Making the news today....

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

fireworks an hour early for midnight but just right for CET and GBs departure from EU

🏋️🇬🇧 💂🏻🎩💥🍻🏆🎯✂️

 

Brexit: New era for UK as it completes separation from European Union

Brexit: New era for UK as it completes separation from European Union

WWW.BBC.CO.UK

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Boris Johnson celebrates the "freedom in our hands" as the long Brexit process comes to a conclusion.

 

[daveatdave]

7 hours ago, Khriss said:

Contrasting this .... idiots .

 

Warning over Brighton New Year's Eve 'freedom' party

WWW.BBC.CO.UK

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A protest group invites people to bring a bottle and "love and joy" to Brighton seafront.

is anyone supplying firewood to these people 

 

[The avantgardener]

So the scientists are now saying that up to 80% of the population needs to have the COVID vaccine in order to create herd immunity. At current inoculation rates that will take until the end of August this year, that’s pretty much as long as the entire lockdown process so far, with no actual confirmation that the lockdowns will cease afterwards.

I have just looked at the ONS website for COVID deaths in my area. The whole of Hastings has had 2, yes that’s right, a whole 2 deaths since the inception of this claptrap, they may even have been ill previously.

Adverts are already linking the vaccine to travel limitations.

Have you seen the Ryanair Ads for the Benidorm brigade? 
“Just jab and go!”

In the meantime, some not so breaking news about the pressure put on the NHS at this time of year, every year.

Edited January 3, 2021 by The avantgardener

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, The avantgardener said:

So the scientists are now saying that up to 80% of the population needs to have the COVID vaccine in order to create herd immunity

As no one under 50 will have the vaccination unless they have extra risk factors I doubt 80% will ever be vaccinated. Anyway with 5% of the population having had the disease there is no need to vaccinate them, or is there? I still cannot fathom how a vaccine can prime the immune system any better than surviving a full fat virus.

 

Herd immunity only drives the R value down, it doesn't offer any benefit to someone naive to the virus.

 

Speaking as one who the bald statistics indicate would be 90 times more likely to die than if I were half my age.

[Khriss]

15 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

As no one under 50 will have the vaccination unless they have extra risk factors I doubt 80% will ever be vaccinated. Anyway with 5% of the population having had the disease there is no need to vaccinate them, or is there? I still cannot fathom how a vaccine can prime the immune system any better than surviving a full fat virus.

 

Herd immunity only drives the R value down, it doesn't offer any benefit to someone naive to the virus.

 

Speaking as one who the bald statistics indicate would be 90 times more likely to die than if I were half my age.

Because of viral mutation - like the flu jab changes periodically , looks like it could be a yearly thing  ;/  K

[Johnsond]

3 minutes ago, Khriss said:

Because of viral mutation - like the flu jab changes periodically , looks like it could be a yearly thing  ;/  K

What an earner for pharmaceutical companies. 

[Johnsond]

1 hour ago, The avantgardener said:

So the scientists are now saying that up to 80% of the population needs to have the COVID vaccine in order to create herd immunity. At current inoculation rates that will take until the end of August this year, that’s pretty much as long as the entire lockdown process so far, with no actual confirmation that the lockdowns will cease afterwards.

I have just looked at the ONS website for COVID deaths in my area. The whole of Hastings has had 2, yes that’s right, a whole 2 deaths since the inception of this claptrap, they may even have been ill previously.

Adverts are already linking the vaccine to travel limitations.

Have you seen the Ryanair Ads for the Benidorm brigade? 
“Just jab and go!”

In the meantime, some not so breaking news about the pressure put on the NHS at this time of year, every year.

Yesterday’s numbers for Uk deaths I think stood at 445 approx, for a change they put in the fact that only 11 of those had no serious known existing health conditions confirming yet again that for the vast amount of people this is not the death sentence MSM would have you believe.  There seems to be an enthusiasm from politicians and scientists to head for yet another full on ineffective socially and economically destructive lockdown regardless of how dismally they have failed previously. Record cases of a flu like virus are as you say not a new winter phenomenon. 

[Johnsond]

Just now, Scottish Cleaning Service said:

Read a book called "The great Influenza" by John Barry. Its all about 1918/19 flu pandemic. I have read it and it has changed my whole perspective on this pandemic. 😉 

Briefly seeing as I ain’t got the book to hand in what respects has it changed your perspectives ?
 

[openspaceman]

47 minutes ago, Khriss said:

1 hour ago, openspaceman said:

As no one under 50 will have the vaccination unless they have extra risk factors I doubt 80% will ever be vaccinated. Anyway with 5% of the population having had the disease there is no need to vaccinate them, or is there? I still cannot fathom how a vaccine can prime the immune system any better than surviving a full fat virus.

 

Herd immunity only drives the R value down, it doesn't offer any benefit to someone naive to the virus.

 

Speaking as one who the bald statistics indicate would be 90 times more likely to die than if I were half my age.

Read more  

Because of viral mutation - like the flu jab changes periodically , looks like it could be a yearly thing  ;/  K

That doesn't change the point in any way; yes the virus will mutate and yes people will catch the mutated version,  their immune system will then not be naive to the virus and it's various surface proteins so if a future infection contains any of those strings of proteins they will be recognised and the immune system will go into action against the virus. Similarly  as long as the jab  has "educated" the immune system of the right sequence of proteins that uniquely define the virus then when the virus enters the body the immune system is fore armed with knowledge of these proteins and can attack the virus.

 

My point was why should a jab offer better protection than having had and recovered from the virus.

 

I had my first ever flu jab this year, some 10 years after it was offered. I had never bothered before because I have never knowingly had the flu but suspected the combined effect of covid and the flu may not be good for me.

 

Of course if these various tiers and lockdowns work any infectious or contagious disease should be reduced but as I am an asocial being probably high on the autistic spectrum,  my lifestyle isn't largely affected apart from not going to supermarkets (I get anxious in queues and have to make multiple passes of aisles in trying to find what is on my shopping list so likely to upset other shoppers) so I have groceries delivered or use the local shop where I tend to be the only customer and the higher price, less choice, doesn't faze me.

 

 

[Big J]

56 minutes ago, Johnsond said:

Yesterday’s numbers for Uk deaths I think stood at 445 approx, for a change they put in the fact that only 11 of those had no serious known existing health conditions confirming yet again that for the vast amount of people this is not the death sentence MSM would have you believe.  There seems to be an enthusiasm from politicians and scientists to head for yet another full on ineffective socially and economically destructive lockdown regardless of how dismally they have failed previously. Record cases of a flu like virus are as you say not a new winter phenomenon. 

 

It does put it into perspective somewhat.

 

Whilst I fully appreciate that this newer strain is much more transmissible, if only 2.5% of people succumbing to it (extrapolated from those daily figures) have no preexisting health conditions, why lock down an entire country? 

 

• If you're over 70, regard yourself as being in lockdown/tier 4 until you've received the vaccine
• If you have preexisting health conditions leading to a higher risk of death with covid, same as for the over 70s.
• If you're overweight, seriously limit social contact until your weight is within the normal range and you are fit. This cannot be considered as the same as people over 70 or with serious preexisting conditions, as 95% of adults with serious weight issues really only have themselves to blame for their size. 

I also appreciate that long covid is a consideration, but how does it compare from recovering from serious flu? The twice I've had flu in my life completely floored me for a week, and took over a month to get back to full strength afterwards. 

 

Perhaps a good use of government funds in the face of this pandemic is to spend less on funding people to stay home and more on say, buying them a treadmill/indoor bike/rowing machine? Much like a car, when properly serviced and cared for, there are far fewer breakdowns.