Covid - Plan B & Omicron

[Dads_Ale]

Our local council has been charging volunteers administering the vaccine over £9 a day to park near the vaccination centre that is located in the centre of town.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Did they mention specifics of why that soon, science-wise, or something like that?

Another difference is the difference in philosophy - AIUI the US tends to "follow the label", partly out of terror of lawyers if they go off label, whereas a more integrated health system can think about how the detail of dosing interacts with wider considerations. For instance, vaccines are normally tested with a ~3 month interval, but for Covid they were tested with a 3 week interval (although we now know that they protect a bit better with a longer interval). So the US stuck to the label and gave the original jabs at a 3-week interval. Whereas the NHS was able to say "fewer people will die if we get 1 *** into all the over-50s before doing any second jabs, it'll take us 12 weeks to *** the over-50s, so we'll specify a 12-week interval even though that's not "officially" approved."

In this case it's the other way round, the latest science on boosters suggests that it's more important we get boosters into arms, at the expense of doing 6 months by the book.

 

[Hop_it]

Both my wife and I received the following text message from our local GP's surgery/Health Centre this morning . . . . .

"Following the PM's speech yesterday, it appears all GP Practices may be asked to pause usual activity to urgently prioritise the COVID booster programme. We've only heard this news at the same time as you and we're awaiting further information from NHS England. We'll send further updates via SMS, Facebook and our website as soon as we can. In the meantime, PLEASE avoid contacting your GP Practice unless absolutely necessary. Please contact 111.nhs.uk or your pharmacy in the first instance. Thanks for your understanding and patience. Look out for further updates soon."

I can only guess that this is because they anticipate that they will be called upon to assist with the expansion of the booster programme. I believe that every vaccination centre has to have a doctor present when vaccinations are being administered. But nevertheless this is an unexpected (and slightly worrying) consequence of stepping up the booster programme

 

[Chippy_Tea]

And yet you believe that a government that has demonstrated that it is completely incapable of organising a party in a brewery, can't even snog their assistant without CCTV being splashed over the front pages, is capable of organising a multi-level conspiracy without it leaking?



Read up about Russia's propaganda operations, spreading anti-vax information because they want people like you to die. They are the ones controlling the narrative in your head. But when you believe nothing, you believe anything.



I could take a look at Teletubbies.org for information - but the Teletubbies have no demonstrated expertise in immunology. What expertise have UKCN demonstrated in anything, least of all medical science?

Well said that man!

 

[DavidDetroit]

latest science on boosters suggests that it's more important we get boosters into arms, at the expense of doing 6 months by the book.

I'm okay with logic. I fancied that the scientists, in whatever country they may be, ran the numbers and use those to make decisions for the most positive outcome. So the three versus six sounds like a gray area and different strategies can be considered.

 

[franana]

Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Are we heading for local lockdown January?

The UK has recorded 54,661 new infections, according to the government's daily figures.
Today's data also shows there were 38 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test.
These figures tend to be lower at the start of the week due to a delay in recording deaths and cases over the weekend.

He says Omicron will become the dominant variant in London in the next 48 hours and represents 20% of cases in England.
Hospitalisations and deaths are expected to "dramatically increase" in the next few weeks and the NHS will return to its highest level of emergency preparedness, he adds.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-59632655

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I'm okay with logic. I fancied that the scientists, in whatever country they may be, ran the numbers and use those to make decisions for the most positive outcome. So the three versus six sounds like a gray area and different strategies can be considered.

In the case of the omicron and the boosters, I think it's just a case of the science changing rapidly as more data comes in - there was another preprint from Oxford about omicron reducing neutralisation by sera from non-boosted people at the weekend :
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.10.21267534v1.full.pdf
And for the non-believers, the latest from UKHSA :
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/covid-19-variants-identified-in-the-ukThe UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) can confirm that 10 people have been hospitalised with the Omicron variant in England; the individuals were diagnosed on or before admission. These people are spread around the country and are a mix of age ranges between 18 to 85 years – the majority had received 2 doses of vaccination.

 

[dad_of_jon]

Are we heading for local lockdown January?

IF Mr Drakeford and the Scottish Health minister have their way. Hint: Both are not fond of booze.

 

[Rodcx500z]

They can do what they want i don't care Christmas is on in our house fine or no fine, we have followed the rules 2 of us triple jabbed kids are trying to book their boosters nothing more we can do apart from be sensible

 

[VW911]

Had my booster booked for 23rd of this month, 20 miles away.
Got a text from my local GP this afternoon, saying that they are now doing them - now having it tomorrow, just down the road!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Keir Starmer: Labour's patriotic duty to vote for Plan B Covid restrictions

 

[Bjorn Toulouse]

Don't like Kier but the base message IMHO is right. Its a good job for this government that covid came along. I don't think even the south would have put up with this government if it wasn't for the pandemic.
UK Column made for some "Interesting" reading. Pity it was so full of "The lord said". Mixing religion and politics always has unique outcomes

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Looks like it's starting to hit London already - the 7-day average of London hospitalisations bottomed out at 85.7 on 22 November, on Saturday they admitted 166 :

 

[Rex]

I'm still irked they spent so long debating whether to give kids a ***. By which point they were back at school and it was spreading like wildfire. My eldest had covid the week he was finally due to have his *** in school, so now can't get it until January (he needs to wait 12 weeks).

A friend of mine tipped me off that the website was now allowing under 40s to book a booster even though they hadn't updated the splash on the homepage so on Saturday I managed to book a booster at a local chemist this Saturday for me and my wife.

TBH my wife should have been prioritised anyway, since she works in a school with kids. I have stayed at home since March 2020 and whilst I'm keen to get a booster I'd happily be further behind in a queue behind those who have to leave the house to work so have more daily contacts.

Your kids will have antibodies for ages. Why would you risk their future life with this questionable experiment?

 

[TonyT]

Your kids will have antibodies for ages. Why would you risk their future life with this questionable experiment?

Look out! They’re behind you!

 

[Shirley Bassett]

Nice to see that Raab has his finger on the pulse once again!

He told Sky this morning that the last time he looked at the numbers there were 250 people in hospital with Omicron.

A hour or so later he told the BBC that there are 9.

There are actually 10.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Your kids will have antibodies for ages. Why would you risk their future life with this questionable experiment?

And your expertise in medical risk assessment is what exactly?

The US has jabbed nearly 5 million kids 5-11 and no cases of myocarditis have been reported in those 5 million.

So what risk are you talking about? Do you mean the risk of them getting myocarditis or life-long brain damage from catching Covid? Omicron is doubling every two days, which means that it's pretty much a certainty that everyone is the UK is going to get it within a few weeks unless they're a hermit. So why would you take risks with what happens when (not if) they get infected?

 

[Flat Foot]

Your kids will have antibodies for ages. Why would you risk their future life with this questionable experiment?

In chess the pawns go first.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

In graphics: How far off is the UK from hitting booster goal?

Health Secretary Sajid Javid told MPs earlier that Omicron now made up 20% of Covid cases in the UK and that more deaths and hospital admissions were soon expected.

PM Boris Johnson has set a new target for all adults in England to be offered a booster by the end of the month, in an effort to combat Omicron.

But this chart shows that things really need to speed up if the government is to get anywhere near that target.

BBC NEWS