The big Coronavirus thread

First.Aspect

TheBigBean said:

Of my three jabs, I'd rank efficiency in the following order
1. GP group
2. Pharmacy
3. NHS vaccination site

Third place was a long way behind.

All of mine have been in the local leisure centre, so 3. Total waiting time for all three jabs probably about 15 minutes.

briantrumpet

First.Aspect said:

You are a moron.

There have historically been no vaccines for coronaviruses.

I am amused that you think this is worth pointing out, and that facts are worth bothering with with him.

First.Aspect

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

You are a moron.

There have historically been no vaccines for coronaviruses.

I am amused that you think this is worth pointing out, and that facts are worth bothering with with him.

It cheers me up to confidently call someone a moron.

rick_chasey

Little disappointed that everyone else seems to have been able to book this week but I guess hopefully it means there’s decent uptake here in Cambridge

briantrumpet

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

You are a moron.

There have historically been no vaccines for coronaviruses.

I am amused that you think this is worth pointing out, and that facts are worth bothering with with him.

It cheers me up to confidently call someone a moron.

It doesn't cheer me up that he keeps on posting when he gets responses.

focuszing723

https://twitter.com/GosiaGasperoPhD/status/1469456805491138560

I guess this makes sense and explains why governments are being more progressive with action when the evidence suggests it's milder.

briantrumpet

focuszing723 said:

https://twitter.com/GosiaGasperoPhD/status/1469456805491138560

I guess this makes sense and explains why governments are being more progressive with action when the evidence suggests it's milder.

Though within that, there's also the question of how it affects the different status-of-vaccination population, and loads of other variables too. I think there are way too many assumptions in those figures for it to be anything other than a pile of hunches.

It's unfortunate that in a pandemic big decisions have to be made on hunches, though it's probably better to err on the side of too much too soon on new measures, and then back off when more nuanced/reliable data emerges.

blazing_saddles

First.Aspect said:

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

Booster booked for dec 23 👍🏻👍🏻

I feel I need to start having a reverse rant now considering how you were moaning about how long your original jabs took. I had my second in June and still waiting on a letter for my booster.

If you are over 40 can you not just drop in?

You can pop in but you won’t get a jab.
I witnessed a chap try to get his 2 days before his appointment was due and he was told he’d have to come back at the allotted time.
Pross had his second in June, I had mine on May 24th. Got my booster on November 22nd.
Something tells me Pross’s letter is in the Christmas post….

focuszing723

briantrumpet said:

focuszing723 said:

https://twitter.com/GosiaGasperoPhD/status/1469456805491138560

I guess this makes sense and explains why governments are being more progressive with action when the evidence suggests it's milder.

Though within that, there's also the question of how it affects the different status-of-vaccination population, and loads of other variables too. I think there are way too many assumptions in those figures for it to be anything other than a pile of hunches.

It's unfortunate that in a pandemic big decisions have to be made on hunches, though it's probably better to err on the side of too much too soon on new measures, and then back off when more nuanced/reliable data emerges.

The problem is though, how many more admitted patients does it take before health services can't cope? Which makes this key in terms of writing omicron off as mild.

briantrumpet

focuszing723 said:

briantrumpet said:

focuszing723 said:

https://twitter.com/GosiaGasperoPhD/status/1469456805491138560

I guess this makes sense and explains why governments are being more progressive with action when the evidence suggests it's milder.

Though within that, there's also the question of how it affects the different status-of-vaccination population, and loads of other variables too. I think there are way too many assumptions in those figures for it to be anything other than a pile of hunches.

It's unfortunate that in a pandemic big decisions have to be made on hunches, though it's probably better to err on the side of too much too soon on new measures, and then back off when more nuanced/reliable data emerges.

The problem is though, how many more admitted patients does it take before health services can't cope? Which makes this key in terms of writing omicron off as mild.

Indeed. It's pretty much a given that whatever the government decides they are going to be berated for being both too slow/not going far enough, and being too draconian/too hasty.

It genuinely is too early to tell with regards to omicron.

kingstongraham

What would a policy to protect the NHS look like at this point?

I would guess it would be vaccine passports for the over 40s. With no test exemption.

rick_chasey

Well I’m glad my post prompted a few people to get their boosters booked in

pangolin

rick_chasey said:

Well I’m glad my post prompted a few people to get their boosters booked in

Yeah it's been announced now so I imagine slots are filling fast, thanks

First.Aspect

rick_chasey said:

Well I’m glad my post prompted a few people to get their boosters booked in

You are an influencer.

rjsterry

Pross said:

pblakeney said:

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

Booster booked for dec 23 👍🏻👍🏻

I feel I need to start having a reverse rant now considering how you were moaning about how long your original jabs took. I had my second in June and still waiting on a letter for my booster.

Can't you just phone or book online?
Being proactive this time round seems to get quicker appointments.

Nope, Welsh NHS doesn't allow it. They seemed to be quicker on the initial jabs but seems to be taking longer this time. Could be they are getting more people having it I suppose. Wife and daughter were both done quickly but they were in the first group.

Could you not book an appointment on this side of the Severn? TBB was right (thanks!) and we managed to bring ours forward by three or four weeks from our first attempt.

Pross

rjsterry said:

Pross said:

pblakeney said:

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

Booster booked for dec 23 👍🏻👍🏻

I feel I need to start having a reverse rant now considering how you were moaning about how long your original jabs took. I had my second in June and still waiting on a letter for my booster.

Can't you just phone or book online?
Being proactive this time round seems to get quicker appointments.

Nope, Welsh NHS doesn't allow it. They seemed to be quicker on the initial jabs but seems to be taking longer this time. Could be they are getting more people having it I suppose. Wife and daughter were both done quickly but they were in the first group.

Could you not book an appointment on this side of the Severn? TBB was right (thanks!) and we managed to bring ours forward by three or four weeks from our first attempt.

Not sure but it doesn't feel ethical. I'm happy to wait my turn although I need to start checking with people I know of a similar age to see if I've been missed somehow.

focuszing723

Pross said:

rjsterry said:

Pross said:

pblakeney said:

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

Booster booked for dec 23 👍🏻👍🏻

I feel I need to start having a reverse rant now considering how you were moaning about how long your original jabs took. I had my second in June and still waiting on a letter for my booster.

Can't you just phone or book online?
Being proactive this time round seems to get quicker appointments.

Nope, Welsh NHS doesn't allow it. They seemed to be quicker on the initial jabs but seems to be taking longer this time. Could be they are getting more people having it I suppose. Wife and daughter were both done quickly but they were in the first group.

Could you not book an appointment on this side of the Severn? TBB was right (thanks!) and we managed to bring ours forward by three or four weeks from our first attempt.

Not sure but it doesn't feel ethical. I'm happy to wait my turn although I need to start checking with people I know of a similar age to see if I've been missed somehow.

Yeah, that's a good idea.

rjsterry

Pross said:

rjsterry said:

Pross said:

pblakeney said:

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

Booster booked for dec 23 👍🏻👍🏻

I feel I need to start having a reverse rant now considering how you were moaning about how long your original jabs took. I had my second in June and still waiting on a letter for my booster.

Can't you just phone or book online?
Being proactive this time round seems to get quicker appointments.

Nope, Welsh NHS doesn't allow it. They seemed to be quicker on the initial jabs but seems to be taking longer this time. Could be they are getting more people having it I suppose. Wife and daughter were both done quickly but they were in the first group.

Could you not book an appointment on this side of the Severn? TBB was right (thanks!) and we managed to bring ours forward by three or four weeks from our first attempt.

Not sure but it doesn't feel ethical. I'm happy to wait my turn although I need to start checking with people I know of a similar age to see if I've been missed somehow.

To be clear we haven't jumped any queue, they have just reduced the minimum gap between jabs. I'd understood that they just want as many boosted, and as quickly as possible.

briantrumpet

Part of me wonders if the government are happy to go along with the scariest hunches about omicron to nudge the still-unvaccinated to get a jab, and hope that updates about its relative mildness (if it is such) don't come before enough people have been nudged. It's a more powerful nudge than any actual advertising campaign could be.

Pross

rjsterry said:

Pross said:

rjsterry said:

Pross said:

pblakeney said:

Pross said:

rick_chasey said:

Booster booked for dec 23 👍🏻👍🏻

I feel I need to start having a reverse rant now considering how you were moaning about how long your original jabs took. I had my second in June and still waiting on a letter for my booster.

Can't you just phone or book online?
Being proactive this time round seems to get quicker appointments.

Nope, Welsh NHS doesn't allow it. They seemed to be quicker on the initial jabs but seems to be taking longer this time. Could be they are getting more people having it I suppose. Wife and daughter were both done quickly but they were in the first group.

Could you not book an appointment on this side of the Severn? TBB was right (thanks!) and we managed to bring ours forward by three or four weeks from our first attempt.

Not sure but it doesn't feel ethical. I'm happy to wait my turn although I need to start checking with people I know of a similar age to see if I've been missed somehow.

To be clear we haven't jumped any queue, they have just reduced the minimum gap between jabs. I'd understood that they just want as many boosted, and as quickly as possible.

Yeah I understand that. What I meant is it doesn't feel right to use the NHS in England rather than Wales because it is moving more quickly (I'm not sure ifI could anyway).

Pross

Have checked a few friends. One had his second jab about 10 days before me and got a letter last week with an appointment for the 20th and another had his the same day as me and got a letter last week for next Sunday. I was sent to the other local centre and got Pfizer whereas they would have had AZ, not sure if it makes a difference but I assume I'll get a letter this week. Probably end up getting jabbed on Christmas Eve and reacting badly to it!

focuszing723

Well, at least you got the Pfizer jabs to start with which seems more effective against omicron than AZ. It does sound like you will get a letter/text next week.

briantrumpet

Admittedly these are before omicron has fully kicked in, but look how stable the UK fatality rate is (and still edging downwards), despite the ever-increasing infection rate. If (and it's a big if) omicron increases the infection rate without affecting the fatality rate, I think this could be massively promising.

focuszing723

level 1: COVID-19 is not known to be present in the UK
level 2: COVID-19 is present in UK, but the number of cases and transmission is low
level 3: a COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation
level 4: a COVID-19 epidemic is in general circulation; transmission is high and direct COVID-19 pressure on healthcare services is widespread and substantial or rising
level 5: as level 4 and there is a material risk of healthcare services being directly overwhelmed by COVID-19

The UK Health Security Agency has now raised the alert level from level 3 to 4.

focuszing723

Johnson is going to give a press conference at around 8:00pm tonight. Hopefully reminding the general public to lead by their own general good example.

pblakeney

focuszing723 said:

Johnson is going to give a press conference at around 8:00pm tonight. Hopefully reminding the general public to lead by their own general good example.

Family decision has already been made.
This Christmas we will be following the tory lead.

No going to mass gatherings but we will be meeting family in a convivial, fraternal spirit and we will cover our faces around people we don't normally meet.

focuszing723

pblakeney said:

focuszing723 said:

Johnson is going to give a press conference at around 8:00pm tonight. Hopefully reminding the general public to lead by their own general good example.

Family decision has already been made.
This Christmas we will be following the tory lead.

No going to mass gatherings but we will be meeting family in a convivial, fraternal spirit and we will cover our faces around people we don't normally meet.

Ahhh, you can't beat that convivial fraternal spirit during a pandemic.

pangolin

Isolation rules have actually softened up. You don't need to isolate after a contact, just do a lateral flow every day for 7 days. Seems a lot easier to fudge.

briantrumpet

pangolin said:

Isolation rules have actually softened up. You don't need to isolate after a contact, just do a lateral flow every day for 7 days. Seems a lot easier to fudge.

Only for fully(?) vaccinated. Non-vaccinated still need to isolate.

kingstonian

pblakeney said:

focuszing723 said:

Johnson is going to give a press conference at around 8:00pm tonight. Hopefully reminding the general public to lead by their own general good example.

Family decision has already been made.
This Christmas we will be following the tory lead.

No going to mass gatherings but we will be meeting family in a convivial, fraternal spirit and we will cover our faces around people we don't normally meet.

We also are avoiding any mass gatherings from now until Xmas to allow us a family Xmas.