South African Covid-19 News and Discussions 3

[Lupus]

So you left your wife at the hospital and went home?

Yes. Still worked until they came home.

 

[xcaliber]

Yes. Still worked until they came home.

Good for you

 

[Grant]

So Netcare is not allowing fathers to stay in the rooms with their wives during their stay after child birth.

What ****ing bullshit.

It's a hospital group, not a hotel group

 

[MiW]

Coronavirus in South Africa: Unravelling the mystery

Antibody tests show that up to a third of South Africans may have contracted coronavirus during the first wave.

www.bbc.com

Prof Madhi also took aim at the World Health Organization and the African Union, which have been at the forefront of coordinating the continent's response to the pandemic.
"There is a narrative that the WHO has kept on top of this… and that African governments have been successful because they were very proactive. As far as I'm concerned, it's complete nonsense," he said.

 

[noxibox]

The stupidity of denying patients visitors when they're in hospital is one reason people want to avoid ending up in hospital. They know the paranoid loons will isolate them from their friends and family.

We keep being told masks don't protect the wearer, so what does it matter that a doctor who contracted the infection wasn't wearing one?

Cases in retirement communities are also on the rise as kids visit their grandparents.

But it's fine to kill old people through isolation?

Health minister Zweli Mkhize says a new variant of Covid-19 has been discovered by the country’s top scientists, which was driving the second wave and causing critical illness among patients who have no comorbidities.

Then you read the rest of the article and realise this statement is entirely without evidence, i.e. scaremongering. No wonder Mkhize is no longer credible.

It is rather disturbing. Perhaps more so than anything else I have seen this year. If, as currently seems the case, between 6 and 7 people out of every hundred who get it in South Africa die, it puts us among the very worst countries in the world in terms of treating it. In fact looking at the John Hopkins data, only one, Mexico, is worse. Either that or as you say, we might have a more vicious strain but I haven't seen anything about that.

What would lead you to jump to the conclusion that the CFR is 6 or 7? Never mind the IFR which is probably 5-10 times lower than the CFR, based on research to date.

Or that there's a more vicious strain?

My doctor literally found out one of his patients has covid, ( back in July). Did a house call and removed his mask to get it.

Bugger isolated himself straight after that and waited. 5 days in he felt bad, 2 days of being vrot in bed and then his wife got it, she was feeling little bit fatigued but that was it. He stated it took him a week to feel decent again. Only those 2 days were bad.

Funny thing, he's got 7 sons, not one of them got it. I believe they age from high-school and the rest 20's and 30's

Told him that's a huge risk. He stated, " i know what to give my patients, in the sense of medication and advice".

Some of you won't like what he told me next, he had flu, few years ago that was worse.

Barely being sick and having no after-effects is the story of the vast majority. But it does not support the narrative of the fear machine.

 

[noxibox]

My older brother went to hospital earlier this year and zero visitors were allowed.

Which is a stupid rule.

 

[MiW]

 

[Geoff.D]

According to the very interesting media briefing last night,
A new variant has been identified in SA.
The experts are reluctant to call it a new strain just yet though as the research still has to be peer reviewed.

What I found interesting is the admission that this virus IS a coronavirus and it WILL behave like other corona viruses.
It WILL mutate. The mutations will in all probability be to adjust it ability to infect. But that the mutation will lose its ability to lead to death.
The evidence is there that it is spreading much faster, and hence is far more difficult to contain.
The evidence that it is less dangerous is not yet clear.
The new "wave" IS going to stretch our already non existent health system further. And even if the new variant is in fact less dangerous, people may die because they don't have access to treatment.
What is far more of a concern and the presentation highlighted this issue, is that no one knows how this new variant will affect the effectiveness of the much vaunted vaccines which were developed to deal with the existing known strains.
I am far more concerned about how our daft NCCC and the politicians are going to react to the scientific evidence.
Maybe the scientists pulled a fast one on the politicians by ensuring the public is aware of the real facts this time around, which should mean that the politicians are going to have a hard time when introducing BS rules and regulations.

 

[MiW]

I am just curious, if the viral count is higher in tests now than it was July, could it not be reflecting masks usage and social distancing changes?

 

[Temujin]

 

[Sinbad]

An interesting press conference going on with Mkhize and some other people.

LIVE | Covid-19 in SA: Cases rise by 372 | News24

Follow our live update for the latest news and analysis of Covid-19 from South Africa and around the world.

www.news24.com

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1339971829994274817

Covid 19 service pack 1?

 

[ViciousClone]

View attachment 978772

As Chris stated, the larger areas im Garden Route are declining. George, Mosselbaai et c.

So hopefully next week the WC stats will start to level out a bit

 

[cr@zydude]

I don't like the change, but claiming that the President's word should be final is rich coming from the DA. It's more likely they mean that the President's word should be final, unless the DA disagrees.

 

[clickingbuttons]

I don't like the change, but claiming that the President's word should be final is rich coming from the DA. It's more likely they mean that the President's word should be final, unless the DA disagrees.

The DA is too politically correct for their own good.

 

[animal531]

According to the very interesting media briefing last night,
A new variant has been identified in SA.
The experts are reluctant to call it a new strain just yet though as the research still has to be peer reviewed.

What I found interesting is the admission that this virus IS a coronavirus and it WILL behave like other corona viruses.
It WILL mutate. The mutations will in all probability be to adjust it ability to infect. But that the mutation will lose its ability to lead to death.
The evidence is there that it is spreading much faster, and hence is far more difficult to contain.
...

There are already 6-7 strains, so that's not a new thing. So far fortunately all of them behave the same way around their spike protein attachment, meaning that our vaccines should work on all the strains.

I don't think its guaranteed that if a coronavirus strain spreads faster that it'll be less deadly (or go that way). It's not as if it kills so fast that it doesn't have time to spread, so the two factors aren't as linked as with other diseases like Ebola (where it's so deadly that it kills itself off before it can spread too much).

 

[Lupus]

What I find stupid is the flip flopping on alcohol, what difference does it make if you can't buy it on a weekend? People stock up before and you're still allowed it at pubs and restaurants anyway.
Also curfew? I mean did it work back in June/July during our first wave? In fact did the lock down work?

 

[The_Right_Honourable_Brit]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1340232766269628417

 

[The_Right_Honourable_Brit]

What I find stupid is the flip flopping on alcohol, what difference does it make if you can't buy it on a weekend? People stock up before and you're still allowed it at pubs and restaurants anyway.
Also curfew? I mean did it work back in June/July during our first wave? In fact did the lock down work?

I think the thinking behind the curfew is the government is attempting to avoid super-spreader events, which occur largely inside and where there are masses of people close together. So with a curfew - at least for restaurants and bars - there will be less time spent with other people. Yes, you can theoretically go earlier to the bar and make up for the 'lost time' as a result of the curfew, but I don't many people's planning abilities extend that far.

 

[The_Right_Honourable_Brit]

I like the picture that the DA used in the tweet:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1340220451520458760

 

[Forum Reader]

There are already 6-7 strains, so that's not a new thing. So far fortunately all of them behave the same way around their spike protein attachment, meaning that our vaccines should work on all the strains.

I don't think its guaranteed that if a coronavirus strain spreads faster that it'll be less deadly (or go that way). It's not as if it kills so fast that it doesn't have time to spread, so the two factors aren't as linked as with other diseases like Ebola (where it's so deadly that it kills itself off before it can spread too much).

I was told yesterday that there are 8 changes to the spike protein in this new strain which the vaccine acts on. So the chances of the current vaccines working on it are low.