wasn't the banner he stood behind saying 'Stay Home > Protect The NHS > Save Lives'?

I could be wrong, but that's the image I have in my head.

Pity it didn't mention parties, snogging strangers in corridors or 250 mile drives!

 

[21C101]

This is just descending into mass hysteria now. Lateral Flow tests are the new toilet rolls.

 

[brad465]

This is just descending into mass hysteria now. Lateral Flow tests are the new toilet rolls.

Yes and I expect number of positive cases will rocket now for the foreseeable future, simply because more testing is going on, but it's possible the positivity rate won't change much.

 

[westv]

This is just descending into mass hysteria now. Lateral Flow tests are the new toilet rolls.

Am I the only one that has never taken a test?

 

[Typhoon]

More than 100,000 people trying to book their Covid booster jabs on Monday has led to the NHS website crashing, the government has said.

And the ordering of lateral flow kits from the government website has been temporarily suspended amid high demand.

It comes after the prime minister said over-18s in England would be offered a third dose by the end of the year.

What a surprise! All because Johnson has gone into Corporal Jones mode. A shame he didn't show the same concern when he was shaking hands with affected patients 20 months ago.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59635396

 

[Dent]

What a surprise! All because Johnson has gone into Corporal Jones mode. A shame he didn't show the same concern when he was shaking hands with affected patients 20 months ago.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59635396

100,000 bookings in a day shouldn't be a problem. Given that we are giving about 400,000 doses per day, assuming the number of open bookings is fairly constant, the system must have been averaging around four times that per day for the last few weeks.

 

[4-SUB 4732]

The source of the article appears to be this website:

https://principia-scientific.com​

It appears to have started out as a climate change denialist site and expanded its scope from there.

They appear to have copied it line-for-line from a Daily Mail article published on 30 November. So it's a recycled 10-day old story.

The criticism in the original Mail article is around the UK's decision to impose travel restrictions from South Africa, which many people questioned at the time, and turned out to be pointless as we were already seeing significant community transmission of Omicron in the UK. So it doesn't really have any bearing on the development of Omicron in the UK and the debate over the best way to respond.

This website is very dangerous. Do not read it.

 

[4-SUB 4732]

Yes and I expect number of positive cases will rocket now for the foreseeable future, simply because more testing is going on, but it's possible the positivity rate won't change much.

But then the shortage means we will have massively low tests and cases. Excellent.

 

[initiation]

This is just descending into mass hysteria now. Lateral Flow tests are the new toilet rolls.

Utterly true.
I see the BBC have a leading article that says we should set aside the idea that Omicron is more mild because of one death. I mean...really? Come on.
It seems a dead cert that Plan C is on the way and it is going to be very difficult to stop.


Anyway we had leaving drinks for a colleague last thursday. Busy pub, we were squashed in on 2 tables. 5 of the people I was with have now tested positive with 2 more feeling a bit ill but waiting for results.
No idea if Omicron. I took my first ever covid test and am somehow clear so far despite being very close contact with them for several hours. Those feeling ill are not properly ill, more like flu/cold.