Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Tamas]

 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jul/10/nhs-staff-abused-by-people-seeking-second-covid-jab-early-for-holiday

Abuse is unacceptable but the article fails to mentiom that up until a week ago you could get your second shot before the 8 weeks deadline when you walked in, so perhaps some consistency would have helped reduce tensions.

[Sheilbh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vwYzXH5mWQ

100% of June Covid deaths in Maryland from the unvaccinated.

Interesting, just seen from the latest PHE vaccine surveillance report. About half of the deaths from delta among those aged 50 or above were 2 dose vaccinated, and half were people with 1 dose or none. Which is pretty extraordinary when around 97% of the over-50s are double-dosed.

[Syt]

Chancellor Kurz has said in an interview that the pandemic is now moving from a crisis that affected the entire society to a medical problem that affects individuals and that it's time for the state to step back from handling it. The worst is over, only unprotected people have to worry about anything, and it's up to them to sort things out. The vulnerable ones (people over 65) are mostly taken care of. There will still be new waves, but they will not affect as many people and not be as dangerous as previous waves.

I guess we'll see.

[Sheilbh]

The EU has now delivered enough vaccines to hit the 70% target which is great news (and means no member state should be trying to pass on the blame to supply issues). But from the ECDC map it looks like take-up is plateauing in a few member states - but especially in CEE:
https://vaccinetracker.ecdc.europa.eu/public/extensions/COVID-19/vaccine-tracker.html#uptake-tab

I've no idea how to fix that, but it strikes me as a really important thing to work on as (as in the US) it is potentially a big problem. I wonder if maybe more EU level messaging directed at those countries might help because, for understandable reasons (especially in Romania and Bulgaria), there's limited trust for local elites?

Edit: Also the case chart in Scotland is pretty striking:


Scotland's first Euros game was on 14 June, they played England on 18 June and their last game on 22 June. I imagine testing happens a few days after infection so I wonder if it is linked - also I think UK public health authorities have said that current cases are, on an adjusted basis, 30% more male who are probably more likely to be gathering to watch the Euros especially for younger men.

Wales is only plateauing now but otherwise similar (so probably falling after getting knocked out). England only really started shooting up like that about a week after Scotland. The England-Germany game was on 29 June.

[Zanza]

Chancellor Kurz has said in an interview that the pandemic is now moving from a crisis that affected the entire society to a medical problem that affects individuals and that it's time for the state to step back from handling it. The worst is over, only unprotected people have to worry about anything, and it's up to them to sort things out. The vulnerable ones (people over 65) are mostly taken care of. There will still be new waves, but they will not affect as many people and not be as dangerous as previous waves.

I guess we'll see.

No solidarity for pregnant women, children or other persons that cannot be vaccinated. I guess unlike seniors they don't have a lobby.

[Syt]

Yeah, they don't vote for ÖVP, anyways. Well, pregnant women might, especially since Kurz also announced he and his girlfriend are expecting an heir a child.

[DGuller]

Is it time to panic yet about the Delta variant?

[Sheilbh]

Is it time to panic yet about the Delta variant?

According to UK public health authorities and the data they've been releasing (as it's been over 90% of cases here for a while) - it's more transmissible and it may be more severe than the alpha variant. But the vaccines we have work better against it than they do against the alpha variant. India appears to have been able to contain it so we can reduce the R enough to get it under control. But it is taking off everywhere - in the west where there have been decent vaccine programs I think it's basically a race of getting enough people vaccinated/protecting the most vulnerable.

I'm worried as it appears to have kicked off a few outbreaks in countries that had, so far, managed to avoid covid very well like Vietnam or South Korea.

[Duque de Bragança]

Is it time to panic yet about the Delta variant?

Wait for the Epsilon variant, please.

[Admiral Yi]

The Delta variant is God's punishment for Trumptards.  Er, the vaccine hesitant.

[garbon]

Is it time to panic yet about the Delta variant?

Wait for the Epsilon variant, please.

That already existed and is no longer a variant of interest. I think the latest one is lamda.

[Duque de Bragança]

Is it time to panic yet about the Delta variant?

Wait for the Epsilon variant, please.

That already existed and is no longer a variant of interest. I think the latest one is lamda.

Not too late for that. Plus it's lambda (not lambada) 

[Eddie Teach]

The forbidden variant.

[Duque de Bragança]

The forbidden variant.

Nice cinema reference. 

[celedhring]

The delta variant is running rougshod through our unvaccinated cohorts. There's been a music festival in Barcelona this weekend (a fantastic idea) and they had a system where the organizers tested people (antigen test) before allowing them into the event. A 1.5% of total concert-goers tested positive, which is an incredibly large amount.