Fingers crossed we’ve got our response as well-balanced as possible.
[deleted]
The same study said that maybe everything is gonna be alright… but that scenario is not fit for a headline
We always get a spike in respiratory illness in January. It would have happened with or without Omicron, and will happen no matter what we do about it.
Trust the science. Mask up and shut up. Stay at home and save lives. Protect the NHS. Get double vaccinated. Get the booster. Maintain social distancing. Show your COVID Pass to the relevant authorities when prompted. We will get through this. Just another year to flatten the curve. Just another year of sacrifices.
This makes much more sense than the prediction for Christmas. January is going to be a challenge. Better don’t get sick in January.
We should be aiming for as much normality as possible but we can’t achieve this by ignoring the virus. The NHS treatment backlog is already at something like 6 million people. A&E wait times are at record levels. This impacts all of us, none of us know when we or someone we care about will require treatment. It’s not clear how high an Omicron wave could go but a higher level or hospitalisations than last Winter is real possibility. If that happens people will die because they couldn’t be cared for.
It’s inevitable that some form of restrictions above plan-B are going to be required this Winter. This won’t necessarily be a lockdown. The lesson we’ve failed to learn from earlier waves is that the earlier action is taken the more effective it is, in the face of exponential growth. The first question is, what low-impact measures can we take? Working from home where possible and more mask usage are absolute non-brainers. I have some more-effective FFP2 masks, which I use anywhere crowded. Taking a lateral flow test before socialising or visiting anyone vulnerable is another good one. Plenty of people I know have decided not to go to any office Christmas parties, as they’ve don’t want to risk buggering up their more important plans with friends and family. Now is not a good time for parties and clubbing I’m afraid. This will be a disaster for the hospitality industry and they are going to need government support.
Doing nothing now increases the risk we’ll end up in an actual lockdown in the New Year.
I’m keeping a close eye on figures from South Africa. In Gauteng province they have gone from 154 to 2200 weekly hospital admissions in three weeks, which is a 14-fold increase. I’m expecting that to start flattening out at some point but no-one is sure when.
You can now book a booster dose if you’re over 30 and it’s been two months since your last vaccination.
“You can use this service to pre-book a booster dose of the vaccine if it’s been 2 months (61 days) since your 2nd dose and you’re in one of these groups:
aged 40 years old and over
aged 16 years old and over with a health condition that puts you at high risk from COVID-19
frontline health and social care workers”
But I’m hearing that over 30s have been able to book appointments.
I’ll wear a mask, I’m jabbed.
I’m not doing office parties but I’m not sacrificing time with my friends and family for another year. It’s what I live for.
By January you mean “shortly after Christmas family party visitors”.
Close schools early and make it so that it is piss-easy to get a booster jab. People are not going to abide with a full lockdown, they will abide with more simple measures that require them to do very little (well, sane people will). Like it or not, people are not going to give up a second Christmas, society is just not like that anymore. Give people £10 to get their booster if needs be, it will be a pitiful amount compared to what the NHS will save from treating people.
Pfizer booster is effective against the variant apparently.
Two years on and it’s almost like no one has a clue how to control this virus. God speed comrades.
12 comments
Fingers crossed we’ve got our response as well-balanced as possible.
[deleted]
The same study said that maybe everything is gonna be alright… but that scenario is not fit for a headline
We always get a spike in respiratory illness in January. It would have happened with or without Omicron, and will happen no matter what we do about it.
Trust the science. Mask up and shut up. Stay at home and save lives. Protect the NHS. Get double vaccinated. Get the booster. Maintain social distancing. Show your COVID Pass to the relevant authorities when prompted. We will get through this. Just another year to flatten the curve. Just another year of sacrifices.
This makes much more sense than the prediction for Christmas. January is going to be a challenge. Better don’t get sick in January.
We should be aiming for as much normality as possible but we can’t achieve this by ignoring the virus. The NHS treatment backlog is already at something like 6 million people. A&E wait times are at record levels. This impacts all of us, none of us know when we or someone we care about will require treatment. It’s not clear how high an Omicron wave could go but a higher level or hospitalisations than last Winter is real possibility. If that happens people will die because they couldn’t be cared for.
It’s inevitable that some form of restrictions above plan-B are going to be required this Winter. This won’t necessarily be a lockdown. The lesson we’ve failed to learn from earlier waves is that the earlier action is taken the more effective it is, in the face of exponential growth. The first question is, what low-impact measures can we take? Working from home where possible and more mask usage are absolute non-brainers. I have some more-effective FFP2 masks, which I use anywhere crowded. Taking a lateral flow test before socialising or visiting anyone vulnerable is another good one. Plenty of people I know have decided not to go to any office Christmas parties, as they’ve don’t want to risk buggering up their more important plans with friends and family. Now is not a good time for parties and clubbing I’m afraid. This will be a disaster for the hospitality industry and they are going to need government support.
Doing nothing now increases the risk we’ll end up in an actual lockdown in the New Year.
I’m keeping a close eye on figures from South Africa. In Gauteng province they have gone from 154 to 2200 weekly hospital admissions in three weeks, which is a 14-fold increase. I’m expecting that to start flattening out at some point but no-one is sure when.
You can now book a booster dose if you’re over 30 and it’s been two months since your last vaccination.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/
The website says the following:
“You can use this service to pre-book a booster dose of the vaccine if it’s been 2 months (61 days) since your 2nd dose and you’re in one of these groups:
aged 40 years old and over
aged 16 years old and over with a health condition that puts you at high risk from COVID-19
frontline health and social care workers”
But I’m hearing that over 30s have been able to book appointments.
I’ll wear a mask, I’m jabbed.
I’m not doing office parties but I’m not sacrificing time with my friends and family for another year. It’s what I live for.
By January you mean “shortly after Christmas family party visitors”.
Close schools early and make it so that it is piss-easy to get a booster jab. People are not going to abide with a full lockdown, they will abide with more simple measures that require them to do very little (well, sane people will). Like it or not, people are not going to give up a second Christmas, society is just not like that anymore. Give people £10 to get their booster if needs be, it will be a pitiful amount compared to what the NHS will save from treating people.
Pfizer booster is effective against the variant apparently.
Two years on and it’s almost like no one has a clue how to control this virus. God speed comrades.