Lifting Covid restrictions by March 'a disaster', says Sage scientis

[CLENK88]

That’s the headline from an item on the BBC’s rolling news page. Here’s the text:

A leading epidemiologist says it would be "a disaster" to lift lockdown measures in the UK at the end of February, when the government hopes to have the most vulnerable groups vaccinated.

Professor John Edmunds - who works on the Government's coronavirus response as part of the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage) - warns vaccines are not 100% protective, and cautions only a small fraction of the population will have been vaccinated by then.

"If you look at the hospitalisations at the moment, about half of them are in the under-70s, and they are not in the first wave to be vaccinated," he tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"If we relaxed our restrictions we would immediately put the NHS under enormous pressure again."

Guess the Lockdown is going to last long after March then.

 

[hank williams]

That’s the headline from an item on the BBC’s rolling news page. Here’s the text:

A leading epidemiologist says it would be "a disaster" to lift lockdown measures in the UK at the end of February, when the government hopes to have the most vulnerable groups vaccinated.

Professor John Edmunds - who works on the Government's coronavirus response as part of the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage) - warns vaccines are not 100% protective, and cautions only a small fraction of the population will have been vaccinated by then.

"If you look at the hospitalisations at the moment, about half of them are in the under-70s, and they are not in the first wave to be vaccinated," he tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"If we relaxed our restrictions we would immediately put the NHS under enormous pressure again."

Guess the Lockdown is going to last long after March then.

when they scrap furlough that’s when restrictions will cease

 

[0321safc]

Goalposts changing. Never would have predicted that. I note how they used to talk about the deaths and the proportion of which were 70+ etc. Now it’s hospitalisations, then it will be long Covid .....

 

[Deleted member 22162]

Got to draw the line somewhere. If most of the vulnerable groups are vaccinated by March, then some semblance of normality has to return.

 

[Deleted member 43869]

Goalposts changing. Never would have predicted that. I note how they used to talk about the deaths and the proportion of which were 70+ etc. Now it’s hospitalisations, then it will be long Covid .....

What's the agenda then? Why do you think we are being perpetually pinned into restrictions?

Got to draw the line somewhere. If most of the vulnerable groups are vaccinated by March, then some semblance of normality has to return.

Agreed. Life is being ruined for so many and by April I think we'll be moving into the realm of long term damage to the younger generations.

 

[Deleted member 22162]

What's the agenda then? Why do you think we are being perpetually pinned into restrictions?


Agreed. Life is being ruined for so many and by April I think we'll be moving into the realm of long term damage to the younger generations.

I know it’s seemingly been the scientists’ remit to deliver the worst case scenario throughout, but it’s in poor taste to have one come out and say that “the vaccine may not work” at a moment where we are vaxxing 100,000s of people every day, and fighting an increasingly difficult battle with anti vax disinformation...

 

[mickonline]

That’s the headline from an item on the BBC’s rolling news page. Here’s the text:

A leading epidemiologist says it would be "a disaster" to lift lockdown measures in the UK at the end of February, when the government hopes to have the most vulnerable groups vaccinated.

Professor John Edmunds - who works on the Government's coronavirus response as part of the scientific advisory group for emergencies (Sage) - warns vaccines are not 100% protective, and cautions only a small fraction of the population will have been vaccinated by then.

"If you look at the hospitalisations at the moment, about half of them are in the under-70s, and they are not in the first wave to be vaccinated," he tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"If we relaxed our restrictions we would immediately put the NHS under enormous pressure again."

Guess the Lockdown is going to last long after March then.

I’m not an epidemiologist but surely that statement is not True. At the minute we have 2.5 million vaccinated and are ramping up delivery to 2.5 million per week.

Dirty maths, 5 million by end of next week, 7.5 million by the end of Jan. 17.5 million by the end of Feb. Add onto that the 3 million? Already confirmed as having COVID, The 1 million of so asymptomatic that’s over 20 million people with an element of immunity by the end of Feb. One third of the population with one third (the young) probably not going to get seriously ill. Not really a small percentage

 

[West_Winger]

I’m not an epidemiologist but surely that statement is not True. At the minute we have 2.5 million vaccinated and are ramping up delivery to 2.5 million per week.

Dirty maths, 5 million by end of next week, 7.5 million by the end of Jan. 17.5 million by the end of Feb. Add onto that the 3 million? Already confirmed as having COVID, The 1 million of so asymptomatic that’s over 20 million people with an element of immunity by the end of Feb. One third of the population with one third (the young) probably not going to get seriously ill. Not really a small percentage

“I’m not an epidemiologist but here’s why an epidemiologist is wrong about epidemiology.”

 

[0321safc]

What's the agenda then? Why do you think we are being perpetually pinned into restrictions?


Agreed. Life is being ruined for so many and by April I think we'll be moving into the realm of long term damage to the younger generations.

I don’t know what the agenda is but you can’t deny the goalposts keep changing. I will never go back to doing what I did before anyway but it’s abundantly clear this madness will go on for some time yet. The only hope I have yet is what some poster said a few weeks that as more people are vaccinated, the more restrictions break by popular demand ie. the 80 year old couple who haven’t hugged their grandkids will demand to see them once the 21 days after jab has been fulfilled. If they rifle through the vaccinations that should be more and more people feeling ‘liberated’ each passing day ... that’s my only hope at this stage.

 

[Silly Point]

I just think you can only drag it out for so long. Until all the over 50s are done at the very most. Sorry but once my parents have both been vaccinated I’m interacting with them like I did pre Covid

 

[mickonline]

“I’m not an epidemiologist but here’s why an epidemiologist is wrong about epidemiology.”

Do the maths. It is not a small percentage of the population as his states. By the end of March we could have 30 million people vaccinated. Over half the population with the remainder unlikely to get seriously ill.

 

[faith brothers]

Best bet keep restrictions till Easter then see how we are doing.
I know a lot of people will say what about the economy but surely if we can get cases really low along with more Jabs long term it will be better?

 

[0321safc]

I just think you can only drag it out for so long. Until all the over 50s are done at the very most. Sorry but once my parents have both been vaccinated I’m interacting with them like I did pre Covid

You are living proof of what I said then, you’ll no longer ‘play the game’ at this stage, each passing day more people feel liberated, thus the governmental chains get weaker by the day ... that’s the only way I see us getting out of this

 

[Gaggoears]

The truth is no one on this planet knows what situation we will be in come March. It's just pure speculation.
It's just different folk giving predictions and I take all of it with a pinch of salt, only oldie has set a deadline although he has not stated what happens after.

 

[0321safc]

Best bet keep restrictions till Easter then see how we are doing.
I know a lot of people will say what about the economy but surely if we can get cases really low along with more Jabs long term it will be better?

So what restrictions do you want to keep till Easter? Surely not schools closed for example?

 

[faith brothers]

Do the maths. It is not a small percentage of the population as his states. By the end of March we could have 30 million people vaccinated. Over half the population with the remainder unlikely to get seriously ill.

Yes 1 Jab but to have decent immunity you need 2 jabs and currently it's 10 weeks after 1st jab so only about 4 million will of had both by then?

 

[SurreyMackem]

It's one opinion from an epidemiologist and needs to be balanced against all of the advice, that's the governments job but Boris won't keep the lockdown a day longer than needed.

 

[0321safc]

Yes 1 Jab but to have decent immunity you need 2 jabs and currently it's 10 weeks after 1st jab so only about 4 million will of had both by then?

It was governmental policy to change it to 1 jab. By that line of thinking this whole operation is just a back patting exercise by the government? Though I wouldn’t reject that theory out of hand.

 

[Gaggoears]

You are living proof of what I said then, you’ll no longer ‘play the game’ at this stage, each passing day more people feel liberated, thus the governmental chains get weaker by the day ... that’s the only way I see us getting out of this

You keep on blaming the wrong folk, it's the twits that could not care less that are keeping us in lockdown.

 

[Fletch]

when they scrap furlough that’s when restrictions will cease

Will be as is for few weeks yet , end March things will relax I think with shops and cafes open