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Coronavirus

5 day break...

(217 Posts)
farview Sat 19-Dec-20 08:26:39

I just think re the present situation, numbers rising, variant of the virus etc ...there is no way that five days of household mixing should be allowed...January is probably going to be horrendous....NHS struggling.... inevitable Lockdown ?...

janeainsworth Wed 23-Dec-20 11:10:23

Had more cases

janeainsworth Wed 23-Dec-20 11:09:36

Franbern Those countries that have done best, are the ones where the population felt they can trust their political leaders

No. Those countries that have ‘done best’ (I would say have been fortunate in terms of cases per head of population) are those that have been able to close their borders effectively (NZ), or enforce tracing & isolation in ways that would not be considered acceptable in a western democracy(China, S Korea). Even Australia has containment measures that would cause outrage here.

There’s no reason to suppose that people in Sweden don’t trust their government any less than people in New Zealand do. But they have mad many more cases per capita than NZ.

growstuff Wed 23-Dec-20 10:47:31

All living organisms mutate. Many mutations don't survive, but some (as with this one) are better adapted to survival.

Mutations themselves are random. An organism doesn't mutate because it needs to stay alive.

If there had been fewer cases, there would have been fewer mutations and less chance that a successful one would have developed.

growstuff Wed 23-Dec-20 10:07:21

PS. Mutation doesn't work as you suggest.

growstuff Wed 23-Dec-20 10:06:32

I'm not saying there hasn't always been that idea. What on earth are you on about?

As for the rest of your post ... I hope it wasn't directed at me.

Franbern Wed 23-Dec-20 09:16:52

growstuff, there has always been an idea that if SOME medications and vitaments are good for you, then MORE of them must be better¬!!!

Many, many years ago, the very hypchondriac young father of one of my foster children accidently overdosed on prescription tablets and died. He had actually told his wife that morning, that the new comination of medication he was taking was making him feel so much better, he was considering 'upping' it.

Most of our vitamen needs are well in place by having a good, mixed and varied diet - yes I do accept that there has been evidence that many people in this country do sufferfrom some Vit D deficiency particuarly in the winter months, and those with darker skin colourings. But this will show up in normal blood tests and without that not sure of need of self-medicating.

Just wish that people would stop trying to find other groups of people to blame for this virus and its spread. It is NOT the fault, of the children in school, or the Uni students, or those who went to the beach in the summer, of thme BLM demostrators, or people going to the shops, etc. etc.

Until such time, as there is a large number of the population vaccinated (and this may well have to be on-going on an annual basis), this virus will continue to infect. Indeed, the current mutation is probably as much to do with the fact that so much protection was being used to stop it spreading, so it had to adapt to stay alive.

Perhaps -in the this country - it would help if we did not know that every time Johnson and co opened their mouths to speak on this matter (and most others), they spewed forth lie after lie after lie. Those countries that have done best, are the ones where the population felt they can trust their political leaders.

growstuff Wed 23-Dec-20 08:46:23

MayBee70

You have to take quite a lot for it to be dangerous though and the majority of people are deficient in it, especially in winter.

I agree, but some people think that taking more does you more good.

Puzzler61 Wed 23-Dec-20 08:12:02

Too much of anything isn’t good for us i.e. salt, sugar, alcohol, so I’ll risk that taking a Vit D capsule every day in winter is, on balance, going to do more good than harm.

FannyCornforth Wed 23-Dec-20 07:32:22

When DH came out of hospital with Covid and pneumonia he was given Adcal D3 tablets to take twice a day.
It was the only 'medication' he was given.

MayBee70 Wed 23-Dec-20 00:27:29

You have to take quite a lot for it to be dangerous though and the majority of people are deficient in it, especially in winter.

growstuff Wed 23-Dec-20 00:18:17

MayBee Vitamin D isn't totally harmless if taken in excess:

"Taking too many vitamin D supplements over a long period of time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body (hypercalcaemia). This can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and the heart. If you choose to take vitamin D supplements, 10 micrograms a day will be enough for most people."

Vitamin D isn't water soluble, so isn't excreted like Vitamin B and C, and build up.

growstuff Wed 23-Dec-20 00:09:12

effalump Mingling with other people doesn't boost immunity. There are so many quack theories about boosting the immune system, which I guess make people money. It's no wonder the government haven't put forward any methods because there aren't any.

We know that coronavirus thrives on human contact. The only way to avoid catching it is to minimise contact with other people. If only all people could be relied on to do that for two or three weeks, it would die.

MayBee70 Tue 22-Dec-20 23:45:17

The only MP to mention taking VitD was David Davies but the government still seem to be saying there isn’t enough evidence to recommend it to everyone. Even though it can’t do any harm and might just do some good. Not sure if they’re still supplying/recommending it to care homes. What happened to Johnson’s campaign to get people to lose weight after he realised his obesity was a causal factor when he suffered badly with COVID?

effalump Tue 22-Dec-20 16:59:40

I'd like to know what steps people normally take at this time of year to avoid getting the season flu and how do you try to boost your immunity. We all know that smoking, drinking alcohol and living on junk foods all have an impact on imunity but I also think staying at home, away from the community (and I'm not meaning hanging out with people coughing and spluttering all the time) but all the things that help to boost immunity are being suppressed. This virus will not be going away, we need to learn to live with it and having a diminished immunity just means that if you don't get it now, you will get it eventually. Never once, in all this time, have the government put out any information films on boosting your immunity just on hand-washing (which is not bad) but I would hope people do that anyway.

MayBee70 Sun 20-Dec-20 23:42:30

Sorry. I don’t know what you mean. I was talking about which vaccines had been peer reviewed, not authorised.

Ellie666 Sun 20-Dec-20 21:30:15

A bit behind the times aren't you?

MayBee70 Sun 20-Dec-20 18:47:46

Whitewavemark2

I was talking to DD about Oxford. She said that was is holding it up is the amount of data concerning the half dose - not sufficient data.

It has been an unfortunate incident, but will get sorted.

But it’s still the only vaccine that has been peer reviewed. Although I’m not sure if the Pfizer one was recently.

Greeneyedgirl Sun 20-Dec-20 17:34:59

Quite honestly I do not wait for Johnson to belatedly broadcast his edicts. I make decisions on what I hear from reliable sources such as the Independent Sage Group. I’m sure many others do similarly considering the people I know who had already decided against a full on family Christmas well before yesterday.

Wheniwasyourage Sun 20-Dec-20 12:50:50

You're quite right minxie about moving Christmas. (Much as I hate to be fair to Mr Johnson, it is in fact the virus which has spoilt your Christmas and he has just mishandled dealing with it.) When DH had to work on Christmas Day we moved Christmas to Boxing Day and that worked fine. What's a few months here or there? Your decorations will certainly attract attention in the summer!

Wheniwasyourage Sun 20-Dec-20 12:47:37

Jayt, we're the same as you, currently in Level 1 and yet being moved into Level 4 on Saturday. I feel so sorry for the local shopkeepers who have been able to stay open here but will now have to shut again, and for the staff at the gym and the library, who will presumably have to shut too. However, at the moment we have a low rate of infection here and I wouldn't like to see that change, so if we must be in Level 4, we must. The rest of the family have been in Level 4, then recently 3, and so we weren't planning to see any of them anyway. sad but resigned grin

minxie Sun 20-Dec-20 12:43:33

So Boris has just ruined my Christmas with my family, with tier 4z After the shock of our get together being stopped in its tracks . We are regrouping Xmas, if we have to have it in May the tree and deccers are going up. The carols will be playing and we will have a proper Christmas Day. We have to look at the bigger picture. This is the first time ever I won’t see my boys at Christmas at all.

Whitewavemark2 Sun 20-Dec-20 10:28:53

I was talking to DD about Oxford. She said that was is holding it up is the amount of data concerning the half dose - not sufficient data.

It has been an unfortunate incident, but will get sorted.

MayBee70 Sun 20-Dec-20 10:17:43

Canadiangran: totally agree with your last paragraph. The PM here constantly gives speeches telling people that what he’s doing is taking away their liberties citing the cancellation of Christmas as in inhumane and then cancelling it anyway. He puts the seeds of discontent in their heads. And yet he then constantly gives people false hope by setting out unachievable deadlines: it’ll be over in 12 weeks, then Christmas etc etc. Jennifer. I do hope DrJohn is right about the Oxford vaccine. I must admit that I cried when I heard it. I don’t understand why Hancock et al don’t keep people up to speed about it. Even this morning on Sky news (or so DH tells me) he said he didn’t know what was happening. I was worrying that the profit making vaccine manufacturers were trying to block it in some way.

Franbern Sun 20-Dec-20 09:42:05

Whereas, the plan has always been for me to spend Christmas Day with my 'bubble family' who live just a few streets away, I had also had in place an arrangement to visit my daughter who lives right on the borders of London/Essex for a few days between Xmas and New Year. Anther daughter, had originally, arranged to visit for a day whilst I was there, although she cancelled this a few days back.

Strangely enough I found I was feeling quite anxious about this. I say, 'strangely' as at no time earlier in the year did I have any anxiety about this virus', Eventually, early yesterday afternoon, I telephoned her to say I was going to cancel. As I am very nearly 80 yrs old, I am likely (hoping) to be called for vaccination within the next couple of month. So, expect to be fully covered by March/April and will then arrange a long weekend visit to them then. Think she was quite relieved - as was rather concerned for me.

Knew I had made the correct decision, as having made that call, felt my anxiety lift - and glad it was totally my decision (in advance of the blond-wonder's latest u-turn).

My AC had all arranged for a family zoom meeting on Christmas afternoon, and will just have to make do this that.

JenniferEccles Sun 20-Dec-20 08:51:33

Thanks for passing on that really encouraging news about the Oxford vaccine MayBee70

That is the one which has the potential to be a game changer I think as we have ordered enough for virtually the entire adult population.

I imagine it was the dosage which has been holding things up.
We have also ordered some of the Moderna vaccine which the US has recently passed so there is much to be optimistic about.