Interesting Links for 20-09-2024

[andrewducker]

1. We are never getting herd immunity with Covid

(tags:pandemic doom )

2. A Decade on from the IndyRef, Challenges Abound for Everyone

(tags:independence Scotland politics UK )

Comments

"Herd Immunity" as Delusion

[dewline]

The herd is going in the wrong damn direction. We do NOT want endemic spread, and should never have wanted it to begin with.

Re: "Herd Immunity" as Delusion

[andrewducker]

We were never not going to get endemic spread. The logistics were never going to work. Even the countries that made it work temporarily (like New Zealand) gave up eventually once we had vaccines. It's too big a coordination problem when there were countries that weren't (or couldn't) do what would have been necessary.

[bens_dad]

Covid's nearest widespread relative is a form of the common cold. Each year the majority of us get at least one form of cold, but have we ever considered herd immunity for that ? Not that I know of.

[ Written laying in bed with Covid. Only my second bout. ]

[andrewducker]

Yeah, things change too fast.

I hope that your're entirely recovered by now!

(Norovirus went through us for 2 weeks, and I'm just catching up with my email backlog.)

[bens_dad]

Maybe the Unionists should get English support.
Reform gives me some hope (which seems a very odd thing to say) but I fear that with FPTP at Westminster and Scottish Independence, England could be stuck with the Conservatives forever. Even now it seems that the only Labour governments we get would fit in with the conservative governments I grew up wth.

[andrewducker]

Yeah, without PR we're stuck with a terrible cycle of bad and worse governments.

[movingfinger]

Is the "herd immunity" folklore the reason vaccination seems so under-emphasized in the UK? Meaning, they're relying on everyone getting it and being "immunized" that way instead of vaccines, which are more expensive up-front?

[andrewducker]

As far as I can tell they're trying to pretend it's not happening any more.

The UK *is* vaccinating

[bens_dad]

I'm still in my fifties and in the UK. I don't know why but I have an appointment for covid and flu vaccines in a fortnight (assuming my current bout of covid doesn't reschedule them). Maybe the new government is quietly being more sensible.

Re: The UK *is* vaccinating

[andrewducker]

Huh. Not that I'm aware of. I wonder what's going on.

Re: The UK *is* vaccinating

[errolwi]

I assume that they won't give you a Covid vaccine for at least 3 months (it is 6 months here in NZ) after having it.

Re: The UK *is* vaccinating

[andrewducker]

They don't ask you if you've had it recently. Just if you've got it at that moment (in which case please don't come and get everyone sick)

Re: The UK *is* vaccinating

[movingfinger]

Wild! Resistance from an infection lasts about four months, so in the US they ask if you've had COVID since $date when you go in. (As far as I know it is being "covered" by most insurers but there may be a co-payment too.)

A lot of people are getting COVID-flu double-header shots this month, but I prefer to wait a little on flu as there is usually a lot of it going around during/after the year-end holidays and peak winter indoors season.

I have observed a slight uptick in mask usage at grocery stores. The guy at the car wash, whom I spoke to through an open car window, was wearing one; hope he wasn't working while positive (he was very likely working while positive).

Re: The UK *is* vaccinating

[andrewducker]

The UK is only doing vaccinations in autumn, so if you waited for four months you'd miss your chance entirely.

Re: The UK *is* vaccinating

[channelpenguin]

That sounds good.

Here in Germany, I was going to ask my doctor about COVID and flu vaccine this year at my appointment on Wednesday... But he was off sick! But it was uncomplicated to get it last year. They don't actively offer it to my age group, though (I'm 53>, only over 60s I think.