Covid Mk ll

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Originally Posted by superquag

The latest (Botswana, SA) variant / strain has even been found in 3 other countries (?) - and it will be interesting to see how badly it affects the 'cleanest' Indian State, Uttar Pradesh. They are more than merely aware of it....

New COVID-19 variant ‘Botswana’ reported in UP - OrissaPOST

For the last paragraph, UP has a population around 241 million, Ten times the whole of Australia. Kind of puts things in perspective.

Incidentaly, ScoMo has - so we're told - bought enough jabs for EVERYONE, to have two 'boosters' for the next SEVEN years. - Be a real bummer if Omicron / Botswana required a ......'Novel', re-designed "Vaccine".

Makes it kind of ,,, Moronic,,, to have paid out on such a huge order. One wonders at the IQ and foresight of his $CIENCE 'Advisors'. [bigsad][bigsad][bigsad]

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It is not his money that he's guessing with J2. Some of it is mine & yours.

Actually purchased or placed orders for, again?[bighmmm]

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Originally Posted by DiscoDB

If we end up back into lockdowns because of a new variant in the community then I suspect this will push a lot of people to breaking point. It will give fuel to the anti-Vaxxers, and more people will stop listening to any health orders.

I hope we can keep it out, but opening up international borders and achieving Covid zero do not go together. So we better be prepared for when the new variant arrives.

This will be a real test of both the federal and state governments - especially for those heading toward elections.

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It also wont do many businesses any favours.

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Originally Posted by NavyDiver

The HUGE jump in cases in South Africa when the new 'worst one yet' hit "a daily new case rate of several hundreds, but in the last few days it shot into the thousands and hit 2,465 yesterday." is bad news plus for us smugly now sneaking out. [tonguewink]
Interesting the see how vaccines hold up to it. Suspect they will rather well for the 2nd and 3rd dose crew. The early vaccinated with astrazeneca with about 66% protection or less if you have age or health issues will be needing the huge jump in insurance the 3rd mrna vaccine dose gives.

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Unfortunately, if it's a development of the Beta variant, it will probably be the case that current vaccines will be less effective at preventing infections:

Studies in Qatar, where the Beta variant once accounted for half of all infections, have found that two doses of the Pfizer vaccine are 72 to 75 percent effective at preventing infection with Beta, a lower degree of protection than the shots provide against other variants. But both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines provided strong protection against the worst outcomes; a full course of either vaccine was more than 95 percent effective at preventing severe disease and death.

“Although Pfizer effectiveness was only 75 percent against Beta, and thus breakthrough infections with Beta are not uncommon, these breakthrough infections are mild, and it is very rare for someone fully vaccinated to require serious hospitalization or to die after a Beta breakthrough infection,” Laith Abu-Raddad, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar who led both studies, said in an email.


Unfortunately, it seems that AZ is not effective against Beta:

In February, for instance, South Africa stopped using the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine after clinical trials suggested that the vaccine did not provide good protection against mild or moderate illness caused by Beta. (Subsequent research has suggested that several authorized vaccines do provide strong protection against severe disease caused by the variant, however.) Britain has relied heavily on the AstraZeneca vaccine, which may explain its caution around Beta.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/19/health/beta-variant-covid-19.html


So - the new variant is probably more transmissible and will probably cause more breakthrough infections.

Therefore, it's likely that:

• the unvaccinated are more likely to get infected (and, as a result, get seriously ill);

• more vaccinated people will get infected, but probably not be seriously ill.

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Originally Posted by 4bee

I haven't caught up with the ins & outs, the whys & wherefores etc simply because I still find it difficult to sort chaff from grain & Conspiracies, so is it a Covid by any other name just to try & fool the populace or are we really heading down the **** pan.. I realise you are not yet a Regd. GP yet but there must be talk amongst your colleagues, & your input has got be worth a Harley Street Award imho.

FYI our 3rd vax is coming up late Dec.


Go on, blush, you know you want to.[bigrolf]

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According to the WHO, they need at least a week to determine how dangerous it is, and the CDC in the US is teaming up with their African counterparts, to develop this variant in the lab , and subject it to all sorts of boffin magic to see if our current vaccines will handle it. If not, Pfizer & Moderna have said it would be simple to rejig their vaccines to cope with it. For a price, of course. The irony of this is that the rich countries who have cornered the market on vaccines and vaccinated their population may have found out it means nothing if you don't vaccinate the poorer countries at the time, to the same level. COVID is a great leveller, isn't it.

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Originally Posted by DiscoDB

If we end up back into lockdowns because of a new variant in the community then I suspect this will push a lot of people to breaking point. It will give fuel to the anti-Vaxxers, and more people will stop listening to any health orders.

I hope we can keep it out, but opening up international borders and achieving Covid zero do not go together. So we better be prepared for when the new variant arrives.

This will be a real test of both the federal and state governments - especially for those heading toward elections.

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Lockdowns and mandated mask wearing remain in the agreed armoury in 'vaccinated' Oz if necessary to deal with the unforeseen.

The new variant is probably already here. Being prepared means being prepared for mask wearing if required to limit transmission in the first instance.

DL

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Originally Posted by DiscoDB

If we end up back into lockdowns because of a new variant in the community then I suspect this will push a lot of people to breaking point. It will give fuel to the anti-Vaxxers, and more people will stop listening to any health orders.

I hope we can keep it out, but opening up international borders and achieving Covid zero do not go together. So we better be prepared for when the new variant arrives.

This will be a real test of both the federal and state governments - especially for those heading toward elections.

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If it's more infectious than Delta I don't think that they'll bother with lockdowns like before - notice how we pivoted away from lockdowns when Delta got established and it became clear it couldn't be eliminated that way.

Edit: but masks will be important.

Attachment 175370


Dunno why it's on its side .....

$7 a pop.

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Originally Posted by 350RRC

Lockdowns and mandated mask wearing remain in the agreed armoury in 'vaccinated' Oz if necessary to deal with the unforeseen.

The new variant is probably already here. Being prepared means being prepared for mask wearing if required to limit transmission in the first instance.

DL

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I don't want to start some conspiracy thing, but when I went to Boondall to ask about booster shots, all the staff were in PPE & masks. Odd, I thought. Oh wait. I think I just did......

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Originally Posted by Arapiles

If it's more infectious than Delta I don't think that they'll bother with lockdowns like before - notice how we pivoted away from lockdowns when Delta got established and it became clear it couldn't be eliminated that way.

Edit: but masks will be important.

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If it gets out of hand there'll be lockdowns. The most important thing is mask wearing initially to limit transmission, especially including the unvaxxed.

DL

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Originally Posted by Arapiles

If it's more infectious than Delta I don't think that they'll bother with lockdowns like before - notice how we pivoted away from lockdowns when Delta got established and it became clear it couldn't be eliminated that way.

Edit: but masks will be important.

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I was under the impression that lockdowns are not intended to eliminate the virus.

Surely the purpose of a lockdown is to limit the spread by reducing people's movement and contact.

It stops the exponential growth in the number of cases.

If it does that, then the lockdown has worked. It isn't a valid criticism of lockdowns that they have not done something that they are not designed to do.