2019 Novel Coronavirus Covid-19 Discussion

Forums › Health and fitness › 2019 Novel Coronavirus Covid-19 Discussion

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#2936596 30-Jun-2022 17:38

mattwnz:

IMO the free flu vaccine should have been available to everyone in NZ months ago, and that would have cut down on the number of hospital admissions, and reduce the load on the hospitals. But that would just have been common sense. It is false economy not to have done this, when we have a cheap and easy way to reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment.

I still remember seeing the health minister cutting a cake celebrating 1,000,000 flu vaccines this year, which is only 20% of the population! I don't know why taxpayer money is wasted like that.

....

It's nuts. We knew it was likley hospitals, schools etc were going to get hammered this winter, It would have been money very well spend.

To not do it now is even more nuts. We brought 2m flu vaccines, and have used just over half, we now know for sure that schools and hospitals are getting hammered, and we have lots of doses in stock, and yet we still haven't hit the free for all button.

Saying we are having a bad flu season, so we have made it free for everybody, and to please get it as the flu really sucks (and is not the common cold), would really simplify the marketing message.

Oblivian

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#2936609 30-Jun-2022 18:18

NZ: yay it's over we can ignore it and go to work etc

non covid illness skyrocket and close hosptial wards

NZ: why are we still in orange.

But I think you're thinking and blaming too narrow again - a too easy target solution, the flu jab is not mRNA. It is based on previous years most common strains in the developed areas that check for it. That is, the ones many people possibly didn't actually have. But may have been previously detected. Not all. And never has more than 1.9m doses taken up each year in NZ. It's simply not enough alone. Even if it was nice and early.

What is obvious. Is noones giving a damn. The number of times supermarket dispenser are empty if you even see sanitiser etc. Let alone bodies using it.

It's quite likely sniffles are being shrugged off and the idea behind being symptomatic (for anything) and keeping others from getting it are gone for the majority

Nevermind letting visitors in who won't care because their country is 'normal'

Only 2 of them updated from previous discovery.

A/Victoria/2570/2019 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus.
A/Darwin/9/2021 (H3N2)-like virus.
B/Austria/1359417/2021-like virus.
B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus.

H3N2 was detected as dominant in Jan. But was also the lowest global uptake in vaccination

Oblivian

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#2937150 1-Jul-2022 13:58

The hospitalisation rate of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) was now around the “low” seasonal threshold level – about 6.2 per 100,000 people in the week ending June 26 – following two weeks of higher activity.

Influenza rates among SARI patients in the weeks ending June 12 and 19 exceeded rates for this time of year for the previous seven years.

And the 7 day avg (reported!!) Covid cases up 2000 on last week.

If only they had been pushing measures to preven... oh wait.

The same source has the flu vaccination rates looking like there will likely be about 4000 unused. And over-modelled people taking it up.

So I'm not entirely sure, even making it free for more would help if noone has learnt anything about how pathogens transmit over the last 2 years.

gzt

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#2938621 5-Jul-2022 19:30

What's the story on the new variants?

The general covid news articles don't say much.

Are they better or worse than main delta or not known yet?

Batman

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#2938629 5-Jul-2022 19:54

Singapore says immunity now better so less severe

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/covid-19-wave-not-severe-earlier-omicron-peak-ong-ye-kung-2789986

Oblivian

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#2938630 5-Jul-2022 19:58

Too early. Certainly more dominant and contagious..
Mainly because it's evading immunity. So skyrocketing

Doesn't do well for the already low AV or 'why bother'ers

Batman

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#2938636 5-Jul-2022 20:42

SG says they are already at the peak of the variant wave

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mkissin

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#2938768 6-Jul-2022 11:57

Different variant, I think. The concern now is the very new BA.2.75 and its ilk, not the BA.4 and BA.5. This new variant has just been detected here in NZ.

It's variants all the way down.

DS248

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#2938816 6-Jul-2022 13:56

Do seem to be on the cusp of a new surge in cases, though this started before BA.2.75 arrived here.

Unfortunately NZ covid deaths remain high and few seem interested in discussing or addressing the issue. NZ seven day average deaths per capita is currently significantly higher than in the likes of NSW, QLD, and WA, ~3x higher than in the UK and over an order of magnitude higher than in Japan. Sure, across the whole pandemic, we did a lot better than the UK but we seem happy for the gap to narrow. In WA and QLD, the total covid deaths per capita over the pandemic are already lower. In WA, less than half, so their current lower rate is not due to 'pre-culling'!

tdgeek

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#2938817 6-Jul-2022 14:03

Isn't death with Covid far less an issue than death by Covid? We dont seem to get on on the caused by Covid deaths.

mattwnz

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#2938831 6-Jul-2022 14:39

tdgeek:

Isn't death with Covid far less an issue than death by Covid? We dont seem to get on on the caused by Covid deaths.

It is something that is barely covered by the media. AT the current rates, Covid looks like it will be the leading cause of death in NZ. It seems anyone with an underlaying health condition that may have been made worse by covid, is often a 'death with covid. Guessing many are also elderly. But IMO the bigger problem NZ faces is long covid, as apparently each time someone gets infected, their risk of developing covid increases.

tdgeek

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#2938843 6-Jul-2022 14:56

mattwnz:

It is something that is barely covered by the media. AT the current rates, Covid looks like it will be the leading cause of death in NZ. It seems anyone with an underlaying health condition that may have been made worse by covid, is often a 'death with covid. Guessing many are also elderly. But IMO the bigger problem NZ faces is long covid, as apparently each time someone gets infected, their risk of developing covid increases.

Long covid is indeed an issue how big I guess no one knows till time plays out. Covid death wise there are many of young and younger ages, but as they go by a test within 28 days of death and people die for many reasons, the death rates will rise as cases rise, even if few died because of Covid

DS248

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#2938844 6-Jul-2022 14:56

tdgeek:

Isn't death with Covid far less an issue than death by Covid? We dont seem to get on on the caused by Covid deaths.

I seem to recall you have raised this previously?

It has been covered off several times in this thread; eg #2915741 & #2915992 & by others.

That is, the bulk (now ~77%) of deaths being reported daily are either directly due to covid or covid is a contributing factor.

For the latest figures see https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-data-and-statistics/covid-19-case-demographics

As reported at 5 July:

tdgeek

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#2938929 6-Jul-2022 17:50

DS248:

I seem to recall you have raised this previously?

It has been covered off several times in this thread; eg #2915741 & #2915992 & by others.

That is, the bulk (now ~77%) of deaths being reported daily are either directly due to covid or covid is a contributing factor.

==

For the latest figures see https://www.health.govt.nz/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-data-and-statistics/covid-19-case-demographics

As reported at 5 July:

I have yes .If 77% are caused by Covid, then yes I appreciate that correction

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#2938964 6-Jul-2022 19:55

Thailand researching antibody nasal spray

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thailand-research-develop-nasal-spray-prevent-covid-19-2768451

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