The prime minister, speaking the day after the latest easing of lockdown restrictions, instead said it was the national shutdown that had been “overwhelmingly important” in driving down COVID rates.
From 10 Downing Street, Mr Johnson suggested the millions of vaccines given over the past few months were not key to the reduction in COVID levels. He said:
I would like to see BJ’s scientific evidence for that … :roll:
Oh he’ll be paving the way for another lockdown shortly, no doubt. What’s the point of vaccines then, for goodness sake? What a buffoon he is.
It couldn’t just be that he is right?..
Spose not…People have to justify having the jab…
He could be right. The test of the vaccine will come only as lockdown is eased …but I think it will be the un-vaccinated population that is likely to get ill and put Covid figures up, rather than those who have had their jabs.
COVID-19: Johnson says lockdown, not vaccine, is reason for drop in cases and deaths
Looking at the way some people are behaving since lockdown has been eased all mixing together with no hint of social distancing, I hope people take note.
A London pub…
Utter madness Meg, us older folk would be wise to avoid such places for the time being…
I have never been one for pubs or parties anyway, and even going to the shops when lockdown is lifted, makes me a bit jittery now. People don’t quite realise that the old normal will not be happening for a long time yet.
Well it did cross my mind Pixie…
Vaccines do not stop you from catching or passing on the virus, despite all the hype. They help you to survive an infection. Lockdowns are are good! They are the most effective way of preventing the spread, bar none!
We should be aware that with viruses, anything we do now will not show a result for at least a couple of months, and that has been the case with the lockdowns. The figures of death have come down dramatically over the last few weeks and could quite possibly be a result of the vaccines. But let’s not forget all the other measures we have adopted, especially the older generation, who are most likely to experience a bad outcome.
We have learnt a lot about protecting ourselves and staying safe since the first effects of the virus came to light. Have you noticed how the advice has recently changed? ‘Go outside into the fresh air where the virus will be blown away’ And as summer approaches more of us will be taking that advice and not congregating indoors where the virus will spread rapidly.
Quite true Pixie. However, all of us on this forum have had at least fifty years experience with dealing with colds and flu, and we really know deep down how to avoid such things, despite what all the experts are telling us…
Science is not just about being presented with the evidence Omah, it’s knowing how to interpret it…
At one time, 1 in 50 people in hard-hit areas were infected, meaning that you couldn’t go, say, grocery shopping without unknowingly encountering a “case” … :shock:
According to ONS, as of April 9th:
In England, the percentage of people testing positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) was likely level over the two weeks up to 3 April 2021; we estimate that 161,900 people within the community population in England had COVID-19 (95% credible interval: 142,000 to 183,200), equating to around 1 in 340 people.
In Wales, the percentage of people testing positive decreased in the two weeks up to 3 April 2021; we estimate that 3,800 people in Wales had COVID-19 (95% credible interval: 1,900 to 6,500), equating to around 1 in 800 people.
In Northern Ireland, the percentage of people testing positive appeared level in recent weeks, but there was high uncertainty; we estimate that 6,100 people in Northern Ireland had COVID-19 (95% credible interval: 3,200 to 9,900), equating to around 1 in 300 people.
In Scotland, the percentage of people testing positive continued to decrease in the week ending 3 April 2021; we estimate that 13,000 people in Scotland had COVID-19 (95% credible interval: 8,200 to 19,000) equating to around 1 in 410 people.
So, relatively speaking, the chances of infection at the supermarket, where people are still masked and distanced, are now relatively low … 
The risk amongst young, unmasked, unvaccinated, drinkers mingling between tables, even if in the open air, remains, as yet, unclear … 
I don’t think that would apply to Pixie and me Omah, cases round here were few and far between, even at the height of the pandemic. I agree about crowded indoor spaces though, but all the furor about crowded beaches and protesters in London didn’t throw up any massive infection figures…
Obviously you’re not in a"hard-hit" area … 
The “crowded beaches and protesters in London” may not have thrown up any massive infection figures but the morons left truckloads of their rubbish and body waste behind … :!:
Although it was disgraceful Omah, that is not the issue here…
True …
There is plenty of evidence for that all over the world. Lockdowns have been proved to work. The graphs show it.
Judging by the photos in this thread it will be easy to prove it all over again, lets just wait a few weeks and see if the number of covid cases start to rise again.
Here’s the current figures, lets compare them with the figures in the middle of May.
UK
Cases 4,378,305 Change: 2,491
Deaths 127,161 Change: 38
Critical 370
Cases per Million 64,230
That is not the point - BJ said "“The numbers are down - of infections and hospitalisations and deaths. But it is very, very important for everybody to understand that the reduction in these numbers - in hospitalisations and in deaths and infections - has not been achieved by the vaccination programme.”
i.e. he made a direct, negative and scientifically (as yet) unproven comparison.
Of course that is true, less than half the population has been vaccinated with one dose, vaccines take some time to become effective and herd immunity achieved (UK is nowhere near that stage), lockdowns are proven to work, UK has been in lockdown for three months(?), the vaccine program only started a few weeks before.
Much as I hate to agree with the Clown Prince the comparison was valid and the data supports this.
Look at the daily cases graph for the UK from 8th January when the highest point was reached the drop in cases has been initially rapid, typical of a lockdown, then the rate of descent has gradually tapered off again in line with other lockdown graphs. If the vaccination program had made a difference you would expect the graph to decrease rapidly in line with the increasing tempo of vaccination but instead it is steady and flattening.
If you were brave you could attribute that tiny drop just near the end of the graph to the vaccination program but otherwise the data supports what Boris says.
I have heard experts say that there is a long way to go before the global vaccination program starts to have an effect on daily case numbers.
There are reports being picked up in the media of an underestimation of Covid cases in Scotland. By as much as 50% underestimated. I’m erring on the side of caution :shock:
I just don’t trust anything anymore 
No wonder people have mental health issues, honestly!
