IOM Covid removing restrictions

[HeliX]

14 hours ago, Happier diner said:

That's a better explanation. 

It's still a bit off though. Nature makes no attempts to find an equilibrium. The only thing that stops a virus that kills quickly from becoming the dominant strain is that the people it kills can't pass it on, but that doesn't preclude Covid from becoming much more lethal than it currently is and still spreading well. Is it likely? Probably (hopefully) not. Possible? Certainly. Possibility goes up when more people are infected too, as there's a larger quantity of genetic material out there.

Not that I'm suggesting any restrictions on the back of that, but to imply that Covid can't get more dangerous is incorrect. The vast majority of mutations make viruses less viable and less lethal, mind.

It's probably not a bad idea to wear a mask (of your own volition before the freedom warriors get upset) and not kiss strangers though.

[Danoo]

11 minutes ago, HeliX said:

It's still a bit off though. Nature makes no attempts to find an equilibrium. The only thing that stops a virus that kills quickly from becoming the dominant strain is that the people it kills can't pass it on, but that doesn't preclude Covid from becoming much more lethal than it currently is and still spreading well. Is it likely? Probably (hopefully) not. Possible? Certainly. Possibility goes up when more people are infected too, as there's a larger quantity of genetic material out there.

Not that I'm suggesting any restrictions on the back of that, but to imply that Covid can't get more dangerous is incorrect. The vast majority of mutations make viruses less viable and less lethal, mind.

It's probably not a bad idea to wear a mask (of your own volition before the freedom warriors get upset) and not kiss strangers though.

Of course nature finds an equilibrium, that's entirely the point of nature. We are all a part of of the same ecosystem and when immunity throughout society reaches a level which benefits the whole we reach a state of relative homeostasis. 

Can people still die from Covid? Of course they can. Society is riddled with sick people already who don't need much to tip them over the edge. People have been getting progressively sicker the past 18 months through the various lockdown measures and the flu season won't help these people. Does that mean the virus is getting more virulent? Not necessarily. 

 

[Ramseyboi]

2 hours ago, Zarley said:

Where have you seen stats which show 50% of the world has been vaccinated? 

"The World Health Organization (WHO) had set a target of 10% of the population of all countries to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of September. However, more than 50 countries failed to reach that level of protection.

The WHO is now pushing for 40% to be vaccinated by the end of the year and more than 70% by mid-2022."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-56237778 (published yesterday) 

The world isn't anywhere near 50% vaccinated - not even close. 

“The world” for most brits is Europe, North America, Australia and anew Zealand.

They have a habit of forgetting that the vast majority of the worlds population don’t live in any of those places.

I can’t vouch for the total accuracy of this but it is thought provoking.  Bizarrely the teens and younger in our immediate family accepted it and the oldies said “rubbish, that can’t be true”

Its from 2016

 

[HeliX]

4 minutes ago, Danoo said:

Of course nature finds an equilibrium, that's entirely the point of nature. We are all a part of of the same ecosystem and when immunity throughout society reaches a level which benefits the whole we reach a state of relative homeostasis. 

Over a long term yes, over a short term no. And as mentioned, it's a byproduct not an intention.

[Ramseyboi]

Just now, HeliX said:

Over a long term yes, over a short term no. And as mentioned, it's a byproduct not an intention.

There is an argument that isolations, social distancing, masks etc slow down the process.

[HeliX]

12 minutes ago, Ramseyboi said:

There is an argument that isolations, social distancing, masks etc slow down the process.

Perhaps, but they also limit the amount of sars-cov-2 genetic material in circulation, which lessens the likelihood of a troubling mutation. On balance I don't think there's a great argument either way in support/detraction of lockdowns from a viral mutation POV.

[Danoo]

10 minutes ago, Ramseyboi said:

There is an argument that isolations, social distancing, masks etc slow down the process.

Which they absolutely do. That isn't even up for debate. What is up for discussion though is whether we should be doing that or not, for a variety of reasons.  

[Gladys]

2 hours ago, Danoo said:

Which they absolutely do. That isn't even up for debate. What is up for discussion though is whether we should be doing that or not, for a variety of reasons.  

What they do is defer, not slow.  That seems to be what we are seeing, lockdowns just defer the infection until things are opened up.  When we opened up, it has ripped through the population, thankfully with fewer severe cases or deaths than if we hadn't, but transmission picks up again as people mix. 

With vax and the natural immunity gained from catching it, there is no logical reason why lickdown should be entertained again. 

[Happier diner]

13 minutes ago, Gladys said:

What they do is defer, not slow.  That seems to be what we are seeing, lockdowns just defer the infection until things are opened up.  When we opened up, it has ripped through the population, thankfully with fewer severe cases or deaths than if we hadn't, but transmission picks up again as people mix. 

With vax and the natural immunity gained from catching it, there is no logical reason why lickdown should be entertained again. 

Lickdown will be much more interesting than lockdown. 

[Danoo]

15 minutes ago, Gladys said:

What they do is defer, not slow.  That seems to be what we are seeing, lockdowns just defer the infection until things are opened up.  When we opened up, it has ripped through the population, thankfully with fewer severe cases or deaths than if we hadn't, but transmission picks up again as people mix. 

With vax and the natural immunity gained from catching it, there is no logical reason why lickdown should be entertained again. 

I don't know about that.

[Danoo]

I have no idea why we are still persisting with these silly border controls now if it is rampant throughout the community. Have we created another army of jobs now for the public purse such that it can't be tamed? 

[Cambon]

5 hours ago, Zarley said:

Where have you seen stats which show 50% of the world has been vaccinated? 

"The World Health Organization (WHO) had set a target of 10% of the population of all countries to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of September. However, more than 50 countries failed to reach that level of protection.

The WHO is now pushing for 40% to be vaccinated by the end of the year and more than 70% by mid-2022."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-56237778 (published yesterday) 

The world isn't anywhere near 50% vaccinated - not even close. 

https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

here. 

[Roger Mexico]

4 hours ago, Zarley said:

IMO it's also important to call out misinformation, such as 50% of the world's population allegedly being vaxxed when it's clearly untrue and pulled from one's nether regions. 

It actually seems pretty accurate.  Our World in Data gives 49% for example.  You're forgetting that some of the most populous countries such as China, India and the US have vaccination percentages above that.  Of the most populous nations only Nigeria seems really low. 

[Cambon]

7 hours ago, Zarley said:

Where have you seen stats which show 50% of the world has been vaccinated? 

"The World Health Organization (WHO) had set a target of 10% of the population of all countries to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of September. However, more than 50 countries failed to reach that level of protection.

The WHO is now pushing for 40% to be vaccinated by the end of the year and more than 70% by mid-2022."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-56237778 (published yesterday) 

The world isn't anywhere near 50% vaccinated - not even close. 

https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

Here. 

[HeliX]

5 hours ago, Danoo said:

I have no idea why we are still persisting with these silly border controls now if it is rampant throughout the community. Have we created another army of jobs now for the public purse such that it can't be tamed? 

Allow travel from any region that has fewer cases/100k than us. Sorted.

(Or just any region in general, I don't think it's making a real difference at this point)