Brexit, for once some facts.

[Nev]

The latest Dr. John Campbell reports that the gap between catching Omicron and ending up in hospital (for the few that do) is as little as 10 days which is much shorter than previous versions of Covid. The fact that SA have had huge numbers infected for several weeks now but they are not seeing the kind of surge in hospitalizations that they did with previous waves really looks like the world has dodged a bullet with Omicron.

He also said that for people who had not been vaccinated and had not yet had a covid infection from any of the previous variants, you were only 11% less likely to end up in hospital with Omicron than you were if you caught Delta.

He reported that around 10% of all Londoners have Omicron right now, but most either have no symptoms or just a mild cold. Afro Caribbean Londoners seemed the most likely to end up in hospital with Omicron, this he thought could be down to less vaccination in that population and or Vitamin D deficiency. He is a strong advocate of taking a vitamin D supplement especially in winter.

 

[soundwave]

Think you are missing procedures here SW... You can't have vaccine whilst positive for Covid, I think you have to wait 2 weeks after a negative test., so perhaps your idea might have merit.

Noticed tonight in Telegraph... Claiming AZ reduces death rate for Omicron at a better rate than Pfizer /Moderna.. Suggesting EU's refusal on AZ is causing worse problems..???

problem is a limited company for profit wont care as all about profit, this has gone way to far now!

 

[Nev]

Noticed tonight in Telegraph... Claiming AZ reduces death rate for Omicron at a better rate than Pfizer /Moderna.. Suggesting EU's refusal on AZ is causing worse problems..???

I am not sure why but the Telegraph in particular jump on the flimsiest of data that shows AZ in a good light and the Pfizer vaccine in a bad one. Perhaps this time they might be correct but I would need to see where they had got their information from. The last time they ran a similar story the info had come for the head of AZ and he was just desperately trying to come up with a reason for countries to use AZ in the light of the UK choosing Pizer as the booster vaccine.

 

[jonathan.agnew]

My wife thinks I have finally lost the plot, for just over a week now I have been looking at Watch repair videos, I have no intention of ever fixing a broken watch but the level of precision required to do this kind of work is amazing. I must have seen about 6 or 7 of these videos now, mainly done by the guy in the one I have linked below. If anyone is as sad as me and prepared to give it a look let me know what you think.
Destroyed Vintage Elgin A-11 Military Watch Full Restoration - YouTube

I don't, with a cheap Chinese watch repair kit (amazon) and YouTube video I serviced an old mechanical seamaster over lockdown. It's not difficult at all, only require concentration (get up and leave when one get frustrated) and religiously following steps

 

[Zlatan]

I am not sure why but the Telegraph in particular jump on the flimsiest of data that shows AZ in a good light and the Pfizer vaccine in a bad one. Perhaps this time they might be correct but I would need to see where they had got their information from. The last time they ran a similar story the info had come for the head of AZ and he was just desperately trying to come up with a reason for countries to use AZ in the light of the UK choosing Pizer as the booster vaccine.

Think we stopped expecting truth from most of them months ago. If there is a, slant to be found Telegraph, DM, DE and Guardian will find it. This one does sound like flag waving tho... But??

 

[Zlatan]

I don't, with a cheap Chinese watch repair kit (amazon) and YouTube video I serviced an old mechanical seamaster over lockdown. It's not difficult at all, only require concentration (get up and leave when one get frustrated) and religiously following steps

Think a steady hand might be called for..Rules me out nowadays..
But by coincidence... I bought a Seamaster when I was 14...saved for a year from Saturday job at garage. Its still ticking away..loses about 15 secs a day.. Which is good for mechanical watch.

And just finished reading about John Harrison and first Chronometer for finding Longitude(Book called Longitude) at sea and his fight with Government to get paid. Amazingly it was built from wood, he was a carpenter by trade and wood actually helped.. Fantastic book.

It wasn't Telegraph... Apologies. It was independent.

Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine ‘preventing lagged rise in deaths’

Clive Dix said the durable cellular immunity response produced by the AZ jab can potentially ‘last for life’.

www.independent.co.uk

 

[soundwave]

 

[oyster]

Ah, those were the days

"An Englishman is never lost
mislaid perhaps, but never lost"

Was Mark Thatcher not English?

 

[oldgroaner]

Think you are missing procedures here SW... You can't have vaccine whilst positive for Covid, I think you have to wait 2 weeks after a negative test., so perhaps your idea might have merit.

Noticed tonight in Telegraph... Claiming AZ reduces death rate for Omicron at a better rate than Pfizer /Moderna.. Suggesting EU's refusal on AZ is causing worse problems..???

Well, there's nothing like an unbiassed opinion from the Telegraph

 

[Zlatan]

Well, there's nothing like an unbiassed opinion from the Telegraph

Apparently it was Clive Dix who made comments. (reported in Mirror and Independent) Ex head of UK Task Force on Vaccines. You, d guess he knows a bit about them. Sally on Facebook says he's talking rot tho.
It didn't make Mail and Express because he also attacked Boris/Government in same speech. (Suggests he told Boris to look into omnivariant vaccines months ago, Boris ignored it.)
Surprised more hasn't been made of it.

 

[oyster]

My wife thinks I have finally lost the plot, for just over a week now I have been looking at Watch repair videos, I have no intention of ever fixing a broken watch but the level of precision required to do this kind of work is amazing. I must have seen about 6 or 7 of these videos now, mainly done by the guy in the one I have linked below. If anyone is as sad as me and prepared to give it a look let me know what you think.
Destroyed Vintage Elgin A-11 Military Watch Full Restoration - YouTube

When people do this sort of video, all the quirks of their speech and mannerisms come to the fore. And so many grate! (One reason I'd never do a video of this sort. )

I felt the colour of the hands was disappointing.

 

[oyster]

Apparently it was Clive Dix who made comments. (reported in Mirror and Independent) Ex head of UK Task Force on Vaccines. You, d guess he knows a bit about them. Sally on Facebook says he's talking rot tho.
Surprised more hasn't been made of it.

Quoted (with attribution) in The Guardian.

One reason I am questioning every figure is that almost none distinguish which vaccines have been received. Maybe AZ/AZ/PF is distinctly different to, say, PF/PF/PF? Throw in all the possible patterns, including Sinovax, Sputnik, etc., and you might find some deep and interesting observations.

 

[Zlatan]

Quoted (with attribution) in The Guardian.

One reason I am questioning every figure is that almost none distinguish which vaccines have been received. Maybe AZ/AZ/PF is distinctly different to, say, PF/PF/PF? Throw in all the possible patterns, including Sinovax, Sputnik, etc., and you might find some deep and interesting observations.

I, m not sure what most common in UK is but I, d guess AF. AF. followed by Pfizer or Moderna..
Dix 's reasoning (in attempts to explain UK' s alledged/reported lower relative death figures**) was that AF was different approach, didn't single out particular DNA strands.. And could give life time Immunity to targeted infection.
** could also be more testing in UK. More cases you find the better the death rate appears.???
Don't think anyone can make 100% reliable predictions or explanations at moment. Some are more enlightened than others tho.???
You would have thought Clive Dix was one of the enlightened ones but very little has been made of this... And it could have massive implications if its the case.???
There is something going on in UK as yet hardly mentioned and not explained.
France, similar population to UK, is experiencing fewer infections per day. Our averaging recently well over 100k,France a little below. Deaths at moment fairly similar. (UK total higher but France slightly more recent daily) but if we look at ICU occupation(for Covid) last available figure for UK was 842..France is 3200..???

 

[oyster]

I, m not sure what most common in UK is but I, d guess AF. AF. followed by Pfizer or Moderna..
Dix 's reasoning (in attempts to explain UK' s alledged/reported lower relative death figures**) was that AF was different approach, didn't single out particular DNA strands.. And could give life time Immunity to targeted infection.
** could also be more testing in UK. More cases you find the better the death rate appears.???
Don't think anyone can make 100% reliable predictions or explanations at moment. Some are more enlightened than others tho.???
You would have thought Clive Dix was one of the enlightened ones but very little has been made of this... And it could have massive implications if its the case.???
There is something going on in UK as yet hardly mentioned and not explained.
France, similar population to UK, is experiencing fewer infections per day. Our averaging recently well over 100k,France a little below. Deaths at moment fairly similar. (UK total higher but France slightly more recent daily) but if we look at ICU occupation(for Covid) last available figure for UK was 842..France is 3200..???

Is anyone still getting AZ in the UK - or elsewhere?

 

[Zlatan]

Is anyone still getting AZ in the UK - or elsewhere?

???
I, d guess they will be if this is believed.

 

[oyster]

Gross PR and propaganda:

Covid news live: Boris Johnson to examine new hospital data; Australia passes milestone of 10,000 cases in one day

UK prime minister expected to examine crucial hospital data on Monday before any further restrictions in England; Sydney’s St Vincent’s hospital sent 995 people wrong Covid test information

Johnson has no idea how to examine data. Can't even work out: "If one roll of wallpaper costs £850, how much do ten rolls cost?"

 

[oyster]

Grand plans have a tendency to fall flat. Especially under this government:

The government has quietly backtracked on proposals to require every shop, office or factory in England to install at least one electric car charger if they have a large car park, prompting criticism by environmental campaigners.

The original plan required every new and existing non-residential building with parking for 20 cars or more to install a charger. However, the Department for Transport (DfT) has now revealed it will only require chargers be installed in new or refurbished commercial premises amid fears over the cost for businesses, according to a response to a consultation.

Plans in England for car chargers in all commercial car parks quietly rolled back

Only new or refurbished commercial buildings should install charge points, the DfT says, citing fears over cost

www.theguardian.com

It wasn't that grand but was bigged up to be world-leading. I guess we are now world-trailing?

(Trailing socket, of course.)

 

[flecc]

He reported that around 10% of all Londoners have Omicron right now, but most either have no symptoms or just a mild cold. Afro Caribbean Londoners seemed the most likely to end up in hospital with Omicron, this he thought could be down to less vaccination in that population and or Vitamin D deficiency.

We've known from the beginning that there are big racial differences in vulnerability to Covid-19, white people the most fortunate as the basis for the below that was published last year, long before any vaccines existed:

Black people have 4 times the risk of serious consequences.

Those from the Indian sub-continent 2.5 times.

Asians 1.5 times.

So vaccination levels not paying any part in the differences but vitamin D could be on the basis of sunlight permeability.
.

 

[oyster]

E could be right and NI, S and W wrong. But out-of-step-hood is intrinsic, not something that can apply to one but not the other. Dance partners are either in or out of step with each other. But either or both could be in or out of step with the music. Whether they or the music changed the tempo.

Conservative MPs are expected to be fiercely resistant to any changes. One Tory MP, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said the prime minister should “wait and see” what happens with Omicron in the coming days before taking a decision on further measures.

The treasurer of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservatives told Times Radio: “I think unless the data is very different to that which it was before Christmas, the prime minister would do well just to wait and see what happens in the next few days, because by next week we will have a very clear idea of whether these large number of infections are going to translate into hospital cases.

“But, at the moment, I would urge caution because of the damage to the economy and the damage to individuals by locking them down unnecessarily.”

Asked whether he was concerned that England was “out of step” with the rest of the UK in terms of Omicron restrictions, the Cotswolds MP replied: “I think it is the other way round.

 

[flecc]

It wasn't Telegraph... Apologies. It was independent.

Ah, the paragon of verisimilitudinousness.
.