COVID-19

[Slim]

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.

[David L]

The first point is that although you suspect that now covid is "only less lethal because so many people have been double and triple-jabbed", that's not the case. There are other acknowledged reasons for it causing fewer deaths.

The later point explores the methodology behind the research you quoted to determine that vaccine-acquired immunity is more effective than naturally-acquired immunity (https://www.devon.gov.uk/news/study-shows-vaccine-immunity-is-stronger-than-natural-immunity/)

I could be wrong but reading the piece below leads me to think the limitations of the PCR test makes the conclusion, from this study at least, far from definitive

https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/pcr-positives-what-do-they-mean/

[Slim]

The first point is that although you suspect that now covid is "only less lethal because so many people have been double and triple-jabbed", that's not the case. There are other acknowledged reasons for it causing fewer deaths.

That's not quite logical; it may be inherently milder than Delta but we can't say that it is inherently less lethal than flu, which is the proposition I addressed.

[David L]

The first point is that although you suspect that now covid is "only less lethal because so many people have been double and triple-jabbed", that's not the case. There are other acknowledged reasons for it causing fewer deaths.

That's not quite logical; it may be inherently milder than Delta but we can't say that it is inherently less lethal than flu, which is the proposition I addressed.

No. You made a statement and I said it was incorrect.  Anyway:

https://www.news24.com/health24/medical/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/covid-19-now-less-deadly-than-flu-in-the-uk-analysis-shows-20220314

Might be a different story in other countries but seems to be the case in England.

[Slim]

No. You made a statement and I said it was incorrect. 

Yes, exactly. But it probably wasn't incorrect.

https://www.news24.com/health24/medical/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/covid-19-now-less-deadly-than-flu-in-the-uk-analysis-shows-20220314

Might be a different story in other countries but seems to be the case in England.

.. and in the second paragraph

This is due to high immunity levels, mostly obtained through vaccination, as well as Omicron's 'milder' nature.

[pdw1]

Oh no not again.

Please God can we ban 3 things from ranting here: Brexit, Covid & Boris

[Slim]

I understand your aversion very well but so far we've avoided making it personal and stuck to the arguments. I'm sure we can continue in that vein.

Just thinking aloud here really but back in 2003, there was a special opt-in section on T-N-M-S, created because arguments about the Iraq war had become so bitter and heated that it was thought better to insulate the general membership from them. We could do that again here if necessary.

That turned out mostly being me versus two or three people who were all in favour of the war and it was pretty unpleasant.

BTW back on topic, happy to see that Chris Smith is on 5 Live after midnight again, in a shortened version of his 'Midnight Medic' slot.

[Rufus_the_dawg]

CV19 is every where at the moment, a member of my squash team just went down with it my mum has it, and I know so many more people with it.

[Matt2112]

Seems to be a pretty substantial bounceback of cases after they were tumbling for a while. Of course, the real focus is on serious outcomes, and it looks very much like we're in a much better position on that score.

Got a message today from the host of a function I was at last weekend - apparently 12 positive cases amongst the attendees have been declared since.

I have absolutely no symptoms at the moment.  As far as I'm aware I've somehow dodged Covid, even including when I spent long hours during a week of daily visits to a Covid isolation room sitting by my mum's bedside when she was seriously ill last year (albeit with Covid, as opposed to from it).

There's still little room for complacency.

[Rufus_the_dawg]

Step daughter was at a wedding last weekend and 16 people have gone down with covid. Nephew was at a party and one guy decided to go even though he had test positive and most people now have covid that went to the party.

[Slim]

An immunologist mentioned on 5 Live Drive last night that the 'BA2' variant of Omicron is becoming more dominant. It's a bit more transmissible still than the bog standard Omicron we know and love. But not more severe, as far as is known.

https://www.who.int/news/item/22-02-2022-statement-on-omicron-sublineage-ba.2

[Fishy]

BA2 is now the dominant one in Scotland with numbers going sky high again.. one of the regular virus people reckons we'll hit the peak in a couple of weeks and it may slowly burn itselfs out as there will a lot less people for it to infect.

[Slim]

I did hear that the BA2 peak is very "sharp", ie it rises rapidly but falls away just as quickly.

[Nickslikk2112]

Well, we had managed to avoid COVID in this household, but just as the boy has started his first paying job - in his bloody 24th year - he's come down with COVID 

Mrs S and my good self are free from it.

[Slim]

Cases (by date reported), updated yesterday at https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/cases



Hospitalisations are up as well, but that's not reflected in the number of people being ventilated, which has increased only very slightly.

Heard this morning that three million people in the UK are currently infected, more than at any time during the pandemic.