New measures, Omicron gaining ground?

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/10/stringent-uk-covid-measures-needed-within-a-week-leak-reveals

Lizzie - thanks, that's it. Feeling a bit despondent.

I see the article mentions Neil Fergusson. This would be the expert who recommended the lockdown in March 2020.
So convinced was he as to the danger of mixing that he invited his married lover to come to his residence for some afternoon rumpy pumpy.
Do I believe him? What do you think.

I’ve also read today that the booster is giving 75% protection against Omnicron and sufferers should only get mild symptoms. I’m not going to get despondent; I’m fed up of it.

tickingbird

I’ve also read today that the booster is giving 75% protection against Omnicron and sufferers should only get mild symptoms. I’m not going to get despondent; I’m fed up of it.

The virus doesn't care if you're fed up.

MerylStreep

I see the article mentions Neil Fergusson. This would be the expert who recommended the lockdown in March 2020.
So convinced was he as to the danger of mixing that he invited his married lover to come to his residence for some afternoon rumpy pumpy.
Do I believe him? What do you think.

I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone, be it the media or the government, give the slightest credence to Neil Ferguson’s predictions. He has never ever been correct. He was wildly wrong on BSE, swine flu and now COVID, over-estimating hugely each time and causing enormous damage.

The problem is that omicron is so transmissible that we could end up with a large portion of the workforce being ill, albeit not badly but still incapacitated all at the same time.

MerylStreep

I see the article mentions Neil Fergusson. This would be the expert who recommended the lockdown in March 2020.
So convinced was he as to the danger of mixing that he invited his married lover to come to his residence for some afternoon rumpy pumpy.
Do I believe him? What do you think.

No, this was the Neil Ferguson whose mathematical modelling showed what could happen with various scenarios. The government belatedly recommended lockdown. Ferguson was subsequently shown to have been correct.

There's no indication that the government are bothered about people becoming unwell. The issue is whether the NHS can cope with even a small surge in admissions which will result in a huge wave of infections. The NHS are saying they can't. The implications are obvious.

Daisymae

There's no indication that the government are bothered about people becoming unwell. The issue is whether the NHS can cope with even a small surge in admissions which will result in a huge wave of infections. The NHS are saying they can't. The implications are obvious.

They have brought in plan B
Just wondering what measures that would actually make a difference should be taken
The booster is progressing at quite a rate improving the resistance to the virus for those most at risk
What we really need to know is how serious Omicron is ? We know it is more transmissible but does it cause serious illness in the majority?

Rosie, no it almost certainly doesn't cause more serious illness, but a huge number of infections will eventually filter through and find those who are susceptible to more serious disease, even if a relatively small number, requiring hospital treatment.

Logically we have boosted the vacination of the at risk groups in the whole. Those not yet boosted are predominantly younger age groups who do not end up in hospital in their droves

Growstuff. The virus doesn't care if you're fed up

Really?? How inconsiderate of it!

This is shocking on people's mental health. If a person sneezes or has a bit of a tickly cough they're going to go running to A&E.

EV, anyone I know who has had coughs and sneezes (including me) has immediately done a LFT to self-diagnose, and follows it up a few days later to see if it gives the same result. In the few cases where it has shown a positive result, they've gone for a PCR test at the nearest testing site. Not one of them has gone running to A&E.

Most optimistic modelling is predicting 25000 deaths by April. www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/11/omicron-covid-variant-could-cause-75000-deaths-in-england-by-end-of-april-say-scientists