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

Yes it's truly awful. My girlfriends family are from the Netherlands, one of her cousins household has just got it.

🤦‍♂️
Israel

Vaccination booked for both of us.

Bummer Netherlands/France are a bit of a Covid mess... family is there.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-56669504

AZ vaccine replaced for under 30s. I long wondered if the blood clot issue wasn't a coincidence but with EMA suspecting a casual link, and this, it seems not.

I'm still not worried, will just keep an eye out for headaches with blurred vision as those seem to be signs of clots.

Two of my friends had it recently. Though the total deaths is relatively low compared to the UK.

Matt Hancock disagrees ;)

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/matt-hancock-dismisses-uk-covid-herd-immunity-monday-b928447.html

The standard article also mentions that the torygraph had published Imperial data models, from that claims about half of UCL figure. I'm concerned that this will be used by the h0ax people to claim it is time to ease restrictions.

Lots of people disagree - including other experts (fuck Hancock). That's why I suggested no one open up any champagne. Still, to be even having the conversation is in some way good news.

AZ vaccine replaced for under 30s. I long wondered if the blood clot issue wasn't a coincidence but with EMA suspecting a casual link, and this, it seems not.

You mentioned, a while back, people taking the contraceptive pill have blood clot issues https://theconversation.com/blood-clot-risks-comparing-the-astrazeneca-vaccine-and-the-contraceptive-pill-158652, the author looks respectable and the figure is backed up here https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/pill-blood-clots-vaccine-covid-astrazeneca-b1818613.html Yet there doesn't seem to be such an issue.

There is a strange mechanism in humans that "new stuff" gets judged more harshly than existing stuff.

People freaking out over flu jab are now dealing out over the Covid one.

As yes, the pill risks clots. BUT one pill had a much higher risk and got withdrawn.

Also perhaps "but this has risks too" is not the best argument either?

And there was a lot of chat on social media / some UK papers the EU was being political which made 0 sense as it was Norway and Finland that started reporting this...now the UK decides this.

I'm still fine with the risk picture myself. Also not sure why some countries set the bar at over 50 or 60.

But with these things, there can be local rules or nuance I just don't know about.

Extra fuck hancock as he was talking to Nick Ferrari?

You are right, this is good news.

"but this has risks too" is not the best argument either?

Maybe you are right, could it be that the discussion that everything medical has possible side effects, as long as the side effects aren't worse than the illness itself(!) Taking quite a few meds for my various ailments, reading the list of possible side effects can give some the fear of side effects, so they won't take the medication.

The list of side effects is both essential reading and both enjoyed with some death metal in the background :p

As you say, it's weighing up risk Vs benefits. That's where I don't know why some countries set the age bar much higher than 30.

there doesn't seem to be such an issue.

But an awful lot more people take/have taken the pill, and do so regularly so you have to take that into account

My wife had to stop taking certain contraceptives after her dad died from a blood clot, obviously they didn't kill her in the years she was taking them, she's also now not going to be given that vaccine, also very unlikely to kill her but as she's already at a higher risk of blood clots I guess it's safer to avoid covid and get a different vaccine or wait until any links can be disproved.

From what I read contraception blood clots and Covid blood clots have a different mechanism / cause.

I'm not a blood clot risk for contraceptives, but idk what my immune system will do when I gets the vaccine to react, getting Covid is still much more dangerous. We avoided it so far, perhaps I could wait.

But I'm thinking high vaccine rates is more things opening and lock down is ultra hard for some people, so maybe I feel like it's a duty to me?

But I also understand some people waiting for Pfizer / another vaccine.

Don't know if you get that option though? Maybe GP can help?

You'll remember that Trump guy - he's now saying that the vaccines should be renamed 'Trumpcines' in his honour. I like it, I think we should all be using that term from now on.

I'm not sure who you're talking about. Was he in Blade Runner?

She'd have whatever vaccine tomorrow if it was possible, but now she has to avoid the most likely one she'd be offered due a tiny possible risk.

Queues outside Footlocker in Brixton at 8.30 this morning. It’s all good.

Went for a club ride on Sunday, fairly lumpy, brisk paced, but managed to not get dropped.
All fine for 3h or so, but on my way home with a friend, I stopped at some traffic lights, took a swig of cold water and my heart rate jumped to 210bpm.
This isn't completely out the blue, as I have had SVTs infrequently before, usually when I'm fighting a virus, or under the weather. Usually lasts for 1-4 minutes, quick rest, a couple of coughs, and it goes back to normal.

This time though my HR averaged 196bpm with a max of 235 for 34 minutes. Including 2 periods off the bike on the side of the road to rest and see it go down. Soft pedalled home escorted by friend just in case, no more than 100w for the whole episode, Only went down to normal once I got home and sat down.
Longest duration its ever been, called NHS 111 for advice.
With some talk of post covid and heart damage/myocarditis, it has got me rather worried.

Previously, cardiologist has said that if the episodes are repeatable, manageable, and causes no symptoms (light headedness, fainting, dizziness, pain) then I could get away with not having a cardiac ablation or similar, but definitely has me thinking again of being referred back.
Annoyingly all the ECGs I have done, even with hard, max heart rate efforts have come back completely clear.
I think I need to try and push for a heart MRI.

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Sorry to hear that, hope you get some resolution from further treatment. I'm the opposite of an expert, but stories I've heard about conditions like this usually show that you have to work on finding the right person to diagnose you for a long time, unless you get very lucky. I'm also not confident that the science of understanding post-COVID-19 symptoms will settle down soon, as there seems to be such a bewildering variety of them, both in kind and in severity, but there's at least one dedicated clinic for it, where I'm sure they'll do research, too, so they might be interested in your symptoms, particularly because they seem quite focused and perhaps easier to decode than those in people who have loads?

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/s­urge-long-covid-patients-first-clinic-il­ford-east-london-b925216.html

I'm aware you're not in London, but just in case, or perhaps they could refer you to the right address.

Annoyingly all the ECGs I have done, even with hard, max heart rate efforts have come back completely clear.

I had atrial fibrillation and a couple of 24h ECGs came back normal, it's only because one time my GP heard something momentarily off that they believed me at all. On a 72h one it finally showed up and they took interest. I had a similar diagnosis of "it isn't affecting your quality of life, so just keep an eye on it" - until a couple years later my dad's similar condition worsened such that he could no longer have an ablation and had to have a pacemaker fitted - at that point they decided I should have an ablation. (None of this is covid-related though - this was several years ago)

Thanks guys!
I’ve been more tired in the mornings generally, and coughing more in the colder air in the ride.

I’ve been referred by my GP to the cardiologist, so hopefully get myself on a 72h monitor and basically do a training camp on those days to get the HR to trigger.

May have nothing to do with Covid of course, but also could have got worse because of it.

In other post covid sensations, I still have neck and back issues due to muscle tightness and some torn respiratory linked muscles due to the cough.

In related news:
https://beta.lambeth.gov.uk/enhanced-coronavirus-covid-19-testing-lambeth
https://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/

Do you live in Lambeth or Wandsworth

You need to get tested.

Going out to set up barricades at the end of our road to stop the filthy Lambethites from infecting us.

You'll need to protect the other side from all the Wandsworth too.