02-01-2021, 02:33 PM
I've been following the news about variants and vaccines very closely.
Both the UK and South Africa are really into genomics, so are some of the best equipped places to detect variants. So in each case patient 0 could have been anywhere, but UK and SA were the places they were identified. Anyway, the UK version is now dominant in the UK because it is more transmissible. Although the PM said it is 30% more fatal, lots of scientists are debating that and also the efficacy of the vaccines on the variants. The fatality due to new variant is difficult to establish since hospitals are better at treating COVID and now have some drugs to help.
As for vaccines, I increasingly suspect there will be a 2nd generation set of vaccines that cover a wider range of variants (a bit like how the 'flu vaccine changes every year to keep up with the varieties going around). At the moment the UK has taken the controversial decision to prioritise getting the first injection to as many people as possible, which means waiting 12 weeks for the second injection. That's not what the manufacturer recommended, but the logic seems to be that this will save the maximum number of lives since the first dose alone gives a reasonable level of protection. Even those who do get COVID after injection 1 have a milder version and far less likely to end up in hospital. Only time will tell if this is a good strategy or not.
Until then I agree with Charon about using masks to stay safe. The N95 variety are great, the other standards that are reliable are the EU regulated ones FFP2 (equivalent to N95) and FFP3 (the maximum protection). If you encounter KN95, they might be great or they might not, it is a self-certification. But Ive got some KN95 masks and cut one open to check the layers, it had proper melt-blown plastic - you can test this is real rather than just issue paper with a flame. If it shrivels like plastic then that's good. Note that some have a valve to make breathing more comfortable, they keep you safe but you are exhaling unfiltered air, potentially exposing other people, through that one way valve. Obviously you can wear a surgical mask over the top to compensate.
I notice lots of people with masks that do not fit properly. You want to shape the top so it goes around your nose. If you are male and have a beard, you might want to consider trimming it because it's impossible to get a proper fit with a beard keeping the mask from sealing against your skin.
Stay safe my friends.
Both the UK and South Africa are really into genomics, so are some of the best equipped places to detect variants. So in each case patient 0 could have been anywhere, but UK and SA were the places they were identified. Anyway, the UK version is now dominant in the UK because it is more transmissible. Although the PM said it is 30% more fatal, lots of scientists are debating that and also the efficacy of the vaccines on the variants. The fatality due to new variant is difficult to establish since hospitals are better at treating COVID and now have some drugs to help.
As for vaccines, I increasingly suspect there will be a 2nd generation set of vaccines that cover a wider range of variants (a bit like how the 'flu vaccine changes every year to keep up with the varieties going around). At the moment the UK has taken the controversial decision to prioritise getting the first injection to as many people as possible, which means waiting 12 weeks for the second injection. That's not what the manufacturer recommended, but the logic seems to be that this will save the maximum number of lives since the first dose alone gives a reasonable level of protection. Even those who do get COVID after injection 1 have a milder version and far less likely to end up in hospital. Only time will tell if this is a good strategy or not.
Until then I agree with Charon about using masks to stay safe. The N95 variety are great, the other standards that are reliable are the EU regulated ones FFP2 (equivalent to N95) and FFP3 (the maximum protection). If you encounter KN95, they might be great or they might not, it is a self-certification. But Ive got some KN95 masks and cut one open to check the layers, it had proper melt-blown plastic - you can test this is real rather than just issue paper with a flame. If it shrivels like plastic then that's good. Note that some have a valve to make breathing more comfortable, they keep you safe but you are exhaling unfiltered air, potentially exposing other people, through that one way valve. Obviously you can wear a surgical mask over the top to compensate.
I notice lots of people with masks that do not fit properly. You want to shape the top so it goes around your nose. If you are male and have a beard, you might want to consider trimming it because it's impossible to get a proper fit with a beard keeping the mask from sealing against your skin.
Stay safe my friends.