Coronavirus: General discussion (see opening post for rules)

[Rob_D]

Good news, we're half way towards vaccinating adults. Bad news, going to take another 3 months at this rate.

By which time they'll be gearing up to give the >70 (& at risk) their autumn booster.

[Ditto]

Good news, we're half way towards vaccinating adults. Bad news, going to take another 3 months at this rate.

 

Meanwhile Phizer's phase 3 trial for 12-15 year olds on March 31st:

 

The trial enrolled 2,260 adolescents 12 to 15 years of age in the United States. In the trial, 18 cases of COVID-19 were observed in the placebo group (n=1,129) versus none in the vaccinated group (n=1,131). Vaccination with BNT162b2 elicited SARS-CoV-2–neutralizing antibody geometric mean titers (GMTs) of 1,239.5, demonstrating strong immunogenicity in a subset of adolescents one month after the second dose. This compares well (was non-inferior) to GMTs elicited by participants aged 16 to 25 years old (705.1 GMTs) in an earlier analysis. Further, BNT162b2 administration was well tolerated, with side effects generally consistent with those observed in participants 16 to 25 years of age.

 

And they started trials for 0.5-11 year olds then.

 

It's authorised for 16-18 year olds, we're just not giving it to them unless they're at risk.

Having all adults vaccinated in 3 months would be good news, ask almost any country around the world if they would swap position with us. Vaccinating under 18's is a harder call than older adults ask the risk profiles are very different. I think AZ is already ruled out for most children due to the clot risk, which if it occurs has a high mortality rate. For the under 12's, Pfizer looks safer, but I know parents will need reassurance as no vaccine is 100% safe. I wonder if vaccinating children will be more to reduce spread than protecting against Covid, which is overall is much less severe for the vast majority of children.

[Ditto]

By which time they'll be gearing up to give the >70 (& at risk) their autumn booster.

Yes, the numbers will become more challenging. I suspect supply will still be the limiting factor. I think schools could roll out at scale as they have done in the past, but I haven't read anything that projects future supply.

[sonofsanta]

Having all adults vaccinated in 3 months would be good news, ask almost any country around the world if they would swap position with us. Vaccinating under 18's is a harder call than older adults ask the risk profiles are very different. I think AZ is already ruled out for most children due to the clot risk, which if it occurs has a high mortality rate. For the under 12's, Pfizer looks safer, but I know parents will need reassurance as no vaccine is 100% safe. I wonder if vaccinating children will be more to reduce spread than protecting against Covid, which is overall is much less severe for the vast majority of children.

 

 

It's got to be this. We're all working in schools, we've all seen how quickly it can rip through the student population, and sure, none of them were that ill with it (not here, anyway)--but that's 1200 warm bodies for the virus to live in and mutate in before jumping back to an adult once it evolves past the vaccine's protection. If we don't vaccinate at least secondary age children we will never be rid of it and never able to relax.

[6Foot2]

Link:

[Matt Cartoons Picture Tweet]

 

[6Foot2]

Link: Dracula's castle in Romania offers tourists vaccine [bBC News]

 

 

Visitors to Dracula's castle are being jabbed with needles rather than fangs after a Covid-19 vaccine centre has been set up at the Transylvanian site.

 

Medics with fang stickers on their scrubs are offering Pfizer shots to everyone who visits the 14th-century Bran Castle in central Romania.

 

It is part of a government drive to encourage more Romanians to get jabbed.

 

Some believe the castle inspired the vampire's lair in Bram Stoker's iconic novel Dracula.

 

Romania has recorded just over a million infections since the pandemic began, and nearly 29,000 deaths.

 

The country's government says it wants to vaccinate 10 million people by September, but almost half of Romanians say they are not inclined to get the jab - one of the highest hesitancy levels in Europe, according to a survey by Globesec.

 

Bran Castle hopes its unique initiative will help boost vaccination numbers. During every weekend in May, anyone can turn up without an appointment to get a jab, and they also get free entry to the castle's exhibit of 52 medieval torture instruments.

 

"The idea... was to show how people got jabbed 500-600 years ago in Europe," the castle's marketing director, Alexandru Priscu told Reuters news agency...

 

[mavhc]

"Some believe it's an inspiration for a story", are those some also the publicity people for the tourist attraction?

 

https://www.pnas.org/content/118/21/e2105968118

[Ditto]

Cases have crept up a little in 6 out of the last 7 days. The 7 day average per 100,000 has crept up a little since a low om May 3rd. With restrictions easing next week, I think continued vigilance is advisable.

[kennysarmy]

Cases have crept up a little in 6 out of the last 7 days. The 7 day average per 100,000 has crept up a little since a low om May 3rd. With restrictions easing next week, I think continued vigilance is advisable.

 

Good luck with that when hospitality opens and you can have people in and out of households!

[Garacesh]

Cases have crept up a little in 6 out of the last 7 days. The 7 day average per 100,000 has crept up a little since a low om May 3rd. With restrictions easing next week, I think continued vigilance is advisable.

 

Yeah, most of that is probably Bolton!

I've been keeping an vague eye on Greater Manchester's stats and everywhere is doing really well, except there.

Not got a clue why they're so high, but something is going on there. All I've seen so far is that they've got one of these exotic Indian flavours that's supposed to be more infectious?

[Ditto]

The last two posts seemed to be covered in the the BBC article published a few hours ago https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-57075618.

Similar high local rates in Long Eaton - near Derby/Nottingham.

Edited May 12, 2021 by Ditto

[mikeprice]

got my second jab today

 

 

or so I assume - nice bloke called Gordon - was wielding a syringe and walking round to my left arm

so I looked intently at a brick in the wall to my right - boring really - Just Another Brick in The Wall)

felt a small prick ( the old ones are the best!!) in my left arm

and he said it was all done

 

 

basically minimal evidence

 

and - on top of that - mobile phone coverage is still pretty rubbish and broadband spp#eed has not improved

 

I don;t think it is working

[6Foot2]

NOTE: Not a political post: No political replies are expected, nor are they invited.

 

Robert Peston delivers a masterclass in how to put your foot in it:

 

Link:

[Robert Peston text tweet, part of an eight tweet thread]

 

 

He does backpedal (seen in the next tweet) but that may not be enough for some (many? most?) teachers.

 

I am good at dropping myself in it, but nothing like on this level.

 

Oops!

 

[LeMarchand]

Apart from the fact that many teachers were still working as hard or harder, lots of other people got paid during lockdown. I'm betting that MPs did, and your average backbencher wouldn't have been doing much for their money.

 

Just to clarify: From any party, so not knocking any particular political persuasion.

Edited May 13, 2021 by LeMarchand

[DJ-1701]

NOTE: Not a political post: No political replies are expected, nor are they invited.

 

Robert Peston delivers a masterclass in how to put your foot in it:

 

Link:

[Robert Peston text tweet, part of an eight tweet thread]

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]61788[/ATTACH]

 

He does backpedal (seen in the next tweet) but that may not be enough for some (many? most?) teachers.

 

I am good at dropping myself in it, but nothing like on this level.

 

Oops!

 

 

Apparently anyone that knows him knows he 'admires' teachers...

 

I commented on his expanding replies that he certainly put his foot in it, also pointed out that the effort put in by school staff and students has been immense.

[sonofsanta]

Good grief that's a stupid thing for Peston to say. March 2019, I'd agree less teaching was happening, though I don't think staff were exactly lounging around with their feet up--they were still working, just not necessarily teaching for the same number of hours. But for January 2020 specifically, teachers were expected to deliver a full timetable remotely. Five live lessons a day. They were literally teaching as much as normal, with the added workload of having to rework lesson plans from in-person plans.

 

Different note: we've had the email go round here that, as of Monday and further to the government's announcement, kids no longer need to wear masks at all if they don't want to, and... it all seems very stupid and short-sighted to me, to be honest. In December we had a full half of the school at home self-isolating, despite all our work with bubbles and seating plans and what-have-you. I know community transmission is lower, but we've been open again for what, 2 months? And yet last week we had our first day of the whole academic year--including the first day back!--where no-one was at home self-isolating. The masks in classrooms, and the increased testing, have been working.

 

It seems rather... science-ignorant to insist we carry on with enhanced cleaning (RIP all my anti-bac-drowned keyboards) but don't bother with masks for this airborne disease. Plenty of staff are still un-/half-vaccinated, and live with vulnerable people. Time and time again it feels like we give up hard earned victories to ease up too soon. It's like stopping with the antibiotics as soon as you feel better instead of finishing the course of tablets.

Edited May 13, 2021 by sonofsanta

[localzuk]

The fundamental flaw in Peston's argument is treating education as something that has productivity that affects inflation or GDP in such a short term. It isn't like a factory. It isn't a business pumping out widgets. But that comes from his not understanding education. He's a business journalist. He understands businesses. Not schools.

 

Long term? Over 10+ years? Sure, you could probably comment on productivity, but a few months of lost teaching and a couple of rounds of missed exams? Not so much.

[mavhc]

With everyone wearing masks and not spending much time inside we've got the R number down to 0.8-1, anything above 1 leads to everyone being exposed eventually.

[the_quick]

From one side, in bit more than 2 weeks we will loose Year 11s, so circa 250 kids gone - less people to spread. But as they will be told no need to wear masks at all, all staff is still required to wear them in communal area. Most of our staff is over 40 and at least had one jab so far. Most of the students are not !

 

Increase in cases in the last few days is worrying and apparently cases with the Indian variant tripled in the last week. Pubs, restaurants and cafes will reopen next week, so more indoor mixing, hotels will reopen as well - possibly inviting more touristic movement around the country.

Yes, it is getting a bit warmer, so venues can keep their doors open to allow ventilation. I wonder if we are going to see a big raise in cases or because of vaccination, it will be kept quite low.

[mavhc]

There is an easy way to stop variants arriving in the country, actually enforce quarantines.

[StevieM]

There is an easy way to stop variants arriving in the country, actually enforce quarantines.

Does that include cabin crew?

[mavhc]

Has to, pay them double for the inconvenience

[StevieM]

It's a bit more than an inconvenience; it's a prison sentence!

 

Week 1

Monday

10am: 4-hour flight from UK to Greece

3pm: 4-hour flight from Greece to UK

8pm: Check-in to quarantine hotel

Week 2

Thursday

9am: Check-out of quarantine hotel

10am: 4-hour flight from UK to Greece

3pm: 4-hour flight from Greece back to UK

8pm: Check-in to quarantine hotel

etc.

[LeMarchand]

So... according to the anti-vax/anti-mask/"covid is all a plot by the gubmint" brigade, those who have had a shot will be "shedding" the vaccine, "infecting" those free thinkers who know The Truth and causing miscarriages, death and who knows what other evils. Their solution? Wear masks and socially distance.

[Ditto]

Does that include cabin crew?

FTFY - Easy!