OK, so to take the first few of those links: the first attributes this partly to ""high levels of immunity [in England]", which of course is largely due to the vaccine rollout and especially the booster campaign.

The second makes exactly the same qualification, referring to "sky-high immunity rates".

The third is less equivocal (and less grammatical): "Vaccines, alongside the high infectiousness of Omicron means COVID is now less deadly than flu, according to a number of reports."

All of which was essentially my point, ie Omicron is not necessarily inherently less lethal than flu. The vaccine rollout has shielded us from its worst excesses.

Not sure that your later point is relevant - whether the individual currently has COVID-19 or has merely had it, the effect with respect to immunity is ultimately the same.

Quote from: David L on March 13, 2022, 10:12:59 PMNo, that's not correct. We know it's considerably less lethal because Omicron is a less pathogenic variant. Witness the reduced fatalities in countries with low vaccination rates. The vaccines may play a part but difficult to assess how much of a part due to the weakening virus. It is a lot more contagious than flu, and that has helped people to quickly develop natural immunity (important when vaccine-induced immunity is short-lived)

I don't think we know that it's inherently less lethal, a study in Japan (news item from this month) suggests that it's more lethal than flu:

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/03/03/national/omicron-deadlier-flu/

Vaccine immunity is stronger than natural immunity (I've heard Chris Smith make this point several times)

https://www.devon.gov.uk/news/study-shows-vaccine-immunity-is-stronger-than-natural-immunity/

But most importantly the critical point about the degree that Omicron is contagious must surely be the risk it poses that very large numbers of people will be infected. We're still living in dangerous times I feel and although the pandemic has been overshadowed by other events recently, I suspect it will make its presence felt again in a few months.

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Poor effort this morning.

Quote from: David L on March 13, 2022, 02:53:09 PMUnlikely now the dominant variant is mild. It's now been classed as less lethal than flu. I've never spent any time worrying about dying of flu.

I'm not worried about dying of COVID, I think it's unlikely in my case since I'm slim, fit and have no underlying medical conditions that I'm aware of. It's other people we have to think about. Also - I think it's more contagious than flu, and I suspect it's only less lethal because so many people have been double and triple-jabbed.

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Not too hard this morning.

I have the impression that most people are done with the virus now, but a more important question is whether it's done with us - and unfortunately it isn't. There's been a bit of an uptick in cases and patients admitted to hospital in the last week or two, and both are heading in the wrong direction.

Couldn't quite believe it when it came up in my Facebook memories this morning, but I underwent my first jab a year ago today. I remember the drive in to Derby (and, to be honest, the sense of dread - I hate needles) like it was a couple of months ago.

Have a feeling I'll be undergoing a fourth in the autumn. We'll see.

But as always - do not panic!

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/cases

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/healthcare

Rather blowy and I was on call, but I wanted to do about 40. The wind was blowing from the south so I thought I'd do a chunk of the eastbound route. But to change things up a bit I thought I'd go a different way over the first 10 miles or so - through Coalville, then up through Shepshed. I knew this would add about 200 ft of climbing for about the same distance.

Unfortunately I was so engrossed in the footy chat on 5 Live that I completely forgot what I'd planned to do, and pursued the usual route. I realised what I'd done at Whitwick and tracked back and onto the intended route, using the Coalville bypass as a short cut to get there.

It was nice to do something different for a change but the road up through Shepshed was like a rollercoaster of hills. I'd been along there in a car many times years ago, but obviously I'd forgotten it. There's a particularly buttock-clenching feature which, when I used to negotiate it in a car years ago, I termed The Devil's Anus, in homage to a similar feature near Hartlepool known to locals as "The Devil's Elbow" - a fast, sharp dip that cleverly uses gravity to propel your vehicle round a curving bend like a slingshot.

The other annoying thing is that when you come into Shepshed there are a couple of roundabouts coming downhill that rob momentum when you're forced to put the anchors on.

Nice view on the high ground along there, though.



I'd planned to go at least as far as the petrol station at Burton on the Wolds because I hadn't brought enough food, but I decided I'd had enough of the headwind before I got as far as Prestwold Park. Additionally I was starting to feel nervous about being too far from base while on call, so I opted to turn back. I knew I'd only end up with about 36 miles if I came back the usual way from there, but a detour via Long Whatton would add a few miles and allow me to refuel at the village shop there.

I had a very pleasant lunch sitting outside said village shop. An egg mayonnaise sandwich, a Twix and a packet of barbecue flavour crisps. Not in that order. I also gulped down a small can of Red Bull.

The chain came off the front chain rings a few miles later which would have been merely a minor inconvenience if I'd had some disposable gloves in the saddle pack, but I didn't. I have two boxes of the things in the garage. I got my hands filthy, of course. But I wiped the worst of it off on the grass at the side of the road.

I suspect the X needs a new chain. It's been performing phantom gear changes recently, as well.

I did get a call from work about 8 miles from home, but whatever the problem had been it had sorted itself out by the time I got back. Probably a network glitch.

I tried the coffee shop at Normanton on Soar on the way out. I carefully pedalled the bike round the back of the community centre there to find it closed. I think it's only open in the mornings. But it looks a nice little place with benches outside. Less than 12 miles from home so not that useful but might be a pleasant diversion on a casual ride.

Mild again today. Mostly sunny, as well. Wore my helmet for a change.

Back on 37.78 miles, a bit less than I wanted but that'll do. 203 done this month.

https://www.strava.com/activities/6813871805
 

Joni Mitchell - Mingus

Quote from: Nick on March 11, 2022, 07:14:24 PMSo much footage on social media. Not that I think NATO should be involved but I think they would easily smash the Russians, all their artillery would be taken out via planes, drones etc. Much of the Russian equipment looks old and their airforce has not really shown any massive superiority. The stingers, nlaws,manpads and Javelins seem to be the weapons of choice.

I think you're right about NATO's technical advantage in conventional weaponry, but - an analyst interviewed the other night on 5 Live or possibly LBC gave a very bleak assessment of what would happen if NATO became involved directly.

Firstly, he supposed, the unity that's presently apparent among the Western nations would dissolve "within seconds" with people taking to the streets to protest. Secondly there's a strong chance that the Russians would use their "battlefield" nuclear munitions - not the ICBMs, but the nuclear-tipped artillery and bombs - against NATO military targets in the region. Apparently they have a lot of these, and he concluded that they would probably win the war, albeit at a huge cost to both sides.

I suppose that the prospect of the Russians being beaten with conventional weapons only makes a nuclear exchange more likely.

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Really thought I'd cracked it on the third go. Took me a long time to think of it, as well.

Quote from: Nick on March 11, 2022, 01:48:07 PMHad high pitched tinnitus for many many years. Never goes, I just put up with it, it's a high pitched electronic sound, like the sound an old telly would make on switching off.

That's it exactly! Sorry to hear. Mine is not bothering me at all at the moment, in fact there's something almost comforting about it, hard to explain.

I think I've got tinnitus. It's subtle, but there's an ever-present faint electronic hissing sound in both ears. I can't even remember when it started; I went to a gig a couple of weeks ago and I think I knew I had it then, but I forgot about it and didn't take ear plugs.

It's very like the slight ringing in your ears that persisted a couple of days after a Motorhead gig.

It's not really distracting, it doesn't prevent me from sleeping, I'm not suffering any hearing loss and I can hear conversations as normal without any trouble. I'm most aware of it in the morning when I wake up. Most of the time I'm not consciously aware of it; it's just there like the sound from my computer fan, or air-conditioning, or the humming of a fridge.

From what my Google research tells me there's a chance it will go away, but I have a feeling it won't. I'll probably never hear complete silence again. But I'll be careful not to listen to music at excess volumes.

He smells of coffee and motel shower gel.

Just had a look on Wiggle and they have no less than 18 Lezyne hand pumps! 

I already have six or seven of various different sizes. My favourite is a very light and usable Boardman-branded one that came with the second Boardman. Nice combination of reliable and very light, although some of my other pumps would get the job done quicker.