That is very good news indeed. As long as the spike protein remains unchanged we are in business.
I wonder how well the vaccine does against this “new strain” of kung flu. 90%? 30%?
Pragmatism, put a damn mask on, wash your hands and keep your distance.
2 Likes
Agreed, but we are discussing lockdowns.
And I would add “get vaccinated as soon as possible”.
TMI but for those interested.
The strain of importance here is B.1.1.7 (variant) or VUI-202012/01 in the media. Definitely changes to the spike protein. Probably not enough to change efficacy of current vaccines/antibodies.
However, as said here already, still unsure if there is any real increase in transmission.
1 Like
Viruses don’t want to fade they want to thrive. Kill the host, virus dies as well. Delayed symptoms work well here, they can spread before the host is aware, but that only works if the virus isn’t as deadly. The deadlier viruses provoke harsh and quick reactions from the host, which means little chance of spread.
Which means there is an inverse relationship between severity and transmissibility. The more transmissible, the less deadly. Which is why it is so hard for Ebola to spread, very deadly but not so transmissible.
There are exceptions, of course, as in all things.
2 Likes
Thank you. I thought you might have been referring to “viral load”.
So we have an “ism” that works, agreed.
Anyone tried that?
I don’t see any argument in which lockdowns are not authoritarianism.
And if any of the pragmatic measures you mention incur the use of force or threat of same, I say they cross that line as well.
2 Likes
No problem. I think of HIV as being a perfect example of a successful virus. While it kills the host, it takes years to do so and the patient can go a long time without knowing they are infectious.
1 Like
Of course. It is what we are discussing.
Thanks for the correction. Not significant change to the spike protein seems more accurate to say.
If you are relying on the common sense of your fellow man to do the right thing, you aren’t using yours. There is a reason we have stop lights, seat belt laws and DUI laws. Common sense isn’t a uniform commodity.
People are getting antsy, I get it.
But we are so close to vaccination, why drop our guard now? Double down on that ■■■■ and lets get this behind us.
Actually a Stanford study just came out that suggests we could open all businesses up to at least 20-25% capacity.
That’s ALL businesses.
But it would require adherence to social distancing and mask wearing…once again depending on the public to do the right thing…which to date has been a recipe for failure in the US because a significant portion of the population just does not want to do this.
1 Like
Thank you for this, I haven’t seen this yet.
I don’t disagree. But no matter how we rationalize it, it is still authoritarianism. And the more authoritarianism is rationalized, the more it infects.
I agree that there are cases, subjects, contexts in which things are “necessary”. However there is also a known proclivity on the part of government to justify this with that. And this particular rationalization is the favorite tool for feeding The Machine.
If you look at practically everything that is illegal today, the justification for it being so is the same. There are of course a few exceptions.
1 Like
I like this and want to add emphasis to those two things.
Kind of sums up the whole thing for me.
At what point do “we” get to impose “our” “common sense” and “right thing” on you?
1 Like
Sneaky bastards…
I’ve seen this frequently lately. How does whether or not I wear a seat belt protect your rights?
Interesting. Do they work?
And yet we “allow” texting and driving.
