Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Sheilbh]

I had a quick look at the closest testing facility near me, and they have free slots today and all of next week. I could go within the hour if I wanted to. On top of that, pharmacies also offer testing now, provided you reserve an appointment. It's all free.

Starting March 1st, pharmacies will offer up to 5 home test kits per person and month for every Viennese. The test result will not be "official" but is meant e.g. if you want to meet with family so you can have a quick check beforehand.

I think we're moving to something similar here. There are sites for (proper) testing for essential workers, and home kits if you have symptoms. At the minute we're averaging about 600-800k a day.

In addition to that though they are starting to roll out testing sites for people without symptoms (I got an email from the council this morning about these - just checked and there are 7 slots at my nearest centre today and loads available in the next week). They are the quick tests, with a high error rate (I can't remember which way - I think it gives no false positives but 50% false negatives or the other way round - but the theory is you should get tested every few days). But from friend in the NHS working on this there's a new quick test which is far more accurate and that will probably be rolled out soon for people without symptoms.

It seems the preference will be to rely on mass testing (with lessons learned from Liverpool) rather than vaccine passports once things re-open.

[Syt]

Yes, say about our handling of the crisis what you will, but we have the testing down by now.

I guess they're self check. Some friends and colleagues already buy their own tests (they're like 5 EUR or so at the pharmacy) for when they meet friends and family. It's a swab and it gives you one or two lines, kind of like a pregnancy test.

[celedhring]

So, today I found out about a pandemic speakeasy in my town   

It's a pastry house, you can go to the back and then up the stairs to get to a cutesy rooftop where they serve coffee, chocolate and pastries all day long (illegal under our current restrictions). When I checked it out it was full of middle aged women and a retiree reading a newspaper.   

[Legbiter]

So, today I found out about a pandemic speakeasy in my town   

It's a pastry house, you can go to the back and then up the stairs to get to a cutesy rooftop where they serve coffee, chocolate and pastries all day long (illegal under our current restrictions). When I checked it out it was full of middle aged women and a retiree reading a newspaper.   

Here we're tightening the border restrictions even more after a traveler broke quarantine, went hitchhiking, got caught and turned out to be infected a week ago. Thankfully he didn't infect anyone else.

[The Larch]

So, today I found out about a pandemic speakeasy in my town   

It's a pastry house, you can go to the back and then up the stairs to get to a cutesy rooftop where they serve coffee, chocolate and pastries all day long (illegal under our current restrictions). When I checked it out it was full of middle aged women and a retiree reading a newspaper.   

Quite the bourgeois mafia. 

[Tamas]

Since there are now 500,000 Chinese vaccine doses waiting in Hungary but a GPs organisation declared they won't administer it until a proper "manual" (whatever you call the officially approved publication of instructions and background info on the vaccine) is released as per normal regulations.

So the relevant Hungarian authority has released this. Since they have not been able to properly test the vaccine themselves (not that this stopped them from approving it once Orban declared on radio that he wishes it so), they have translated the Chinese applicable document from 30th December.

The document basically refuses to give any sort of efficacy numbers, only saying that it shows "very good" efficacy in the age group 18-59 but "stage 3 completion is still necessary for final results" and that it also gave "good results" in over 60s, but "proper testing is required for exact statistics".

What a farce.

[Valmy]

And there is vaccine hesitancy (rather than anti-vax feelings) in Black and Asian communities for historical reasons.

The long history of vaccines helping reduce infectious disease?

I guess I fail to see the historical disasters vaccines have brought to Asia.

[Sheilbh]

The long history of vaccines helping reduce infectious disease?

I guess I fail to see the historical disasters vaccines have brought to Asia.

So there's been loads of scandals of experiments and drug trials, primarily in Africa, run by Western companies without informed consent that had adverse effects including infertility (which comes up a lot apparently) and the death of children. All of that's been within living memory in large African countries like Nigeria and South Africa which have a significant diaspora in the UK. There are also the older colonial uses of medicine such as forced sterilisations. It wasn't helped that a French doctor on TV said during the summer that vaccine trials should be run in Africa first, not Europe - they later said they were just clumsy but it went viral.

And we have a large Pakistani community in the UK. The CIA's fake vaccination campaign in Pakistan during the hunt for bin Laden has impacted vaccination campaigns there hugely and it wouldn't surprise me if that is an issue in the Pakistani community (and possibly the Indian and Bengali communities too).

So the fears that may seem odd - that it will cause fertility issues, that it's for government surveillance, that it includes animal products - normally have some link to a real thing that happened.

As I say it's not an anti-vax position, it's vaccine hesitancy and all the polling shows that BAME communities want more information from their own GP, local community, faith leaders etc before deciding. Given the historical context it makes sense to see that these fears come from somewhere and address them factually about this vaccine (and have the positive of examples from within the community who have been vaccinated) rather than to interpret it as a general fear or opposition to vaccines/medicine.

Edit: And I just looked up one example - the Pfizer meningitis trial in Nigeria - and it is historical, but it's the 90s we're talking about not the 1880s.

[Tamas]

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/feb/19/whitty-at-odds-with-johnson-over-big-bang-reopening-of-schools-in-england

With just enough resolve, the UK will still be able to squeeze in one more too early opening before the vaccination program can conclude.

[saskganesh]

An outbreak in the hostel. I had my 5th test this year, all my crew was negative. I was told I get my vax on Monday. Not sure which one. I'll let you all know about the microchip.

[Sheilbh]

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/feb/19/whitty-at-odds-with-johnson-over-big-bang-reopening-of-schools-in-england

With just enough resolve, the UK will still be able to squeeze in one more too early opening before the vaccination program can conclude.

Although scientists have analysed positive tests and not identified a single case linked to the crowded beach pictures and there's still barely any cases that appear to have been transmitted outdoors. I keep banging on about it but ventilation and air quality really matter.

Edit: Incidentally some interesting and detailed stats from one bit of Brum on take-up by ethnicity and deprivation:



Lots to do, especially around in the community outreach to improve these figures.

[Iormlund]

... if you want to meet with family so you can have a quick check beforehand.

Quick antigen tests are not sensitive enough to be used to discard infection when symptoms are not apparent. I know a couple people who have been infected after family reunions despite everyone testing negative beforehand.

[garbon]

And there is vaccine hesitancy (rather than anti-vax feelings) in Black and Asian communities for historical reasons.

The long history of vaccines helping reduce infectious disease?

I guess I fail to see the historical disasters vaccines have brought to Asia.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Syphilis_Study

[Valmy]

And there is vaccine hesitancy (rather than anti-vax feelings) in Black and Asian communities for historical reasons.

The long history of vaccines helping reduce infectious disease?

I guess I fail to see the historical disasters vaccines have brought to Asia.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Syphilis_Study

Ok first of all that had nothing at all to do with vaccines. Secondly that was in a different country. Thirdly that did not involve Asians. Fourthly surely the near eradication of small pox and polio among other diseases and the enormous benefits that has given Asia mean something no?

I mean maybe the NHS is evil and tossing out placebos like in that study but still considering the damage this pandemic has done...

[Valmy]

So there's been loads of scandals of experiments and drug trials, primarily in Africa, run by Western companies without informed consent that had adverse effects including infertility (which comes up a lot apparently) and the death of children. All of that's been within living memory in large African countries like Nigeria and South Africa which have a significant diaspora in the UK. There are also the older colonial uses of medicine such as forced sterilisations. It wasn't helped that a French doctor on TV said during the summer that vaccine trials should be run in Africa first, not Europe - they later said they were just clumsy but it went viral.

And we have a large Pakistani community in the UK. The CIA's fake vaccination campaign in Pakistan during the hunt for bin Laden has impacted vaccination campaigns there hugely and it wouldn't surprise me if that is an issue in the Pakistani community (and possibly the Indian and Bengali communities too).

So the fears that may seem odd - that it will cause fertility issues, that it's for government surveillance, that it includes animal products - normally have some link to a real thing that happened.

As I say it's not an anti-vax position, it's vaccine hesitancy and all the polling shows that BAME communities want more information from their own GP, local community, faith leaders etc before deciding. Given the historical context it makes sense to see that these fears come from somewhere and address them factually about this vaccine (and have the positive of examples from within the community who have been vaccinated) rather than to interpret it as a general fear or opposition to vaccines/medicine.

Edit: And I just looked up one example - the Pfizer meningitis trial in Nigeria - and it is historical, but it's the 90s we're talking about not the 1880s.

Fair enough. I am just a little fed up with the vaccine hate, specifically. And certainly if the CIA or some foreign government was distributing this thing I would certainly better understand it. Surely these communities use the NHS pretty regularly.

I mean if the CIA showed up distributing vaccines I am not even sure not even the FBI would be fully sure it was kosher.

I just don't get why this would be so vaccine specific. Do they generally just refuse all medicine?