Covid Surge?

[mushroom25]

https://www.bbc.com./news/world-asia-china-64111492

as China abandons its zero covid approach, there are fears the infection surge this will precipitate could will allow new (and more deadly?) variants to emerge. countries are lining up to demand testing for arrivals from China, but "no plans" from the UK government.

should the UK government follow the herd? and if they do, how far should they go - testing for arrivals from China, or from everywhere? would this mean going back to passenger locator forms and all the other covid bureaucracy?

[ToraToraTora]

No COVID is over, lets get on with living.

[rowanwitch]

There will be a rise in cases pretty soon anyway due to increased social mixing over Christmas and New year. Unless a new variant can be specifically identified as from China it really would be difficult to blame an influx of Chinese visitors.

[Sqad]

What's going on in China, how many new cases, how many deaths, there certainly is a new variant, is it more transferable does it cause greater morbidity?
Who knows and China wont tell?
I bet that within a week, UK will other countries in testing for Covid at the airports.
It would be the right thing to do.

[Peter Pedant]

our vaccination picture is completely different to the Chinese
( old people vaccinated up to 5x here)
so as usual we will have to wait and see
Unlikely to be as Mar 2020.

[ for no 5 - Newton Heath went early 9 am and the queue outside was 50y long - mostly over 50s)

chinese natually are prone to the Madonna fallacy ( they will inject me with microchips)

[Prudie]

I find it odd that we remain so petrified of covid returning or having a huge impact on life while ignoring the fact - for instance - personally I have never known a Christmas impacted by so many friends/family/colleagues inflicted with coughs, colds, flu and similar respiratory illnesses yet no-one panics about that. Why is covid still worrying people so much?

[dave50]

The paranoia continues.

[jourdain2]

I don't know, Prudie. I was about to make the very same point. I've had 'flu (I'd been vaccinated). Everyone I meet seems to be struggling. My sister's family is down with it - so we haven't met up. It's taking ages to recover from. I only know one person with Covid at the moment - but she says it has been a really horrible dose (she's an ex-G.P.).

[Sqad]

Prudie....cus we don't know if China is hiding a new variant which is more easily transmisable, causes greater morbidity and mortality then previous types..............I don't trust the Chinese.

[Deskdiary]

I completely agree Prudie.

My family has been a sneezing, coughing, snotty mess throughout Xmas, with me the last to catch it...and I'm a bloody baby when I have a heavy cold (if I didn't know better, I'd be convinced the term 'man-flu' was invented for me!), but we've all got on with Xmas, so I too struggle to understand why for many people Covid is still a 'thing'.

Covid is over - like a cold, it's no more than a bit of an inconvenience.

I still see people in the supermarket, walking along the road, even in their cars wearing masks - each to their own I s'pose, but I just think they're a bit pathetic.

[Peter Pedant]

Hi mush
any advice on cultural anthropology ( or even what do anthropologists do i.e. anthropology of anthroplogists) ?

The new mutation's genome is almost certainly on the internet ( the chinese were first with the first Dec 2019) - and people like the Prof will be staring at it and saying " oops bad" or " no- its all right"

The chinese vaccine was based on ( the old way) get the protein and churn out lots of it. Put in vials. Inject.
and it is not as successful as the western mRNA ones and the uptake in the susceptible population ( olds) is less.

so - we dont know and we have to wait and see

sozza about that - more technical answer for a more technical ABer

[Peter Pedant]

The chinese authorities lied in Dec 2019
and are lying now Dec 2022 and the info ( vital info) still got out

before we go wobbly kneed - isolation didnt work ( see china and ourselves - the R number way above 1)
and vaccination with an efficient vaccine did
( covid sortta gone away)

R numbers have gone away - BUT the very last R number ( last week) was - - - - 1.2 - what still above one? yes. ABers who cant add confidently ( The editor assures me gtr than 90%) should ignore this para

[Peter Pedant]

Covid is over - like a cold, it's no more than a bit of an inconvenience.
o god what rot !
it is very variable in presentation and long covid seems to be a problem

yikes ! idiot alert

[ichkeria]

Someone already asked this.
The answer is still the same: no

[ichkeria]

And just to add:
Covid is a serious illness for many. It isn't "over".
If you sneer at people in a mask - as I did once to my shame - then it says more about you
But travel restrictions are pointless.

[youngmafbog]

So is flu.

And as for the ruddy masks, the ones being used will do nothing.

Apart from the three I had to pick of my drive this week, they ahve probably infected me with God knows what.

[Hopkirk]

Surely one of the lessons we learnt from the pandemic is that travel bans don't work.

[ichkeria]

Indeed

[237SJ]

Here we go again. One country does it and they all have to do it https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64130655

[Hopkirk]

Mind you they almost certainly caused the whole thing, so no sympathy. Ban them.

[Atheist]

People who don't die of Covid post here to brag about it. People who do die (or become very ill) don't post here to brag about it.