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Coronavirus - the new strain XXI

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Re this Botswana virus, we’ve been here before. And there’s a lesson: we should just ignore it, get on living our lives, and trust the JCVI etc to do the right thing on our behalf. There really is no point in fretting - better to laugh and forget, as Milan Kundera would say.
 
Prof Christina Pagel seems pretty worried about it (Twitter). The right-wingers will obviously be ripping their masks off in disgust, but she’s right. If there is a risk this strain has jumped the vaccine we need to act right now, not months later once Britain Trump has had it explained with crayons and puppets.
 
Prof Christina Pagel seems pretty worried about it (Twitter). The right-wingers will obviously be ripping their masks off in disgust, but she’s right. If there is a risk this strain has jumped the vaccine we need to act now, not months later once Britain Trump has had it explained to him with crayons and puppets.

Oh, I thought I'd just pop to Botswana for Christmas ;) It should be called the G7 variant.
 
Well, potentially more transmissible etc pending further lab work - but agreed, it doesn't look great.

Question: if you have a mostly vaccinated population but still have a high number of cases (like the UK) presumably you still have the same risk of the virus mutating into new variants. Is that correct?
I think it comes down to numbers: if the population is mostly vaccinated then numbers are likely to be much lower than otherwise, even if vaccination doesn't lead to sterilising immunity.

There was early speculation about vaccine-driven mutation but I recall a lot of scepticism. More by this stage, presumably, given there's still no evidence of it.
 
Re this Botswana virus, we’ve been here before. And there’s a lesson: we should just ignore it, get on living our lives, and trust the JCVI etc to do the right thing on our behalf. There really is no point in fretting - better to laugh and forget, as Milan Kundera would say.
JCVI has no international remit. They'd probably advise all vaccine efforts focus now on Africa, from previous statements
 
So if this one turns out to be as bad as some seem to think are we (i.e. the planet) going to wake up to a few home truths? Such as this virus is a global issue and needs dealing with as such and having planes flying around all over the world is not only massively damaging the environment but doing the virus's work for it at the same time!
 
Thought for a moment we were going to get a call for international solidarity and justice there.

But no.
 
Thought for a moment we were going to get a call for international solidarity and justice there.

But no.

Does your sniping ever stop? What do you think treating it as a global issue means???? I know winding people up on here is your hobby but perhaps give it a break for once especially as you claim to be so fatigued!
 
Does your sniping ever stop? What do you think treating it as a global issue means???? I know winding people up on here is your hobby but perhaps give it a break for once especially as you claim to be so fatigued!
It means focusing all efforts on vaccinating under-vaccinated countries, aid for health care, cancellation of debt, tearing up patents, whatever it takes. It doesn’t mean finally freezing everyone in their place. :rolleyes:
 
It means focusing all efforts on vaccinating under-vaccinated countries, aid for health care, cancellation of debt, tearing up patents, whatever it takes. It doesn’t mean finally freezing everyone in their place. :rolleyes:

And where did I say it did? Ah yes... of course... I didn't but that does not stop you pretending I did as per your usual modus operandi. I hope in what ever real life you have that you're better than this.
 
"Leading scientists have called for immediate “code red” international travel restrictions following reports that a new Covid-19 variant is driving a surge in cases in southern Africa.

The variant, which was only identified on Tuesday, initially sparked concern because it carries an “extremely high number” of mutations that could allow it to evade immunity. The latest data, presented by South African scientists on Thursday, revealed the variant also appears to be more transmissible and is already present in provinces throughout the country.

Ewan Birney, the deputy director general of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and a member of Spi-M, which advises the UK government, called for urgent “code red” – or “red list-type” – travel restrictions to be placed on southern Africa while the new variant’s transmissibility is investigated, saying it posed a risk of the pandemic regaining momentum."

"He urged countries not to repeat the mistake of failing to act quickly. “What we’ve learnt from the other situations like this – some have turned out OK and some haven’t – is that whilst we’re [investigating] you have to be reasonably paranoid,” he said."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...d-over-covid-variant-found-in-southern-africa
 
"Leading scientists have called for immediate “code red” international travel restrictions following reports that a new Covid-19 variant is driving a surge in cases in southern Africa.

The variant, which was only identified on Tuesday, initially sparked concern because it carries an “extremely high number” of mutations that could allow it to evade immunity. The latest data, presented by South African scientists on Thursday, revealed the variant also appears to be more transmissible and is already present in provinces throughout the country.

Ewan Birney, the deputy director general of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and a member of Spi-M, which advises the UK government, called for urgent “code red” – or “red list-type” – travel restrictions to be placed on southern Africa while the new variant’s transmissibility is investigated, saying it posed a risk of the pandemic regaining momentum."

"He urged countries not to repeat the mistake of failing to act quickly. “What we’ve learnt from the other situations like this – some have turned out OK and some haven’t – is that whilst we’re [investigating] you have to be reasonably paranoid,” he said."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...d-over-covid-variant-found-in-southern-africa

If there's one country that will fail to act quickly it's the UK.
 
Prof Christina Pagel seems pretty worried about it (Twitter). The right-wingers will obviously be ripping their masks off in disgust, but she’s right. If there is a risk this strain has jumped the vaccine we need to act right now, not months later once Britain Trump has had it explained with crayons and puppets.

There you go Tony, you got what you wanted. I told you not to fret. I told you to trust them.
 
South Africa has done the right thing here: seemingly total and timely transparency in full awareness that the consequences are likely to be discrimination and isolation. The world’s watching: if restrictions aren’t matched - at least! - by support then other countries won’t make the same mistake.

https://twitter.com/tuliodna/status/1463911554538160130?s=21

“Busy day on B.1.1.529 - a variant of great concern - The world should provide support to South Africa and Africa and not discriminate or isolate it! By protecting and supporting it, we will protect the world! A plea for billionaires and financial institutions.”

The UK’s response is likely to be border theatre: both punitive and completely ineffective. Covid celebrities whose first instinct is to call for isolation in this context have learned nothing and don’t GAF.
 
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