Big picture on state of covid HK (2021, 2022)

[hullexile]

15th? That'll be the 39th day plus whatever for me.

"Before the 15th" which could mean any date over the next two or three weeks. In a democracy you would have to say the government would be under serious pressure over this.

[chobochobo]

I've always learnt the accept the worst case scenario as being most likely.

[Sage]

Ye, I can. In the US alone 30,000,000 people have been sickened by this virus and over 500,000 have died. Uncounted millions worldwide will die or suffer lifelong effects from having had it. The virus kills the poor, the ethnically "different" in the US, people with underlying medical conditions, people who are incarcerated, and the elderly at a substantially higher rates. I don't know what point you were meaning to make, but yes I can blame people for vaccine hesitancy because it isn't just themselves they are putting at risk. Although you didn't opine on this issue, I would add that I also have a very hard time understanding how refusing to wear a mask to protect the health of oneself and others has become equated with "freedom" in the minds of many. To them I would say put down the guns, put on your masks, and grow up.

Sorry, but I am so very weary of people (not you) who aren't coming together to help end this pandemic even if it means there is a tiny chance that a vaccine will affect them adversely.

Agree and disagree, your facts aren't wrong, but they're presented like they're indicative of inequality.

Those who do die (a tiny fraction of those who become infected as was quoted perfectly correctly) come from across the social strata. The biggest risk factor is age then pre-existing conditions, particularly ones associated with poor lifestyle choice.

There will also likely be a significant component of genetics, yet to be determined, but Vitamin D deficiency will almost certainly be one. The very poorest nations on this planet, mostly located in Africa have been relatively lightly affected.

As for getting vaccinated, I'm personally in favour, but anyone who is insistent that everyone must get vaxxed in order to protect the minority - nah, bollocks.

You know how vaccines work right? They prime YOUR immune system. Nobody else. You're responsible for your own health; society helps out to an extent, but the responsibility is still yours.

For those that taking a vaccine represents a very high risk, that's unfortunate, but such is life. Nobody is dealt an equal hand from the get-go.

The choices everyone makes across their whole life move us up the relative risk ladder or down it, never static.

Such is life.

[TheBrit]

so enough times. Keep arguing that corners were not cut to get these to market

What corners were cut? You repeating this lie many times isn't making it any more true.

Guess you know more than the hundreds of professionals review bodies who have approved the use of these vaccines worldwide.

[cblurton]

Agree and disagree, your facts aren't wrong, but they're presented like they're indicative of inequality.

Those who do die (a tiny fraction of those who become infected as was quoted perfectly correctly) come from across the social strata. The biggest risk factor is age then pre-existing conditions, particularly ones associated with poor lifestyle choice.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...ethnicity.html

[jimbo_jones]

I've always learnt the accept the worst case scenario as being most likely.

I guess the longer the world dithers and waits, the more variants of the virus can spin around.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-1...d=hp_lead_pos3

Some alarming noise about a new P1 Variant out of Brazil and the death rate of 'younger' people is creeping up. No strong numbers, but 'more serious ilnesses'. Been floating around for a few weeks. https://theconversation.com/brazil-c...xplains-156234

"The so-called P.1 strain, present in more than 20 countries and identified in New York last week, is up to 2.2 times more contagious and as much as 61% more able to reinfect people than previous versions of the coronavirus, according to a recent study."

The numbers are off a low base, so 2.2x sounds big. An reinfection doesn't sound great.... Plus 10x more viral load and 10-80% more lethal isn't great either... Provided we get the immunised rate up (all around the world), then reinfection will be a non-issue. If we don't get immunisation rates up, then reinfected are yet another headach to deal with and non-immunised people...

Some of us are willing to get vaccinated to protect ourselves and the others that won't get vaccinated.

[East_coast]

I guess the longer the world dithers and waits, the more variants of the virus can spin around.

Covid-19 will probably be here for the longhaul with waves of serious and less serious variants with Big Pharma pumping out vaccines each year to hope to contain it as much as possible.

[cblurton]

Agree and disagree, your facts aren't wrong, but they're presented like they're indicative of inequality.

This illustrates the inequality I believe exists in how Covid 19 affects different populations in the United States.

[Sage]

This illustrates the inequality I believe exists in how Covid 19 affects different populations in the United States.

Indeed, which correlates perfectly with rates of Vitamin D deficiency in those very same populations. And vit. D deficiency is an already well known factor in increasing both the severity and likelihood of respiratory infections.

Odd then that it's not mentioned in your table.

[cblurton]

Not my table.

Content source: National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), Division of Viral Diseases

I would be interested in seeing your source. Perfect correlations are hard to find.

I have looked into the question of vitamin D insufficiency and Covid 19 myself and found some support for the idea (See below) but even if it were a perfect correlation and old people in nursing homes who could not get enough sunshine were in fact getting affected and dying at greater rates than younger people who play outside daily, would that change my conclusion that we should be vaccinated even if we are at lower risk than the weak, poor, or people of color? No. By all means let's provide Vitamin D supplements to everyone who needs them while we continue our program of vaccinations and masks.

I am weary of the pandemic as I am sure you are. Inoculations do not make you sick with the virus and the probability if you are in good health that is being vaccinated will make you ill with some other disease exceedingly small. True, it is not zero but walking across the street is not safe, either.

Sorting Out Whether Vitamin D Deficiency Raises COVID-19 Risk
(jamanet work.com/ journals/ jama/fullarticle/2775003)