[JAFO]

Thanks @johnm - useful to know that only nine more variants are possible before the virus has to give up (or we do).

[Paultheparaglider]

@JAFO , alpha alpha, alpha beta, etc.

[johnm]

There seems to be quite a lot of hysteria around the actions taken in respect of dear old Omicron. My assessment is that for the first time they've done the reasonably sensible thing. Stop travel and assess the situation and then decide what to do. If it was possible SA would have locked down at least temporarily with the same thought in mind.

Containment, assessment, action plan is the only sensible response....

[eltonioni]

I guess they also missed out Mu (pronounced 'mew') as some would be convinced the mutation came from a cat...

And, let's face it, the coming pi variant is bound to start with a northerner.

Highly likely, mainly because northerners wash less frequently than people who are from south of Oxford.

Falling off the back of your punt doesn't count as a wesh.

Up here we clean up after every shift and bath in front of the fire on Saturday. Kids go last.

[Bill McCarthy]

On that Greek alphabet - I am reminded of the time we were to change the atmosphere analyser on the Dreadnought from the American “Beckman” to the British “Pye” system (which was ten times the size, and rubbish) . The “chef” aka “Jan the Scran” said, when he heard about it, claimed “ there is no one getting in the galley or near my pies”
The PYE required an argon purge during the test cycles which required storage of HP argon bottles. Yet, because it was so useless, the atmosphere had to be double checked regularly with Draeger tubes for the various airborne nasties.
Bad thread drift -sorry !

[flybymike]

There seems to be quite a lot of hysteria around the actions taken in respect of dear old Omicron. My assessment is that for the first time they've done the reasonably sensible thing. Stop travel and assess the situation and then decide what to do. If it was possible SA would have locked down at least temporarily with the same thought in mind.

Containment, assessment, action plan is the only sensible response....

Deep joy John.

Two omicron cases now found in theUK. Boris to speak this evening.

Just in time for our Christmas prezzy restrictions and lockdowns.

Whoopee!

[eltonioni]

My assessment is that Omicrom will be twice as fecund and half as fatal as Delta.

Can't get William Hill to take it though.

My predictions are worth what you paid for them. If only the same could be said of others... eh, Prof Ferguson?

[StratoTramp]

My assessment is that Omicrom will be twice as fecund and half as fatal as Delta. ?

Doesn't that make it the same though? (kills half as much but infects twice as many). Although same is good as we are making good progress.

I predict I will go to twice as many pubs and half as many shops - still government objective achieved (then again probably no time for either as working up to xmas). Guess the mask thing (not to re-ignite) is shops frequented by all demographics & food shops aren't optional. I suppose it is a busy period too.

We should have been pumping vaccines out there rather than doing children over 12 here.

[Paultheparaglider]

We should have been pumping vaccines out there rather than doing children over 12 here.

There is apparently no shortage of vaccines in SA - just a strong reluctance to take them.

[StratoTramp]

We should have been pumping vaccines out there rather than doing children over 12 here.

There is apparently no shortage of vaccines in SA - just a strong reluctance to take them.

Ah, ok that figures. I remember a lot of the cultural wake/burial ceremonies were an issue in some of the more remote areas during Ebola where you 'had' to touch the deceased in part of the rite. Although people in white hazmat suits probably equally scary to local populace. Necessary but not great optics if you didn't understand what was happening.

[Paultheparaglider]

There seems to be quite a lot of hysteria around the actions taken in respect of dear old Omicron. My assessment is that for the first time they've done the reasonably sensible thing.

Give them time. Don't forget that moronic is an anagram of omicron.

[StratoTramp]

Conspiracy theorists are going to be all over that lol!

[kanga]

Perhaps this will help....

Those are, of course, the American pronunciations, which are beginning to infiltrate British usage to the regret of some traditional types including me.

[I prefer the traditional British pronunciations like beeta, theeta, ohmega etc; neither system wholly reflects either contemporary modern Greek nor likely ancient (5th c Athenian generally regarded as 'classical') pronunciations ]

[Propwash]

So it now appears that the money we paid for LFT kits to be used and uploaded on day 2 of our return to the UK, and sitting in my study at home, was money down the drain because we will now be required to take PCR tests instead and self isolate until we have the results.

It looks like Monday will be given over to trying to arrange for those ( hopefully from the same provider that supplied the LFT kits to make life a bit easier) because we need the reference numbers for the UK locator forms without which being uploaded to the airline we cannot fly home. The days when flying abroad used to be fun are fading slowly from memory.

Ho hum. And it rained today.


PW

[Flyin'Dutch']

A aright royal pain, sorry you got snared into that one..

Is that PCR requirement only for people from red areas as now SA has been redefined or any origin?