Covid 19 Part XXXII-215,743 ROI (4,137 deaths)111,166 NI (2,036 deaths)(22/02)Read OP

Strumms

jams100 wrote: »

Is there anything to be said about quality of life?

I think we need to have a discussion at a national level about this, even if its after covid has passed.

Having been in a hospital last week and seeing some people who were in an awful condition (not covid), it's a position I'd never want to be in. Now, I'm certainly not pushing how I would feel onto anyone else, but, I wouldn't want to live to a point where their is zero quality of life.

I'm sure we all know a person who has just lived out their last years as pretty much a vegetable, sometimes you wonder who exactly that benefits when the person themselves are miserable? Again, it goes without saying not everyone would be miserable.

Anyway, bringing this back to covid, as a young person my quality of life along with my friends has been awful especially in this third lockdown, and yes I know it is for everyone etc. And people have died, yes, I'm well aware of that, thanks.

I feel even more sorry for the people in nursing homes, I can only imagine how they must feel, some probably being very close to the end of life, more or less being imprisoned and not being able to see their families.

I know covid is nobody's fault and everyone's doing their best I just wonder why nobody has been talking about a quality of life, for example golf seems to me to be as safe as going for a walk with a friend in the park, both being very low risk activities.

Anyway hopefully for the sake of everyone's mental health this comes to an end soon, not good news about the astrazenica vaccine and South African varient

The act of you and a mate playing 18 holes is relatively low risk yep. As long as you maintain discipline from the car, around the course and back again. Shouldn’t be an issue but.... Not everyone will though, not every club will give a shît either. Golf is social...

Also, the running of a club, both from the point of view of administration / office staff, maintenance, greenskeepers, security...mostly people in close contact to do those jobs and golfers who WILL just see it as more social then sporting and be an excuse to fûck the proper behavior and distancing out the window...

Just have to be patient a while longer. Vaccine is here but it could prove to be a catastrophe if the good discipline exuded by many is thrown out the window at this late stage.

Martina1991

PmMeUrDogs wrote: »

Just for the ladies here - my own doctor isn't doing smear tests or face to face anything the past year because of covid, but Well Woman Centres are back doing smears. If you're overdue, try them out if you've got one nearby. I rang this morning and have an appointment in a week

I was due mine back in November. Got the letter in the door from Cervical Check to make an appointment.
I couldn't get through to the GP I went to previously. All I got was an answering machine after multiple attempts.

The cervical check website has a database of what GPs offer the service so I just rang around and got an appointment with another GP no problem.
Results back in 6 weeks.

It's disappointing that a GP stopped offering the service when it was always available.

AdamD

BTownB wrote: »

Christmas does not explain a GLOBAL decline.

Look at countries like India, a massive population and numbers infected dramatically falling because so many people likely to catch it have done so.

It does - countries with the largest testing regimes all have big Christmas traditions.

Roger_007

Turtwig wrote: »

This is a very misinformed post.

So far even the vaccines that have reduced efficacy to the variants have a much better response than previous natural infection. The new variants are very adept at reinfection of the previously infected. It's believed natural herd immunity is impossible.

We have much better grasp of vaccine efficacy than we do natural infection and immunity. Preliminary Indications from South Africa and Manaus are previous exposure is not protection against mild or severe illness.

The case numbers are falling more quickly in SA than almost anywhere else......down from 20k per day to 2k per day since early Jan. There could be a seasonal element in this but it seems counterintuitive when the SA variant is deemed to be much more transmissible than the original virus.
What I’m having difficulty understanding is why parts of the world where millions of people live in overcrowded unsanitary conditions seem to have relatively low rates of infection.....places like Africa, India, Bangladesh and South East Asia.

monkeybutter

JTMan wrote: »

Very interesting WSJ article here (paywall) entitled "Cold Reality Dawns that Illness is Likely Here to Stay" but it is not all negative ...

- Covid-19 will circulate for years, possibly decades.
- Society will need to lean to live with this much as it does with flu, measles and HIV.
- The ease of spread, the emergence of new strains and lack of access to vaccines mean in certain countries mean it will continue to spread.
- But it will change from a "pandemic" to an "endemic". Endemic means persistent but manageable.
- Endemic Covid-19 will not mean ongoing restrictions to life and travel because vaccines are so effective and severe disease is expected to plummet.
- But Endemic Covid-19 will mean some changes to behavior.
- Masking in some areas, good air ventilation systems and testing will be required in some form for some time to come.
- "Elimination or eradication is not the bar of success" said the WHO. Only one human virus has been entirely eradicated in human history: smallpox. Eradication is not realistic.
- Monitoring for new variants and periodic updated shots will be key.

Controlling the virus is the mark of success, not eradication, and sooner we get there, via vaccinations, and start calling this an endemic the better.

groundbreaking insight from the WSJ as always

Turtwig

Turtwig wrote: »

This is a very misinformed post.

So far even the vaccines that have reduced efficacy to the variants have a much better response than previous natural infection. The new variants are very adept at reinfection of the previously infected. It's believed natural herd immunity is impossible.

We have much better grasp of vaccine efficacy than we do natural infection and immunity. Preliminary Indications from South Africa and Manaus are previous exposure is not protection against mild or severe illness.

This is all wrong. There is no indication that the new variants are particularly adept at reinfection. There is some concern that due to mutation prior immunity from older variants may not protect from mild infection but it is still very likely to protect from severe disease. There is no reason to believe herd immunity is impossible.

Not sure what you're basing your second point on. South Africa have said they have not seen a significant rise in reinfections (although to be fair I doubt it's well studied). That study about herd immunity in Manaus has since been debunked. It greatly overestimated the prevalence of the virus. In fact a local doctor blamed the recent surge on that study because it caused the residents to believe they were safe and didn't need to adhere to restrictions.

amandstu

Dupe

amandstu

Anyone care to comment on this study I came across on the CNN site?

https://www.jci.org/articles/view/143380

Seems to suggest a previous coronavirus infection such as the common cold may provide immunity against severe symptoms in C-19.

hmmm

monkeybutter wrote: »

groundbreaking insight from the WSJ as always

I wish they (the media and the experts being interviewed) would stop with this vague "our lives will never be the same" speak like they are Gandalf talking to hobbits.

Ask them what this means. In one case I remember the expert being interviewed saying things like "oh we'll be much more aware of the risks of new pandemics" and "people will be encouraged to wear masks if they are sick". Hardly stuff to get worried about and to be welcomed in many ways, but the report was talking about this "new normal" as if the most extreme of lockdowns would continue for decades.

Perhaps it's just bad news selling newspapers, or maybe mildly inconvenient news masked as bad news selling newspapers..

Hector Savage

Listening to classic hits news there, 1M vaccines to be delivered a month to Ireland from MAY !!!

MAY! ???

Get them there now ffs!!!!

spakman

amandstu wrote: »

Anyone care to comment on this study I came across on the CNN site?

https://www.jci.org/articles/view/143380

Seems to suggest a previous coronavirus infection such as the common cold may provide immunity against severe symptoms in C-19.

Surely everybody has had the common cold though?

spakman

Hector Savage wrote: »

Listening to classic hits news there, 1M vaccines to be delivered a month to Ireland from MAY !!!

MAY! ???

Get them there now ffs!!!!

Why didn't anybody think of this!!

amandstu

spakman wrote: »

Surely everybody has had the common cold though?

Well I would go years without it,,"happily" and coincidentally getting it in Jan 2020 though.

This is the CNN opinion piece though

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/07/opinions/covid-flu-twindemic-mystery-sepkowitz/index.html

The link to the research is a bit hard to find in it

Derek Zoolander

Hector Savage wrote: »

Listening to classic hits news there, 1M vaccines to be delivered a month to Ireland from MAY !!!

MAY! ???

Get them there now ffs!!!!

they haven't been made yet - how to you propose getting them here before they are manufactured

ek motor

Roger_007 wrote: »

The case numbers are falling more quickly in SA than almost anywhere else......down from 20k per day to 2k per day since early Jan. There could be a seasonal element in this but it seems counterintuitive when the SA variant is deemed to be much more transmissible than the original virus.
What I’m having difficulty understanding is why parts of the world where millions of people live in overcrowded unsanitary conditions seem to have relatively low rates of infection.....places like Africa, India, Bangladesh and South East Asia.

Perhaps it's to do with these countries being underdeveloped and having less access to testing and the recording if cause of death isn't as exact as in western nations . It may even be some racial groups as less susceptible to the virus than others .

I've nothing to back that up with, just my own 2cents

podgeandrodge

FintanMcluskey wrote: »

You were indeed.

I don’t see normality returning for the remainder of the lives of certain citizens.

I know of a married couple in their late 60’s, no underlying conditions, both were regularly active and capable folk. They won’t leave their home since Christmas, even to go for exercise outside because they are petrified of catching the disease. A daughter leaves shopping at their doorstep.

I can’t see them ever being capable of normal socialising again, vaccinated or not. I wonder will those over 65 ever have confidence to socialise in groups again?

podgeandrodge wrote: »

I know a lot of couples in their late 60's. Vast majority not None of them afraid to leave their house. And definitely looking forward to "normal socialising" again. Taking normal precautions like the most of us but not petrified.

I would say your friends are in a minority tbh.

FintanMcluskey wrote: »

They possibly are the minority as regards not leaving the house.

As regards “normal socialising”, what’s normal precautions?

Isn’t that statement a contradiction?

I referred to normal precautions in the present tense. I referred to normal socialising in the future tense. Didn't mean at same time.

seamus

spakman wrote: »

Surely everybody has had the common cold though?

Coronaviruses only account for a small percentage of what we call the "common cold".

It's quite likely that many people have gone their entire lives without being infected with any coronaviruses.

seamus

seamus wrote: »

Coronaviruses only account for a small percentage of what we call the "common cold".

It's quite likely that many people have gone their entire lives without being infected with any coronaviruses.

That's pretty unlikely. Mild coronavirus infections are quite common in children. Studies among older adults have typically shown 90-100% with antibodies to at least one.

That said I'd be careful reading too much into coronaviruses reducing severity of COVID idea. It's just as likely correlation as causation i.e. the presence of antibodies is a sign of a healthy immune system.

amandstu

Hardyn wrote: »

That's pretty unlikely. Mild coronavirus infections are quite common in children. Studies among older adults have typically shown 90-100% with antibodies to at least one.

Even so ,is it possible that most of the severe cases of C-19 can be people who did not have a recent coronavirus infection ?(severe cases are I believe only a very small percentage of total C-19 infections)

(as,I mentioned earlier,i personally have gone more than 5 years in the past without the common cold -maybe up to 10 years)

Polar101

Roger_007 wrote: »

What I’m having difficulty understanding is why parts of the world where millions of people live in overcrowded unsanitary conditions seem to have relatively low rates of infection.....places like Africa, India, Bangladesh and South East Asia.

A lot of the places you mention wouldn't be doing a lot of testing, so they wouldn't really know what the infection rates are.

Widdensushi

In the Princess diamond and Charles de gaulle approximately a third didn't get infected I think? Is it possible that some people have immunity already? In a confined environment like a ship it would be difficult for people not to have come in contact with covid with so many infected.

CalamariFritti

Widdensushi wrote: »

In the Princess diamond and Charles de gaulle approximately a third didn't get infected I think? Is it possible that some people have immunity already? In a confined environment like a ship it would be difficult for people not to have come in contact with covid with so many infected.

It is without a doubt the case that some people have preexisting immunity.
If some people get sick and some people not at all even from the same household, same bed even, there is no other explanation. And they are nt outliers either. There is a significant percentage of people 'not getting sick'. Could be the majority even.

It is hard to believe how we have come so far in some ways (vaccines developed and ready) and neglected other aspects of this completely. Like the preexisting immunity.

A year into this the most important pieces of information still elude us.

- How many were exposed to this virus yet.
- Where does it spread and to what degree.
- How does it spread and to what degree.
- How many have preexisting immunity.
- Why do they have preexisiting immunity.
- What makes someone vulnerable -> how many are 'vulnerable'.
- Which containment measures are effective, which are not.

And I see no major drives getting to those pieces of information. We have half answers to some of those, but mostly its barely better than conjecture and educated guesses. I know some people will have a fit reading this, but the truth is we dont even know with any degree of certainty whether masks make any difference.

A year into this and we're still flying half blind in the fog.

amandstu

amandstu wrote: »

Even so ,is it possible that most of the severe cases of C-19 can be people who did not have a recent coronavirus infection ?(severe cases are I believe only a very small percentage of total C-19 infections)

There are a lot of contributory factors to severe disease. I very much doubt it would be that simple.

(as,I mentioned earlier,i personally have gone more than 5 years in the past without the common cold -maybe up to 10 years)

I also doubt you went that long without a cold. More likely you just didn't have any noticeable symptoms. It does happen. For instance it's estimated that half of all flu cases are asymptomatic.

podgeandrodge

CalamariFritti wrote: »

It is without a doubt the case that some people have preexisting immunity.
If some people get sick and some people not at all even from the same household, same bed even, there is no other explanation. And they are nt outliers either. There is a significant percentage of people 'not getting sick'. Could be the majority even.

It is hard to believe how we have come so far in some ways (vaccines developed and ready) and neglected other aspects of this completely. Like the preexisting immunity.

A year into this the most important pieces of information still elude us.

- How many were exposed to this virus yet.
- Where does it spread and to what degree.
- How does it spread and to what degree.
- How many have preexisting immunity.
- Why do they have preexisiting immunity.
- What makes someone vulnerable -> how many are 'vulnerable'.
- Which containment measures are effective, which are not.

And I see no major drives getting to those pieces of information. We have half answers to some of those, but mostly its barely better than conjecture and educated guesses. I know some people will have a fit reading this, but the truth is we dont even know with any degree of certainty whether masks make any difference.

A year into this and we're still flying half blind in the fog.

Agree a lot with above. Perhaps Govt. don't want to give certain people false sense of security, but there's something going on when some people seem to avoid infection while being in long term contact with infected people.

celt262

podgeandrodge wrote: »

Agree a lot with above. Perhaps Govt. don't want to give certain people false sense of security, but there's something going on when some people seem to avoid infection while being in long term contact with infected people.

A work colleagues wife has caught it twice(nurse) and neither him or the kids have caught it. Although he wasn't tested the first time around.

This is be my dumb question of the year. If the virus can apparently be made in a lab, why are we vaccinating instead of developing a variant that is very mild but spreads rapidly?

amandstu

Hardyn wrote: »

I also doubt you went that long without a cold. More likely you just didn't have any noticeable symptoms. It does happen. For instance it's estimated that half of all flu cases are asymptomatic.

That occurred to me too.

But ,to follow the logic of the report I linked ,it could be those with no cold like symptoms over the preceding 5 years would be subject to severe Covid 19 symptoms and it would be noticeable symptoms of eg the common cold that would confer immunity from severe Covid-19 symptoms

I hope this is true ,as it would be good for me on a personal level even if it changed little of the needs for masking,social distancing etc etc

amandstu

Deleted User wrote: »

This is be my dumb question of the year. If the virus can apparently be made in a lab, why are we vaccinating instead of developing a variant that is very mild but spreads rapidly?

Not to be rude but I thought I was dumb.

(don't think the one would displace the other)

wadacrack

Widdensushi wrote: »

In the Princess diamond and Charles de gaulle approximately a third didn't get infected I think? Is it possible that some people have immunity already? In a confined environment like a ship it would be difficult for people not to have come in contact with covid with so many infected.

Some people won't pick up this infection. Thats been seen in some studies . The percentage has been small about 5%

seamus

Deleted User wrote: »

This is be my dumb question of the year. If the virus can apparently be made in a lab, why are we vaccinating instead of developing a variant that is very mild but spreads rapidly?

What makes you think it can be made in a lab?