My COVID Prediction

[Lencoboy]

Hey, James. Thinking of you and yours.

Sorry you're feeling so awful right now, and I'm sorry the world's in such a mess. Try to remember that mental illness can distort the way you perceive the world, though.

Things are bad, but you have your family and friends. We might have tough times ahead of us, but better times will come along, too.

I agree with you BI. I agree with James that we need even tighter restrictions, at least in the shorter term, but I don't agree with him that the vaccinations are a waste of time as they still haven't started properly yet, and for all I know he might have been reading too much BS propaganda online, which sadly is aplenty, and inadvertently getting carried away with it.

Let's all give the vaccines a chance before writing them off and prematurely jumping to conclusions that they will never work and are a waste of time and money.

Granted there have been teething problems and cock-ups with the Pfizer vaccine but the others will be here soon, so let's all wait and see, be patient, and in the meantime, stick to the rules.

I know it's hard for many of us and it's highly tempting to say 'screw the authorities', but honestly, contrary to popular belief, they're not all completely bent and corrupt, and whatever's currently trending on social media isn't necessarily what we should all be going by and believing as gospel.

[dorabella]

The numbers look dreadful. It looks like the big lockdown is going to come sooner than expected.

One year on and we're in a worse position than we was. This year I've seen no progress at all. The vaccine roll out has been a complete waste of time. It's not possible to kill the virus with a drip fed vaccine rollout that has a limited life span once inside your system. Mass vaccination is required at the same time, but that's logistically impossible. The anti-vaxers are many, they'll keep it alive and kicking too.

The point I've been making for some time is mass lockdown needs to happen, and for a lengthy amount of time. It will mess a lot of things up for a lot of people, but this situation is dire and the world has to face the reality of the problem.

If something isn't done soon we will start to see hardship and a complete destruction of the economy.

I'm sorry to be that guy to bring the negative reality to the table, but it is what it is.

Some interesting and various thoughts everyone on how to get out of this mess we are in ... but considering the 'mass lockdown' earlier in the year didn't work then I can't see any reason to do keep doing it ... that is the definition of insanity to keep repeating the same failed experiment over and over again and expecting a different result. All lockdowns do is to put off the inevitable and push the problem further down the road. The current tier 4 restriction is a lockdown in all but name and having little effect apart from to drive people insane.

Viruses are cyclical - winter 2019 and now again winter 2020 and their purpose is to circulate until they loose their efficacy, getting weaker until they become endemic ... bit like the common cold. All that a vaccine will do is give people's immune response a jump start in the event that they come into contact with the bug. Mass testing really is a waste of time when you consider that the much-vaunted PCR test is not fully reliable and was never designed to be used to track a virus in the populace.

If the government can get itself organised once the Oxford vaccine comes good, then it should do what has been suggested and vaccinate the most vulnerable, and tell the rest of the population to get out from under their beds and get on with life. We can't hide from it for ever.

Sure a lot of you will disagree with me but this hysterical over-reaction to a virus has gone on for long enough.

[quaksalver]

This is really scary stuff. This new strain is spreading like wildfire's in my country. Before it was mainly blacks and migrants who was getting it but nobody cares too much about them. Now its healthy young whites and people ate running scared

[fishman65]

Before it was mainly blacks and migrants who was getting it but nobody cares too much about them.

Really? Racism must be alive and kicking in SA.

[Gary A]

This is really scary stuff. This new strain is spreading like wildfire's in my country. Before it was mainly blacks and migrants who was getting it but nobody cares too much about them. Now its healthy young whites and people ate running scared

I’m not one to use the word racism lightly, but that comment is racist as hell.

[glassgirlw]

I’m not one to use the word racism lightly, but that comment is racist as hell.

that was my thought as well. I’m trying to look on the other side though, perhaps there is a cultural difference at work here or English not being the primary language. It’s tough though.

[fishman65]

This is really scary stuff. This new strain is spreading like wildfire's in my country. Before it was mainly blacks and migrants who was getting it but nobody cares too much about them. Now its healthy young whites and people ate running scared

Unless its meant, 'nobody else other than the poster' cares about the blacks and migrants? It could be interpreted that way.

[AntsyVee]

The thing about SA is that even though they ended apartheid and de-segregated their society, it didn't mean that all of the Caucasian people there also changed their views that those of African and Indian heritage are inferior. In some ways, the problems that came with de-segregating their society only reinforced the inferiority views held by some Caucasians. As those of African and Indian heritage struggled to take their place in society and deal with poverty, lack of education and other social problems, it only proved to some Caucasian people that the others were inherently inferior. Even though apartheid has ended, SA is still separated into two distinct societies IMO: the wealthy society mostly made up of Caucasians and the poor society made up of everyone else.

I've had several students from SA, both Caucasian and African heritage. I had one tell me that "if not for the white people, the black people would still be living in the bush". All of them came to the US because of the crime there. One of the Caucasian students blamed the black people for the crime; the other Caucasian ones did not.

IMO, SA has a lot of racial healing still left to do, just like we do here in the US.

[fishman65]

The thing about SA is that even though they ended apartheid and de-segregated their society, it didn't mean that all of the Caucasian people there also changed their views that those of African and Indian heritage are inferior. In some ways, the problems that came with de-segregating their society only reinforced the inferiority views held by some Caucasians. As those of African and Indian heritage struggled to take their place in society and deal with poverty, lack of education and other social problems, it only proved to some Caucasian people that the others were inherently inferior. Even though apartheid has ended, SA is still separated into two distinct societies IMO: the wealthy society mostly made up of Caucasians and the poor society made up of everyone else.

I've had several students from SA, both Caucasian and African heritage. I had one tell me that "if not for the white people, the black people would still be living in the bush". All of them came to the US because of the crime there. One of the Caucasian students blamed the black people for the crime; the other Caucasian ones did not.

IMO, SA has a lot of racial healing still left to do, just like we do here in the US.

Thank you Vee, for that comprehensive and insightful analysis of South Africa's ongoing social and political troubles LOL

[AntsyVee]

Thank you Vee, for that comprehensive and insightful analysis of South Africa's ongoing social and political troubles LOL

I figured you guys had enough of a xmas break away from school