DaveS

Daily data:

Cases 82,886 (48,854 last Sunday)
Deaths 45 (52)
People vaccinated up to and including 18 December 2021:
First dose: 51,463,255
Second dose: 47,009,608
Booster: 28,060,874

The rolling seven day daily average for cases is now up 51.9% on the previous week and the same measure for deaths is down 6.5%. The rolling 7 day daily average for deaths is 111.4 today. Cases have been consistently rising for over a month now whereas the daily average for deaths has fallen to its lowest since October 13th.

flyertalker0013223

A lockdown can only "work" temporarily. Once we exit lockdown, what are we left with? The backlog isn't getting any better, staff are leaving the NHS in droves, and Covid is remaining. It also raises the question of what society rolling lockdowns (because this is what we have been having for the past two years) will be leaving behind: Is it one that values life or simply "bare existence"? We should've thought about decades ago. I fully get your point that using NHS beds is a simplistic metric, but in its simplicity it captures the problem: There's not enough staff to take care of people who are sick from a new illness that's never going to disappear. (Or in our lifetimes at the very least.) All the improvements in other areas (such as eg cancer treatment) is unfortunately of little help, if the NHS can't take care of a new infectious disease that brings it on its knees. Should've thought about it earlier. Sorry for the gloom.

fransknorge

Once a lockdown is finished you managed the transmission with tools instead of just reopening everything and declaring victory once the slope of the case chart is negative.
And are you saying that government should have listened to scientists for more than 10 years and had a plan in case a pandemic, which was going to happen, happen ?

under2100

I idly wondered which day next week we'll break 200k. But secretly the post is to thank you for the daily stats and to say I hope you have fully recovered now.

DaveS

Thanks. If my symptoms had any milder I would have been asymptomatic and may not even have noticed. There was very little to recover from for me. I dare say we will break the 100k in the next few days, as for 200k who knows.

Akoz

Have there been any more thought given to Vaccination for the under 12s?

While I get that there is limited direct health benefits to them and I say this as a father of two of them - It seems to me that having (and this is an estimate on my part) 15% of the population that meets regularly at school not Vaccinated is a feathered nest for the virus to continue to hide, survive and mutate in. Surely if the rest of society does everything right and eliminate the virus, it could still pop back every winter or as a new dangerous mutation given this 'oyster style travel pass' it has in this 15%.

flyertalker0013223

Which tools? Wherever you look in Europe, masks, contact tracing, distancing, restrictions on hospitality, vaccine/immunity/test passes have not kept transmission low. Vaccines in arms have kept deaths and hospitalizations low--vaccination has been a success, everything else has been a smoke. Either you have a surveillance state like China does (or even less authoritarian countries, such as Korea or Taiwan), or you won't be able to "manage transmission with tools" (whatever those tools may be). And quite frankly, I do not want in (supposedly) liberal-democratic European countries the surveillance that exists in some of those places.

flyslow

My turn to get two lines on LFT (did two them just to be sure). Weirdly I did my regular twice a week test in the morning and it was negative. Started feeling bit rough over the course of the day and new test came back positive. Have ordered a PCR from NHS, let's see how quickly it arrives, my Covid pass is already revoked Will be cheap Christmas this year
Symptoms are not bad at the moment, like rough cold - fever, headache, joint ache and fatigue, hopefully it won't escalate. Informed my friends who I was visiting yesterday, luckily they don't have any symptoms, but are unable to order NHS LFTs, as there is no availability. I'm more worried about their cat, I know it's rare, but still possible for cats to be infected by humans.
I don't know if I have Omicron or how quickly it shows up, but I have a suspicion that I caught it yesterday on a train in and out of London or in the Tube. Services were completely packed and mask wearing was quite poor.
Question to more knowledgeable people, I have booster shot booked for 8th of January, should I postpone it now because of the infection or would I be OK to attend? Assuming I test negative by then.

IAN-UK

I think eagerness to promote a libertarian agenda may have dulled your memory of the success the harsh, initial pre-vaccine lockdowns had in controlling the spread of the disease.

The virus transmits through social contact, social proximity. You might be ideologically opposed to restrictions on contacts, on limiting social interaction; but arguing against the effectiveness of those restrictions in curbing the spread of the disease is counterintuitive: has no legs in logical thought.

It's like saying seat-belts are useless because people still die in car accidents.

fransknorge

Not correct. Look at Japan, who managed fairly well without intrusive measures. Finland, Norway, Iceland are other examples. Tools such as test and trace, aeration, air filtering, maskings, communication well used would manage. Those are the only thing Japan is doing since the beginning (plus vaccine now).

NWIFlyer

Obviously I’m sorry to hear about your positive test. In terms of your booster, by that stage you’ll be long clear of the isolation period. You could, of course, still show positive on a PCR, but a LFT should be fine.

JustTheOne

The NHS says you need to wait at least 28 days after a positive result before having your booster, so if your PCR does come back positive, you'll need to move your appointment regardless of how you're testing by then.

slicktony

Sorry to hear you have the bug, but this very helpful graphic from the FT suggests you may have picked it up a little earlier. I thought it worth sharing in case you could have caught it from someone else you know who may be blissfully asymptomatically unaware!

DaveS

I hope you recover soon and that your symptoms remain mild.With a bit of luck you will be feeling better tomorrow. I think you should delay your booster until late next month at the earliest. I would speculate (not being an expert) that delaying longer may be to your advantage.

KSVVZ2015

Any thoughts on how this changes (if at all) for Omicron? Or is this Omicron-specific? A Bit surprised my 2 yo who had a very mild case is still testing positive on a rapid flow 7+ days after he first tested positive (which was well before he showed any symptoms).