Very true. Complacency after getting the vaccine will be a big concern. Especially as scientists say it stops you developing the symptoms, but they are still unsure if you remain a carrier!

And yes, Tier 4 in London and SE England now. I'm still in Tier 2, but surrounded by Tier 4 counties. I leave West Sussex in 2, drive through Portsmouth that's 4, and get to work that's 2. How long till they are all 4?

And I agree. The UK government are being completely honest about this new strain and openly presented the facts. The EU and others reaction is to completely lock down all access from the UK. But you're not telling me this new strain isn't already there too? Australia already confirmed it, so did Scandinavia. You're not telling me it's not in Europe. EU Lorry drivers have been spreading it for months!
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I just came back from Finland after 17 days, and there's it's much better. Luxembourg is still in full lockdown, but I'm staying home anyway.
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This new strain of Covid identified by UK scientists is really spreading worryingly fast in the UK. Today they announced over 60800 new positive tests and deaths up to over 800 today alone. I think there are a few other factors contributing to this though. Winter means many people's immune systems are low so far easier to catch viruses and for them to effect them worse. Plus I'm not convinced every death included in the daily number are really down to Covid19 as the main reason. You have a lot of elderly and extremely venerable people dying after already being admitted to hospital for other reasons such as flu, heart attack, preexisting conditions, diseases etc and will most likely have died anyway, but in hospitals where covid is at its strongest they probably contacted it near the end when they were going to die anyway, and so it shows positive for when they died.

Also a bit annoying this new strain has been branded the UK Covid. Its already been proved ti be in Australia, EU, Canada, USA etc. It was just that the UK has some of the best scientific research and forensics in the world and identified it ahead of any other country.

At least the UK has access to 2 approved vaccines now, with a third on the way. And our own Oxford vaccine is far cheaper to produce and can be transported at room temperature, so much better. And will be good for poorer third world countries where cold storage wouldn't be practical. Already over 1.5 million vaccinated in the UK. Far more than anywhere else in the world currently combined. Quite an achievement. Let's hope it does stop it and let us return to normal lives later in the year.

For the moment though we have now gone back into a full Lockdown again from Tuesday. All schools closed, which I was hoping they would do to help bring the R number down and daily positive results. We decided to still send Tom to school though as my wife being a teacher we can as he's classed as a keyworker's child. Will get a full weeks lessons and teaching, which is impossible at home. Plus far safer under lockdown. Yesterday in the first day of lockdown he only had 6 in his class, so socal distancing is much easier then normal.
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Here is Portugal, the situation is quite complicated. Our hospitals are on the edge, starting to be over the limit.
Christmas was a very bad thing. Thousands of people went to spend Christmas with there families and of course this was good for Covid Virus. There were a lot of warnings to avoid reunions, but even so, people got together. I know a lot of people that went spending Christmas with there families.

Fuxx i stay at home, i follow the recommendations! Who the Fxxx are you to do whatever you want and put at risk the security of us all ???

There is a point that i think is common to all countries: Stupidity. Everyday i read on news that that was a situation somewhere that a lot of people concentrate in a spot without protection.
Fast examples: In Brazil, Palmeiras team wins the Libertadores Cup (equivalent to Champions League here in Europe), this team is from São Paulo, a city in Brazil with 12 million people, and a lot of people were celebrating on streets without any kind of protection. (Any !!) And it was not 10 or 20 people... but hundreds of people, thousands... In France, Marseille fans were protesting against there team, and once again, hundreds without masks.
W.T.F is wrong with this people??
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@ Tiago

I hear your pain & grief....

Unadulterated Stupidity & Damned Ignorance!

Latest UK Government COVID-19 advert.


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The rates seem to finally be starting to drop in the UK because of our current lockdown, but they are talking about starting to lift the restrictions on March 8th. I think this will be far too early. We need more of the population vaccinated, and the new infection rate to be right back down to 0 as it was last summer. Otherwise there's the danger of another bounce back towards the summer and another lockdown.
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Finally just received my first AstraZeneca vaccination. Hoping I don't get any bad symptoms. My wife had to spend 2 days in bed after her first vaccine.

The UK has moved to vaccinating the 45-50 age group now as nearly everyone over 50 has been vaccinated. This is brilliant news for the UK. And a combination of the fast and very well managed vaccination program and the recent lockdown now sees UK infection rates dramatically fall and death rates starting to become very low. Sadly some are still dying from Covid daily, but many are existing long term intensive care patients. Yesterday's figures were 2672 new cases and 30 deaths.

I'm just hoping the easing of lockdown restrictions this week won't see a sudden surge of new cases. All the idiots were out in their masses on the first day out of lockdown. The outside spaces in pubs were crowded and people were queuing to get into stores. One report showed people queuing all the way down a highstreet in Birmingham just to get into Primark! A shop selling extremely cheap chinese clothing that hardly survives it's first wash. One woman in the queue said she had been planning her visit to the shop for weeks. Why? Was she running short of tracksuit bottoms?

I hope things are starting to look better on Europe. The constant news from the EU leaders continues to show what a complete mess they continue to make of it.
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We're still in phase 4&5 here in Luxembourg, I will be in the phase 6 group. Both of my parents were vaccinated with AstraZeneca and had no symptoms at all. You could always take a painkiller before going to vaccination, I heard that might help.

And now that you said it, I want some of those extremely cheap Chinese clothes, sounds popular
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I will get my first vaccination on Wednesday next week and the second on the 16th of June. So probably it is the Pfizer, as it's only 1 month between the 2 vaccinations. My parents got AstraZeneca and have to wait 70 days before the 2nd.
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Even the Pfizer is a 3 month gap in the UK because scientists seem to think it's the optimum gap. But pretty much everyone I know has had the AstraZeneca vaccine. I didn't really have any side effects whereas my wife did.

My second one isn't until 2nd July.

It's great to see many EU countries vaccination programs are finally catching up. In the UK it has definitely been vaccinations more than just lockdowns that have really reduced the number of cases. And other than Wales the UK has 0 deaths yesterday, which is brilliant news.
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