• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

[UK] Covid: Africa travel restrictions over variant fear

Jose92

[Membe


Another back track by this incompetent government, with rumours circulating around that a new red list for travel could be coming back as soon as tomorrow.

edit: what i am lamenting is the mixed messaging by Sajid and Boris. Instead of having an honest and transparent plan given to the people, they are making it up as they go. Anyway hopefully this new variant is not as serious as it is thought to be

200.gif
 
Last edited:
Sounds like precaution to me but probably too late for this new variant already. Anyway this is politics and I'd be surprised if this thread lasts long.
 

Wildebeest

Member
For whatever reason, Britain is a world leader in genome sequencing of viruses. I guess that is a bad thing because science bad?
 

Lanrutcon

Member
  1. It's the worst ever COVID mutation, until it isn't. That's how these mutations work. It's not going to mutate into a weaker variant.
  2. Our "exponential rise" in South Africa is because no-one gives a shit about COVID anymore. They care about their jobs and their holidays. Our numbers were going to spike dramatically over December anyway, with everyone heading to the beaches.
  3. You know how much traffic there is between South Africa and neighboring African countries? If you're going to ban ZA then you're going to need to auto ban the entire southern part of Africa. Christ, my housekeeper goes to Zimbabwe every few weeks routinely. Lots of people work here and have families in neighboring countries.
 

jufonuk

not tag worthy
It’s because England beat South Africa in Rugby. Also all joking aside.
I’d rather they take a we are not too sure so we are being cautious and careful attitude rather than a we know what we are doing when they don’t because when they promise no lockdowns etc then suddenly implement one it looks like they are making up as they go along while trying to hide the fact blatantly so. It just makes the backlash worse when they do it.

If them saying there is a possible African variant We need to be cautious. Because they are trumpeting “no more lock downs we got this “ when they suddenly actually admit we need to do something. It makes them look weaker, like they are dealing with covid there and then (with no pre planning ) they do not look as if they are planning long term trying to sort it. If that makes sense.

If they just rather fess up and look after the people and not their own interests. Oh wait politics…..
 
Last edited:
Germany also
They voted themselves out of the EU, who TF still pays attention to what the Brits say? In 100 years they lost their empire, their politics is dominated by rich boys coming from privileged background with no connection to reality. Honestly now.

Animated GIF
Matthew Mcconaughey Politics GIF by GIPHY News
 
75% of people don’t care about covid at all anymore. You can say they’re dumb or they’re misguided, but walk around almost anywhere on the East coast that isn’t New York City or DC and you’ll see that no one is concerned. Stadiums are full. 9/10 people don’t wear masks. People are getting on with their lives.

We will see with this variety of covid. If it’s going to somehow be worse than the delta one, it’s not going to take long. Either way, it’s just going to be what it’s going to be. People have been playing along to varying degrees for 2 years. They aren’t going to give up a bunch more of their lives pretending to be scared of a virus with such a low risk profile for the overwhelmingly vast majority of people.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
75% of people don’t care about covid at all anymore. You can say they’re dumb or they’re misguided, but walk around almost anywhere on the East coast that isn’t New York City or DC and you’ll see that no one is concerned. Stadiums are full. 9/10 people don’t wear masks. People are getting on with their lives.

We will see with this variety of covid. If it’s going to somehow be worse than the delta one, it’s not going to take long. Either way, it’s just going to be what it’s going to be. People have been playing along to varying degrees for 2 years. They aren’t going to give up a bunch more of their lives pretending to be scared of a virus with such a low risk profile for the overwhelmingly vast majority of people.
100% agree.

People have had enough being masked, banned, social distanced etc.... Aside from people living in their house like a bubble, most people just want to get back to daily life and will take the risk of getting sick. Majority of people who get sick and die are 60+ year olds too. If someone is in this age bracket or in a nursing home then fine be more scared. If anyone is going to social distance its this age bracket.

Just to show how skewed the virus is, kids under 12 dont even get the needles and hardly any get sick or die from it.

Covid looks to be the type of virus that will always be around due to mutations and whatnot. It doesnt seem like a polio kind of disease where one awesome vaccine wipes it from Earth forever.

So you might as well live life using modest precautions unless you want to be one of those bubbleboy fear mongerers for the rest of your life. If someone wants to be masked all the time, avoid people and spray every doorknob with cleaner go ahead. But thats no life to live.
 
100% agree.

People have had enough being masked, banned, social distanced etc.... Aside from people living in their house like a bubble, most people just want to get back to daily life and will take the risk of getting sick. Majority of people who get sick and die are 60+ year olds too. If someone is in this age bracket or in a nursing home then fine be more scared. If anyone is going to social distance its this age bracket.

Just to show how skewed the virus is, kids under 12 dont even get the needles and hardly any get sick or die from it.

Covid looks to be the type of virus that will always be around due to mutations and whatnot. It doesnt seem like a polio kind of disease where one awesome vaccine wipes it from Earth forever.

So you might as well live life using modest precautions unless you want to be one of those bubbleboy fear mongerers for the rest of your life. If someone wants to be masked all the time, avoid people and spray every doorknob with cleaner go ahead. But thats no life to live.
People need to accept that death is a part of life. Something is going to kill us all. Covid is just another one of those things. We need to adapt to reality. We are not in control of this. We can’t make covid go away and people are going to still die. Accepting the certainty of death is something we really need to work on as human beings.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
People need to accept that death is a part of life. Something is going to kill us all. Covid is just another one of those things. We need to adapt to reality. We are not in control of this. We can’t make covid go away and people are going to still die. Accepting the certainty of death is something we really need to work on as human beings.
Totally.

And since covid seems more like a flu bug than a distinct illness like measles, it looks like it's going to be around. Pfizer might make 20 different covid vaccines in 20 years and another variant will pop up as the 21st.

What are people going to do? Hole up at home like a hermit for 20 years?

Just like annual flu bug shots. These have been going on for decades and it's still not eradicated yet. People I know who always get the flu shot still get sick. So if covid is like this, then just got to live with it.
 
Totally.

And since covid seems more like a flu bug than a distinct illness like measles, it looks like it's going to be around. Pfizer might make 20 different covid vaccines in 20 years and another variant will pop up as the 21st.

What are people going to do? Hole up at home like a hermit for 20 years?

Just like annual flu bug shots. These have been going on for decades and it's still not eradicated yet. People I know who always get the flu shot still get sick. So if covid is like this, then just got to live with it.
Considering that the majority of deaths are in people at the natural end of their lives, we are also going to have to accept that when your grandma or my grandma gets sick, her death is not a tragedy. It’s sad, certainly. But it’s also the inevitable end of life. The point is to live well so that when your time comes, your family can celebrate a life well lived. Obviously that won’t able to younger people who die. But some are acting as if the death of every 84 year old needs to be prevented at the expense of our entire way of life. It’s asinine.
 
Last edited:

T8SC

Member
Why is the media/politicians and idiots on social media acting like this is the first virus we've ever encountered? Omg its mutated. Yes, yes it has and it will again.

Lets close travel to a landlocked country, yet they can freely move to the neighbouring country to fly here.

Lets continue to fuck over the economy. I've no doubt people who've struggled with businesses for the past two fucking year will welcome more of this bullshit.

Stick jabs in everyone, boost those jabs .. oh fuck, they dont work against the new variant, here have more "new" jabs. No, sorry, you can't demand jabs (of which Im double vaccinated) and then continue to shovel this shit in our faces, putting fear into people that we'll not be able to see families at Christmas, that their business might not survive in 2022 etc etc.

No wonder multiple countries are rioting, they're sick of this farce. Yes it was a worry when it was new & unknown. Now? It's just pricks trying to keep jobs & doing shady business deals. Money talk's ya'al.

Lets all now listen to Toto.

 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Will take 100 days to make a new vaccine that work
Why is the media/politicians and idiots on social media acting like this is the first virus we've ever encountered? Omg its mutated. Yes, yes it has and it will again.

Lets close travel to a landlocked country, yet they can freely move to the neighbouring country to fly here.

Lets continue to fuck over the economy. I've no doubt people who've struggled with businesses for the past two fucking year will welcome more of this bullshit.

Stick jabs in everyone, boost those jabs .. oh fuck, they dont work against the new variant, here have more "new" jabs. No, sorry, you can't demand jabs (of which Im double vaccinated) and then continue to shovel this shit in our faces, putting fear into people that we'll not be able to see families at Christmas, that their business might not survive in 2022 etc etc.

No wonder multiple countries are rioting, they're sick of this farce. Yes it was a worry when it was new & unknown. Now? It's just pricks trying to keep jobs & doing shady business deals. Money talk's ya'al.

Lets all now listen to Toto.


If this new variant spreads, pharma companies make a new vaccine and government tries to go into lockdown mode again and forcing people to get shots #3 and 4, I hope they realize most people have had it.

Myself included.

Even for the booster shot people talked about months ago, I know nobody who said they are going to line up and get it. Two shots is enough. The first go around was accepted by most people, but I highly doubt asking people to get a couple more shots to cover a variant will go over as smoothly.
 

T8SC

Member
If this new variant spreads, pharma companies make a new vaccine and government tries to go into lockdown mode again and forcing people to get shots #3 and 4, I hope they realize most people have had it.

Myself included.

Even for the booster shot people talked about months ago, I know nobody who said they are going to line up and get it. Two shots is enough. The first go around was accepted by most people, but I highly doubt asking people to get a couple more shots to cover a variant will go over as smoothly.

It started with 1 jab, then that became "You need two for 90%" .... then that became "Oh it wears off after 6 months, have a booster" ... now we're potentially looking at another 1-3 jabs?

Can I just be put on a drip whilst working from home?
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
It started with 1 jab, then that became "You need two for 90%" .... then that became "Oh it wears off after 6 months, have a booster" ... now we're potentially looking at another 1-3 jabs?

Can I just be put on a drip whilst working from home?
LOL. So true.

What a bunch of asshat marketing that was to get acceptance from the start. Drug companies and gov never said two shots needed till later on. No doubt they knew from the start.
 
I'm too young to be eligible for that booster shot yet so I'll be taking the Nu variant like a true antivax champ in the next few weeks

77dp.gif


come on Covid, let's be having you!
 
Last edited:

T8SC

Member
LOL. So true.

What a bunch of asshat marketing that was to get acceptance from the start. Drug companies and gov never said two shots needed till later on. No doubt they knew from the start.

2 minimum, the UK is looking at the 30-40 age range for boosters next month. First of many we'll no doubt need.

I'm not an anti-vaxxer (Double jabbed), but this is all looking so fishy, they may as well call the pandemic "Funding Nemo".
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
2 minimum, the UK is looking at the 30-40 age range for boosters next month. First of many we'll no doubt need.

I'm not an anti-vaxxer (Double jabbed), but this is all looking so fishy, they may as well call the pandemic "Funding Nemo".
Third doses are supposed to open up in early 2022 for us in Ontario.

Unless work or gov force it on me, I'm skipping it.

And my work has an open ended policy. You dont have to get it. And the Can/US borders are opening up. All you need to so is show your vax receipts and you can go for 72 hours. Dont even need that last minute vax test that costs money.
 
Last edited:
They certainly misrepresented the vaccines. There was no talk of biannual boosters or quickly waning efficacy when they were selling people on their first round of shots. Had they been up front about what they knew and especially what they didn’t know, they would’ve had a harder time convincing people. They certainly will with any future shots. People broadly will not accept governments that require shots every 4-6 months to participate in society.
 

T8SC

Member
They certainly misrepresented the vaccines. There was no talk of biannual boosters or quickly waning efficacy when they were selling people on their first round of shots. Had they been up front about what they knew and especially what they didn’t know, they would’ve had a harder time convincing people. They certainly will with any future shots. People broadly will not accept governments that require shots every 4-6 months to participate in society.

That's the key. I've just been on holiday which I know would've been impossible or very very difficult if I was not jabbed. So to think they will try to force multiple jabs per year to healthy people in their teens/20s/30s so they can live and travel is absolutely criminal.
 

Aesius

Member
They certainly misrepresented the vaccines. There was no talk of biannual boosters or quickly waning efficacy when they were selling people on their first round of shots. Had they been up front about what they knew and especially what they didn’t know, they would’ve had a harder time convincing people. They certainly will with any future shots. People broadly will not accept governments that require shots every 4-6 months to participate in society.
At this point it's hard to imagine that the pharmaceutical companies haven't had board meetings where the executives have sat around and said "we can't let this profit opportunity go away" and are thus doing everything they can to push endless boosters.

I mean, let's be real here. If Pfizer et. al thought they could convince the FDA to recommend twice-monthly boosters, they would. Because why not? It's an incredible moneymaking opportunity for them and politicians/health agencies will follow along "out of an abundance of caution" (and possibly kickbacks).
 

RAÏSanÏa

Member
And Pfizer can convince the FDA to make them Global rulers(as if they aren't already) and they can get all together with the lizard people and they can plan to take over with and all the young people have to get their shots and they win if we let them win. We know what they're up to and we won't let them win because we're not antivaxx, i got the vaxx, we're the vocal majority and we're not gonna take it anymoooooore. The rest are just sheeeeple.
They don't do what we think is right they're fuck ups.

LOL.

Most people will not buy into conspiracy theories and get their shot and move on. The angry paranoid nuts will continue to scream and try to work people up.
 

Airola

Member
If this new variant spreads, pharma companies make a new vaccine and government tries to go into lockdown mode again and forcing people to get shots #3 and 4, I hope they realize most people have had it.

Myself included.

Even for the booster shot people talked about months ago, I know nobody who said they are going to line up and get it. Two shots is enough. The first go around was accepted by most people, but I highly doubt asking people to get a couple more shots to cover a variant will go over as smoothly.

I've had one jab (Pfizer - second dose was scheduled for last tuesday but I had to cancel it as I had things to do that required me to be able to both lift heavy items and drive a car).

I'm still planning on getting that second jab even though I am a bit hesitant because the first day after the jab I couldn't raise my left leg and I had irregular heartbeats every night for a bit over one week. I'm still alive and both problems are gone now. If I get the second jab and will get any symptoms like I got with the first jab, I will not take a single booster ever.


It's a very personal health-based reason for me to do that, but I'm also getting increasingly more sceptical about how our leaders are handling this situation.

Two pretty fishy things have happened this year. The first thing I think I've already mentioned in the covid thread.

1) Last spring we were supposed to have municipal elections in Finland. Some opposition politicians were claiming they are aiming to postpone the elections because the opposition is gaining too much popularity. It was told to be just a conspiracy theory. A few months onwards and suddenly we had news that we are going to have 11,000 Covid infections every single day by Summer and we absolutely have to postpone the elections. Turned out that calculation was just some test calculation that was never meant to be published. Nothing about it was true. Yet they continued with postponing the elections anyway even though they all knew the reason for postponing it was now based on nothing.

And now we have this:

2) Supposedly we are in a healthcare crisis now in Finland. We now have vaccine passports and we are applying them increasingly more harshly. First they said we have only 7 ICUs left at our hospitals, and now we only have 1 ICU place left. We have 49 covid patients at ICU places. That's the news, only 1 ICU left.
Now here's the odd thing:
In 2016 we had over 100 patients influenza patients on ICU. It was deemed a tough situation but we made through it. Flu vaccines weren't forced, no-one was pressured into taking a flu shot. We didn't need any vaccine passports.
Ok, that was then, now is now. Let's look at the now then.
Last year it was shown that we have a bit over 400 ICU places at our hospitals. Normally we have 300 but they increased the amount to 401 or so because of the covid situation. Politicians were telling us that we could even raise the amount of ICUs to 1000.
Last year we had nearly 70 covid patients on ICU in a situation were we didn't have any vaccination for the disease.
It was shown that out of those over 400 ICUs, 250 are reserved for the possible use of Covid patients. A couple of months ago 30-40 covid patients used those ICUs and about 140 patients of other diseases used those 250 ICUs too, so about 170 of them were taken, which means 80 ICUs were left out of those 250.
But now they are saying only 1 ICU is left and we have to hurry with the vaccine passports and other restrictions.
Turns out this "1 ICU left" is based on some calculation that if 50 ICUs out of those 250 is used by covid patients, then it's a huge problem for our hospital system.

And by the way, those 1000 ICUs were never made.

So, we were told we could have 1000 ICUs. That wasn't done.
Even without those, we had over 400 ICUs that were raised up from 300.
Of those 400, 250 were reserved for potential use of covid patients.
Of those 250 the amount we compare the amount of covid patients with is 50.

So, in even shorter form:
We say we have only 1 ICU left because it's based on a number 50, which is based on a number of 250, which is based on a number of 400, with promises that the amount could be even 1000.
Most will only get to hear that only 1 ICU is left so we must hurry. That is some god damn fishy bullshit right there.

No wonder the trust among citizens is shaking like hell.
 

IDKFA

I am Become Bilbo Baggins
Sounds like precaution to me but probably too late for this new variant already. Anyway this is politics and I'd be surprised if this thread lasts long.

Was going to reply to this thread, then realised that anything I post regarding this subject is going to be political and I'll risk a ban.

It's a damn shame some people ruined the political forum for the rest of us. I'd love to have it back, but understand it was a nightmare to moderate.
 

YCoCg

Member
100% agree.

People have had enough being masked, banned, social distanced etc.... Aside from people living in their house like a bubble, most people just want to get back to daily life and will take the risk of getting sick. Majority of people who get sick and die are 60+ year olds too. If someone is in this age bracket or in a nursing home then fine be more scared. If anyone is going to social distance its this age bracket.

Just to show how skewed the virus is, kids under 12 dont even get the needles and hardly any get sick or die from it.

Covid looks to be the type of virus that will always be around due to mutations and whatnot. It doesnt seem like a polio kind of disease where one awesome vaccine wipes it from Earth forever.

So you might as well live life using modest precautions unless you want to be one of those bubbleboy fear mongerers for the rest of your life. If someone wants to be masked all the time, avoid people and spray every doorknob with cleaner go ahead. But thats no life to live.
In the UK the people are just following the rules initially put out, the govt said we need two jabs of the vaccine and things can go back to normal, well, the majority have done just that! We've had the vaccines, we're back to working again (well I worked through the down time anyway) and most people are normal again.
 

Wildebeest

Member
In the UK the cases are quite high but hospitalizations and deaths are not spiking in the same way as last year. Some people are saying that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which many countries poo-pooed and refused to use as shoddy and dangerous British rubbish, might be giving more protection than other vaccines. I don't want to speculate about some other vaccines and the fantastic cases they made for how effective they are, even though now they need "boosters". Who knows, this is all irrelevant to this news anyway.

The problem here for Britain, and other countries, is that this new variant is different enough that all the vaccines for the original Wuhan bug might not be very effective at all. Delta spread fast and was nasty but was similar enough, but it could be that this one spreads, fast, is nasty, but also very different.

I hope this isn't too political.
 
Last edited:

FunkMiller

Member
I see this thread has become catnip to you anti-vax types 🤣

…although the media blowing this all out of proportion is also getting more and more pathetic as we go along.

Let‘s wait for the facts from the scientists about this variant, before we go crazy. If it dodges the vaccine, and starts killing enough people, back into lockdown we go, until the variant vaccine is created and distributed. If it doesn’t dodge them, it’s not a problem.
 

FunkMiller

Member
People broadly will not accept governments that require shots every 4-6 months to participate in society.

“You telling me I might have to spend five minutes every six months getting a safe and effective jab?

”Rage against the dying of the light! Riot! Riot against them and their evil five minutes every sixth month mandate!”

Come on lad, stop being silly. No-one apart from the fruitcakes is going to give that much of a fuck about semi-regular jabs until covid is under control.

You get your teeth checked just as much 🤣
 
Last edited:

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I've had one jab (Pfizer - second dose was scheduled for last tuesday but I had to cancel it as I had things to do that required me to be able to both lift heavy items and drive a car).

I'm still planning on getting that second jab even though I am a bit hesitant because the first day after the jab I couldn't raise my left leg and I had irregular heartbeats every night for a bit over one week. I'm still alive and both problems are gone now. If I get the second jab and will get any symptoms like I got with the first jab, I will not take a single booster ever.
Many people had issues. Some even died. I was totally fine and neither shot affected me at all one bit. But some people got nailed like they a heavy case of a flue or fever and were out of commission for days.

I'm supportive of vaccines, but only to a point.

Also, one thing I am totally against is the marketing of it. Notice how every drug advertised on TV or promoted in a newspaper has to have the company communicate in your face the side effects?

BUT for covid vaccines, people were getting sick and some cases dying from it. 95% were probably fine, but just like a typical pharma drug, there's side effects.

Yet, you never saw the gov ever openly communicate negative reactions. And never seemed to make Pfizer or Moderna do that either. At best, maybe some side effects were outlined buried in some online page at the bottom in small font.

So it goes to show how shadowy they pushed out the vaccine.
 

caffeware

Banned
I see this thread has become catnip to you anti-vax types 🤣

…although the media blowing this all out of proportion is also getting more and more pathetic as we go along.

Let‘s wait for the facts from the scientists about this variant, before we go crazy. If it dodges the vaccine, and starts killing enough people, back into lockdown we go, until the variant vaccine is created and distributed. If it doesn’t dodge them, it’s not a problem.
I see you bought some Pfizer stock mate.
 
Top Bottom