Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Syt]

Seems we'll have a 40k+ demonstration of anti-vaxxers every weekend now in Vienna, locking down parts of the Inner City and flooding public transport with non-mask wearing assholes.. On the plus side, the majority seem to travel in from outside of Vienna, so the city's inhabitants are, by and large, smarter than this.

Last weekend the FPÖ health speaker (she studied medicine, but quit at the very start of her residency) claimed that the ICUs are full not of Covid victims, but people suffering from vaccine side effects.

Why does Warhammer attract these crazy assholes?

[Iormlund]

Nurgle fanboys, I presume.

Always been more of a Tzeentch guy myself.

[garbon]

Very ambitious target to let all over 18s in UK who are eligible have a booster by end of year.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah - I think today (well yesterday) is a record high of doses so they must feel they can roll it out even quicker, and supply isn't an issue from everything I've read.

Of course I don't think we'd be in this position if we hadn't just sat on the data about waning efficiency from Israel in June/July and decided to not really do anything about it until they were already waning in October

Edit: On the other hand another slightly positive bit of news around potential mildness from South Africa where NGOs who said they received thousands of emails/calls for oxygen in the first three waves, have not been receiving any in this wave: "In the first three waves, we had thousands of emails, calls and WhatsApps... This time, since 24 November and even before that, we had nothing.  This time, we are very relaxed. There are no oxygen demands."

I still think the risk of it being more serious (so as serious as previous waves) justifies restrictions and definitely justifies a massive push on boosters which we should have been doing for months. But I think we are addressing a risk or possibility rather, which is how it should be framed, and given the information from South African doctors, NGOs, case and length of hospitalisation data there is also the possibility that it could be, by the looks of it, far milder.

For example - this is, again, very early. Grey lines are cases, red lines are deaths in South Africa and this is unlagged so there will be a delay in cases feeding through to deaths, but the (early - and may change) divergence is interesting:


It feels very different than when delta emerged in India or alpha emerged in Kent.

[Threviel]

https://twitter.com/prof_freedom/status/1470384113140051969

[Syt]

Whenever I go get a Covid test (our workplace still requires it even if vaccinated) in the morning, I almost always see a bunch of police waiting in line to get tested, too. I somehow feel it's not because they also want to be extra sure to be healthy.

Why am I so sure? This is a snippet of the map from the Vienna city assembly elections last year. Notice the blue FPÖ spot in a sea of red? It's an apartment complex primarily inhabited by police officers.

[Josquius]

Very ambitious target to let all over 18s in UK who are eligible have a booster by end of year.

I don't see how they plan to do this.
My gf booked her appointment, it's not available till January. I haven't even been contacted about mine.

[garbon]

Very ambitious target to let all over 18s in UK who are eligible have a booster by end of year.

I don't see how they plan to do this.
My gf booked her appointment, it's not available till January. I haven't even been contacted about mine.

The NHS page slows you to book, no?

[garbon]

I've now a new app VeriFly that will happily send my health data onto third parties. It is either that or I'm unable to check in for my 11 hour flight until I get to the airport.

[Tamas]

I've now a new app VeriFly that will happily send my health data onto third parties. It is either that or I'm unable to check in for my 11 hour flight until I get to the airport.

I would just check in at the airport.

[garbon]

I've now a new app VeriFly that will happily send my health data onto third parties. It is either that or I'm unable to check in for my 11 hour flight until I get to the airport.

I would just check in at the airport.

I ain't sitting in the middle for that long, boo.

[garbon]

And nor do I want it pay an additional £60 to reserve one in advance

[Maladict]

I've now a new app VeriFly that will happily send my health data onto third parties. It is either that or I'm unable to check in for my 11 hour flight until I get to the airport.

Heh, I'm looking at it now. BA really wants me to use it, I think I'll pass.
Already paid for a window seat so I'll be left alone for 8 hours.

[Barrister]

Looks like Alberta is going to:

A: start distributing free rapid antigen tests through pharmacies; and
B: reduce restrictions on Christmas gatherings.  Right now it's a max of 10 people from 2 households.


You know last year we had a very austere Christmas - just our family plus a mother/daughter household we're friends with.  No extended family at all.  But no matter what the government limits are we're going to have a mostly normal Christmas this year with family.  At this point with everyone fully vaxxed (even my holdout brother and sister-in-law, who finally got jabbed because of their jobs), and having gone so long with only limited family get-togethers there's no mood to stay away.

I'm sure the government is eager to try and spread some good news as well, even with Omicron starting to spread in the province.

[Sheilbh]

One sensible measure to speed up vaccines/rush the boosters: the Chief Medical Officers have got rid of the 15 minute wait after the jab for people who've had Pfizer. Apparently in all the Pfizer doses distributed in the UK there's only been 17 anaphylactic reactions in the observations period (none fatal) but that period reduce throughput by about 25%. I think it's still in place for Moderna because there's a higher risk but it's less used, so it should allow for about 25% more doses a day which is good.