Coronavirus (Non-Politics)

[Holy Joe]

Not so good news for our area...

A Variant of Concern has been detected in Chelmsford, and residents are being advised by public health experts to get tested to keep it in check.
Essex County Council is working closely with Public Health England, our council partners and Essex and Southend Contact Tracing Service following the emergence of a small number of cases of the Covid-19 Variant of Concern, VoC 1617.2, in Chelmsford. This is the variant thought to have originated in India.
At present, the variant has been identified in cases within 7 households. The majority of these cases have no obvious link to foreign travel, it is therefore likely that the variant is present in the community.
Targeted PCR testing at locations where individuals from these households are known to have visited will take place.
Regional and local public health experts are also calling for residents living in the Chelmsford City Council area to do a Lateral Flow Test as soon as possible.
Residents can collect at home tests kits from their local library or pharmacy or order online. The self-testing kits are easy to use and deliver results in approximately half an hour.
Testing will help identify anyone who may have been infected but is not displaying symptoms. Those who test positive will then need to self- isolate, which will prevent further spread.
Should a resident test positive they must then take a PCR test to confirm. If this test is positive, the results will be used by Public Health England to test for the variant.
Director of Public Health at Essex County Council, Dr Mike Gogarty said: “Though the light is at the end of the tunnel with the continued roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine, the emergence of this new variant proves we can’t let down our guard. We need anyone not showing Covid-19 symptoms, particularly those in Chelmsford, to play their part and take a test.
“I would ask that all residents across the county continue to test regularly. Regular self-testing, twice a week, with lateral flow tests can reduce the spread of infection and stop people unknowingly passing on the virus to others.”
Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, Cllr John Spence said: “It will be no great surprise that this variant has emerged somewhere in Essex. We all want restrictions to be eased, so we want to nip this in the bud – it is not a cause for huge concern, but it is a cause for caution, and this is precautionary.”
Leader of Chelmsford City Council, Cllr Stephen Robinson said: “I understand that the news of a variant of concern emerging in Chelmsford is worrying. I have confidence in the recommendations from our Public Health team to address this issue.
“So if you live in the Chelmsford City Council area, please do pick up or order a Lateral Flow test and take it right away.
“If we all work together, continue to follow all the guidelines (including keeping our distance from others) and test and self-isolate where required, we can stop the spread.”
The home self-test LFD test kits can be collected from libraries and pharmacies throughout the Chelmsford City Council area. They can be ordered on-line from the Government at gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests and delivered free to a home address.
For those unable to order on-line they can be obtained by phoning 119. Any one of school age or older can have an LFD test.

 

[dcblue]

There will always be variants and when convenient it will be of concern. This has been going on for well over a year and I for one am so tired of hearing about it.

 

[jackj13]

A variant so deadly they have to do door to door visits at peoples homes to find it.

on another note the discussion of potential delay to 21 June is a very dangerous road to go down. Of course I recommend everybody to have the vaccine and I don’t know why some choose to not have it. But it’s not a legal obligation, people have the right to make their own choices and if they know they may end up in hospital if they choose not to have it that’s a risk they take. However restricting the majority of the population because some choose to not to have it is a very sticky path to go down.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Inevitably it seems the India virus will become th most prevalent form of the virus in the UK in a"few days"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...iant-almost-doubled-in-four-days-says-hancock, which means presumably it will be the most prevalent form of the virus in Europe this summer as travel restrictions are lifted.Time to get your jabs now if you haven't already methinks.

 

[Member]

There will always be variants and when convenient it will be of concern. This has been going on for well over a year and I for one am so tired of hearing about it.

Awwwwwwwww.


Getting variants under control while we roll-out vaccinations as quickly as possible is the only way we exit this nightmare. Trivialising it and not taking it seriously will just prolong things. These variants are highly transmissible and if we allow them to circulate in un-vaccinated people then they could lead to illness and also lead to newer variants, which might circumvent vaccines, or be more deadly. Local efforts to avoid spread are essential, and we should be surge vaccinating as quickly as possible in areas where the variant is identified.

 

[jackj13]

Awwwwwwwww.


Getting variants under control while we roll-out vaccinations as quickly as possible is the only way we exit this nightmare. Trivialising it and not taking it seriously will just prolong things. These variants are highly transmissible and if we allow them to circulate in un-vaccinated people then they could lead to illness and also lead to newer variants, which might circumvent vaccines, or be more deadly. Local efforts to avoid spread are essential, and we should be surge vaccinating as quickly as possible in areas where the variant is identified.

I do see where you're coming from but as I alluded to earlier it's not a legal obligation to get the vaccine. Yes morally people should but you can't force them. As evidenced in Bolton the majority in hospital had been offered the vaccine but had not had it. That's their personal choice and their own responsibility. There hasn't been a single variant yet that evades the vaccines. If people want to make that choice that's up to them but don't punish all those that have had it because of that. It seems this whole year has taken away the opportunity for personal choice and to take responsibility for theirselves.

 

[Supershrimper]

I do see where you're coming from but as I alluded to earlier it's not a legal obligation to get the vaccine. Yes morally people should but you can't force them. As evidenced in Bolton the majority in hospital had been offered the vaccine but had not had it. That's their personal choice and their own responsibility. There hasn't been a single variant yet that evades the vaccines. If people want to make that choice that's up to them but don't punish all those that have had it because of that. It seems this whole year has taken away the opportunity for personal choice and to take responsibility for theirselves.

Its only going to take a variant of a variant to start to evade the vaccines and then we're all back to square one.

 

[Member]

I do see where you're coming from but as I alluded to earlier it's not a legal obligation to get the vaccine. Yes morally people should but you can't force them. As evidenced in Bolton the majority in hospital had been offered the vaccine but had not had it. That's their personal choice and their own responsibility. There hasn't been a single variant yet that evades the vaccines. If people want to make that choice that's up to them but don't punish all those that have had it because of that. It seems this whole year has taken away the opportunity for personal choice and to take responsibility for theirselves.

I'm not asking for people to be forced to have vaccines, I'm not sure where you inferred that from.

There are people in areas where vaccines are circulating who want the vaccine but aren't yet eligible (e.g. 18-35s) - my view is that they should be vaccinated as soon as possible.

As Supershrimper says, if we let these variants circulate then naturally one will evolve which might be more serious. We need to get the circulation of the virus as low as possible, through national restrictions, travel restrictions, track and tracing, and the vaccination programme. I think the national restrictions can be lifted to the current plan but I'd suggest that either vaccination or a negative test is necessary for large gatherings (e.g. festivals/clubs/sports) and masks are necessary for public transport. THis is just my opinion.

People bring up 'personal choice' and 'self-responsibility but the fact of the matter is that this is a deadly infectious disease and so people exercising their 'personal choice' are putting others at risk. I want parents and teachers to be vaccinated so my children don't run the risk of being infected. There's a balance to be had in all of this and people need to consider both the personal benefits and wider benefits behind vaccinations and the restrictions we're living under.

 

[jackj13]

Its only going to take a variant of a variant to start to evade the vaccines and then we're all back to square one.

Honest question as I'm not a scientific expert and don't pretend to be how do we avoid that going forward after this year? This virus will always be here now.

I'm not asking for people to be forced to have vaccines, I'm not sure where you inferred that from.

There are people in areas where vaccines are circulating who want the vaccine but aren't yet eligible (e.g. 18-35s) - my view is that they should be vaccinated as soon as possible.

As Supershrimper says, if we let these variants circulate then naturally one will evolve which might be more serious. We need to get the circulation of the virus as low as possible, through national restrictions, travel restrictions, track and tracing, and the vaccination programme. I think the national restrictions can be lifted to the current plan but I'd suggest that either vaccination or a negative test is necessary for large gatherings (e.g. festivals/clubs/sports) and masks are necessary for public transport. THis is just my opinion.

People bring up 'personal choice' and 'self-responsibility but the fact of the matter is that this is a deadly infectious disease and so people exercising their 'personal choice' are putting others at risk. I want parents and teachers to be vaccinated so my children don't run the risk of being infected. There's a balance to be had in all of this and people need to consider both the personal benefits and wider benefits behind vaccinations and the restrictions we're living under.

I wasn't referring to forcing people to have the vaccine as such just some of these people will never have the vaccine and nothing will change that.

All entitled to our opinion and I respect that. But in my view the restrictions were to protect the NHS. The NHS is nowhere near being overwhelmed from covid. in fact there are massive waiting lists for other illnesses. I don't think we should be basing this on cases. Not saying you mean this but zero covid is never going to happen. If the cases don't result in an influx of hospitalisations or deaths I don't see that as a massive problem. The information also never seems to be available of who caught it in hospital. Everyone who is admitted has a test when they go in so shouldn't be too hard but when asked the Government said the data wasn't available. You mention vaccinating 18-35's. I understand your view point but they certainly are not going to overwhelm hospitals.

I think the media have a lot to answer for recently and their scaremongering has been criminal. Funnily enough India's daily case rate has dropped 30% in the last week. has that been reported anywhere? Of course not. Over the weekend one scientific body actually come out and apologised because they'd admitted to scaremongering people over the last year to follow the restrictions.

 

[wakes123]

I'm 32 and have got my 1st Pfizer vaccine booked in for this Thursday. Got a text from Valkyrie Surgery to book and called them up and got booked in.

Seems Valkyrie are well ahead, the lads who are 35/36 in our office haven't heard anything yet form their surgery.

 

[jackj13]

Good news.

COVID-19: 'Nothing conclusive' to say end of restrictions will be delayed - but 'we will know a lot more in a few days' time', says Boris Johnson

Prime Minister Boris Johnson says more data on the Indian variant is needed before making a decision about the lockdown road map.

news.sky.com

 

[Supershrimper]

Honest question as I'm not a scientific expert and don't pretend to be how do we avoid that going forward after this year? This virus will always be here now.

Good question. I'm not a scientific expert either. Financial Liquidity I'm your man

I think Covid will be around for years to come and boosters will be given to those most susceptible in a similar way in that the flu vaccine is rolled out. I believe (and experts can correct if I'm wrong) but the flu vaccine is looked at every year for what may be the big flu variant during our "flu season" and people are vaccinated accordingly?

There was a spike in the number of flu cases a couple of years ago and it was because the variant that was widely circulating was not one that was part of the vaccine. It was around 2018 and the big one was "Aussie flu" but we missed the boat on other more prevalent strains circulating which added to an increase in deaths

Ineffective flu vaccine contributed to 50,000 extra deaths last winter

Human suffering and lost lives over winter 'predictable, preventable and shameful', fuel poverty campaigners say

www.independent.co.uk

Doing some research on vaccines myself i came across the below graph (and similar ones) which show just how effective vaccines are at reducing the spread of the illness. Note the below is US data, but still a good indication of how vaccines can help with the number of cases

 

[blueblueblue]

Not so good news for our area...

A Variant of Concern has been detected in Chelmsford, and residents are being advised by public health experts to get tested to keep it in check.
Essex County Council is working closely with Public Health England, our council partners and Essex and Southend Contact Tracing Service following the emergence of a small number of cases of the Covid-19 Variant of Concern, VoC 1617.2, in Chelmsford. This is the variant thought to have originated in India.
At present, the variant has been identified in cases within 7 households. The majority of these cases have no obvious link to foreign travel, it is therefore likely that the variant is present in the community.
Targeted PCR testing at locations where individuals from these households are known to have visited will take place.
Regional and local public health experts are also calling for residents living in the Chelmsford City Council area to do a Lateral Flow Test as soon as possible.
Residents can collect at home tests kits from their local library or pharmacy or order online. The self-testing kits are easy to use and deliver results in approximately half an hour.
Testing will help identify anyone who may have been infected but is not displaying symptoms. Those who test positive will then need to self- isolate, which will prevent further spread.
Should a resident test positive they must then take a PCR test to confirm. If this test is positive, the results will be used by Public Health England to test for the variant.
Director of Public Health at Essex County Council, Dr Mike Gogarty said: “Though the light is at the end of the tunnel with the continued roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine, the emergence of this new variant proves we can’t let down our guard. We need anyone not showing Covid-19 symptoms, particularly those in Chelmsford, to play their part and take a test.
“I would ask that all residents across the county continue to test regularly. Regular self-testing, twice a week, with lateral flow tests can reduce the spread of infection and stop people unknowingly passing on the virus to others.”
Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, Cllr John Spence said: “It will be no great surprise that this variant has emerged somewhere in Essex. We all want restrictions to be eased, so we want to nip this in the bud – it is not a cause for huge concern, but it is a cause for caution, and this is precautionary.”
Leader of Chelmsford City Council, Cllr Stephen Robinson said: “I understand that the news of a variant of concern emerging in Chelmsford is worrying. I have confidence in the recommendations from our Public Health team to address this issue.
“So if you live in the Chelmsford City Council area, please do pick up or order a Lateral Flow test and take it right away.
“If we all work together, continue to follow all the guidelines (including keeping our distance from others) and test and self-isolate where required, we can stop the spread.”
The home self-test LFD test kits can be collected from libraries and pharmacies throughout the Chelmsford City Council area. They can be ordered on-line from the Government at gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests and delivered free to a home address.
For those unable to order on-line they can be obtained by phoning 119. Any one of school age or older can have an LFD test.

It's been reported today of cases of the Indian variant in Southend now.

 

[blueblueblue]

Its only going to take a variant of a variant to start to evade the vaccines and then we're all back to square one.

Sadly I think you're right.

 

[GNH]

Sadly I think you're right.

I think that's very unlikely, read plenty of articles that state it's very unlikely to get a mutation that evades the vaccine, it would have to be a new sort of virus to do that.

Quite possible that it will be easier for the virus to circulate but we'll still be protected for serious illness which is all that really matters.

Happy to be educated by the more knowledgable on here but pretty sure that's the case.

 

[blueblueblue]

I think that's very unlikely, read plenty of articles that state it's very unlikely to get a mutation that evades the vaccine, it would have to be a new sort of virus to do that.

Quite possible that it will be easier for the virus to circulate but we'll still be protected for serious illness which is all that really matters.

Happy to be educated by the more knowledgable on here but pretty sure that's the case.

Heay, I hope you're right my friend....... I really hope you're right.

 

[The Original Tribal Chief]

We are going essentially back to normal next month here in Colorado. Masks and social distancing for the unvaccinated are recommended but not required. No more zoom meetings in my boxers - gutted.

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

We are going essentially back to normal next month here in Colorado. Masks and social distancing for the unvaccinated are recommended but not required. No more zoom meetings in my boxers - gutted.

Same as in Orlando. I find it incredible that many countries have different rules?. Like over here, we are all on the same island, yet England, Wales & Scotland rules are differ??

 

[GNH]

We are going essentially back to normal next month here in Colorado. Masks and social distancing for the unvaccinated are recommended but not required. No more zoom meetings in my boxers - gutted.

Good news, now the vulnerable are vaccinated it's time to get on with life.

I'm sure there are those that wish to continue with some measures which is fine but manadting everything needs to stop

 

[londonblue]

We are going essentially back to normal next month here in Colorado. Masks and social distancing for the unvaccinated are recommended but not required. No more zoom meetings in my boxers - gutted.

In the meantime the US still hasn't removed the UK from a list of countries to avoid.