The Common Cold & Covid

[nailit]

Im not an anti-vaxer or Covid denier, so lets get that one out of the way.

If legislation...wearing masks, social distancing, lockdowns, tiers, restrictions, bubbles etc ...hasnt reduced the risk of catching the common cold, what chance has it got of realistically reducing Covid?

[nailit]

And is it possible to get rid of the common cold by such measures?
If not, why not?
Why is this different?

[bobbinwales]

It's certainly lead to a big fall in flue deaths this year. Masks and more likely distancing and less pub times have led to that.
Are there any figure's published on common colds??? There dont seem as many but maybe its more January/Febuary we after wait for

[woofgang]

different virusses for a kick off......

but but but its known that handwashing is important in the prevention of the spread of more things than covid. Whe we did community infection control at work (NHS) we were told that THE most important precaution that we could take was regular frequent proper handwashing and sanitising.

[pastafreak]

I thought the common cold is always mutating.

Which is what covid is apparently doing...

[Tilly2]

Going by the number of new cases today, there seems to be no chance of realistically reducing Covid 19 infections despite the hands, face, space mantra.

Do you have a cold Nails?

[Old_Geezer]

I believe it has next to no chance of doing so to any great degree. (Try Googling, I have seen a report regarding testing mask wearing which found any difference was lost in the noise so insignificant, but no idea where now so can't link.) The isolation tactics will slow things down though if hospitals are getting overwhelmed. Kicks the can down the road a bit. However all this does allow the self righteous to feel good about themselves.

[Atheist]

OG; do you suggest we do nothing?

[Atheist]

Do you rgard mask-wearers as being self-righteous?

[bobbinwales]

Maybe a misunderstood but a thought the kicking the can down the road as more to do with waiting for vaccinnes and treatments rather than just allowing the self rightous to feel good about themselfs, but am happy to be pesuaded other wise if you have the info to support it

[jno]

hasnt reduced the risk of catching the common cold

do we know it hasn't?

[ubasses]

Over 200 viruses cause the common cold. At the moment, as I understand it, there is only 1 causing Covid ( I know it is mutating). It is much easier therefore to have more success with a vaccine,

[Sqad]

How do you know it hasn't reduced the incidence of the common cold.
I don't know.....but i bet my bottom dollar, that it has.
Also, given time, isolation and vaccine Covid and it's mates will be well under control, like mumps, rubella, polio and other such diseases.

[Old_Geezer]

I have always suggested doing nothing save where one needs to reduce hospital admissions locally. Plus, of course, the vulnerable considering staying isolated for their own safety. We need to get accustomed to another virus not hide from it and be under these conditions for centuries and centuries to come.

[bobbinwales]

Are you not concerned at how full hospitals are allready and the growing infections old geezer, not to mention the impact on other treatments/operations. Its not sustainable just to let corona run its course,

[bobbinwales]

>be under these conditions for centuries and centuries to come.

maybe you missed it but there seems to be a vaccinne being rolled out over next 12 months so theres hope

[nailit]

//How do you know it hasn't reduced the incidence of the common cold//
I dont!
But plenty of people I know have gone down with the annual sniffles.
Would have thought that with all the safe garding going on that it would have been reduced.

[Atheist]

Nailit, I suppose that the key thing is that the common cold doesn't seem to kill. So regardless of the theoretical science, why not simply accept that that's good?

[Sqad]

Nailit
"Annual sniffles" may be due to allergies, rhinitis of many causes, as well as the common cold viruses and isolation, central heating etc, may have made these non viral conditions worse.

[Old_Geezer]

The media reports that the hospitals are less utilised than last winter.

[Old_Geezer]

Plus the vaccines are unknown as to how long they confer immunity. And not needed by those who already have had the infection. Of course with mutation who knows if the vaccines will work at all in a few months.