Brexit, for once some facts.

Jesus H Christ

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I thought they had decided on 12 week delay before arrival of SA mutation??? Think JVT etc are good but even I don't think they can read future..???
Just checked... SA variant arrived 23 Dec.. Change to vaccine delay decided 28th Dec, announced 30th...So its possible??? But at that stage we had 2 cases?? (or they had found 2 cases) So I think it's unlikely.
I think the SA variant is worrying them. The amount of resources being thrown at it is telling. I fear it’s not enough though and the variant has the potential to undo a lot of what has been achieved via vaccination.

In a way, vaccination is easy. It’s the equivalent of stamping out steel washers on a production line. Once the materials and operatives are in place it’s simple a repetitive process. We seem to be good at the simple stuff.

Testing, tracing, containing and intercepting is more difficult and needs a more intelligent approach. It’s an ever changing game which requires quick thinking, anticipation, nimbleness and creativity. Sadly these attributes have been absent since day one and with arrivals from South Africa sill entering the U.K. without any checks whatsoever, as recently as Monday, things aren’t about to change.
 

Nev

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I think the SA variant is worrying them. The amount of resources being thrown at it is telling. I fear it’s not enough though and the variant has the potential to undo a lot of what has been achieved via vaccination.
Can you imagine what trouble we would be in if it was say the 9th of September or October instead of the 9th of February, I know its really cold at the moment but at least the nights are getting shorter and we are getting more sun light. If you remember last year the summer seemed to kill off the virus leaving just low levels circulating in some places.

I would imagine the same thing will happen this time even if the SA virus becomes wide spread in the UK. This should give the boffins time to develop new vaccines for around the Autumn if they are required.

As others have said this is going to be an on going battle and will end up a bit like the flu virus, we will have to change the vaccine every year, we will all be vaccinated in the late summer early Autumn to protect us over the Winter. Then come late spring early summer it will virtually disappear in the norther hemisphere and re-appear in the southern when they enter their winter.
 

oyster

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Can you imagine what trouble we would be in if it was say the 9th of September or October instead of the 9th of February, I know its really cold at the moment but at least the nights are getting shorter and we are getting more sun light. If you remember last year the summer seemed to kill off the virus leaving just low levels circulating in some places.
If we knew, in detail, why these viruses end up being effectively seasonal, we might be able to use that knowledge to reduce their impact.

I noticed in a news clip some hotel had what looked like UV light-based anti-Covid/anti-virus devices in its halls. Do they work? Are there other approaches we could use?

(Yes, I know excessive UV can cause eye and skin problems and, via ozone creation, breathing problems. But choosing precise frequencies, intensities and using in enclosed devices, we might have a usable approach.)
 

Jesus H Christ

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Can you imagine what trouble we would be in if it was say the 9th of September or October instead of the 9th of February, I know its really cold at the moment but at least the nights are getting shorter and we are getting more sun light. If you remember last year the summer seemed to kill off the virus leaving just low levels circulating in some places.

I would imagine the same thing will happen this time even if the SA virus becomes wide spread in the UK. This should give the boffins time to develop new vaccines for around the Autumn if they are required.

As others have said this is going to be an on going battle and will end up a bit like the flu virus, we will have to change the vaccine every year, we will all be vaccinated in the late summer early Autumn to protect us over the Winter. Then come late spring early summer it will virtually disappear in the norther hemisphere and re-appear in the southern when they enter their winter.
That’s how I see it. We are starting to gain a tail wind as the days get longer, warmer and ambient UV light increases. I hope we don’t squander it again and use the time properly to prepare for next winter. My fear is that Johnson will want a big Victory Party running all summer.
 
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jonathan.agnew

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Dec 27, 2018
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Can you imagine what trouble we would be in if it was say the 9th of September or October instead of the 9th of February, I know its really cold at the moment but at least the nights are getting shorter and we are getting more sun light. If you remember last year the summer seemed to kill off the virus leaving just low levels circulating in some places.

I would imagine the same thing will happen this time even if the SA virus becomes wide spread in the UK. This should give the boffins time to develop new vaccines for around the Autumn if they are required.

As others have said this is going to be an on going battle and will end up a bit like the flu virus, we will have to change the vaccine every year, we will all be vaccinated in the late summer early Autumn to protect us over the Winter. Then come late spring early summer it will virtually disappear in the norther hemisphere and re-appear in the southern when they enter their winter.
Shamir mahdi, who did the wits study, say health policy will shift from securing herd immunity (which may not be possible with the new variant) to protecting those at high risk. Unless theres a major breakthrough I think were in for a few years of social distancing
 

Jesus H Christ

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If we knew, in detail, why these viruses end up being effectively seasonal, we might be able to use that knowledge to reduce their impact.

I noticed in a news clip some hotel had what looked like UV light-based anti-Covid/anti-virus devices in its halls. Do they work? Are there other approaches we could use?

(Yes, I know excessive UV can cause eye and skin problems and, via ozone creation, breathing problems. But choosing precise frequencies, intensities and using in enclosed devices, we might have a usable approach.)
I thought these devices pulled the air through them and over intense internal UV light. The light is contained inside the unit. Could be wrong though.
 

Jesus H Christ

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Shamir mahdi, who did the wits study, say health policy will shift from securing herd immunity (which may not be possible with the new variant) to protecting those at high risk. Unless theres a major breakthrough I think were in for a few years of social distancing
More likely advice to social distancing. I’ve not seen a lot of it going on.
 

sjpt

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They are saying no alcohol 2 days before the vaccine and for 2 weeks after..How many will
stick to this? not to mention the Russians.
Where is that being said? I'm not disagreeing, just curious.

When I went for the jab alcohol wasn't mentioned at any point. After the jab I was given an information sheet (that started by saying 'read this carefully before the jab') with a lot of stuff in it, but no mention of alcohol.

One thing that surprised me is that nobody stressed at the time of the jab that the jab would not be at all effective for a time, and that I should continue to behave exactly as before it. That has been made fairly clear generally, but there are still a lot of people who are not aware of it (as well as a lot more that just ignore it).

I had the Pfeizer just under a week ago, no significant side effects. My wife had the AZ yesterday at the same setup, feeling decidedly headachy and drowsy today. (She did have a small glass of wine yesterday evening. oh, and she is 1/2 Russian though UK born and bred.)
 

sjpt

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Can you imagine what trouble we would be in if it was say the 9th of September or October instead of the 9th of February, I know its really cold at the moment but at least the nights are getting shorter and we are getting more sun light. If you remember last year the summer seemed to kill off the virus leaving just low levels circulating in some places.
It's spreading like mad in South Africa even though it's summer there.
 

Zlatan

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Nov 26, 2016
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There must be something about this virus medics could exploit with its seemingly little effect on young kids... I know I, m harping on about it again but talking to daughter she thinks her 4 Yr old had virus first... His only symptom, wouldn't leave tele to go outside one day last week, which is unusual for him. Her other older son has shown no symptoms at all. How can a child living with 2 infected parents, probably an infected brother not get it? And, if 4 Yr old got it, what's going on in his immune system to cope so easily??? Daughter's friend (39) has been suffering on and off for 4 months. Showing negative and positive results along way?
It's all very odd.
 
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oyster

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They are saying no alcohol 2 days before the vaccine and for 2 weeks after..How many will
stick to this? not to mention the Russians.
I came across this at the beginning of January:

People who receive the Covid-19 vaccine should abstain from drinking before and after having the jab, an expert in immunology has advised. This is because drinking booze can alter the way the immune system works.

As part of a new BBC documentary, The Truth About Boosting Your Immune System, which airs on January 6, emergency medicine specialist Dr Ronx Ikharia took blood samples before and after drinking three glasses of Prosecco. She found the quantity of alcohol was enough to reduce the levels of white lymphocyte cells in the blood by half.

This is a problem, because such cells are crucial in fighting off attacks to your body from viruses and other pathogens. If they are reduced or damaged by alcohol consumption, this can weaken the immune response.

Professor Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist from the University of Manchester, told the show: “You need to have your immune system working tip-top to have a good response to the vaccine, so if you’re drinking the night before, or shortly afterwards, that’s not going to help.”


https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/alcohol-and-the-covid-vaccine_uk_5ff2ddf3c5b6ec8ae0b40835

Don't mix Sputnik vaccine with alcohol, says Russian official. Some recoil
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A health official’s warning that anyone getting vaccinated against COVID-19 with Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine should give up alcohol for almost two months has caused a backlash among some Russians who call the request unreasonable.
https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-russia-vaccine-alcoho-idUSKBN28J239
 

Woosh

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s part of a new BBC documentary, The Truth About Boosting Your Immune System, which airs on January 6, emergency medicine specialist Dr Ronx Ikharia took blood samples before and after drinking three glasses of Prosecco. She found the quantity of alcohol was enough to reduce the levels of white lymphocyte cells in the blood by half.
I don't believe that.
Where would the missing white lymphocyte cells go hiding?
 

oldgroaner

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Nov 15, 2015
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I came across this at the beginning of January:

People who receive the Covid-19 vaccine should abstain from drinking before and after having the jab, an expert in immunology has advised. This is because drinking booze can alter the way the immune system works.

As part of a new BBC documentary, The Truth About Boosting Your Immune System, which airs on January 6, emergency medicine specialist Dr Ronx Ikharia took blood samples before and after drinking three glasses of Prosecco. She found the quantity of alcohol was enough to reduce the levels of white lymphocyte cells in the blood by half.

This is a problem, because such cells are crucial in fighting off attacks to your body from viruses and other pathogens. If they are reduced or damaged by alcohol consumption, this can weaken the immune response.

Professor Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist from the University of Manchester, told the show: “You need to have your immune system working tip-top to have a good response to the vaccine, so if you’re drinking the night before, or shortly afterwards, that’s not going to help.”


https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/alcohol-and-the-covid-vaccine_uk_5ff2ddf3c5b6ec8ae0b40835

Don't mix Sputnik vaccine with alcohol, says Russian official. Some recoil
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A health official’s warning that anyone getting vaccinated against COVID-19 with Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine should give up alcohol for almost two months has caused a backlash among some Russians who call the request unreasonable.
https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-russia-vaccine-alcoho-idUSKBN28J239
Asking Russians not to Drink Alcohol?
I don't for a moment think any Russian would use the word unreasonable!!!
And many thanks for the link!
 
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oldgroaner

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Nov 15, 2015
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I came across this at the beginning of January:

People who receive the Covid-19 vaccine should abstain from drinking before and after having the jab, an expert in immunology has advised. This is because drinking booze can alter the way the immune system works.

As part of a new BBC documentary, The Truth About Boosting Your Immune System, which airs on January 6, emergency medicine specialist Dr Ronx Ikharia took blood samples before and after drinking three glasses of Prosecco. She found the quantity of alcohol was enough to reduce the levels of white lymphocyte cells in the blood by half.

This is a problem, because such cells are crucial in fighting off attacks to your body from viruses and other pathogens. If they are reduced or damaged by alcohol consumption, this can weaken the immune response.

Professor Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist from the University of Manchester, told the show: “You need to have your immune system working tip-top to have a good response to the vaccine, so if you’re drinking the night before, or shortly afterwards, that’s not going to help.”


https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/alcohol-and-the-covid-vaccine_uk_5ff2ddf3c5b6ec8ae0b40835

Don't mix Sputnik vaccine with alcohol, says Russian official. Some recoil
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A health official’s warning that anyone getting vaccinated against COVID-19 with Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine should give up alcohol for almost two months has caused a backlash among some Russians who call the request unreasonable.
https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-russia-vaccine-alcoho-idUSKBN28J239
Aha! I've figured out what happened the clue is here
"Dr Ronx Ikharia took blood samples before and after drinking three glasses of Prosecco. She found the quantity of alcohol was enough to reduce the levels of white lymphocyte cells in the blood by half. "

I wonder what results she would have got if she hadn't drunk three glasses of Prosecco?
Apparently it doesn't improve your eyesight either!

Talk about doing a test the hard wayo_O
 

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