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[Doctor Gollum]

Did any of the lockdowns actually prevent the virus from mutating and subsequently spreading?

[BazaJT]

Although the virus will always mutate[it's what all viruses do] the lockdown didn't stop it spreading because they weren't strict enough.Why are people up in arms at the idea of up to 10yrs in prison for lying on quarantine locator forms? If you don't lie you don't go to prison simple as that.

[dave the builder]

Did any of the lockdowns actually prevent the virus from mutating and subsequently spreading?

or you could put the horse at the front of the cart 
the more people who catch covid, the more chance it will mutate   
because of easing of lockdown after the first and second wave ,it spread rapidly ,as a result of that ,mutations happened 
had the original strain been kept under control and numbers of cases reduced ,by lockdowns, track and trace, border control, people following the rules  , we wouldn't be getting so many mutations .

the "new hope" is vaccination ,which is a long way off bringing the virus to a manageable level for any sort of normality .IF it works enough to cope with people spreading covid by ignoring restrictions

[Doctor Gollum]

The key word there is 'had'

It was never going to be because they waited until March to close the border. 

The argument for continued cyclic lockdowns is only about not over stretching the NHS and not preventing the virus from mutating.

[Sir Tigger KC]

The key word there is 'had'

It was never going to be because they waited until March to close the border. 

The argument for continued cyclic lockdowns is only about not over stretching the NHS and not preventing the virus from mutating.

They closed the border? 

As far as I'm aware we've been the only country in the world that has had no Covid controls at our borders what so ever.  Not even a basic temp check!   

Oh! Hold on..... The border was closed for a few days at Christmas..... By Emmanuel Macron! 

[Doctor Gollum]

The key word there is 'had'

It was never going to be because they waited until March to close the border. 

The argument for continued cyclic lockdowns is only about not over stretching the NHS and not preventing the virus from mutating.

They closed the border? 

As far as I'm aware we've been the only country in the world that has had no Covid controls at our borders what so ever.  Not even a basic temp check!   

Oh! Hold on..... The border was closed for a few days at Christmas..... By Emmanuel Macron! 

I meant the two months before they stopped flight just before the first lockdown. A year ago. 

[dave the builder]

.....

The argument for continued cyclic lockdowns is only about not over stretching the NHS and not preventing the virus from mutating.

plus 
Lockdowns slow down the spread
less spread means less people being hospitalised (so less NHS overstretching )
BUT ALSO  ..  the less new cases, the less chance of mutation
every NEW case is a possible mutation !

repeated national lockdowns will end once the virus is manageable ,
however , local lockdowns will still be needed in hotspots ,

one person testing positive and self isolating is a LOCKDOWN for that person ,albeit a small one 

vaccines for the over 50s leave all the under 50s un-vaccinated ,with likelihood of increased cases and by nature ,mutation  .

so we need a combined vaccination, robust test, track and trace system (including isolation and targeted local lockdowns),covid testing at borders with isolation until proved not to have covid,  and EVERYONE to get on board with HANDS, FACE ,SPACE

which ,after a year of ballsing it all up, the Government are now trying to implement 

The only way the UK will get back to any sort of normality that everyone craves is to get on board and stop the spread and stop banging on about holidays, pubs, parties, visiting people, "it's not fair" ,"I want"

or we can carry on as we have, until we have a mutation or new virus that will just wipe us all out .
then you can go on holiday, to the pub, have a party do whatever you like ,in the next life 

[Lizzie Zoom]

.....

The argument for continued cyclic lockdowns is only about not over stretching the NHS and not preventing the virus from mutating.

plus 
Lockdowns slow down the spread
less spread means less people being hospitalised (so less NHS overstretching )
BUT ALSO  ..  the less new cases, the less chance of mutation
every NEW case is a possible mutation !

repeated national lockdowns will end once the virus is manageable ,
however , local lockdowns will still be needed in hotspots ,

one person testing positive and self isolating is a LOCKDOWN for that person ,albeit a small one 

vaccines for the over 50s leave all the under 50s un-vaccinated ,with likelihood of increased cases and by nature ,mutation  .

so we need a combined vaccination, robust test, track and trace system (including isolation and targeted local lockdowns),covid testing at borders with isolation until proved not to have covid,  and EVERYONE to get on board with HANDS, FACE ,SPACE

which ,after a year of ballsing it all up, the Government are now trying to implement 

The only way the UK will get back to any sort of normality that everyone craves is to get on board and stop the spread and stop banging on about holidays, pubs, parties, visiting people, "it's not fair" ,"I want"

or we can carry on as we have, until we have a mutation or new virus that will just wipe us all out .
then you can go on holiday, to the pub, have a party do whatever you like ,in the next life 

Well summed up Dave

[Rangie]

Some people will still argue with this but I agree with you 100 percent Dave ,it's harsh but true but a lot cannot deal with what's happening , and will continue to bury their heads in the sand.

[Lizzie Zoom]

Looks like the Kent Variant could become the World dominate one according to leading expects .

So, to the rest of you not living in Kent, stop nicking OUR virus, stick to your own!

[Raeturbo]

So it’s gone viral then

[Lizzie Zoom]

Yep, Kent is taking over the World!

Always believed my County had something to give, other than pollution, lorry parks and a welcome entrance for illegal immigrants!

[B52]

Long but interesting read:

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/chronic-infection-uk-coronavirus-variant

The takeways are that the B.1.1.7 (Kent) variant probably emerged from a patient with a weakened immune system, allowing the virus to 'learn'. And that the more ANY Covid type spreads, the more likely it is to find a really dangerous variant.

[Raeturbo]

Indeed, very giving worse luck. 

[LC0112G]

plus 
Lockdowns slow down the spread
less spread means less people being hospitalised (so less NHS overstretching )
BUT ALSO  ..  the less new cases, the less chance of mutation
every NEW case is a possible mutation !

I'm far from convinced this is true. It's not just the number of people infected that increases the chance of mutation. It's also the period over which the infections persists in the population. Lockdowns can never be 100% effective, and so do extend the period over which the virus is a problem. Try this thought experiment.

Suppose the Govt marched all of the 68 million UK population into a hangar, and deliberately sprayed them all with active CV19 virus. Within 4 weeks we'd all be either full of antibodies, or dead (probably around 2 Million dead). Either way there wouldn't be any active cases left in the UK, and the hospitals would be empty of CV19 patients. Within a 4 week period there wouldn't be enough time for a virus mutation to get hold, so CV19 would die out here.

The other extreme is to lock everyone down, and keep them locked away until everyone has been vaccinated. The problem with that approach is that it's going to take the best part of a year to vaccinate everyone, and as we are seeing that's plenty enough time for the remaining viruses to mutate and possibly become vaccine immune.

IMV It's simple Darwin vs Human Nature. Darwin says the virus will evolve such that some strains becomes resistant to the vaccine, and those mutations may be more or less harmful to their hosts. Those hosts (humans) that are better suited to fight off the virus will survive and prosper - Those that aren't won't.

Human Nature will be (is) to adopt a whack-a-mole approach trying to (and failing to) kill off any new mutations as and when they become a problem. There are very few instances of Humans actually managing to eliminate a Virus - we just learn to live with them. Spanish flu died out in less than 2 years having killed around 50 Million world wide.

In the UK we tolerate 20K flu deaths a year. We are currently at about 125K CV19 deaths and we're locked down.