19th July Reopening

[pulisa]

There's a case in Belgium apparently. I'm glad we are acting responsibly and I hope mandatory mask wearing is reinstated asap. If it's an overreaction so be it. Better to be safe than sorry.

[Lencoboy]

There's a case in Belgium apparently. I'm glad we are acting responsibly and I hope mandatory mask wearing is reinstated asap. If it's an overreaction so be it. Better to be safe than sorry.

Too right Pulisa, better to be safe than sorry.

[Lencoboy]

And that upsets me. I know we have to keep the virus from spreading and keep the NHS from stressing but ever since this fiasco started, my (namely my anxiety) and many others' mental health have been nearly flushed down the toilet. I'm sorry if I'm sounding selfish but I can only fight my anxiety off so much. I've been looking for jobs, getting some exercise but my increased anxiety has made that, and life in general, all the more tougher to deal with. And sometimes, I wanna punch the government in its face because it clearly doesn't care as much.

Anyhoo, enough of that from me. lol

Thing is, the govt will always get it in the neck no matter what they do, or don't do.

Damned if do, damned if don't.

[Lencoboy]

A couple of things to keep in mind. Mutations and variants of viruses are completely normal and expected when it comes to viruses. What you won’t see mentioned very often is that sometimes, mutations make a virus more infectious but less likely to cause severe illness. Evolution dictates that a virus needs a host, if this virus all of a sudden kills whoever it infects, it has nowhere to go. Of course, a virus cannot think, but natural selection will always make the most effective evolution the strongest.

Think of colds and flus. They’ve been around for as long as medical records have existed, but they simply have not evolved into killing machines. They have become less so as time progresses, as the more infectious yet less deadly strains overpower the infectious and deadly ones.

It’s also worth noting that our immune system is made up of far more than neutralising antibodies. Memory B and killer T cells are just as, if not more so, important to our immune capabilities. Vaccination and previous infection also prime these parts of our immune system, which makes it almost impossible for immunity to become utterly useless in the face of variants of this particular coronavirus.

We also have treatments now that we never had even 6 months ago, so even if this variant is more infectious, there’s no reason whatsoever why these treatments can’t be just as effective as they target more than the spike proteins.

In short, try to calm down. We have shown we can fight back against this and whatever this virus throws at us, we can and will fight it.

Very wise words as per usual Gary.

The authorities are simply erring on the side of caution right now, and quite rightly so.

[elizabethalice]

Thanks Gary, very rational and well said. So true, I'm sure vaccines probably do still protect against the worst even with these mutations. Plus, even if it's more contagious/ vaccine resistant it could be less serious. This is all true.

My scientist friend reckons it's spreading amongst unvaccinated in SA (and Belgium case was unvaccinated) and is encouraging everyone to get boosters as soon as they are available/ vaxxed if they haven't already.

Sadly they aren't as available in SA and I wish there was more vaccine equality. But obviously not taking a booster here won't mean someone elsewhere will be able to get one. I know most people in this forum know this, but another reminder from someone who knows what they're talking about (my friend, not me!)

Anyway, no more news for me today.

[pulisa]

Good plan. Even the experts don't know how this will pan out.

[Lencoboy]

The new variant from SA has now officially been named 'Omicron'.

Some scientists, while not trivialising the variant, have actually urged people not to over-react at this stage. Also up in Scotland, Sturgeon has also said we shouldn't hit the panic button but still remain vigilant.

All quoted in the BBC News website.

[Gary A]

Thanks Gary, very rational and well said. So true, I'm sure vaccines probably do still protect against the worst even with these mutations.

The reason that this variant is causing such a stir is because it is showing a lot of mutations within the spike protein. Current mRNA vaccines target spike proteins in order to form a kind of sheath around them that reduces their ability to infect our cells. The thinking is, that if this variant has mutated the spike proteins it may just escape mRNA vaccines.

What’s annoying me is that when our immune system recognises a spike protein, it doesn’t simply form a protective sheath, it also introduces memory and killer cells. Ok, so this variant may evade the part of the immune system that blocks cell infiltration, does it also block the part that remembers spike protein invasion? Hardly.

How many variants have we had since vaccination was introduced? How many have broken through that immunity? It may be more infectious, as in it can break through protection, but once it is in there our immune system is primed and ready to take it. Remember, infection is one thing, serious illness is quite another.

I really do wish our hysterical media would start rationalising like this and stop us all flailing our arms around in a bloody panic.

[Lencoboy]

The reason that this variant is causing such a stir is because it is showing a lot of mutations within the spike protein. Current mRNA vaccines target spike proteins in order to form a kind of sheath around them that reduces their ability to infect our cells. The thinking is, that if this variant has mutated the spike proteins it may just escape mRNA vaccines.

What’s annoying me is that when our immune system recognises a spike protein, it doesn’t simply form a protective sheath, it also introduces memory and killer cells. Ok, so this variant may evade the part of the immune system that blocks cell infiltration, does it also block the part that remembers spike protein invasion? Hardly.

How many variants have we had since vaccination was introduced? How many have broken through that immunity? It may be more infectious, as in it can break through protection, but once it is in there our immune system is primed and ready to take it. Remember, infection is one thing, serious illness is quite another.

I really do wish our hysterical media would start rationalising like this and stop us all flailing our arms around in a bloody panic.

What happened to that variant from Nepal back in the summer that was also feared to be the worst yet at the time, but hardly even discussed now?

Also the Delta Plus variant a few weeks back?

Whilst I fully acknowledge and appreciate your belief that the media may be overreacting in some ways to the new Omicron variant, I equally applaud the authorities, unlike previously, for taking this situation far more seriously so far, even if it doesn't end up turning out as bad as currently feared.

[pulisa]

It's sensible to be prepared for a worst case scenario when nothing is known for certain at this stage. Watching and waiting without doing anything is foolish and the media reaction is inevitable and predictable. What matters is what the true experts discover and what is decided as a result of this knowledge.