Covid wave started earlier than expected here

Covid at Southampton hospital: 170 staff are off sick



On the news they were chatting to one man who ( like my hubs) was fully vaccinated having had 5 jabs now but he had to be admitted.

 

Oops apologies for spelling error in the title..

 

I got a reminder to have a jab today and it said it "might" contain a specific omicron vaccine.

I'm wondering why we are not hearing of new variants anymore, at one point they were coming along almost monthly but not heard anything of new ones and omicron was around a couple of years ago almost.

 

It was bound to happen.


Covid could be mutating to avoid immune response, new study suggests

 

Covid cases round here are rising, our H&S body sent a message around, yesterday, telling people to follow social distancing and perspex shields would be going back up where they had been removed; otherwise we'd be back in masks at work.
I've got my latest covid booster and this years flu jab booked for Friday.

 

Thanks @shiney . xx

 

There is talk about social distancing being brought back in areas here too now.

Have to say that we humans are sometimes very ...how shall I phrase it without offending....slow on the uptake.. . We have been told on the news about the possibility / rise of cases and yet just the simplest act of limiting the opportunity of the virus getting a grip again is being totally ignored.......by just wearing a mask.

We were up in London last weekend.... and hardly anyone wore them on the buses or the very overcrowded tubes...I tried not to think about the virus spores floating around!

I know mask wearing won't stop it but it will serve to offer protection and limitations. It's such a simple thing to do, I can't understand why people don't wear them , especially in crowded places. We owe to each other imo.

 

I totally agree, I've been wearing a mask & using Hand Sanitiser since 2019 and won't be stopping anytime soon.

Yes I do get some funny looks on the Bus, but stuff them I say.

 

I think it's a tricky one. While I definitely see the need to be sensible in controlling covid, we also need to be mindful of unintended consequences.

It was in the news not so long ago about a spate of cases where kids were getting hepatitis. Some got very sick indeed and I think there were a few deaths. The investigation hinted that they'd become so vulnerable because their immune system was weak, having not been exposed to normal levels of germs due to the covid restrictions.

I think in terms of vaccines, I'm one of the many that won't be getting a booster if offered. I've had 3 doses already, but that did nothing for me when I got covid a couple of months ago. That would be because despite the vaccine manufacturers having publicly stated they can have an Omicron version ready very quickly, the government has never asked them to do so. That basically means the vaccines that exist today are all for a virus that has ran it's course. Now if someone offers an Omicron specific booster, I'll have that as soon as I'm offered.

 

Not sure how much of this is readable. You might need to stand on your head, it will help.

 

I stand corrected. So they are rolling out an Omicron specific vaccine in some cases. That's good to know.

I think for me personally, it's not an issue now. Between getting the original right at the start, then three doses of vaccine, then what I presume was Omicron recently, my immunity should be as good as it gets until the next variant comes along. But for those lucky enough to have escaped it so far, I'd definitely consider taking it if offered. Covid is horrible. And I'm still not entirely right months later. The vaccines I had were all against the original strain. I'm unlikely to be offered any more because I'm under 50, but if I was offered it, and told it's definitely for the latest variant, I think I'd have it.

 

But @Clueless 1 v2 how do you know that the vaccines ' did nothing for you'.......you could have been a lot worse without them.

We had several family members go down with it not just once but twice, our eldest son was quite poorly the 2nd time around and he was fully jabbed but nevertheless he was extremely grateful at having been vaccinated.

My disabled brother caught it in the summer and has found it very hard to shift....but he could have been very much worse without the jabs especially as he has an extremely low immunity, he had to shield throughout lockdown and beyond.

You take your chance with the jabs...but imo it's a chance well worth taking not just for protecting yourself but also your nearest and dearest too.