We’re in a new year and we have also entered a new phase of this pandemic. So I thought I’d start off the new year with a quick catch-up thread on the UK variant B.1.1.7 and where we are at in this pandemic.

The variant caught scientists' attention in early December based on a surge in cases around Kent and sequencing data showing it carried a host of mutations. (I wrote about this and how a quirk in the PCR is helping track it here: https://t.co/HupLMpgHPt).
CAVEAT: The pace at which we have learnt about this new variant is astonishing. But it’s important to realize that a lot of crucial lab experiments take longer. Most data now is looking at noisy epidemiological data and making inferences based on that.
Having said that: The picture is becoming clearer.
Good news first: There still is no evidence that the variant causes more severe disease or that it can reinfect people more easily or circumvent vaccine-induced immunity. Still, we need to stay vigilant.
The bad news: The evidence has only become stronger that B.1.1.7 is more transmissible and potentially a lot more transmissible than previously circulating #sarscov2. That has potentially massive consequences for the course of this pandemic.
Evidence comes from this preliminary report from @_nickdavies and others from @LSHTM for instance, showing the variant increasing in frequency across the UK. https://t.co/W8FzqvXYdZ
@_nickdavies @LSHTM "The continued rapid spread of VOC 202012/01 in England to high frequencies (50% or greater in all NHS regions as of 29 December 2020) makes it less likely that the spread of this variant is due to a founder effect or an otherwise selectively neutral effect."
@_nickdavies @LSHTM Recent report by Imperial College makes the same point:
"While rapid growth of the variant was first observed in the South East, similar growth patterns are observed later in London, East of England, and now more generally across England.”
https://t.co/QcyT8CmEb3
@_nickdavies @LSHTM Additional data from Denmark (which like UK is doing a lot of sequencing), suggests they are observing a similar pattern of the new variant spreading fast locally.
https://t.co/HMTNQLXa7R
@_nickdavies @LSHTM While the evidence is convincing that B.1.1.7 is spreading faster there are still a lot of question marks about how much faster. Given the data it’s hard to disentangle the effect of the variant spreading faster and changes in behaviour etc.
@_nickdavies @LSHTM Imperial report estimates what the variant adds to the R of #SARSCoV2 in a number of different ways. As you can see, best estimates range from 0.36 to 0.68. That would mean, on average, every person infected with B.1.1.7 infects an extra 0.36 to 0.68 persons compared to earlier
@_nickdavies @LSHTM Even if the truth turns out to be close to the lower estimates or please, please, please, below that, it is still a big effect. And remember: This is exponential growth, so the effect over time becomes massive.
I don’t think it has really sunk in, how serious this is.
@_nickdavies @LSHTM What does this mean for the pandemic?
Many countries have managed to reduce infections to low numbers by layering a lot of public health interventions on top of each other: teleworking, physical distancing, masks, no large gatherings, some kinds of shutdown etc.
@_nickdavies @LSHTM The idea was that if you do these things well enough, you get the effective reproduction number Rt below 1, so every infected person on average infects less than one other person. That means the virus does not spread and there is some wiggle room to keep schools open for instance
@_nickdavies @LSHTM That wiggle room has just become substantially smaller. If estimates are roughly right, keeping schools open is probably not possible.
Or, if you think of it in terms of the Swiss cheese model, we can afford fewer, smaller holes in the cheese.
https://t.co/FhC5Tw7qwq
@_nickdavies @LSHTM We have entered a new phase of this pandemic. On the one hand vaccinations have started, on the other hand this new variant is spreading faster, potentially causing a lot more sickness and death in a short time. Also: more people will need to be immunised to reach herd immunity.
@_nickdavies @LSHTM It’s not what anyone wants to hear, but the coming months may well be the hardest of this pandemic. If you’ve been thinking of vaccines as the light at the end of the tunnel: Yes, that light is there, as bright as ever. But the tunnel just got a bit darker and a little bit longer
@_nickdavies @LSHTM One addition: This is not the time to throw up your hands in despair and give up. Quite the opposite. We know what we need to do. We just need to do it better. This is the time to draw on whatever strength we have left and redouble our efforts to stem the spread of this virus.
@_nickdavies @LSHTM People love to say how this or that measure is "just postponing” things. Well, with vaccinations underway, “just postponing” things is exactly what we need to do. The variant is probably in many, many countries, but it is still early days and slowing it down will save lives.

More from For later read

Humans inherently like the act of solidarity. We are social beings. We like to huddle up and be together.
They used this against us.
They convinced us that it was an act of solidarity to flatten the curve, to wear a mask for others, to take the vaccines for others,


and to reach #covidzero for others. They convinced us that this was for the greater good of society.
In reality, this couldn't be further away from the truth. They have divided us and broken the core structure of our society. They have dehumanized us with their masks.

They set us against each other into clans on opposite sides of a spectrum. They have turned us into aggressive beings fighting for our survival. Some of us fear harm from the virus, others fear harm from the vaccine, and yet others fear harm from the attack on our civilization.

We are all on a flight or fight mode. We are all operating under the influence of fear. We must collect ourselves and reflect on what has happened over the last year.
How is this for the greater good of society?

They used a tactical warfare strategy against us.
'Divide and conquer'.
We fell for it.
Now we must become aware of it and fight back.
We must reunite. We must find true solidarity to save our world. To free ourselves. To regain our autonomy.

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#தினம்_ஒரு_திருவாசகம்
தொல்லை இரும்பிறவிச் சூழும் தளை நீக்கி
அல்லல் அறுத்து ஆனந்தம் ஆக்கியதே – எல்லை
மருவா நெறியளிக்கும் வாதவூர் எங்கோன்
திருவாசகம் என்னும் தேன்

பொருள்:
1.எப்போது ஆரம்பித்தது என அறியப்படமுடியாத தொலை காலமாக (தொல்லை)

2. இருந்து வரும் (இரும்)


3.பிறவிப் பயணத்திலே ஆழ்த்துகின்ற (பிறவி சூழும்)

4.அறியாமையாகிய இடரை (தளை)

5.அகற்றி (நீக்கி),

6.அதன் விளைவால் சுகதுக்கமெனும் துயரங்கள் விலக (அல்லல் அறுத்து),

7.முழுநிறைவாய்த் தன்னுளே இறைவனை உணர்த்துவதே (ஆனந்த மாக்கியதே),

8.பிறந்து இறக்கும் காலவெளிகளில் (எல்லை)

9.பிணைக்காமல் (மருவா)

10.காக்கும் மெய்யறிவினைத் தருகின்ற (நெறியளிக்கும்),

11.என் தலைவனான மாணிக்க வாசகரின் (வாதவூரெங்கோன்)

12.திருவாசகம் எனும் தேன் (திருவா சகமென்னுந் தேன்)

முதல்வரி: பிறவி என்பது முன்வினை விதையால் முளைப்பதோர் பெருமரம். அந்த ‘முன்வினை’ எங்கு ஆரம்பித்தது எனச் சொல்ல இயலாது. ஆனால் ‘அறியாமை’ ஒன்றே ஆசைக்கும்,, அச்சத்துக்கும் காரணம் என்பதால், அவையே வினைகளை விளைவிப்பன என்பதால், தொடர்ந்து வரும் பிறவிகளுக்கு, ‘அறியாமையே’ காரணம்

அறியாமைக்கு ஆரம்பம் கிடையாது. நமக்கு ஒரு பொருளைப் பற்றிய அறிவு எப்போதிருந்து இல்லை? அதைச் சொல்ல முடியாது. அதனாலேதான் முதலடியில், ஆரம்பமில்லாத அஞ்ஞானத்தை பிறவிகளுக்குக் காரணமாகச் சொல்லியது. ஆனால் அறியாமை, அறிவின் எழுச்சியால், அப்போதே முடிந்து விடும்.