Chat about Novel Coronavirus - 2019-nCoV - COVID-19

Probably aliens or sutin.

About all the fuckers mooching in the market.

I have just seen in the news pictures of crowds of people crammed onto bridges in central London watching a New Years Eve firework / laser display.

While obviously, the people who poured into town to watch that are fucking morons, the people who OK'd the display, and paid for it out of the public purse have got to be off the scale.

How come that was allowed to happen?

Large scale procurement and budgeting is complex. Planning, purchasing and contracts would have been agreed some time ago, possibly as part of a multi-year deal. It may have been more expensive to cancel than to go ahead.

Surely you could pay and just not receive the services.

The fireworks and drones over the dome weren't live. It isn't clear from the media coverage of people in town what they actually saw. I think your outrage may be a little misplaced.

I was looking at the reports from the BBC, which included this image from last night:

Anybody understand the change in dishing out the vaccine? The testing was done on 21 days between two doses, approval based on this and pharma say they didn't test other time frames, yet the govt are now going to go for 12 weeks between doses to increase the amount of people vacinated. Is this a massive gamble?

The way I understand it, the two part vaccine gives you about 50% protection after the first dose. The second dose increases this to around 80%. I’m guessing the thinking is that it’s initially more effective to get twice as many people protected to 50% and play catch-up later with the second dose.

Let’s say you have 100,000 doses available in time x. You can either have an initial protection rate of 80% of 50,000 people = 40,000, or 50% of 100,000 = 50,000.

It’s probably way more complicated than that.

Too many idiots, I don't see any light show or fireworks though.

Isn't the figure for the second dose based on the studies of 21 days, that % immunity could drop due to the delay, plus did the studies have enough testing to prove that a single dose would be effective over 12 weeks.

I watched this on TV with my partner and told here it was not live, but CGI. However, looking at some newspaper reports today, there was apparently a 'secret' fireworks display and drone show. Other photos seem to show a light display at the London Eye and ex-GLC building.

The drone displays and fireworks were out by the O2 and kept secret until they went off. So yeah, those people are covidiots sure but the central fireworks were cancelled long ago.

This thread recently has felt a bit like people desperately hunting innocent people to blame. From Sadiq Khan to people queuing up to buy something nice to eat at home on NYE, or people daring to go for a walk in the park...

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for judging - just those who deserve it.

I believe the drones and fireworks by the dome were real. The PLA notice to mariners closing the river for filming is at http://www.pla.co.uk/assets/m63of2020-blackwallreach-exclusionzonelocaltrafficcontrol-filmingoperations.pdf

Most of the flashing lights, that I assume we're live, were between Tower Bridge and London Bridge which isn't very visible from the usual Millennium Wheel vantage points where the idiots probably gathered.

Our local area in Eastleigh was covered in fireworks and people outside. Didn't see any massive groups, but definitely a fair amount of neighbourly mingling.
Especially at 3am when people were still singing outside in -3 degrees.

Could have been a lot worse, can't begrudge people celebrating the end of 2020.
As long as people don't forget that 2021 isn't going to be a whole lot easier yet.

people daring to go for a walk in the park...

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for judging - just those who deserve it.

Wouldn’t be such a problem if they could be bothered to put on a mask when they’re bunching close to others.

Government advice is "wear a face covering in enclosed spaces". It's unlikely people are going to wear a mask outside while that stays that way.

When I go for a walk from my front door I typically don't take a mask with me. Or my wallet or front door keys if there is someone in at home. I'd probably fail as a scout.

Other photos seem to show a light display at the London Eye and ex-GLC building.

We had clear line of sight to a massive 10 minute display east of the Eye.

The Shard seemed to have a countdown on the top. Not sure if that happened in previous years? The one I recall is a projection onto the ex-Shell building.

TBF; law aren't clear on that (wearing mask outside)

The vaccine actually gives more like 90% after first dose. The 50% figure includes the protection after the first week before the body has built up the antibodies (which is about 10% protection). So really the second dose is about longevity rather than protection.

Additionally with the more traditional vaccines (like the Oxford one) there is lots of evidence that a later second dose significantly prolongs the protection. However there is no evidence of this with the Pfizer (but no evidence to the contrary either)

The law is fairly clear. You have to wear a mask in the same places you aren't allowed to smoke.

For the purposes of these Regulations premises, or any part of premises, are “indoors” if they, or it, would be considered enclosed or substantially enclosed for the purposes of section 2 of the Health Act 2006 under the Smoke-free (Premises and Enforcement) Regulations 2006

If it was described like this, then maybe more people would find it clearer.

Other examples,

If you're close enough to kick someone, you're not socially distancing.

If your hands aren't dry, cracked and you're not wincing everytime you use alcohol gel, you're not washing your hands enough.

This thread recently has felt a bit like people desperately hunting innocent people to blame

The whole forum has the air of a lot of stressed and unhappy people at the moment. Understandably so.