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Coronavirus - the new strain XX

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Friday evenings see it full of people hitting the town. Seems the tube carries more leisure travellers than workers now.
 
It's a complicated situation, as regards influence. For instance here we see a professional campaign organisation made up of scientists, journalists and others raising money from media consumers to pay scientist-celebrities to tell journalists to tell their readers and viewers that their children are in grave danger:

https://twitter.com/allthecitizens/status/1438770234069069824?s=20

(The Citizens is Independent Sage's umbrella brand.)

Isage’s mission is to use impact journalism to call the government to account. Its mission is not to present the issues fully and fairly, objectively and independently. It is a political operation. There’s a fine line between calling the the government’s approach to the covid crisis to account, and using the covid crisis for political ends.
 
Very good news that the cases are now starting to focus on the school kids. Everything seems to me to be going quite well at the moment.

I had lunch in the west end today. London is really bouncing back - it feels as lively as it did in September 2019!

40 kids per day have been hospitalised throughout the summer holidays - now it's set to get worse.
 
Isage’s mission is to use impact journalism to call the government to account. Its mission is not to present the issues fully and fairly, objectively and independently. It is a political operation. There’s a fine line between calling the the government’s approach to the covid crisis to account, and using the covid crisis for political ends.

It's very naive in this day and age to think that you might inflence anything without a strong social media presence.
 
Makes sense to target those at most risk. The UK strategy is boosting those of us eligible for the flu vaccine isn’t it? I’ll certainly take it if offered.

Absolutely. Respiratory diseases, heart conditions, stroke. Hypertension but less so. https://alama.org.uk/covid-19-medical-risk-assessment/

The Guardian's covering this today...

People with chronic conditions among most at risk from Covid even after jabs

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...among-most-at-risk-from-covid-even-after-jabs
 
Makes sense to target those at most risk. The UK strategy is boosting those of us eligible for the flu vaccine isn’t it? I’ll certainly take it if offered.
The surprising, and encouraging thing is that they haven’t approved boosters for 16-64 year olds, citing insufficient of evidence of benefit. It’s only the advisory body, so still time for the US to say Fck the World, but it’s a positive development and I hope the rest of the rich world follows suit.
 
The surprising, and encouraging thing is that they haven’t approved boosters for 16-64 year olds, citing insufficient of evidence of benefit. It’s only the advisory body, so still time for the US to say Fck the World, but it’s a positive development and I hope the rest of the rich world follows suit.

I still don’t quite understand how this impacts global production and supply. Pfizer etc can produce and sell their wares wherever they want. Given the nature and storage requirements of the vaccines that would very likely involve new factories, refrigeration plants and whole supply chains close to the point of delivery. The argument strikes me as being as fundamentally stupid/illogical as the “eat up your dinner, there are people starving in Africa” phrase I remember hearing back in the ‘70s and ‘80s. If we want to vaccinate the third world we need to start with the logistics, not an irrational argument that if we don’t take vaccines here others can have them in the 3rd world. I just don’t think that is how it works. We need to start with manufacturing capability, storage and supply chains.
 
I'm going to say it again that we need to stop with this either or argument as it's just two sides of those with an axe to grind whining on. The focus needs to be on making enough vaccine available to everyone (be that boosters, third world nations first doses or whatever). Until that mindset overtakes the whole range of politically driven arguments around boosters and vaccine availability the world will remain predominantly screwed!
 
I'm not sure the Pfizer should be distributed throughout Africa even if enough available. The storage requirements will simply not be met in large enough numbers to either make it dangerous for the vaccinated or allow the virus to mutate to evade this vaccine, or both.
Better to distribute vaccines that can be stored in a normal fridge and have a reasonable 'shelf life'.
 
I'm not sure the Pfizer should be distributed throughout Africa even if enough available. The storage requirements will simply not be met in large enough numbers to either make it dangerous for the vaccinated or allow the virus to mutate to evade this vaccine, or both.
Better to distribute vaccines that can be stored in a normal fridge and have a reasonable 'shelf life'.

There will be places where AZ is a better choice as you say, but it's only -80 degrees, which is a just standard lab chest freezer. These will (or could be made be available) in the city hospitals, for sure.
 
There will be places where AZ is a better choice as you say, but it's only -80 degrees, which is a just standard lab chest freezer. These will (or could be made be available) in the city hospitals, for sure.
How much of the population is in cities? I believe there’s very significant population far away from cities. How reliable is the power network? It’s easy to think that installing fridges is easy but when you visit some of these countries you get to realise the situation is far from what we’re used to. Yes major cities in South Africa have the infrastructure but not right across the continent. Also, simply sending kit out there does not remotely guarantee it’ll end up where it should. AZ would surely be a better option.
 
How much of the population is in cities? I believe there’s very significant population far away from cities. How reliable is the power network? It’s easy to think that installing fridges is easy but when you visit some of these countries you get to realise the situation is far from what we’re used to. Yes major cities in South Africa have the infrastructure but not right across the continent.

Sure, I'm just making the point that Africans don't generally live in mud huts in the middle of nowhere
 
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