We're all going to get COVID XBB 1 5 whether you're vaccinated or not :(

[WiredIncorrectly]

Not my words, from Dr John Campbell. He says COVID will be around for the next 20 years.

[ServerError]

You think about how each new variant and sub-variant is remarkably transmissible and then another comes along even more so - there's no doubt that the vast majority of us will get this one. It's spreading like wildfire in the States and is almost certainly spreading in the UK now. The days of trying to keep Covid at bay in terms of spread seem to be over. It's up to our immune systems now, with all the associated problems that brings for some. I doubt Covid will be gone in 20 years. It's going to be spreading for the rest of human existence most likely.

[Lencoboy]

You think about how each new variant and sub-variant is remarkably transmissible and then another comes along even more so - there's no doubt that the vast majority of us will get this one. It's spreading like wildfire in the States and is almost certainly spreading in the UK now. The days of trying to keep Covid at bay in terms of spread seem to be over. It's up to our immune systems now, with all the associated problems that brings for some. I doubt Covid will be gone in 20 years. It's going to be spreading for the rest of human existence most likely.

So that basically renders lockdowns and other restrictions useless and a waste of time then.

There's still no evidence so far that this 'Kraken' sub-variant is any more lethal though, but there is talk of vaccine manufacturers working on a pan-coronavirus super-vaccine that's currently estimated to be ready in 2024.

BTW, I don't bother watching Dr JC's videos anymore.

P.S, One or two people I know don't believe Swine Flu actually ever went away; more like the media and the authorities just gave up on it post-2010 and moved onto whatever other 'scares' (health-related or otherwise) subsequently became all the rage.

[Lencoboy]

Back in around November-early December the media seemed to be putting the fear of God into us over the Strep A epidemic, which seems to have died down a fair bit now in terms of media attention.

A few months back it was Monkeypox (now referred to as M-pox), which never seems to get mentioned in the media of late.

Even Covid is only mentioned sparingly in the news of late, despite this latest XBB 1.5 (Kraken) sub-variant allegedly taking over, unlike this time 2 years ago when Covid was having endless coverage day in day out, complete with the daily 5 pm televised briefings from Downing Street.

[ServerError]

Lockdowns are futile at this point. Especially the kind of half-hearted ones we employed. Even the Chinese Communist Party realised it was time to change tack once Omicron arrived (although the protests also gave them a prod). It's so transmissible now that even 2020-style lockdowns won't stop it spreading. It might spread slightly slower but that's about it.

My fear (such as it is) is the unseen damage that repeated Covid infections are doing inside our bodies. I temporarily lost my taste/smell with my first infection and then again with my second, which turned into parosmia (a foul smell/taste). I'm regaining normal function again, but I worry that if it keeps happening, eventually it won't come back. And that's just an issue I can detect. What exactly is Covid doing to our bodies?

[Lencoboy]

Lockdowns are futile at this point. Especially the kind of half-hearted ones we employed. Even the Chinese Communist Party realised it was time to change tack once Omicron arrived (although the protests also gave them a prod). It's so transmissible now that even 2020-style lockdowns won't stop it spreading. It might spread slightly slower but that's about it.

My fear (such as it is) is the unseen damage that repeated Covid infections are doing inside our bodies. I temporarily lost my taste/smell with my first infection and then again with my second, which turned into parosmia (a foul smell/taste). I'm regaining normal function again, but I worry that if it keeps happening, eventually it won't come back. And that's just an issue I can detect. What exactly is Covid doing to our bodies?

I totally understand your concerns, but surely there's still plenty of other things that are more than capable of causing irreparable damage to our bodies and systems that the media and authorities barely even give as much as a look in. Like I said upthread earlier this morning I wouldn't be in the slightest bit surprised if Swine Flu is still actually around (albeit in lesser variants now compared to 2009-10) and various other old chestnuts from the past.

I also reckon that the YouTube link to Dr JC's latest video concerning the XBB 1.5 was posted to justify people not getting jabbed, which still help prevent severe Covid illnesses for the vast majority, despite what the naysayers might currently believe. TBH I don't fully trust what Dr JC says anymore anyway. Also he might just as well tell us all that we could end up in car crashes tomorrow, one of many other ever-present threats that most of us don't even give as much as a second thought to.

[Scass]

I hate to join this type of thread but the title is quite provoking. The point of vaccination with covid isn’t to stop you catching it, it’s to make it less serious if you do.

[Lencoboy]

I hate to join this type of thread but the title is quite provoking. The point of vaccination with covid isn’t to stop you catching it, it’s to make it less serious if you do.

I absolutely agree with you Scass. It does come across as a bit 'conspiracy theory'-like, though I don't really wish to have full-on digs at James (WIC) though, especially as he's not always of that particular nature, though we all have our own respective foibles which of course make us what we are.

Going back to the Covid vaccines and their potential pros and cons, it's a bit like the point of wearing seatbelts while travelling in vehicles will never guarantee 100% protection against people getting killed or seriously injured in road accidents, but can most certainly lessen the likelihood of such occurrences significantly. Plus it's incidentally coming up to the 40th anniversary of when wearing seatbelts when at least travelling in the front seats of cars was first made mandatory by law.

[WorryRaptor]

I hate to join this type of thread but the title is quite provoking. The point of vaccination with covid isn’t to stop you catching it, it’s to make it less serious if you do.

Seconding this!

Also, Dr JC clearly changed his content to appeal a certain kind of audience once he saw how much it grew his viewership. Previously, he encouraged getting vaccinated, and stuck to the facts without trying to make them fit a narrative. I'd take everything he says with an oceans worth of salt.

My fear (such as it is) is the unseen damage that repeated Covid infections are doing inside our bodies. I temporarily lost my taste/smell with my first infection and then again with my second, which turned into parosmia (a foul smell/taste). I'm regaining normal function again, but I worry that if it keeps happening, eventually it won't come back. And that's just an issue I can detect. What exactly is Covid doing to our bodies?

Yep, agree with this. Even "regular" viruses can do a number on peoples nervous systems for years afterwards, and Covid seems to be overachieving in that aspect. I had what I could only describe as a really mild case, and I'm pretty sure it contributed to making my hemiplegic migraines worse, and I get random inflammation near my brain stem and behind my eye (not fun!) Now, that could be a complete coincidence, but given the prevalence of long Covid, and many theories that things like MS can get triggered by certain viruses, it's not a wild conclusion to draw that repeated exposure to Covid could cause lasting damage, or begin another disease process.

[pulisa]

Pleurisy 5 years ago certainly did a number on the nerve endings in my upper back. My daughter is having cardiac tests in hospital tomorrow following a covid infection. Covid and its repercussions is being taken seriously and such a lot is unknown of course.

I would agree in that this "doctor's" views should be take with a large pinch of salt as he is targeting a suggestible audience.