The big Coronavirus thread

rick_chasey

Have a stinker of a cold and have to travel abroad today.

Here's hoping it's not rona. We'll find out soon enough.

imposter2.0

'rona' - is that what the hip guys are calling it now..?

Pross

imposter2.0 said:

'rona' - is that what the hip guys are calling it now..?

The youngsters were apparently calling it Miss Rona last year. Don't ask me why, I haven't a clue.

rick_chasey

Ja I have too much male pattern baldness to say miss rona.

Negative just a cold.

briantrumpet

rick_chasey said:

Ja I have too much male pattern baldness to say miss rona.

Negative just a cold.

Just as well you're not having to sign the 'on your honour' statement about symptoms that the French insist on.

Good luck with the trip.

Pross

Wife having her booster next week (and no, she's not really old!)

rick_chasey

briantrumpet said:

rick_chasey said:

Ja I have too much male pattern baldness to say miss rona.

Negative just a cold.

Just as well you're not having to sign the 'on your honour' statement about symptoms that the French insist on.

Good luck with the trip.

Turns out you do….

Ncovidius

kingstongraham said:

Forgot who you were for a bit there. For everyone else, that scientific American article is over a year old, so all the knowledge in it will be a bit out if date. I didn't read it.

It’s evolving relatively slowly, for the reasons I detailed. You should read it, it’s very much still valid.

webboo

Ncovidius said:

kingstongraham said:

Forgot who you were for a bit there. For everyone else, that scientific American article is over a year old, so all the knowledge in it will be a bit out if date. I didn't read it.

It’s evolving relatively slowly,

So just like your good self.

mrb123

webboo said:

Ncovidius said:

kingstongraham said:

Forgot who you were for a bit there. For everyone else, that scientific American article is over a year old, so all the knowledge in it will be a bit out if date. I didn't read it.

It’s evolving relatively slowly,

So just like your good self.

There have been a number of variants...

Ncovidius

The virus has hoisted itself on its own petard in a way. The ( relatively) long incubation period ( compared to original SARS ) was a massive problem, initially, as it meant a ( relatively) huge amount of virus was circulating before anyone realised there was a problem, and a lot of ( vulnerable) people, got a lethal viral load, before anything could be done to help them. The same mechanism helped us get ahead of it, once we realised what was happening. Once we knew that the key was to reduce the amount of virus ( through vaccination mostly ), because of the unusual ( for an R.N.A. virus ) way it works , it has actually had a chance to catch up with it’s self regulation / proof reading process, and given us a chance to put a metaphorical pillow over it’s face. As it stands, we are in the best position.

briantrumpet

Just seriously weird.

kingstonian

So the travel restrictions are being reduced. Doesn’t massively help me yet as the countries I want to go to aren’t too keen on receiving visitors from the UK, but hopefully that’ll change soonish.

imposter2.0

mrb123 said:

webboo said:

Ncovidius said:

kingstongraham said:

Forgot who you were for a bit there. For everyone else, that scientific American article is over a year old, so all the knowledge in it will be a bit out if date. I didn't read it.

It’s evolving relatively slowly,

So just like your good self.

There have been a number of variants...

all of which have turned out to be rather unpleasant on closer examination...

rick_chasey

Outside of the airport you wouldn’t know there was a pandemic on In Holland. Not a mask in sight anywhere, no social distancing, nothing.

pblakeney

rick_chasey said:

Outside of the airport you wouldn’t know there was a pandemic on In Holland. Not a mask in sight anywhere, no social distancing, nothing.

Question is - Is there still a pandemic there, or is that the reason there is still a pandemic?

tailwindhome

rick_chasey said:

Outside of the airport you wouldn’t know there was a pandemic on In Holland. Not a mask in sight anywhere, no social distancing, nothing.

Not like their vaccination program is going great either.

Mid table in the EU

rick_chasey

Equally no efforts for ventilation

briantrumpet

rick_chasey said:

Equally no efforts for ventilation

This is one of the biggest mysteries for me... how the most important part of mitigation is *still* not being hammered home, and why theatre of zealous sanitisation and screens is carrying on. It's not as if it won't have long-term benefits.

rick_chasey

Also, for all the documentation you’re told you need, most of mine were not checked.

No one in Holland asked my purpose for visiting (thus deciding if I need to quarantine or not, nor could they find me if they wanted to check up if I was as they never asked for where I was staying) no one checked my vaccination status.

On my return to the uk none checked my corona test result, though the document you fill in does cover the double vaccination question and if you need to quarantine what your address is etc, including evidence you have a test booked for after you return.

I think this is airline dependent as my sister got thoroughly interrogated re paperwork on her flight but again, Dutch border police are not interested in enforcing corona rules.

rick_chasey

tailwindhome said:

rick_chasey said:

Outside of the airport you wouldn’t know there was a pandemic on In Holland. Not a mask in sight anywhere, no social distancing, nothing.

Not like their vaccination program is going great either.

Mid table in the EU

I think infection rates are fairly low versus the uk but genuinely did not see a single mask on beyond the airport.

Jezyboy

briantrumpet said:

rick_chasey said:

Equally no efforts for ventilation

This is one of the biggest mysteries for me... how the most important part of mitigation is *still* not being hammered home, and why theatre of zealous sanitisation and screens is carrying on. It's not as if it won't have long-term benefits.

One is easier than the other?

(opening a window is easy, but opening a window when it's a bit nippy is not great for customer comfort)

briantrumpet

Jezyboy said:

briantrumpet said:

rick_chasey said:

Equally no efforts for ventilation

This is one of the biggest mysteries for me... how the most important part of mitigation is *still* not being hammered home, and why theatre of zealous sanitisation and screens is carrying on. It's not as if it won't have long-term benefits.

One is easier than the other?

(opening a window is easy, but opening a window when it's a bit nippy is not great for customer comfort)

Well, I suppose I can almost understand the general public being wilfully ignorant of the science because they don't like to put on a jumper and open a window, but TF "Hands, Face, Space" still being a thing from government, when all the science points to 'hands, face' being a vanishingly small part of mitigation is utterly bonkers at this point.

First.Aspect

I've just come back to Scotland from a trip to the SW. Basically as far as I can see everyone has full on covid fatigue down there and just wants their lives back.

I have some sympathy for this now, because the greater good for most of the people we want to visit is now served by us visiting or them coming to us, but I still wish there was more mask wearing.

rjsterry

Interesting meeting up with my brother who is over from BC for a couple of weeks. He is slightly freaked out by how relaxed things are in this country. They still have pretty strict mask wearing and limitations on numbers of people in shops, etc.

kingstonian

rick_chasey said:

Also, for all the documentation you’re told you need, most of mine were not checked.

No one in Holland asked my purpose for visiting (thus deciding if I need to quarantine or not, nor could they find me if they wanted to check up if I was as they never asked for where I was staying) no one checked my vaccination status.

On my return to the uk none checked my corona test result, though the document you fill in does cover the double vaccination question and if you need to quarantine what your address is etc, including evidence you have a test booked for after you return.

I think this is airline dependent as my sister got thoroughly interrogated re paperwork on her flight but again, Dutch border police are not interested in enforcing corona rules.

Out of curiosity, do you travel on a British or Dutch passport as I am wondering if being viewed as Dutch or British changes the approach the border police take.

briantrumpet

When will be allowed to draw any conclusions about strategies?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/19/slow-but-steady-has-seen-the-eu-win-out-in-the-vaccine-race

But, in general, European decisions are paying dividends. The bloc’s Covid passport, showing proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative test, has allowed millions of EU citizens to holiday abroad this summer with minimal fuss, encouraging take-up.

National vaccination drives have also been boosted, sometimes dramatically, in more than a dozen EU countries by domestic health passes, now needed to access anything from museums and gyms to cafes, shopping centres and trains.

Further to increasing vaccination rates, many member states have – in contrast to the UK – already administered first jabs to as many as 80% of 12 to 17-year-olds.

Rather than being a marathon not a sprint, as EU officials like to say, vaccination campaigns should probably be both. But after a slow start that will certainly have cost lives, the EU’s collective approach may, finally, be paying off.

Jezyboy

I beleive its happened now Brian so there's no point in dwelling on the past.

First.Aspect

That doesn't account for the lives saved by getting there quickly - all countries were eventually going to converge. That isn't news. The UK did well on vaccines. The UK has done badly on basically absolutely everything else. That's not news either. So, just another dramatically headlined but generally not particularly insightful Guardian opinion piece.

rick_chasey

kingstonian said:

rick_chasey said:

Also, for all the documentation you’re told you need, most of mine were not checked.

No one in Holland asked my purpose for visiting (thus deciding if I need to quarantine or not, nor could they find me if they wanted to check up if I was as they never asked for where I was staying) no one checked my vaccination status.

On my return to the uk none checked my corona test result, though the document you fill in does cover the double vaccination question and if you need to quarantine what your address is etc, including evidence you have a test booked for after you return.

I think this is airline dependent as my sister got thoroughly interrogated re paperwork on her flight but again, Dutch border police are not interested in enforcing corona rules.

Out of curiosity, do you travel on a British or Dutch passport as I am wondering if being viewed as Dutch or British changes the approach the border police take.

I always use the passport for the destination nation. So when I fly out I use Ned and back I use GB

“What was the purpose for your visit to England?”

“I live there”

“Ok safe travels”