I am no expert but logic, and a quick look at the ONS website, suggests this is a practical way of producing statistics which are comparable across the world, thus enabling better trend data to be produced. Many deaths arise from a combination of causes, and those dying with Covid would probably have survived without it in most cases. So it's a reasonable way of assessing things.

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

It's not been around long enough to deduce much from that. We know the timeline of how these things operate by now really.

Here's a balanced and objective look at the current stats and situation in Gauteng: [Link] Specific to here we have high vaccination + booster uptake and reasonably high daily covid rates going for us - both should convey some protection.

There's a possible scenario where hospitalisations could be very high for a time even if it is reasonably mild, but all in all I'd say it's not a doom and gloom picture so far even if it may feel like it for a time. We'll no doubt know more as the days tick on.

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Those lines look like they’re developing pretty steep. If they were flatter I’d certainly question what the f*** are we doing?

[Tweet Link]

Edited by Rudi Hedman (09 Dec 2021 7.50pm)

COYP

COVID Booster Cuts Death Rate by 90%, Israeli Study Finds - [Link]

"Booster doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine set recipients up to effectively withstand the ravages of both the Delta and Omicron variants, a group of new studies suggest.

Boosted folks are 90% less likely to die from a Delta infection than people relying solely on the initial two-dose vaccination, Israeli data show."

"A third dose boosts antibody levels back to where they were before Omicron made its way onto the world stage, Pfizer said."

"The Pfizer booster also reduced rates of severe illness by nearly 18 times in people aged 60 or older and by nearly 22 times in people aged 40 to 59, compared to those without the booster, according to results reported Dec. 8 in the New England Journal of Medicine."

It's significant that the booster offers vastly more protection than two doses, being that two doses already protects from death around 90-95% more than being unvaccinated.

No surprise that a disproportionate number of hospital beds are currently filled with the unvaccinated. It's fine for people not to bother, though it should be coupled with an acknowledgement that this isn't a decision made on health grounds. The opposite in fact, and that we would be in a much worse situation in all regards without the massive vaccination drive and uptake.

Hahahahahhahahhahahahhah. Hahahhahaha. Hahahaha. Ha. Hahaha. Ha.

Oh my. Never change.

Need to regain some composure here lads.

No doubt just one of several mental faculties.

Edited by Stirlingsays (09 Dec 2021 10.53pm)

'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)