New COVID variant - Mu

I'd be interested in what a "so called scientist" is too!

sluttygran

Viruses mutate constantly, and it's true that they tend to become less aggressive, tho' often more contagious.
It's bad enough worrying about Covid, but I can't help noticing that every time a crisis appears which might reflect badly upon the government, there is always a sudden announcement that another 'variant of concern' has been identified.
Am I alone in thinking that our illustrious government are finding that the Coronavirus is providing them with an endless stream of convenient 'dead cats' to distract us from all the disasters they've caused?

No, it's definitely not true that they inevitably become less "aggressive".

Ideally, a mutation which causes fewer effects becomes more easily transmissible, but mutations are random. It's just as likely that an easily transmissible mutation causes more serious effects.

I think this is how it is going to be for a long time now, maybe forever, we have to learn to live with it.

Shropshirelass

I think this is how it is going to be for a long time now, maybe forever, we have to learn to live with it.

OK! So we "learn to live with it". It's known that Covid has affected some communities, mainly deprived ones and those with a high percentage of ethnic population, more severely. How about accepting that Covid will be around for a long time, but mitigating some of the effects? We know that the same communities which have been sickest have also suffered most financially, so how about doing something about ensuring that the inequality gaps don't become even bigger?

Learning to live with it" should *not mean shrugging shoulders and accepting that a certain number will die or have serious long-term effects.

I feel this is a very big deal for you growstuff, as its something that comes up a lot of different threads.

Nobody in their right minds is suggesting just giving up and rolling over to let the virus run rampant. Not now that we know something about it. The government are arguably not doing all that they can to mitigate it. You know far more about the schools situation than me and have very clear views about the vaccination of 12 - 15 year olds.

But jumping on every poster who uses the phrase "we have to live with it" is getting counter-productive. Unfortunately, living with it means that some of us will die or have long term effects. Just like we die of other things. We need to take responsible measures to make that number as small as possible, but it will never be zero, and we can't ignore the other damage done by imposing measures that some might describe as "mitigations", while others might say "restrictions."

growstuff

I'd be interested in what a "so called scientist" is too!

This "so called scientist" would like to know as well. I think we're in for a long wait!

Since when you did you become GN moderator Alegrias?

FWIW you're like a stuck record too. I disagree with you and I shall continue to challenge meaningless and trite slogans.

PS. If people aren't talking about shrugging their shoulders, maybe they'd care to articulate what they do mean because it seems to me that so long as they're OK, they don't care much about the bigger picture.

I took great pains to try to express myself in a way that would lead to conversation, rather than polemic.

Clearly wasted my time.

PS, I've told you at least twice what I think living with it means. You ignore it. And you will continue to while ranting about how selfish we all are, I'm sure.

Don't we all have phrases that irritate us though?

For example, I hate people suggesting family carers 'should look after their own' without any depth of awareness about how that would look or acknowledgement of how hard it is and whether it is even appropriate and I feel like this as it directly affects me

I suppose this is the same thing. From most posters it is a throwaway comment with no acknowledgment of what will actually happen.

Well not this poster, and haranguing people who use it will get us nowhere.

Maybe instead of complaints about the phrase we could hear what the alternative is? You know, like a proper conversation?

I will try to explain what living with Covid means to me…

The U.K. nor the rest of the world will not reach zero Covid in the near future if ever.

People need to work, children need to be educated and yes we need a social life.

Vaccination has almost severed the link between cases/hospitalisation/mortality. Folks with underlying co-morbidities (including myself) along with the obese will have to continue to be more vigilant.

PS. If people aren't talking about shrugging their shoulders, maybe they'd care to articulate what they do mean because it seems to me that so long as they're OK, they don't care much about the bigger picture.

Perhaps it means investing more in research, in improving living conditions for those deprived sectors of society and doing something about ensuring that the inequality gaps don't become even bigger?.

We can't just hope that it will disappear as rapidly as it emerged and that there may not be another virus which appears with devastating consequences.

People in the UK died of cholera, typhoid and other diseases and still would do so if we hadn't done something, made necessary changes.

So yes, most believe we will have to learn to live with it but perhaps alter our ways and invest more money to alleviate the problems.
It requires research and the wherewithal to carry out changes which require the funds to do this.

It needs a government which isn't afraid to tackle the changes needed.

Learning to live with it" should *not mean shrugging shoulders and accepting that a certain number will die or have serious long-term effects.

Unfortunately it might mean that, as with other diseases, a certain number may die from this new coronavirus and/or have long-term effects from it.
That doesn't mean shoulders are being shrugged, it means facing the reality of the disease unless a vaccine which is 100% proof against it is discovered.