I thought I would post the following image. It has been quite a disappointing few weeks for the UK with the fast rise in cases. Russia has been seeing the same rise and for the same reason. It makes a comparison worth while. In the UK, about 92% of cases are now the delta variant. In Russia it is 88%. This data is from worldometers website and is easy to find:


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d855729255.png
The standout figures are the new deaths and serious/critical. Russia has suffered with poor take-up of vaccines, the UK has not. Russia also under-reported deaths compared with the UK, I don't know if that is still the case. The difference is stark and shows the success we have had in the UK despite the current daily poor news on cases at least.

I would not trust any russian numbers, whether it is cases, deaths or hospitalizations. Those are all widely under-reported.

Disappointed to see many people flouting the rules today all because of some silly Soccer game. Hope it doesn't result in a few too many cases.

I'm isolating still, had 2 T&T calls in a row.

I feel the same about Wimbledon.

certainly not advocating travel should be curtailed until the entire world is at a similar level.

i do not agree with attitudes some have that are along the lines or similar to those who say "well the old or sick should just stay home" -- that is an incredibly myopic world view reeking of privilege. minor rules wrt distancing or masks, for example, are not massive inconveniences that actually may help others so i do not see this as any massive barrier to my living a normal life. travel rules for the UK on the other hand...

I guess the next 2 remarks/questions for me are:
- you'd then be better immunised against Delta, presumably;
- are the boosters planned for this winter already geared towards variants or are they still the 'vanilla' type? And if not, is this something the vaccination companies are working on? I can't remember reading anything in the news since the guy from BioNTech claiming he could have one ready in 4 weeks when the Kent variant popped up

Hope you feel better soon PxC​​​​​​!

Aged 58 in Fife. No recent vaccinations and no allergies. Can't remember the last time I visited a doctor. Does that allow any more specific comments?

I've allowed just enough time in the UK for 10 days isolation (before I saw the previous responses) and an 8 week gap with a further 2 weeks before travelling, but would like a little bit more breathing room.

Yes, double vaccination plus a month or two of time helps a lot against Delta, as well as a previous infection. Hence the elderly are really dodging Delta if they were vaccinated in February. There is some anecdotal evidence that those who had COVID a year a go can still get Delta, but in a similar way to those with long range double vaccinations, but natural acquired infection is inconsistent due to the titres being quite varied.

Boosters are being focused on two areas - effectiveness as shown by the COV-BOOST trial. This has had an early read out from the cohort with a 4 week interval (and we probably won't have data from the 12 week cohort in time to influence this year's decision). The other area is the predicted state of the pandemic in October, when we should be over Delta, at least in the UK. So current thinking is those with two AZ vaccines will get Pfizer, and those with Pfizer / Moderna will either get a reconfigured AZ or perhaps something like Novavax. From a side effect point of view this is a tricky decision anyway, but then you have to overlay the flu vaccine and its side effects too. Personally I think it should be split over two visits but it's not a popular argument.

In Fife I would strongly urge an early vaccination if you can get it. Including via a walk-in clinic - there are some in Dunfirmline and Kirkcaldy. You are at significant risk right now simply due to your age. Because of your age you would be offered AZ almost certainly, and 8 or 9 weeks is about right, the 2 week delay after dose2 won't really matter from an immune response point of view but may matter depending on the country visited. The 2 week thing does matter if you had the vaccine nearer to the 28 day minima, but that's not the optimal outcome in terms of what you should be doing. You may end up with Pfizer if doing a walk-in, if that is all they are doing, since mostly walk-ins are for those in their 20s.

So is that saying that immunity continues to increase. I’m about 19 days post-Pfizer dose 2. I guess I thought I had as much protection as I will ever have but what it sounds like is I will be even better protected in several weeks time?

It does seem rather odd to expect people to have a jab in each arm on the same day. I know it might be more efficient, but it is going to mean a few nights of lost sleep for those of us that get the sore arms. Hopefully no one gets offended if the flu one is declined. Then a visit to Boots a few days later to sort that.

Looking like July 19 people won’t have to legally self isolate anymore if vaccinated

When returning from amber countries? Source?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57710527

I thought they already were, considering how bad adherence is and how many "exempt" people there are.

It's all over the news, start with Dailymail.
That and also domestically since everyone seems to be getting calls from NHS T&T and the app (is the app even mandatory?)

Restrictions are over as of July 19 judging from government leaking today, I am beginning to think Hancock's departure was planned and all the evidence against him released purposefully to coincide with going full anti lockdown (he was the biggest lockdown supporter and Gove was no.2, and both are not on the good books right now).