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South African variant cases in parts of London

Started by Fambo Number Mive, April 13, 2021, 06:42:46 PM

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Fambo Number Mive

I mentioned this on the Coronavirus mega-thread but thought I would start a new thread for discussing it as well.

The BBC have interviewed Danny Altmann, a professor of Immunology at Imperial College London:

QuoteDanny Altmann, a professor of Immunology at Imperial College London, said he was worried by the news of the outbreak.

"It was always one of my nightmare scenarios, that just as we were being kind of coaxed to put a toe in the water of unlocking, something like this would come along," Prof Altmann told BBC Radio 4's PM programme.

"That really can scupper our plans if we let it get out of control."

Prof Altmann said he thought the response had been good - but "there's so, so little margin for error".

"You only have to miss a handful of cases and have them run riot through London, and then you're back where we were back in January, February 2020 with a whole new outbreak".

Asked whether he thought the UK's borders were too relaxed, the professor said we need to "be a bit more like the countries like Vietnam and South Korea" who have very tight border restrictions.

And questioned on whether he thought it seemed strange that people in areas such as Lambeth were still going to the pub, he said: "It does in a way."

There will be surge testing in Southwark as well:

QuoteThe documents say that in Southwark - which is to the east, the neighbouring borough - they tested sewerage water there and found traces of the South African variant in one particular area. At the moment they don't know if it's related to these other outbreaks but they are sending in targeted surge testing in Southwark.

I find it somewhat concerning that they aren't implementing further restrictions on these three boroughs - delaying the opening of all non-essential shops in these areas and restricting travel for essential only in and out of these boroughs might have helped while the surge testing takes place. I suppose at least these outbreaks are being dealt with.

They also need to increase statutory sick pay - while the person suspected of having brought the variant into London while travelling from another country did self-isolate and request a home test, how many other people with symptoms aren't isolating because they can't afford to?

Just really hope they can contain this variant so we don't have to lockdown again. Sick of lockdown.


BlodwynPig



Cuellar

Lockdown London before the diseased SCUM spread it around the country.

steveh

Maybe worth noting that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective against all the current variants, including the South African B.1.351 one. The AstraZeneca vaccine is still mostly effective against it and should prevent significant illness and a recent paper says it gets more so a few weeks after being administered.

shiftwork2

Quote from: steveh on April 14, 2021, 09:33:21 AM
Maybe worth noting that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective against all the current variants, including the South African B.1.351 one. The AstraZeneca vaccine is still mostly effective against it and should prevent significant illness and a recent paper says it gets more so a few weeks after being administered.

Thank you steveh for your reasoned and informed posts in this subform.

MojoJojo

Quote from: Fambo Number Mive on April 13, 2021, 06:42:46 PM
I find it somewhat concerning that they aren't implementing further restrictions on these three boroughs - delaying the opening of all non-essential shops in these areas and restricting travel for essential only in and out of these boroughs might have helped while the surge testing takes place. I suppose at least these outbreaks are being dealt with.

I think realistically, unless the military was called in and they blocked off the boroughs, shutting down non-essential shops and pubs would just encourage people to travel to where the pubs were open. Which would be a bad thing.

Fambo Number Mive


Chedney Honks

Quote from: MojoJojo on April 14, 2021, 10:41:28 AM
I think realistically, unless the military was called in and they blocked off the boroughs

Let's roll

MojoJojo


BlodwynPig

Quote from: steveh on April 14, 2021, 09:33:21 AM
Maybe worth noting that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are effective against all the current variants, including the South African B.1.351 one. The AstraZeneca vaccine is still mostly effective against it and should prevent significant illness and a recent paper says it gets more so a few weeks after being administered.

Cheers. When can the elderly get their 3rd jab of Pfizer or Moderna?

olliebean

Had a leaflet through the door in Finchley today (which I posted in the main coronavirus thread) saying they've found the SA variant here and are going to be testing for it tomorrow. So it's not just in South London any more.

They've also just found it in my part of London, poor thing had been put in the stocks and the local kids were throwing rotten fruit and eggs at it while it squealed.

steveh

There's also a bunch of things appearing about the B.1.617 variant from India, which has several unique mutations which increase transmission and the possibility of greater vaccine escape. This has turned up 77 times in the UK data.

Consensus amongst virologists seems to be that this is still unlikely to escape T-cell response so all the current UK vaccines should remain fine. The CEO of Pfizer said yesterday that they expect people to have a third jab within 12 months of the first and tweaks to the vaccines that better protect against the newer variants are underway.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2021/04/12/an-indian-sars-cov-2-variant-lands-in-california-more-danger-ahead/
https://twitter.com/Dr_D_Robertson/status/1382717740012687367
https://twitter.com/BallouxFrancois/status/1382753638049808385

poo


jobotic

Had AZ last night. Don't feel ill as such just fucking shattered and achey. Had to have a lie down after doing the washing up!

Pinball

In areas where this happens, as well as surge testing, should we be surge vaccinating i.e. everyone over 16?

BlodwynPig

Quote from: jobotic on April 16, 2021, 12:06:36 PM
Had AZ last night. Don't feel ill as such just fucking shattered and achey. Had to have a lie down after doing the washing up!

2nd jab?

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Pinball on April 16, 2021, 12:26:48 PM
In areas where this happens, as well as surge testing, should we be surge vaccinating i.e. everyone over 16?

Actually modelling suggests we need to be vaccinating 0-10 age group or else...BOOM.

Good luck catching the 0-10 year olds to get them vaccinated, they're too busy running around in the parks and then rushing home for sundown to eat a bowl of potato blodwyn's with tommy k while they watch CBeebies to care about a pandemic.


Shoulders?-Stomach!

Heard that AZ is actually worse than Covid :'(

Chedney Honks

I've never met a nice South African variant.

South African variant? It went by it's own accord.

flotemysost

Quote from: Pinball on April 16, 2021, 12:26:48 PM
In areas where this happens, as well as surge testing, should we be surge vaccinating i.e. everyone over 16?

I've literally just moved to one of the affected boroughs so would bloody love this but I don't think it's going to happen.

Haven't had a chance to register with a GP here yet as I only moved a few days ago (will sort out this week) so haven't been called up to get a test, but I think encouraging people to get tested even if they don't have symptoms is a good idea - my previous borough allowed you to register for a NHS test without symptoms, as cases were pretty bad over the winter, but given how many people are asymptomatic anyway it seems a bit mad that's not the case everywhere.

Definitely gonna avoid drinking the sewage water here for the time being, anyway.

Pinball

I definitely think surge vaccination should be a thing in high risk areas. I mean, obvious innit?

MojoJojo

Quote from: Pinball on April 18, 2021, 11:18:49 PM
I definitely think surge vaccination should be a thing in high risk areas. I mean, obvious innit?

I think the problem is the vaccines take time to work (1-2 weeks), and if you haven't contained it by then you're not going to. And if you vaccinate people some will stop other precautions, so surge vaccinating could end up increasing spread.

Imagine wearing a gimp mask every time you enter a shop because Boris Johnson told you to, even though scientific evidence demonstrates that they're useless. Beyond pathetic.

Chedney Honks

Absolutely fuming here, mate. We all love Bois Johnson and think he's done a brilliant job so you might want to take that sort of chat elsewhere.