What we really need, but aren't getting, is the number of new infections and the number of hospital admissions daily, but divided into those that have had two jabs and those that have had just one or none. I think that would be a better gauge of the situation and I suspect would also increase the numbers coming forward to have the jab if they could see the evidence of the effect it was having.
I'd be willing to bet that almost all of those admitted to hospital, and almost all the current fatalities, are people who have NOT had both (or even one) vaccine. Boris and others are cautiously saying the link between infections and hospitalizations / deaths has been weakened. I think it has been almost totally broken. By July 19th we should know. If serious illness & mortality is going to rocket exponentially again, it will be doing it by then.
One of the ways we can improve our society after the pandemic... A FOUR DAY WEEK https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57724779 Still on the same (5 days) pay. Productivity is hardly affected, and people have more time to enjoy life. I am 100% for this Not a 4 day school week though. That should still be Monday to Friday. Though teachers can still have a four day week, they may just have to take different days off (a shift rotation). Same for NHS staff & other key workers. 4 day weeks all round. That would make life better.
When the miners went on strike in the 1970's Edward Heath put the country on a 3-day week, and production was something like 97% of what it had been on a 5-day week.
It's easy in most cases. 5 x 8 hour days = 40 hours per week 4 x 10 hour days = 40 hours per week I know what I preferred
Saj says infection rates could rise to 100,000 per day after July 19th. That's bad news for the possibility of new variants. But as long as we stay vigilant on that front, it is nothing to be scared of. If it happens would like to know how many of this 100,000 per day have had both jabs?
Anti-vaccers are a strange breed. I suppose that they just see the mountain of scientific evidence as part of the conspiracy.
Anyone there know how the regulations are for EU arrivals - I've got a college reunion in august, and I'm fully vaccinated, but flying in from a country on the amber list, where infection rates are spiralling.
Travel restrictions won't be lifted on "Freedom Day", so I guess that would mean you'd have to quarantine.
Covid: Millions could be self-isolating between now and 16 August https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57751033 Does anybody believe this? Empty streets, tumbleweeds blowing, everybody locked behind their front doors... because their NHS app goes ping? And it's a few days shy of an arbitrary date on a calendar? What a load of nonsense. to the Government. Does anybody today seriously lock themselves and their family away from the outside world for TEN DAYS because a txt message tells them to? Get real. I don't know anybody who has self-isolated. Not one person. There is so much scaremongering going on now regarding the third wave. There are not going to be wards overflowing with dying patients like we had before. Not unless we've been lied to about the vaccine. And even if we have, there are no choices left now. More lockdowns will kill our already shattered economy. Life isn't worth living if you can never again do something as simple as walk into a pub or a cafe, or go to a footy match or a theatre without a hazmat suit on. I'm not going to live in a permanent state of fear, like in Orwell's 1984. I'd rather die first.
I've said it before, but in the long run long Covid could be the greatest problem, especially since younger people are affected by it now. This virus is relatively new to the human race, and there's still a lot to discover abahrt it, despite the best efforts of the scientific world. Johnson lied today when he said that the vaccine had broken the link between catching it and serious illness or death. Sir Patrick clearly said yesterday that it hadn't broken the link, it had weakened it. Of course the economy has to get going again otherwise we're all f*cked, but Johnson's constant wish to make himself popular is what undermines his judgment at times, and I wish I could trust him. Jeremy Hunt seems far more trustworthy to me.
I really was tempting fate with my last message. Only hours later I've had some bed news. Now I'm beginning to doubt the efficacy of the Vaccines. An immediate family member has caught Coronavirus (probably the new variant) confirmed by tests. She's got flu-like symptoms right now - not breathing difficulties yet, but all the other nasty things that a bout of flu strikes you with. She's only in her twenties, but because of the job she does she has had two doses of the vaccine. Other family members might be infected too. I've not been in contact with them directly for a long time, but I'm worried now. If anything happens to any of them, things will never be the same again. I still believe restrictions should be lifted, for the sake of the future of our whole society. But this 100,000 infections per day scenario could have been avoided. The third wave is entirely the fault of our incompetent Government. And these huge gatherings at Wembley and Wimbledon now feel very reckless indeed to me. If the vaccines don't protect me and mine - if several members of my family do get sick, and certainly if any of them die - I will lose all my faith in vaccination. That means I'll make certain I am never in a crowded place again, indoors or out, for as long as I live.
Good luck to your family, Lardy. Chances are she'll be ok in a day or two. I had flu-like symptoms for 24 hours recently, but after sleeping for 11 hours, during which I sweated profusely, I was OK the next day, but will be getting an antibody test soon, so should find out if it was flu or Covid.
Sorry to hear that Lardy and I hope your family get well soon - out of interest do you know which vaccine she had ?
Not sure but I think the Pfizer one (the one they have to keep really cold). I probably over-reacted in my last post. Convinced myself that there isn't really any danger now because of the vaccines. Because that's what I wanted to believe. I should know by now, things aren't so just because you want them to be.
Sorry to hear that @Lardy, hope they get well soon. For me, this whole freedom day thing was just another Johnson press opportunity. The scientists were largely saying it was premature and infection rates would spike, and sure enough they were right. For what it's worth, I doubt with the vaccine we will be going back to a scenario with the ICU's overrun and the death rates going into orbit. But that all depends on variants - allowing such a big spike in infections is inviting a new variant, and maybe one that has developed a new way to attck the immune system. Here in Catalunya, two weeks after we were officially allowed to go out without masks in fresh air, we are now being recommended to put them back on, as the infection rates are out of control. France, Belgium and Germany are all advising against travel to Spain. So far from helping the economy, it's given the economy a huge knock again. And the same reason, a maniacal desire to shrug off restrictions and go back to normal. It ain't going to happen until we get infection rates right down. I agree with whoever it was said that we need to learn to live with Covid as we aren't going to remove it, but that doesn't mean we can just pretend it's gone away so that Johnson can prance about in a Union jack smiling and talking about liberty.
