Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[viper37]

Of course.  I need to know when I can freely travel and have hotties grind my dick.  and sing karaoke.

Well, first, non essential travels between our countries has to be allowed.  I don't expect this until the end of summer/early fall.

And purchase and consume Canopy Growth Corporation brand high quality marijuana.

Can you claim a tax refund once you're back in the US?

[Admiral Yi]

Can you claim a tax refund once you're back in the US?

I assume so.  I haven't bothered with that stuff since the one time I went to a wedding in Toronto, they mislaid my luggage and I had to buy everything for the week.

The coolest part about that was the airlines reimbursed me for the lost stuff then they found my missing baggage. 

[Legbiter]

According to the Brits this Indian variant is 50% more transmissible than the Kent variety.  SAGE just rushed out the minutes of it's last meeting.

21. SPI-M-O is therefore confident that B.1.617.2 has a significant growth advantage over the UK's currently dominant strain, B.1.1.7. The difference in growth rates between B.1.617.2 and B.1.1.7 is consistent with the former having a transmission advantage of more than 50%; this is based on observed growth that has already happened and it is unclear whether this same growth advantage would apply to sustained wider community transmission regionally or nationally. Resolving this question of the applicability
of this growth advantage to the wider population will be difficult while the number of cases are small and relatively focussed.

22. Considering this, it is a realistic possibility that this scale of B.1.617.2 growth could lead to a very large increase in transmission. At this point in the vaccine roll out, there are still too few adults vaccinated to prevent a significant resurgence that ultimately could put unsustainable pressure on the NHS, without non-pharmaceutical interventions

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/986709/S1237_SPI-M-O_Consensus_Statement.pdf

Only one way to really find out. 

[Liep]

According to the Brits this Indian variant is 50% more transmissible than the Kent variety

Danish health ministry said they don't consider the Indian variant a threat.

But of course they didn't think covid would catch on, that testing or locking down would help, that we'd get a 2nd wave, or that vaccinating as many as possible is priority. So maybe we should brace for a third wave.

[Legbiter]

Get jabs into arms, only game in town, don't lose the plot and stay focused. 

[Sheilbh]

Yes I am anticipating there being a vaccine for kids younger than 12.

That'd be grand!

I'm not convinced on the need or sense of vaccinating kids. This disease is incredibly low risk for them and they aren't that dangerous in terms of transmission.

I'd worry that the risks from covid might actually be outweighed by rare (but, no doubt, heavily reported) adverse effects. Which may turn even more people off getting their kids vaccinated for measles - which absolutely is a risk and kids do transmit (plus it's far more infectious than covid).

I feel like this might be a vaccine we should start getting probably around 15/16 and we might need boosters every year or so (no-one knows how long the vaccines work for yet).

[Zanza]

Kids can likely transmit Covid and unvaccinated might allow new variants to form and spread. Also there are studies on Long Covid in kids. Also the newer variants seem more dangerous to younger adults. So I would wait until we have better scientific data to make a call on whether or not they should be vaccinated.

[Legbiter]

Here we're going to finish vaccinating as many adults as possible and then decide if/when to vaccinate teens and children. Maybe do it in autumn. One battle at a time.

Indian variety is being found on the border here, seems it's already in global circulation.

[Sheilbh]

Kids can likely transmit Covid and unvaccinated might allow new variants to form and spread. Also there are studies on Long Covid in kids. Also the newer variants seem more dangerous to younger adults. So I would wait until we have better scientific data to make a call on whether or not they should be vaccinated.

Yeah - of course. I'm in no way certain on this.

[jimmy olsen]

Kids can absolutely transmit it. There have been lots of outbreaks in schools and even daycares in Korea.

[Sheilbh]

Kids can absolutely transmit it. There have been lots of outbreaks in schools and even daycares in Korea.

Yeah - I'm not saying they can't. Just that they aren't that dangerous in terms of transmission - they don't seem to be major vectors of infection into the wider community (which will be vaccinated) in the way they are with, say, flu. They're not really at that much risk or that risky.

[Berkut]

Yes I am anticipating there being a vaccine for kids younger than 12.

That'd be grand!

I'm not convinced on the need or sense of vaccinating kids. This disease is incredibly low risk for them and they aren't that dangerous in terms of transmission.

I'd worry that the risks from covid might actually be outweighed by rare (but, no doubt, heavily reported) adverse effects. Which may turn even more people off getting their kids vaccinated for measles - which absolutely is a risk and kids do transmit (plus it's far more infectious than covid).

I feel like this might be a vaccine we should start getting probably around 15/16 and we might need boosters every year or so (no-one knows how long the vaccines work for yet).

There are a lot of people out there telling us "how they feel" about how vaccination should work.

[Sheilbh]

There are a lot of people out there telling us "how they feel" about how vaccination should work.

Sure - it's a big, important issue and our way out of this mess. It'd be weird if people didn't have opinions.

[The Larch]

There's apparently an outbreak amongst the Eurovision delegations. 

[Sheilbh]

There's apparently an outbreak amongst the Eurovision delegations. 

Oh no!

This better not end in another cancellation