(WHO) expert believes Ireland will have to re-impose regional restrictions

I think if variant spreads faster than we can vaccinate, I guess it could happen. We are still vulnerable, until we reach herd immunity, and need to be very careful with opening up. IMO, the situation is a constant tight rope.

WHO yesterday said all variants including the indian one are covered by vaccines... if we vaccinate enough people won't be any need for lockdowns.. people will still get covid.. even vaccinated people but the numbers will be so low in terms of serious illness and hospital admissions that it won't register more than the seasonal flu

I dunno what to believe.

We've been through different variants since the start of this and it's never been as bad as once feared. I feel cautiously optimistic, especially as our vaccines ramp up and Professor Neil Ferguson in the UK saying that the variant isn't spreading as fast over there as they initially feared (I know they've got more vaccinations done though).

I'm only a layperson though *shrugs*

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Around 75% the report said for Pfizer but I think there's 4 or 5 sub strains, the report doesn't name the study so I'm not sure it covered all the variants of the variant.

I heard something similar on Drivetime last week. An epidemiologist said that there's three strains of what we call the Indian variant. One of them does appear to have some resistance to vaccines but it's not spreading rapidly. I'm definitely feeling more optimistic than I was even a few weeks ago.

Bot1 wrote: »

It's not back to normal for a while yet and I'd say we are facing into more restrictions come September.

I dunno, I don't see it. People will not follow more restrictions in September whatsoever. Especially when we'll have close to herd immunity by then.

Glaceon wrote: »

I heard something similar on Drivetime last week. An epidemiologist said that there's three strains of what we call the Indian variant. One of them does appear to have some resistance to vaccines but it's not spreading rapidly. I'm definitely feeling more optimistic than I was even a few weeks ago.

having a bit more resistance to the vaccine means more people get symptoms (like a case of a runny nose or a cough or loss of taste) or test positive BUT , and this is where people really arent turning on their brain and seeing the bigger picture, it still is more or less as effective in avoiding hospital stays or death. Death is a balls for the sufferer and their family, a sniffle isnt.

We are in a panic for the past year because people are getting really sick, or dying, from covid. Not because people get a bit of a cold from it.
If the vaccine stops people from dying, but is "less effective" when measuring those who get a cold, really, who cares ?

Most of us dont take the flu vaccine as we dont care if we get the flu. We put up with the risk of being in bed, but mostly brush it off. With a vaccine, covid becomes something similar, regardless of the variant strain.

ginoginelli wrote: »

The Kent variant was worse than we feared.

Which one was that again? There's been so many lol

Was that the one around Christmas? Mike Ryan from the WHO said that it wasn't that variant that caused the surge, it was people socialising.

ginoginelli wrote: »

Yes. The b117. Probably a combination of the two led to the surge at Christmas. The b117 is recognized as a gamechanger though, and its higher trasmission was initially underestimated.

Ah I get you re: transmission now

Yeah I can see that alright! We're hovering around 400 cases a day for the past few weeks now, I wonder is that the 'low' given the variants at play.

Here now, Dr Navarro, why don’t you go away somewhere nice and stop trying to scare us?

drunkmonkey wrote: »

The majority of people seem to be in support of their decisions, AOC has turned into a national hero if he says we're locking down again it will happen, Leo might throw it up to him but MM certainly won't.
I hope your right and it's full steam ahead.

Who's AOC?

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

How long is vaccination effective for? Is it six months, a year, forever what?

That is a question that hasn't been answered yet, and to me it's an important one also. I suppose until a certain time has elapsed in the vax program we won't know. And Winter surges are a possibility too I suppose.

Just thinking out loud.

However long antibodies stay for, the body's T-cells stay around a LOT longer and play a big role in fighting infection. If I'm recalling correctly, they found that even SARS survivors still have T-cells to fight SARS to this day. I have the details all fudgy so I hope somebody corrects me

We heard the same about the South Africa and Brazil variants.

There'll always be an expert somewhere making predictions, most of which never come to pass.

But they're great for clicks and column inches.

Beasty wrote: »

The UK are saying this variant will become the dominant one there possibly in the next week or so. I suspect the concern is overspill with large numbers here not vaccinated

I guess another concern may be if this variant mutates further

Yes, it’s outcompeting all other strains. Problematic for us in Ireland as we’re nowhere near herd immunity and we saw what the imported original uk variant did here after Christmas- 5 months of lockdown later. Anyways equally worrying is that this is not virus transmission season, it should be slowing down significantly. Finally, we all need to understand that if other vaccine evading strains come along, we could well be forced back into lockdown. Vaccines are only the end game when they are effective against the attacker, otherwise it’s game on for the virus. I’m hoping beyond hope that is not the case, but it’s a possibility.