Comments by "Dale Crocker" (@dalecrocker3213) on "" video.

One good thing which could come out of all this might be a long-needed study of the whys and wherefores of long-term ill effects from respiratory infections in a minority of cases. As far as long covid is concerned this, like the death rate, seems very much geared to age. Current studies indicate that around 1.2% of covid patients in their 20s will become victims, rising to possibly 5% for people in middle age. This only refers to debilitating symptoms lasting more than three months. After a bad infection some people can take years to get properly better. An unlucky few never do.
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PR. Masks are pretty useless but we were told to wear them as a sign that things were bad. Now we are being told only to bother if we feel like it as a sign that things are getting better.
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Johnson's strategy is a considered gamble. With the ratio of cases to deaths and hospitalisations currently a fraction of of what it was in the first wave, it could well come off. If it does come off then Labour will lose even more credibility in the eyes of the public. If it doesn't then of course Johnson will have to go.
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@simonfernandes6809 You are broadly speaking correct. One can only imagine that the government expects the cases to admissions and death ratio will peak and then decline quite rapidly. There is actually a potential for this to happen. This does very much look like a bid for herd immunity - with the vulnerable being at least partially protected from serious outcomes by vaccination. .
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@atomiccritter6492 I have no brief for Johnson - on the other hand always bowing down to a worst case scenario is no sign of leadership. It is a sign of cowardice. In this case the data and the science provide a reasonable scenario for an escape from this mess with acceptable casualties. Johnson has put his entire career on the line and his career means a lot to him. The alternative is long drawn-out death for our entire way of life. And what have you got against "white van man types" anyway you snob? Salt of the earth!
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@atomiccritter6492 There is some sense it what you say, just for once. Likeliest victims will continue to be the elderly and frail but hopefully vaccination will protect at least some of us, but the young and healthy should largely be able to go through brief ordeals of varying unpleasantness and emerge immune at the end of it. This should provide a reasonable cordon to protect the rest of us and so, with the help of the vaccination programme, achieve herd immunity. Yup. Lockdowns etc are gradually being worn away and Johnson is merely setting an official seal of approval on a process which has begun without governmental consent. Your two paragraphs contradict one another to some extent, but oddly enough it seems that if we are not exactly singing off the same hymn sheet we both recognise the tune. Comfort yourself: either this is over soon or Johnson is toast.
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The ratio of deaths and hospitalisations to cases is running at around ten per cent of what it was in the last wave. The general view on masks is that they reduce the possibility of passing on infection by around 20% at most. With figures like these Johnson is taking a considered gamble which may well pay off.
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@Skylark_Jones Masks really are of very limited efficacy. I think the authorities have realised this from the very start and mandating them has been pretty much a PR "we're all in this together" sort of thing. Now the message seems to be "you're on your own. Make your own mind up." Studies on mask efficiency are wildly varied. The fact is that around 60% of infections come via aerosols, which masks do not prevent, and they reduce droplet emission by around 95% if you are in a yogic trance to something like negligible for a serious coughing fit. PS. I don't think even the most ardent mask supporters now seriously suggest that they do much to actually protect the person wearing one. Take comfort from the fact that supermarket workers are way down the list of covid victims. No-one is quite sure why; high ceilings and good ventilation could be factors.
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@Skylark_Jones I'm afraid you are only aware of the aerosol on your glasses because it is warm when in touches the colder surface and so condenses there. Aerosols actually just float about pretty infinitely until the virions they contain cease to be viable. They can infect people by drifting into completely separate rooms or even by being transported through ventilation systems. And masks do nothing to prevent them escaping. Nothing at all. On the other hand they really are quite good at holding off other much bigger germs, such as bacteria and larger viruses such as many of those which cause colds and sneezes.
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At the moment the infection rate is roughly 20,000 a day for the unvaccinated, 6,000 a day for those with one shot and 2,000 a day for those with two. Make of this what you will.
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@darrenrooke These figures come from the evidence-based medicine site ZOE. I am sure they are accurate. The present case-to-death ratio is a fraction of what it was at the start of the second wave. For the week ending September 21, 44,089 confirmed cases were recorded. Three weeks later on October 12, 819 deaths had been recorded in the previous week. On June7, 46,825 confirmed cases were recorded. Three weeks later on June 28, 118 deaths had been recorded in the previous week.
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The actual death to case ratio is well down. Over 800 deaths to 45,000 cases in September. Under 120 deaths to 47,000 cases in June. In all cases these are weekly figures with the death numbers occurring in the third week after the cases number.
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It works but not 100%. Around 8,000 people a day who have been vaccinated are still testing positive, but their symptoms are milder than before, it seems.
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Immunity actually lasts considerably longer. The number of those who have been infected twice is quite tiny and it only really happens if the first does has been very mild.
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Well if this strategy goes bottoms up he will be out on his ear. On the other hand if it succeeds he will come up smelling of roses.
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The worst thing to fear is fear itself. If you are young and healthy you will almost certainly be ok. Nobody dies and you have around a one in a hundred chance of suffering long term. This could range from severe disability to just feeling pretty rough most of the time. This will gradually pass, though it may take many months in the worst cases. If you are older you should consider vaccination. This will reduce your chances of becoming ill and also reduce symptoms if you do. Even though the infection rates seem high they represent only a very small percentage of the population as a whole. Luck and the numbers are on your side.
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How much they protect others is a matter of considerable dispute. And make no mistake, Johnson is going for herd immunity here. The more healthy young people who get infected and recover the better it will be.
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Shh. They're painting themselves into a corner.
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