Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Sheilbh]

Yeah, that's the thing... the low vaccine rate could be a combination of anti-vax nutters and people let down by poor infrastructure and access.

Yeah - that's why I think there's a lot more we need to but they need to be creative about it. All of the surveys and polling evidence indicates there is no more vaccine hesitancy in young people but the take-up rate is lower - and I think a large part of that is because they have far fewer day-to-day interactions with the NHS and the state so the fairly regimented approach that worked for older groups won't work. I think they need to be looking at pop-up vaccine centres in city/town centres, maybe try and consider pre/post-work vaccine slots (especially for the 50%+ who are not working from home). I'd look at partnering with supermarkets to use some of their space.

It's not even necessarily poor infrastructure and access so much as you need to different channels for different people - and I wonder if here this is slightly the downside of a centralised, top-down vaccine program delivered by a state healthcare system. It's very good at the most high risk/the people it knows but may not be so good at reacting and being creative in how to deliver vaccines - this may be a point where the bureaucracy and the "computer says no" attitude emerges.

[Sheilbh]

I must say I find the France quarantine rules odd and interesting.
After all the fuss on delta its beta we have to look out for afterall.

Yeah. Delta is more transmissible and more serious but from the studies in the UK vaccines (after two doses) appear to be more effective against it than the alpha variant.

I think beta variant is the one that was first seen in South Africa where there's some signs that vaccines are significantly less effective and I think all of the vaccine developers are working on specific booster shots for that. If that takes off in France - or within continental Europe more generally - I think it'd be a real concern.

[Legbiter]

Yeah I mean it's not like the vaccine prevents the virus from entering your body.

I'm lowkey disappointed with their efficacy, we'll be tightening the border even further because 0.1% of all incoming travelers are vaccinated yet infected with the delta variety. They then go out on the town and infect a small handful of vaccinated locals who then infect their close vaccinated family members. So over 50 tourists and locals are currently infected but no one has severe symtoms or even symptoms at all for that matter.

I know the situation would be horrendous without the vaccines but I still wish they were a bit better at blocking transmission.

[Josquius]

I guess if they'd made them more effective they'd also be upping the side effects and boosting opposition so where they landed is the sweet spot.

I do wonder to what extent different vaccines might help cover each others flaws.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah I think I read something about some initial research suggesting the best combo was AZ + Moderna but I can't remember where I saw it.

[Tamas]

I am REALLY annoyed by the "Javid was twice-vaccinated yet caught it!" headlines. Way to go missing the point and convincing people not to get the bloody vaccine. 

[ulmont]

Black and hispanics are significantly less likely to be vaccinated than whites: whites have vaccination rates about 50% more than blacks. Also old people have really good vaccination rates and young people poor; the former skewing republican and the latter democrat.

This may have been true but is not completely so anymore, especially on the race front where "not being Trump voters" is the driving factor and "White, Non-Hispanic" is the only racial group underrepresented by comparison to the US general population.


https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-demographic

[Sheilbh]

I am REALLY annoyed by the "Javid was twice-vaccinated yet caught it!" headlines. Way to go missing the point and convincing people not to get the bloody vaccine. 

Yep - really not great from a number of people/outlets who should know better (and are rightly harrumphing at American right-wing misinformation hurting their vaccine program)

This may have been true but is not completely so anymore, especially on the race front where "not being Trump voters" is the driving factor and "White, Non-Hispanic" is the only racial group underrepresented by comparison to the US general population.

The complication I have with just thinking it's political is that daily vaccination numbers were rocketing up in the US until the FDA suspended J&J (for one week while they had hearings), since then they've been trending downwards.

I mentioned it at the time - and I know lots of people with blue ticks on Twitter were very confident that this would show the system working and demonstrate to people why they should trust it, while I was worried that the message many people would take isn't "the FDA's a great bureaucracy" but "vaccines aren't safe". I think in the US and the EU some regulators have not been great in this (not the EMA in Europe which has been very good, but member state regulators) at realising this can't just be a business as usual approach because of the amount of public attention, interest and scrutiny. I think steps that make sense in the normal process haven't been handled well or communicated.

[Admiral Yi]

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-demographic

We mixed race are kicking y'all's asses. 

[Malthus]

Canada's fully vaccinated percentage now greater than US.

This is concerning - the US had full access to vaccines for a lot longer, so the difference is down to anti-Vax sentiment. Canada started later as it has no domestic supply.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57869947

[Eddie Teach]

Looking at the chart, you seem to have more vaccinations than people. 

Multis, not Canada

[DontSayBanana]

Looking at the chart, you seem to have more vaccinations than people. 

Multis, not Canada

It's not the greatest layout. Three pie charts would be better, IMO; it would be a bit clearer that there are three different totals in play.

[celedhring]

Just noticed we've passed the US in % of the population fully vaccinated. Which given the huge headway they had on Europe is pretty shocking.

A lot of good work undone because half of the population have joined a death cult. 

[Sheilbh]

Incredible:


Edit: Unrelated but interesting niggle with the new international covid passports for the double-vaxxed: the status of children. I think Ireland have just clarified after a bit of a furore that children whose parents/adults travelling with them do not need to quarantine if the adults have been vaccinated (or previously infected). Apparently the initial guidance was that the children needed to quarantine because they wouldn't have a covid passport.

Not sure how other countries are dealing with this?

Edit: I cannot imagine how stressful/disappointing it must be for parents to arrive on holiday only to discover they have to quarantine the kids for two weeks

[Grey Fox]

I find it always incredible how Americans think their government is bad but also extremely competent.