12/22/2020

Covid-20 - The New British Disease

 Covid-20 - The New British Disease

European Union officials will be discussing at GMT 10:00 of a co-ordinated response to the new, more infectious coronavirus variant in the UK (to be known as the British Covid-20) which has already led many countries to impose travel bans.

UK Health officials say the new variant is up to 70% more transmissible, and there is no evidence that it is not more deadly.

There is also no evidence yet to suggest that it does not react differently to vaccines.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the new variant was "getting out of control" while Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands announced they had already detected it.

The speed at which governments have announced their bans on travellers from the UK shows the scale of the alarm.

More and more countries are imposing travel band to/fro UK. So far the countries that have taken the precautionary measures to impose UK travel ban include Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, Israel, Italy, Kuwait, Morocco, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, and Turkey.

The new variant was first detected in September. In November it made up around a quarter of cases in London. This reached nearly two-thirds of cases in mid-December.

Three things are coming together that mean it is attracting attention:

1. It is rapidly replacing other versions of the virus.

2. It has mutations that affect part of the virus likely to be important.

3. Some of those mutations have already been shown in the lab to increase the ability of the virus to infect cells.

All of these come together to build a case for a virus that can spread more easily. However, we do not have absolute certainty. Nobody will ever have.

New strains can become more common simply by being in the right place at the right time - such as Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, The Hague, Hongkong, London, New York, Singapore and Sydney.

This variant is unusually highly mutated. The most likely explanation is it emerged in a patient with a weakened immune system that was unable to beat the virus.

There is no evidence yet to suggest the variant does not make the infection more deadly, and whether the hastily developed vaccines will be able to work effectively against it.

If the virus so changes until it is able to dodge the full effect of the vaccine, then "vaccine escape" happens, and this is the most frightening concern to humans.

Lesson learned: Don't belittle a tiny thing. It can be smarter than millions of scientific brains combined. It can also make smart politicians into blue-ass flies, running round and round in circles, like clowns in the circuses trying to conjure up tricks to make us laugh.


SSO - 21 Dec 2020

15 comments:

1984 George Orwell said...

Covid-20: WHO Is Making The Same Silly Mistake Again!

As travel bans on the UK grew, the World Health Organization (WHO) is desperately trying very hard to alley the widespread alarm and fear like what it has done exactly one year ago, when China discovered for the first time the spread of Covid-19 in Wuhan.

The WHO's Emergencies Chief, Mike Ryan, calculatively contradicting what the UK's Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said on Sunday, openly stated that the new strain "is not out of control". He supported his argument by asserting that new strains were a normal part of the evolution of a pandemic.

So what if new strains are a normal part of the evolution of a pandemic? This is irrelevant. Whether new strains are a part of the pandemic's evolution or not, some new strains can be easily controlled while some may be out of control. It all depends on how much knowledge you have about each new strain and how fast you are able to detect and counter its prowess of spreading, and ultimately control its spread.

Perhaps, both Hancock and Ryan are right. Hancock is right because he was speaking at the national level. This new strain has really been spreading for three months and the spread is in leaps and bounce throughout the UK.

Ryan is right because he's speaking at the global level, ffrom his own vantage point at the ivory tower in the US. At the global leve, the new strain has only been spreading to a few countries and is not out of control, yet.

Nonetheless, it is silly, unnecessary, uncalled for and callous (and dangerous even) for a senior WHO representative to come out to speak like that without a careful and thorough study into the New British Disease scientifically first.

Separately, many travellers from South Africa are being refused entry by some countries after a similar new variant of the coronavirus was discovered, but is not related to the one found in the UK. This is getting more and more serious and worrisome.

When will there be light at the end of the tunnel? When is it going to stop? When will WHO stop being political? When will Big Pharma stop exploiting the people's predicament to make big money for themselves under the guise of providing vaccines but refusing to accept liability?

When can life be normal again?

Anonymous said...

Now that the new strain of COVID has spread out of the British border and even to India and Australia, will Australia be calling for an international investigation into the new virus and particular UK's handling of the virus given that UK already known the strain existed as early as September.

To dispel all accusation that Australia is not Sinophobia, some say racist, and only care for their own Anglo clique, they should do that. Their amazing think tank, ASPI ever so spurious on China should also lead the way to show they are impartial, whatever creed, ideology and culture, using its strength "outstanding strategists'

Should we not be holding our breath?

Anonymous said...

Finally their past sins have caught up with them. There is no escape for their crimes against humanity, conquests, invasion, genocides, butchering, racism, selling drugs, violation of human rights, oppression, suppression, atrocities, brutalities, slavery etc etc.

The Brits had committed all the abominable crimes against human civilisations and must pay for them, sooner or later.

Anonymous said...

There is growing international alarm over a new variant of the coronavirus in the UK, with a host of countries imposing travel bans.

More than 40 countries have barred UK arrivals, as the EU held talks on forming a common policy.

Sweden banned foreign travellers from Denmark after cases of the variant were discovered there....

In another development, travellers from South Africa are also facing bars from some countries after another new variant of the virus was discovered that is unrelated to the one found in the UK.

Would Singapore put a ban on foreigners entering the country from UK and other affected countries? Would Singapore mount an operation to bring Singaporeans in UK home should the situation gets worse?

Anonymous said...

Many other countries, from India, to Iran, to Canada have banned UK arrivals.

The US is yet to follow suit, but two airlines - British Airways and Delta - will only allow passengers who test negative for the coronavirus to fly to New York's John F Kennedy airport.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman have shut their borders completely to international passengers.

Along with Denmark, the new strain has also been detected in Australia, Italy and the Netherlands. BBC

Anonymous said...

As Singapore stabbornly continues to import more infected cases into the country to burden and tax our health cate system, the PM is on leave to walk-walk around and catch up with his reading (of what?) and the Transport Million-dollars-star is adamantly trying to open up more bubbles in order for them to burst in our faces in time to come. And the Hell Minotaur is keeping very quiet in the backseat savouring his favourite Chinese herbal soup that helps to make him look chubby face and rosy cheeks.

Anonymous said...

Singapore is open for business as usual. Only imported cases daily. No community spread. Singaporeans are safe. The government is doing a good job in protecting the population. Don't worry about the increase in population because 10 million is a good and sustainable number for Singapore. Welcome to Singapore, the island open to all FTs from all over the world. Singapore needs FTs from India, China and all ASEAN countries. Don't worry about the local true blue Singaporeans, they can drive your taxis and clean your tables at foodcourts.

SSO said...

I am happy to note that the Singapore government is acting wisely to prevent the importation and spread of the new British Covid-20.

This is an excerpt from Todayonline:


SINGAPORE: Long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel to the United Kingdom will not be allowed entry into Singapore from 11.59pm on Wednesday (Dec 23), said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday.

The travellers, including short-term visitors who have been to the UK within the last 14 days, will not be allowed to enter or transit through Singapore, said the ministry.

"There have been recent reports of a potentially more contagious strain of the COVID-19 virus circulating in the UK," said MOH.

"Officials within the UK are also concerned about this new virus and have put in place more stringent restrictions, including imposing a new lockdown in London.

"To reduce the risk of spread to Singapore, we are putting in place new border restrictions for travellers from UK for further precaution," said the ministry.

The move by Singapore follows similar measures by other places that have already banned flights from Britain, including Hong Kong, India, Germany and France.

The ban will also apply to travellers who had obtained prior approval for entry into Singapore.

Anonymous said...

Since they knew this new variant in September 2020, why did they not reveal this until recently?

Double standards applied?

Anonymous said...

The new variant discovered in September, 2020 is attracting attention, after nearly three months of infection?

Is this the same world that the Brits and Chinese are living in?

Anonymous said...

Trump is not interested in COVID19 nor the new variant. He did not say anything about the 18 million infections nor the 320,000 deaths so far in the USA. He already made America Great Again, in COVID19 terms that is. His preoccupation now is about starting a civil war so that he can invoke emergency rule.

The next four weeks will be interesting.

Anonymous said...

All the known diseases caused by viruses that can mutate to resist drugs that were made to combat it. Why can't the COVID19 or the new variant? The outlook is not going to be optimistic, I would venture to say.

The only optimistic outlook is the opportunity for big Pharmas to make more vaccines and keep laughing to the bank.

SSO said...

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 29 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday (Dec 22), the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.

It is the highest daily number of cases reported since Sep 21, when 31 cases were reported.

SSO said...

COVID-19: A Worrisome Perennial
Problem - Singapore's Infected Cases Went Undetected


Last Saturday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said that it was investigating 13 cases of coronavirus infection among individuals who had been served Stay-Home-Notice at the Mandarin Orchard Singapore Hotel (MOSH).

In addition, the staff members at the MOSH are also being investigated for possible infections.

On Sunday, the serological tests of the MOSH staff have reported that three were positive, indicating possible past infections that were not detected.

Today (Tuesday), eight more staff members of the MOSH have tested positive, also indicating that the cases are likely past infections that went undetected.

This brings the total number of belatedly known infected staff members of the MOSH to eleven (11), who have been infected in the past and have not been detected all this while.

What does this finding tell all of us?

It means that there are infected people working and walking around without anyone the wiser. These are the ones out there spreading the disease all over Singapore without being detected, and therefore not possible to be reported in any way.

Unless a conscious, determined and concerted project is launched to test each and every person in Singapore, there is no way to be sure how many infected cases are still out there spreading the COVID-19 coronavirus again and again, even after Mr Cow has retired.

This is a very worrisome perennial problem that must be solved once and for all. Otherwise, this Covid-19 Pandemic will just carry on and on till eternity, even if the hastily developed vaccines (without liabilities) are freely available on a voluntary basis.

Start thinking.


SSO - 22 Dec 2020.

SSO said...

Russia will halt all flights with Britain from midnight Tuesday, joining the growing list of countries to suspend air travel with the country amid concerns of a more-infectious coronavirus strain found there.

Nearly 30 other countries have banned travel to and from Britain due to the mutation.

Russia's travel ban will last for one week, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported.