SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)

A banal citation is widespread.

In an authentic democracy, the rights of a minority (unvaccinated people in Western countries) must be protected no matter how alienated the minority is from the majority society. Vaccinated people can also endanger the safety/rights of unvaccinated people, so nothing is black or white (Nelson Mandela for your reference).
Fukk off you bore
 
Is it possible to have a viral load so low that it's undetectable by the current test methods, yet still enough to cause symptoms?
PCR labs are set to be quite sensitive, so it's unlikely to miss a symptomatic infection due to viral load. Timing can be odd though, some people can test positive (and be infectious) a couple of days before symptoms show up - and be negative when they test a day or so after the symptoms appear.

Field trials of PCR tests done at home or outside a lab/hospital environment suggest problems with swabs aren't that uncommon either - with more than 5% of infected people getting a false negative result. Maybe down to something the person ate/drank or whatever, or the way the swab was handled or some contaminant that spoiled the swab or the test.
 
Like I said. I understand that virus’ change and it’s impossible to tell how something will truly work before it actually goes into mass production. So I don’t have an issue with the fact that initially we were told the vaccine would stop transmission, and then we were told it didn’t.

I clearly remember in 2020 when we were told the vaccine would stop transmission and mid 2021 when it was discovered that it didn’t. That’s actually not an issue. Although people trying to change history, getting sensitive about it, or gaslight people into thinking they remember wrongly is a bit weird.

People in 2020 Vs 2021

I should have realised you were in the USA. No wonder the messages you got are all fecked up.
Heres the bit that doesnt add up with respect to understanding the vaccine was never going to stop people 100% from getting covid. Remember all the reporting about each vaccines efficacy rates before they were released? Surely that simple bit of info lets you know the vaccines werent the perfect stopper?
 
Why would anyone expect vaccines to be sterilising when virtually no vaccines are sterilising?

They don't need to be sterilising to do a great job so why covidiots are trying to turn this into something meaningful is bewildering? Then and antivaxxers and covidiots are bewildering.
i don’t know… ask the Fucci, Biden, Whitty, Dr Walensky etc. I assumed they initially said it would stop transmission because that’s what they thought at the time and then things changed and they amended their opinions which is normal… if you think that makes them anti vaxxers and covidiots that’s weird and makes no sense but your choice. Labelling and name calling is for extremist, so I’ll stay out of that.
 
i don’t know… ask the Fucci, Biden, Whitty, Dr Walensky etc. I assumed they initially said it would stop transmission because that’s what they thought at the time and then things changed and they amended their opinions which is normal… if you think that makes them anti vaxxers and covidiots that’s weird and makes no sense but your choice. Labelling and name calling is for extremist, so I’ll stay out of that.

Can't speak for the rest but I've watched every single press briefing since the start of the pandemic including royal college video updates from Chris Whitty and on the subject of transmission initially it was, wait for data, then some data suggests partial reduction in transmission during delta, but then omicron changed that.

Crux of messaging was though protection from severe disease and implication for ITU/preventing overwhelming of health systems.

Bizarre of you to say people are rewriting history when I can see you literally lying. Weird hill to die on. There's a lot of grey areas surrounding science but some certainties. Many have been quite admirable in that communication, especially Chris Whitty. Especially in the face of the pernicious, disingenuous murderous death cult that is the covid anti-vaxx movement
 
In an authentic democracy, the rights of a minority (unvaccinated people in Western countries) must be protected no matter how alienated the minority is from the majority society.
Which is why there is absolutely no limitation whatsoever on the right to freedom of religion.

Oh wait…
 
i don’t know… ask the Fucci, Biden, Whitty, Dr Walensky etc. I assumed they initially said it would stop transmission because that’s what they thought at the time and then things changed and they amended their opinions which is normal… if you think that makes them anti vaxxers and covidiots that’s weird and makes no sense but your choice. Labelling and name calling is for extremist, so I’ll stay out of that.

They didn't though all bar Walensky always stressed they were waiting on the data and never claimed such totality. It wasn't at all common belief that vaccines stopped all transmission.

I remember that CDC statement coming out from Walensky as I'm sure it was discussed in here. It caused a stir and they clarified the day or so after they meant broadly i.e. the 90% study.
 
i don’t know… ask the Fucci, Biden, Whitty, Dr Walensky etc. I assumed they initially said it would stop transmission because that’s what they thought at the time and then things changed and they amended their opinions which is normal… if you think that makes them anti vaxxers and covidiots that’s weird and makes no sense but your choice. Labelling and name calling is for extremist, so I’ll stay out of that.

I can't imagine that anyone though the vaccines would be sterilising. Why would they? From the earliest results they weren't and nobody was at all surprised, but rather delighted the results were so good. I'd bet most of the statements claiming to say otherwise are lies or taken out of context to pretend someone was making a point they weren't, as any professional scientist in the area would know that vaccines are rarely sterilising. Not to know so would be like Lewis Hamilton being surprised that cars often have 4 wheels, 1at each corner.

Trying to diminish the importance of vaccines because they aren't sterilising is idiotic and a play from the antivaxx/covidiot playbook. Anyone who buys in to this bullshit should be ashamed of themselves.
 
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I can't imagine that anyone though the vaccines would be sterilising. Why would they? From the earliest results they weren't and nobody was at all surprised, but rather delighted the results were so good. I'd bet most of the statements claiming to say otherwise are lies or taken out of context to pretend someone was making a point they weren't, as any professional scientist in the area would know that vaccines are rarely sterilising. Not to know so would be like Lewis Hamilton being surprised that cars often have 4 wheels, 1at each corner.

Trying to diminish the importance of vaccines because they aren't sterilising is idiotic and a play from the antivaxx/covidiot playbook. Anyone who buys in to this bullshit should be ashamed of themselves.
We were discussing it in this thread from the start. You're right its become a really strange criticism of the vaccines from some.
 
I consider myself fairly left wing but honestly I think this superiority complex when it comes to purity of intent that is a major contributory factor behind the fact parties of the left, at least in this country, struggle at elections.

I disagree with much of what they do but being left wing really isn’t any superior morally than being right wing and I think the left struggling to understand that has led more often to right wing govts being, sadly, more electable

I don’t think the left understands how unattractive this mindset is beyond the constituency of those already on side. I know is OT but the right will continue to benefit electorally while the left simply assumes everyone else also agrees they’re naturally morally superior

A huge proportion of right wing politicians, if not the majority, are a moral vacuum and getting worse. It doesn't make the middle or left flawless but at least they aren't despicable by default. I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
 
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I am what you would call an idiot because I can't find any good reason to justify this type of situation.

Yes. Not being able to manage relatively minor personal inconvenience for the greater good is many things, including idiotic.
 
The bolded part is going to be interesting (in a morbid sense) to see - NSW effectively only has immunity via vaccination, with no immunity from past infection. So it may indicate if the vaccines are robust enough. Having said that, NSW lacks the 'advantage' of selection bias that other countries unfortunately have regarding deaths. I have quite a bit of family in Aus (Sydney and Melbourne), so I'm hoping the vaccines provide sufficient immunity.

Adult vaccination is over 90% overall and O12s are catching up fast and O5s soon to follow. Where we have an issue with Omicron is that our initial vaccine strollout has delayed getting the third shot that helps so much against Omicron. I'm very glad I've had mine.

So far hospitalisations are nowhere near as bad as they could be but it looks like it could be a rough next 3 months. I'm turning into a hermit for the next few months
 
Dr Rochelle Walensky Director of CDC “vaccinated people do not carry the virus, do not get sick” Vs “what they can’t do anymore is prevent transmissions

Obviously once they learnt more about the virus/vaccine or new variants came things changed and they amended their opinion.
Can’t speak for the context of that quote. I suspect there must be more to it.

Firstly here in the UK, my point stands. I haven’t heard Whitty or anyone for that matter ever claim vaccines stop transmission.

But in any case I seriously question your critical thinking ability. Unless you’ve also got some magical source which claimed vaccines were 100% effective, the fact they were always reported as, say, 90%, should be enough to tell you they were never going to fully stop transmission?

I can’t figure out if you’re just a misinformed person or you’re purposely being obtuse, but I’m starting to think the latter if I’m honest because when confronted with facts and sound logic you’re still trying to stand by your bullshit assertion.
 


Here we go again?

Nee variant found in south of France, believed to originate from Cameroon.

Cluster of 12 cases identified so far but that region is seeing a high rate of admissions to ICU despite relative vaccination take up which is causing some concern. Still early days in identifying the threat though.


You should put that guy on mute. He’s a hysterical fear-mongerer thriving on the attention he gets from doomy tweets. An absolute weapon.
 
Felt very odd going into work this morning (we've gone back to working in bubbles), at least more so than it normally does after the Christmas break.

It feels like the UK is in a bit of a limbo phase with the new wave, and you can see how attitudes towards the virus can differ depending on where you work/what you do.

Cases are crazy high, and hospital admissions are climbing too, although those in the ICU appear to be relatively stable/on par with what things were like under Delta. So severity hasn't yet changed in terms of those suffering the worst. Fingers crossed this remains the case in the coming weeks.

Where it gets more muddled is when it comes to the strains that are being felt by key services and infrastructure. Given the amount of positive cases/close contacts, the anecdotal evidence I've received from close friends and family working in hospitals, GPs and schools is crazy. Schools in Hackney are basically where they were last year in terms of staff and community cases. On a side note, exams this year could be far more problematic further down the line than they were last year when there was at least national consensus on how to manage them. For the sake of these, further preventative measures would seem inevitable and justified in order to allow them to carry on operating as best they can.

Yet despite this, I do understand the absolute frustration many who have been boostered/previously had Covid have towards potential further lockdowns. Without government support, lockdowns are an absolute killer to businesses, livelihoods and opportunities. Given the amount we now know about the virus and what we have had to endure so far, it's difficult to comprehend a watertight argument in favour of further restrictions.

Based on what has been shared here/reported in the UK, the evidence so far does seem to point towards Omicron being very mild for those with the necessary protection, despite the high case numbers; and that those who are making it into the ICU/requiring critical care are largely comprised of those who are unvaccinated/highly vulnerable to similar infections (happy to be shown otherwise if not the case).

I can only see the divide between the vaccinated/anti-vaxxers growing. We are so unbelievably fortunate to be in a country that has the capacity to provide a range of different vaccines to its population, and it beggars belief to think there are those who are just throwing this opportunity away for the sake of their own selfish, misinformed delusions.

Yes it's vital that people make sacrifices in times of a crisis to protect our key infrastructure and services, but if this is a crisis that is being compounded simply by those too stubborn to get the necessary prevention to this disease, then it's getting harder and harder to feel sympathetic.

TL;DR - feck antivaxxers, the selfish cnuts.
 
Doubt it. Especially with classic symptoms. I believe that a typical PCR test can detect a single molecule of RNA in a microlitre of solution whereas the lateral flow antigen tests need a sample to contain probably tens of thousands of viral particles per microlitre to produce a positive result

There was something I read in the Lancet about poor nasopharyngeal sampling technique in young kids - in addition to young kids having very low viral loads + timing of testing possibly leading to a few more false negatives than would be expected but that's about it.
PCR labs are set to be quite sensitive, so it's unlikely to miss a symptomatic infection due to viral load. Timing can be odd though, some people can test positive (and be infectious) a couple of days before symptoms show up - and be negative when they test a day or so after the symptoms appear.

Field trials of PCR tests done at home or outside a lab/hospital environment suggest problems with swabs aren't that uncommon either - with more than 5% of infected people getting a false negative result. Maybe down to something the person ate/drank or whatever, or the way the swab was handled or some contaminant that spoiled the swab or the test.

Cheers. I suppose another question then is, is it at all likely that you would be extremely symptomatic, with a viral load that was too low for antigen detection, and completely shed by the time you got your PCR(even though some symptoms remained at time of PCR)? Trying to make sense of my results, I'm triple vaccinated, if it makes a difference.
 
Felt very odd going into work this morning (we've gone back to working in bubbles), at least more so than it normally does after the Christmas break.

It feels like the UK is in a bit of a limbo phase with the new wave, and you can see how attitudes towards the virus can differ depending on where you work/what you do.

Cases are crazy high, and hospital admissions are climbing too, although those in the ICU appear to be relatively stable/on par with what things were like under Delta. So severity hasn't yet changed in terms of those suffering the worst. Fingers crossed this remains the case in the coming weeks.

Where it gets more muddled is when it comes to the strains that are being felt by key services and infrastructure. Given the amount of positive cases/close contacts, the anecdotal evidence I've received from close friends and family working in hospitals, GPs and schools is crazy. Schools in Hackney are basically where they were last year in terms of staff and community cases. On a side note, exams this year could be far more problematic further down the line than they were last year when there was at least national consensus on how to manage them. For the sake of these, further preventative measures would seem inevitable and justified in order to allow them to carry on operating as best they can.

Yet despite this, I do understand the absolute frustration many who have been boostered/previously had Covid have towards potential further lockdowns. Without government support, lockdowns are an absolute killer to businesses, livelihoods and opportunities. Given the amount we now know about the virus and what we have had to endure so far, it's difficult to comprehend a watertight argument in favour of further restrictions.

Based on what has been shared here/reported in the UK, the evidence so far does seem to point towards Omicron being very mild for those with the necessary protection, despite the high case numbers; and that those who are making it into the ICU/requiring critical care are largely comprised of those who are unvaccinated/highly vulnerable to similar infections (happy to be shown otherwise if not the case).

I can only see the divide between the vaccinated/anti-vaxxers growing. We are so unbelievably fortunate to be in a country that has the capacity to provide a range of different vaccines to its population, and it beggars belief to think there are those who are just throwing this opportunity away for the sake of their own selfish, misinformed delusions.

Yes it's vital that people make sacrifices in times of a crisis to protect our key infrastructure and services, but if this is a crisis that is being compounded simply by those too stubborn to get the necessary prevention to this disease, then it's getting harder and harder to feel sympathetic.

TL;DR - feck antivaxxers, the selfish cnuts.
It's in interesting narrative that has developed for our covid related problems.

The pressure on the NHS is mainly down to shortage of staff, because staff are getting infected and need to isolate/recover (even fully vaccinated).

Same in Schools with teachers and staff with kids taking time out to isolate too.

Also interesting how little focus or "blame" is directed at large countries developing and storing dangerous viruses and bacteria for military/scientific purposes. E.g. Wuhan in China, Porton Down in the UK, as is done by most countries. Shouldn't we make sure these activities are more stringently regulated globally to reduce the chance of another potential breach?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57268111

TLDR: if we were 100% vaccinated we would be experiencing very similar problems.
 
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That Eric Ding references his own Tweets as if he’s a celeb. Refers to his ‘HMOG’ (Holy Mother of God) tweet he sent at beginning of pandemic fairly often. 80% sure he now thinks he was the guy who discovered covid
 
Cheers. I suppose another question then is, is it at all likely that you would be extremely symptomatic, with a viral load that was too low for antigen detection, and completely shed by the time you got your PCR(even though some symptoms remained at time of PCR)? Trying to make sense of my results, I'm triple vaccinated, if it makes a difference.

Based on what you’re saying most likely scenario is that you have an upper respiratory tract infection that isn’t covid.
 
Based on what you’re saying most likely scenario is that you have an upper respiratory tract infection that isn’t covid.
Maybe that is the case, but in the 7 day period before becoming sick, my only indoor contact outside of my family was with friends 1 night, where someone was confirmed to have had covid the next day. Most people from that night ended up with covid, with their symptoms progressing at the same rate as mine(same symptoms too). It just seems unfathomably coincidental that I somehow got a different infection from everyone else in this scenario?
 
I got an email from 'Test and trace' just after Christmas telling me because of my 'recent positive PCR' I need to isolate. I never even took a PCR, so I ignored it.

Then on Friday I got an email from someone claiming to be from Bristol City Council asking me to contact test and trace again. I told her I've not tested positive and asked where she got the info. She said test and trace gave them the info and that I had a positive PCR on Christmas Day. I replied "Stop scamming people" and left it.

Today I've had a knock on the door. Some guy asks for me by name and hands me a bit of paper stapled to a 'Testing and Isolating' form. The paper says 'For the attention of.......' and doesn't have my name written. It's marked as BCC and says they've been trying to contact me. I tell the guy at the door that I've not even taken a PCR, let alone tested positive. He says to call them and let them know.

I call the Welfare and Engagement team number and the woman on the phone is very confused. Cannot find my details on the system and says she will speak to her manager and call me back.

I'm so confused :lol: Still not 100% confident it isn't one big scam.
 
Maybe that is the case, but in the 7 day period before becoming sick, my only indoor contact outside of my family was with friends 1 night, where someone was confirmed to have had covid the next day. Most people from that night ended up with covid, with their symptoms progressing at the same rate as mine(same symptoms too). It just seems unfathomably coincidental that I somehow got a different infection from everyone else in this scenario?

Ah. Ok. I see where you’re coming from The other thing to consider would be testing technique. Are you swabbing yourself? Or have you had an expert do it? Unless you get right up in there you can easily miss something. I’ve also heard that a swab to the back of the throat can sometimes pick up virus missed when you only swab the nose.
 
Ah. Ok. I see where you’re coming from The other thing to consider would be testing technique. Are you swabbing yourself? Or have you had an expert do it? Unless you get right up in there you can easily miss something. I’ve also heard that a swab to the back of the throat can sometimes pick up virus missed when you only swab the nose.
I was swabbing myself, but I was going halfway to my brain, so I don't think I was doing it wrong. I also tried 1 antigen swabbing the throat after the nose also after hearing that same tip for Omicron. The cherry on top is the negative PCR I got(tested 5 days into symptoms). This is why I am asking about some very edge case scenario, it just makes zero sense that I had anything other than covid last week.
 
I was swabbing myself, but I was going halfway to my brain, so I don't think I was doing it wrong. I also tried 1 antigen swabbing the throat after the nose also after hearing that same tip for Omicron. The cherry on top is the negative PCR I got(tested 5 days into symptoms). This is why I am asking about some very edge case scenario, it just makes zero sense that I had anything other than covid last week.

I guess you should apply Occam’s Razor. Assume you have covid. False negatives are relatively common. PCR and LFTs.
 
I guess you should apply Occam’s Razor. Assume you have covid. False negatives are relatively common. PCR and LFTs.
That is what I've come to alright, I am 8 days in, so I think once I'm testing negative I'm ok to resume normal life.
 
I got an email from 'Test and trace' just after Christmas telling me because of my 'recent positive PCR' I need to isolate. I never even took a PCR, so I ignored it.

Then on Friday I got an email from someone claiming to be from Bristol City Council asking me to contact test and trace again. I told her I've not tested positive and asked where she got the info. She said test and trace gave them the info and that I had a positive PCR on Christmas Day. I replied "Stop scamming people" and left it.

Today I've had a knock on the door. Some guy asks for me by name and hands me a bit of paper stapled to a 'Testing and Isolating' form. The paper says 'For the attention of.......' and doesn't have my name written. It's marked as BCC and says they've been trying to contact me. I tell the guy at the door that I've not even taken a PCR, let alone tested positive. He says to call them and let them know.

I call the Welfare and Engagement team number and the woman on the phone is very confused. Cannot find my details on the system and says she will speak to her manager and call me back.

I'm so confused :lol: Still not 100% confident it isn't one big scam.

Somebody else putting your contact details in so T&T can't enforce the isolation if they test positive? They only check the name vs the ID when you do the test, not the address or contact details.

It would be a 'smart' way to find out if you have Covid without the obligation to isolate if the result isn't what you want. Put your own name and phone number, and somebody else's address and email.
 
I was swabbing myself, but I was going halfway to my brain, so I don't think I was doing it wrong. I also tried 1 antigen swabbing the throat after the nose also after hearing that same tip for Omicron. The cherry on top is the negative PCR I got(tested 5 days into symptoms). This is why I am asking about some very edge case scenario, it just makes zero sense that I had anything other than covid last week.

:eek: You dirty git
 
Ah. Ok. I see where you’re coming from The other thing to consider would be testing technique. Are you swabbing yourself? Or have you had an expert do it? Unless you get right up in there you can easily miss something. I’ve also heard that a swab to the back of the throat can sometimes pick up virus missed when you only swab the nose.

Not pretending i have any special knowledge, but pharmacists and doctors here are beginning to move away from this. The last couple I've had (who were previous brain scrapers) have said a slow, steady scrape from the upper nostril is now enough without reaching into the nasal cavity.
 
Not pretending i have any special knowledge, but pharmacists and doctors here are beginning to move away from this. The last couple I've had (who were previous brain scrapers) have said a slow, steady scrape from the upper nostril is now enough without reaching into the nasal cavity.

Yeah, I’ve heard that too. Although upper nostril is still fairly uncomfortable. I’m sure a lot of people give a quick wipe around the lower nostril and assume that’s enough.
 
Somebody else putting your contact details in so T&T can't enforce the isolation if they test positive? They only check the name vs the ID when you do the test, not the address or contact details.

It would be a 'smart' way to find out if you have Covid without the obligation to isolate if the result isn't what you want. Put your own name and phone number, and somebody else's address and email.

Maybe, but they had the correct email for me too. Very odd.
 
I got an email from 'Test and trace' just after Christmas telling me because of my 'recent positive PCR' I need to isolate. I never even took a PCR, so I ignored it.

Then on Friday I got an email from someone claiming to be from Bristol City Council asking me to contact test and trace again. I told her I've not tested positive and asked where she got the info. She said test and trace gave them the info and that I had a positive PCR on Christmas Day. I replied "Stop scamming people" and left it.

Today I've had a knock on the door. Some guy asks for me by name and hands me a bit of paper stapled to a 'Testing and Isolating' form. The paper says 'For the attention of.......' and doesn't have my name written. It's marked as BCC and says they've been trying to contact me. I tell the guy at the door that I've not even taken a PCR, let alone tested positive. He says to call them and let them know.

I call the Welfare and Engagement team number and the woman on the phone is very confused. Cannot find my details on the system and says she will speak to her manager and call me back.

I'm so confused :lol: Still not 100% confident it isn't one big scam.
Definitely @esmufc07 getting back at you for the Nigerian scam.
 
I got an email from 'Test and trace' just after Christmas telling me because of my 'recent positive PCR' I need to isolate. I never even took a PCR, so I ignored it.

Then on Friday I got an email from someone claiming to be from Bristol City Council asking me to contact test and trace again. I told her I've not tested positive and asked where she got the info. She said test and trace gave them the info and that I had a positive PCR on Christmas Day. I replied "Stop scamming people" and left it.

Today I've had a knock on the door. Some guy asks for me by name and hands me a bit of paper stapled to a 'Testing and Isolating' form. The paper says 'For the attention of.......' and doesn't have my name written. It's marked as BCC and says they've been trying to contact me. I tell the guy at the door that I've not even taken a PCR, let alone tested positive. He says to call them and let them know.

I call the Welfare and Engagement team number and the woman on the phone is very confused. Cannot find my details on the system and says she will speak to her manager and call me back.

I'm so confused :lol: Still not 100% confident it isn't one big scam.
Sign the form for feck sake, it’s bloody freezing out here.
 
Not pretending i have any special knowledge, but pharmacists and doctors here are beginning to move away from this. The last couple I've had (who were previous brain scrapers) have said a slow, steady scrape from the upper nostril is now enough without reaching into the nasal cavity.

Yeah, the most recent LFT swabs I got in the UK were very short and the instructions said to only scrape 2cm into the nostril rather than up into your nose canal. I did what it said, it felt wrong not having a brain scraper but I guess that's where it's going now.
 
This doesn't make any sense. Any individual's freedom necessarily impinges on the freedom of every other individual. In a world of 8.5 billion people or whatever the number is these days, freedom to pursue one's interest will inevitably contradict someone else's interest.
Someone’s right to kill me (willingly or accidentally) does not take precedence over my right to not be killed by someone’s carelessness or idiocy. Pretty many of the laws that we have are designed to protect people from being harmed rather than protecting people’s freedom to do harm. This would be no different if there was a variant out there where we had data supporting the fact that being vaccinated reduced risk of transmission.