Covid 19 Part XXXV-956,720 ROI (5,952 deaths) 452,946 NI (3,002 deaths) (08/01) Read OP

So 42% of daily cases are unvaccinated.

So obviously not causing all the cases, but still a big chunk. And of course 25% of them in a group who can't get vaccinated. Still plenty of unvaccinated people out there for the virus to keep circulating at high numbers.

Looks like the under 12's are driving the cases though, their % week on week has been increasing due to the **** show of stopping contact tracing in the schools.

He has studied epidemiology but has actually never practised as a doc or anything. He is a party politician first and foremost. But at least his qualifications match the new job. His predecessor was a banker. Not that thats in anyway remarkable. Most ministers dont actually seem qualified for their resort. So I give him that.

But he's on every talk show and in every paper every single day (literally). He is Germany's number one shrill doom monger. To the point where I have wondered in the past if there was something wrong with him. And I dont think thats just my bias talking. He comes across as a bit unhinged. He's like Claire Byrne with a party affiliation.

As for his appointment I'm actually surprised. I thought he was going to be the useful idiot dropped the moment the elections were won. Like the Farage of covid.

Having said all that I think he's genuine to some degree. While he talks in the most pessimistic superlatives only and has spread nonsense himself he has called out other people's nonsense in the past, too. He is nobody's fool that way. For that I'll give him the benefit of doubt. And like I said at least what he's talking about has its roots in actual qualification.

You seem to know a lot about the problem of the unvaccinated, can you explain more about the composition of unvaccinated people (demographics, conditions, reason for being unvaccinated etc), particularly those in ICU?

Why would we still need certs? They achieve nothing from a health perspective. I get masks, I get (though often disagree with) other restrictions. But the certs are nonsense, they aren't stopping infections. The only valid argument I can see is to encourage people to get vaccinated, but there aren't even making that argument.

To be fair, we have higher vaccination rates than the countries you cited, it may only be a couple of percentage points, but they clearly do matter. And I don't agree with your last paragraph whatsoever. If we had enough/more than enough hospital capacity, why would there be any restrictions for a largely-vaccinated public? And kids don't get sick.

Also, what restrictions are UK bringing back? Masks in indoor settings is all I've seen.

yes i agree, ive heard this from a few people

They may have inadvertently been a bribe to get vaccinated at first, but at 92+% eligible done, they won't make a difference to the rest.

Where they do make a difference is reducing the chances of the unvaccinated getting infected (where they are 12x more likely to end up in hospital and take up a bed) and if they do, from spreading it to others, where the reduction in transmission wanes from vaccination time but still appears to be apparent (even in the home setting with almost continued exposure). Maybe an age cert would be better but good luck with your political career after doing it (+ everyone can get vaccinated, people can't be younger no matter how much they try).

Even the UK is bringing them in (Wales, NI, Scotland, Boris doesn't give a sh*t about the English) along with every other European country, country's with the highest vax uptake are also seeing the lowest hospitalisation rates.

Amazing stuff from Sweden really, just getting on with it. No idea if vaccines were much to do with it or not but it seems to of worked.

Even with Delta going around the amount of over 65's going to hospital and ICU is crazy low compared to others.Will be interesting to see what things look like in a couple of months when it looks like those just above them seem to be just kicking off again.

Covid certs aren't just unique to this country. I was in Germany and France a few weeks back - covid certs required every where. Hotels, restaurants, bars, tourist attractions.

Yeah, but other countries are using them to try to force up low vaccination rates. Our government didn't voluntarily choose to use them and the original plan was to drop them from hospitality on October 22.

And possibly the fact that they rarely closed anything - just empowered people to be responsible?

Capacity limits and curfews restrict supply but not demand for socialising, and just pushes people to socialise in denser and less-regulated environments.

Swedish bars and restaurants have been open almost as normal for most of the pandemic. A lot more than ours certainly. Also as with the UK, there was definitely something to be said for allowing everything as normal during summer to build up immunity in advance of respiratory virus season.

Good point Lumen, i think they did not vaccinate a huge % of the country though.

Figures i get are 1.9 AZ & 4.9 PZ.

I know they did ban one of them to be given to under 65's early on and kept it that way and donated the excess ones to other countries.

At the behest of NPHET and I'd expect them to drop them as soon as they think they can.

C'mon man cases don't matter. Look the ICU numbers while Delta is in full flow around Europe. Yet we all know that those that go into ICU are older people but it just seems like it is not happening for some reason.