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I hope the one or two people here who were previously confused about how UK infections compared to some large EU countries, and came out with bogus claims as a result, are taking note of the current situation.

I'm talking about people who claimed that other countries were having 2021 waves with the same timing as the UKs large and sustained wave, and that the differences in figures were just down to testing differences. Well now even Germany is breaking records for case numbers, despite changes a while back that removed certain kinds of free testing from their picture.

Hopefully they will draw the right conclusions now, that the likes of Germany did not have a big wave like the UKs at that time, but now they do, and it shows up in their data.

The BBC live updates page has stuff about that today: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-59302812

eg:

As Germany grapples with record Covid cases, Chancellor Angela Merkel has described the situation as "dramatic".

"The fourth wave is hitting our country with full force," she tells a congress of German city mayors.

"The number of daily new infections is higher than ever before... and the daily death toll is also frightening."

"It is not at all too late to decide for a first vaccination," she adds.
 
My observation is that Germany's case numbers are now following a similar trajectory, at a similar scale, to what the UK saw in June/July 2021, but their death rate is also seeing quite a dramatic rise that appears to be quite a lot worse than what the UK saw at that same time in the summer.

Germany's vaccination rate now is better than the UK's was in the summer - so would it be wrong to assume that previous infections play a significant role in explaining that difference?
 
My observation is that Germany's case numbers are now following a similar trajectory, at a similar scale, to what the UK saw in June/July 2021, but their death rate is also seeing quite a dramatic rise that appears to be quite a lot worse than what the UK saw at that same time in the summer.

Germany's vaccination rate now is better than the UK's was in the summer - so would it be wrong to assume that previous infections play a significant role in explaining that difference?
I'd probably resist relying on a single assumption at the moment.

I suppose factors could include previous infections, vaccine effects waning, differences in which vaccines were given & timing gap between doses, but also number of deaths in previous waves and the level of infections in different age groups previously and this time around. A hell of a lot of UK summer peak infection numbers were in younger age groups for example. And possible seasonal variations, variations in treatment, variations in outbreak settings (eg hospital spread, care home spread) and possibly some other stuff I havent even mentioned here.

edit - oh and vaccine uptake rate by age group, and differences in how deaths are measured.
 
My son’s wife is Chinese and he has lived there for over 10 years, for the last 5 years in a city in the north.

On 20 October he said five positive cases (Delta) had been identified in their province and all communities with a close contact had been locked down, schools and malls closed. Two days later their community had someone identified as a potential contact - though not himself a positive case - and they were ordered to remain inside the apartment for at least 14 days. Eventually it took 21 days to be released.

They’re in a 33 storey apartment in a gated international community. Last lockdown they were allowed into the grounds but only one of them at a time could leave, with temperature checks and ID on leaving and returning. Stricter confinement this time.
We don't seem to hear a lot about what's going on in China at the moment where they are still pursuing a zero Covid policy. Article here -

 
So, we didn't stamp out Delta. Our vax rates are getting up there, but in Tamaki Makaurau we've been in a form of lockdown for 3 months now. Just sent unvaxxed Primary and Intermediate kids back this week, but heaps of parents are keeping their kids at home as case numbers bump around 170-200+ a day.

Govt plan is to get 90% of 12+ vaxxed and then open up into a vaccine passport system with traffic light colours for the regions depending on cases, but with christmas approaching it looks like they're going to shift to that early. Won't be vaxxing under-12's until January 2022 at least.

Risky business, all of this tbh.
 
Ireland at 90% over 12s vaccinated

Booster rolled out

But we are facing huge numbers and hospitals are unable to cope.

Government faffed about for way too long...
NOW they are decoding pubs clubs restaurants all to close at midnight every night.
Return to working from home for everyone bar fornt line to people who cant wfh.
Masks back...indoors and outdoors....they never went away but people got very careless.

They've only just introduced antigen testing in schools starting next week.

It all smacks of too little too late.
😕
 
So there you have it:
Mask-wearing is the single most effective public health measure at tackling Covid, reducing incidence by 53%, the first global study of its kind shows.

Vaccines are safe and effective and saving lives around the world. But most do not confer 100% protection, most countries have not vaccinated everyone, and it is not yet known if jabs will prevent future transmission of emerging coronavirus variants.

Globally, Covid cases exceeded 250 million this month. The virus is still infecting 50 million people worldwide every 90 days due to the highly transmissible Delta variant, with thousands dying each day.

Now a systematic review and meta analysis of non-pharmaceutical interventions has found for the first time that mask wearing, social distancing and handwashing are all effective measures at curbing cases – with mask wearing the most effective.

“This systematic review and meta analysis suggests that several personal protective and social measures, including handwashing, mask wearing, and physical distancing are associated with reductions in the incidence of Covid-19,” the researchers wrote in The BMJ.

They said the results highlight the need to continue mask wearing, social distancing and handwashing alongside vaccine programmes.

 
New Zealand is sounding depressingly scary

dissent has been turning ugly, with death threats against MPs and journalists, increasing protests, warnings from security services about Covid-prompted terror threats, and what researchers have called a “wave” of disinformation tinged with violent rhetoric, QAnon-style conspiracy theories and far-right undertones.

“We’re talking … your aunt and uncle type-people using language like Nuremberg 2.0, common law trials, like ‘the prime minister is a Nazi’ – these are quite extreme terms and terminologies,” says Kate Hannah, a research fellow at Te Pūnaha Matatini’s disinformation project

“Things are starting to escalate,” Labour whip Kieran McAnulty told Stuff on Tuesday, after he’d been publicly denounced by an anti-vaccine campaigner, who said those pushing it should be killed by a lethal injection.


Dissent, threats and fury: mood darkens in New Zealand as Covid restrictions bite
 
Not surprisingly there are loads of people booking travel to Europe over the coming month's.

Lot of whom are not vaccinated but are furious about paying for PCR tests.

Had a couple (no vaccines) Thursday afternoon who were flying to Romania early Friday morning and asked what they need to do 🙄 there has been an endless stream of this sort of thing sadly.

Screenshot_20211120-082612_Opera.jpg
 
Not surprisingly there are loads of people booking travel to Europe over the coming month's.

Lot of whom are not vaccinated but are furious about paying for PCR tests.

Had a couple (no vaccines) Thursday afternoon who were flying to Romania early Friday morning and asked what they need to do 🙄 there has been an endless stream of this sort of thing sadly.

View attachment 297471
I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and guess that were not very happy.
 
Its concerning how many people have zero capacity for critical thinking, not just the complete loons but loads of people that I know are intelligent seem to buy into the crap that they've see on TV the past months and keep telling me things are a lot better now and that the vaccine has saved us.
No doubt when the media narrative changes so will their outlook, a depressing state of affairs
 
You must have the patience of a saint.

I'm not sure I could do that, the temptation to tell *******s like that a few home/world truths would be too much.
[what's so hard about getting your jags, they are free ...]
considering they hadn't been able to check the travel rules for their destination ahead of travelling I suspect booking a vaccination might be beyond them.
 
You must have the patience of a saint.

I'm not sure I could do that, the temptation to tell *******s like that a few home/world truths would be too much.
[what's so hard about getting your jags, they are free ...]
Thing is I don't :D

But have to wear an ID badge and such :rolleyes:

Don't get me wrong, I have shouted and sworn at a fair few idiot's and will continue to do so.

I understand freedom and fairness. This is nothing like that. It is baseless speculation that hurts/kills people. A % of spoiled wankers and cunts have had an easy life but never been told to do anything. Now they are rebelling against something that helps people. These are the racists, Brexit voters and nut jobs who nobody listened to about anything else.

One charmer on Thursday:

Her: You are bullshit and lying for the government.

Me: Which government is that?

Her: The British government of course.

Me: Thanks for clearing that up. Now, do you have a point or anything?

Her: Cancer and mind control and business and dead babies, Jews and infertile children etc etc etc.

Me: Just fuck off and bore another idiot.

Her: I am going to report you.

Me: Really? Who do you think 'they' will believe on this? The guy who is helping people in a global pandemic, or you...

Look at the bigoted, uneducated state of you. I would not trust you to buy a sandwich, let alone consider your opinions on medical science. Now fuck off and go home alone.
 
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