The Pingdemic

[czechmate]

‘I’m sorry, but it’s too late’: Alabama doctor tells unvaccinated, dying COVID patients

“And now all you really see is their fear and their regret. And even though I may walk into the room thinking, ‘Okay, this is your fault, you did this to yourself,’ when I leave the room, I just see a person that's really suffering, and that is so regretful for the choice that they made.”

www.al.com

Are Americans really so daft to ask for a vaccine for something they already have

 

[primmiemoo]

There was some talk from the "experts" here a while ago suggesting that even if 95% of the population were vaccinated the Delta strain would still spread. That's with Pfizer only which seems better than AstraZeneca at stopping spread (although they are both good at keeping you out of hospital) No way any country will get that high. So with a lot of the UK vaccinated and a lot who have had the virus, isn't it better to let the rest be exposed to it now, in summer?
Perhaps by winter it will be struggling to spread because almost everyone will have antibodies.
Combine that with booster shots, is there any other way?

Booster shots will be essential, I would imagine. I think I heard on the radio that work is being carried out to develop a combined influenza and covid jab to make that top up of immunity easier. At a guess, ways of adapting vaccines to stimulate immunity to covid-19 variants are also being honed.

I read the most recent edition of Private Eye last night, wherein its columnist MD ponders the pros and cons of the so called Freedom Day this week.
The top contra on his list is vaccine-resistant variants [from page 8, Issue no.1552, 23 July - 5 August]:

'1. Vaccine-resistant variants

If you want to create the ideal petri dish environment to allow a vaccine-resistant variant to mutate and select, then combining high level of vaccination with uncontrolled Delta spread should just about do it. Variants of the Delta variant are already emerging. Expect some of them to find a way to escape the vaccines.'

He then moves on to children, strain on ICUs, unvaccinated adults (covid complications in major organs from treatment, plus implications from long covid), misbehaviour, shortage of essential workers, to:

'7. The illusion of control

Hybrid immunity [explained in his pros list as ... "getting community immunity as high as possible over summer by double-vaccinating as many adults as possible, while simultaneously allowing everyone else (including children) to get infected (and hopefully develop some immunity) as we relax during a summer surge" ~ and placing that in its context of political wriggling] has a certain logic, but if the pandemic has taught us one thing, it's that you can't control the timing, depth and duration of waves of infection. We tried to control the first wave to keep deaths down and prevent a second wave, and ended up with a huge first wave and, thanks to variants, an even bigger second wave.
The best we can hope for is a sensible summer of outdoor fun and then be prepared for all manner of winter scenarios, some of which may involve U-turns and restrictions. However, near complete vaccination remains our best hope of near normality.'

Letting so much of the Delta variant into the country was a big mistake, and will set us back I fear.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Booster shots will be essential, I would imagine. I think I heard on the radio that work is being carried out to develop a combined influenza and covid jab to make that top up of immunity easier. At a guess, ways of adapting vaccines to stimulate immunity to covid-19 variants are also being honed.

I read the most recent edition of Private Eye last night, wherein its columnist MD ponders the pros and cons of the so called Freedom Day this week.
The top contra on his list is vaccine-resistant variants [from page 8, Issue no.1552, 23 July - 5 August]:

'1. Vaccine-resistant variants

If you want to create the ideal petri dish environment to allow a vaccine-resistant variant to mutate and select, then combining high level of vaccination with uncontrolled Delta spread should just about do it. Variants of the Delta variant are already emerging. Expect some of them to find a way to escape the vaccines.'

He then moves on to children, strain on ICUs, unvaccinated adults (covid complications in major organs from treatment, plus implications from long covid), misbehaviour, shortage of essential workers, to:

'7. The illusion of control

Hybrid immunity [explained in his pros list as ... "getting community immunity as high as possible over summer by double-vaccinating as many adults as possible, while simultaneously allowing everyone else (including children) to get infected (and hopefully develop some immunity) as we relax during a summer surge" ~ and placing that in its context of political wriggling] has a certain logic, but if the pandemic has taught us one thing, it's that you can't control the timing, depth and duration of waves of infection. We tried to control the first wave to keep deaths down and prevent a second wave, and ended up with a huge first wave and, thanks to variants, an even bigger second wave.
The best we can hope for is a sensible summer of outdoor fun and then be prepared for all manner of winter scenarios, some of which may involve U-turns and restrictions. However, near complete vaccination remains our best hope of near normality.'

Letting so much of the Delta variant into the country was a big mistake, and will set us back I fear.

Total scaremongering. The variants are not a big deal - if anything the virus is mutating and becoming milder.

 

[primmiemoo]

Total scaremongering. The variants are not a big deal - if anything the virus is mutating and becoming milder.

MD is a well respected Doctor of medicine. This covid-19 is still a novel virus, so we really cannot be that certain. I know I would love to think of it becoming domesticated.

 

[SilliamWhale]

MD is a well respected Doctor of medicine. This covid-19 is still a novel virus, so we really cannot be that certain. I know I would love to think of it becoming domesticated.

The recording of deaths is dodgy, the daily press conferences, the constant media talk of cases and admissions (not have who have got better, how ill people actually are, how many "cases" of people who are unaware of it, mass testing of kids in schools etc) all serve to ramp up the fear narrative.

The vaccines have been a success, they have totally dampened down the worst of the symptomns most especially for the most vulnerable.

 

[SilliamWhale]

MD is a well respected Doctor of medicine. This covid-19 is still a novel virus, so we really cannot be that certain. I know I would love to think of it becoming domesticated.

What is their name?

 

[primmiemoo]

What is their name?

Dr Phil Hammond. He knows his stuff. At the moment, he's extending his study into support for people with CFS and PVS into support for people with long covid.

At no point has he written anything to provoke fear or scaremongering. He's reported the progress of the pandemic and admitted his early misjudgement of its enormity. His optimism is now more tempered by recognition of the degree that politicking screws up simple public health messages, and the degree that mis- and disinformation harm strategies that work to clobber pandemics.

 

[Daniel]

Dr Phil Hammond. He knows his stuff. At the moment, he's extending his study into support for people with CFS and PVS into support for people with long covid.

At no point has he written anything to provoke fear or scaremongering. He's reported the progress of the pandemic and admitted his early misjudgement of its enormity. His optimism is now more tempered by recognition of the degree that politicking screws up simple public health messages, and the degree that mis- and disinformation harm strategies that work to clobber pandemics.

Long Covid being a disease which primarily affects those employed by the public sector and academia, less prevalent amongst the private sector and self employed?

 

[primmiemoo]

Long Covid being a disease which primarily affects those employed by the public sector and academia, less prevalent amongst the private sector and self employed?

No.

It's illness arising from this virus. I have had Post Viral Fatigue, and would not wish it on anyone. Long covid is worse. Targeted therapy works, though, but there isn't enough available.

 

[TheTallGuy]

Long Covid being a disease which primarily affects those employed by the public sector and academia, less prevalent amongst the private sector and self employed?

I know of several cases of long covid amongst private sector workers - including those with very little employer support. One of them is still suffering the effects over a year after her infection, she's carried on working because SSP isn't enough to cover her mortgage (would have run out by now anyway) and put food on her table. As it is, she works, eats & sleeps - rarely doing anything else just to get by.

 

[Formatted]

If we didn't have smartphones, facebook and 24 hour news we wouldn't even know about covid

Love crap like this, yeh and if we didn't have cars we'd still be using horses and carts? Whats your point? Just emotive nonsense.

 

[primmiemoo]

I know of several cases of long covid amongst private sector workers - including those with very little employer support. One of them is still suffering the effects over a year after her infection, she's carried on working because SSP isn't enough to cover her mortgage (would have run out by now anyway) and put food on her table. As it is, she works, eats & sleeps - rarely doing anything else just to get by.

Sadly, there are employers who are brainwashed by the views of the barrack room "experts" from their [insert name here] club or association ~ and could well be thought of as jolly good sorts for ignoring genuine outcomes of illness.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Love crap like this, yeh and if we didn't have cars we'd still be using horses and carts? Whats your point? Just emotive nonsense.

My point is that the virus will runs it's course they always have done and always will. Get real. Not one country has "stopped" it. Look at Australia now - it's going through the same thing

Extensive use of behavioural scientists to force a position, as well as masks and vast amounts of public money etc serve to ramp up the narrative.

Delta variant is resulting in barely any deaths, most of the covid hosptialisations are unrelated to covid. But by all means you keep living in fear

 

[SilliamWhale]

Sadly, there are employers who are brainwashed by the views of the barrack room "experts" from their [insert name here] club or association ~ and could well be thought of as jolly good sorts for ignoring genuine outcomes of illness.

I think post viral fatigue exists for sure. Nearly all post viral fatigue is over after 12 weeks. Some people will take longer.

 

[BrianV]

Given the absolute bullocks this useless crowd in government have made of handling the virus with the endless pinging & isolation rules now causing havoc for businesses & what's worse their hopeless reaction to the problem can any of us honestly think anything other than these new subsidy rules are going to be absolute nightmare to deal with!

 

[primmiemoo]

I think post viral fatigue exists for sure. Nearly all post viral fatigue is over after 12 weeks. Some people will take longer.

I was only seen by the GP after 3 months. He was not bovvered. It took me about 7 years to be well again.
Wish Dr Hammond's clinic had existed back then.

 

[SilliamWhale]

I was only seen by the GP after 3 months. He was not bovvered. It took me about 7 years to be well again.
Wish Dr Hammond's clinic had existed back then.

I'm sorry to hear that but its rare rather than Jan common. Out of interest how did his clinic help you get over it?

 

[primmiemoo]

I'm sorry to hear that but its rare rather than Jan common. Out of interest how did his clinic help you get over it?

Thanks. It wasn't in existence back then, alas. I had to cobble together enough energy to climb that mountain by myself ~ once I'd managed to accumulate enough energy and clarity to start reading again. It goes right through a person.

I do know that positive things come from the study of PVF along with the complexities of CFS, and now Long Covid. The more of that sort of clinic, the better, that's for certain. Long Covid is not so rare, as is emerging.

 

[Widgetone]

I'm feeling conditioned.
While the Boris et al have been crap most of the time since the pandemic rocked up, I'm now missing leadership - its like they've given up. Has he gone on holiday rather than isolating? I want him holding up today's newspaper in front of Chequers..

 

[Yale]

It’s like they’ve run out of road……even I can’t see where we go from here if we get more aggressive variants.

Maybe it is like watching a slow motion car crash.