Oh she had the symptoms alright, that's why she tested. If anything they'd abated by the time LFT showed positive two days later.

Pointless. My daughter currently has Omicron. I can confirm that she tested negative on flow tests for the first two days. She had the results of a positive PCR by the time LFTs started showing positive. This ties in with what we heard from South Africa that the flow tests weren't so good in the early stages.

Right from the start of this booster campaign the strategy seems to have been to blame the public - who in the main have a healthy appetite to do the right thing but can't.

Speaking during a visit on Monday to a vaccination clinic near Paddington, west London, the prime minister said: “Sadly, yes, Omicron is producing hospitalisations and, sadly, at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron........ ........Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said: “The awful news of the UK’s first Omicron death underlines the seriousness of the situation and my heart goes out to their family and friends. We know nothing of the details and yet a death of someone 'with' omicron has instantly turned into an 'omicron death'. Some articles are quoting the PM correctly and then going on to say the person died 'from' omicron. This may, or may not, be the case but my goodness it shows how easy it is to whip up panic.

I'd imagine cases ramping up exactly as expected - probably even more so. I think omicron is already far more prevalent than reported figures suggest. Everything I've read says the booster shot is to prevent symptoms, that's very different to preventing infections. We've had a period of continuing high infection rates but low incidence of severe disease. That's exactly what we expected the vaccine to give us and it has done so. To me it's been a spectacular success and the booster programme should ensure that continues even with omicron.

It isn't the ones who get very ill who are the main problem surely. It will spread mainly from those who are symptom free. That's actually a bigger problem if it turns out that it is less virulent. I guess we'll know in the next couple of weeks.

Response is so individual. I'd like to think that a good antibody response is an indicator of worthwhile T cells but I don't think I've seen anything which guarantees that. I can't think it wouldn't be in my case as it's most likely exercise which has kept my immune system fit.

I think those of us who weren't in the very first cohort have had the benefit of the longer interval between the first two jabs. They started out with the manufacturer's recommended four week interval and then went out to twelve weeks. I'm pretty sure they then found that the longer interval was better, well it seems to have been for me.

No. I had problems booking and my latest results mean I've let the panic subside because I know it isn't desperate. I don't mind waiting a little while longer until I can get in somewhere close and convenient. I would add - this isn't advice I'd give to anyone who didn't know their status

For info - mine had dropped after about five months and have stabilised nicely at an acceptable level since. Last test was just over two weeks ago. Obviously can't be sure what they do in between tests, whether I've had a contact which excited them.

I've just read both the Medexpress article on imprinting and the paper from NCBI.NLM. Both give me the impression that tweaking the vaccines for variants is quite important. I thought a huge selling point of the MRNA vaccines was that it's an easy process, at least easier than with traditional vaccines. I have had a cursory glance at the article from ABC News. It is USA based and a journalistic piece rather than science. It's also focussed on the Delta variant which seems a little out of date now. My takeaway from it is that if a government has placed a large order (or in this case the FDA has 'approved' use as a booster) then everyone sticks with what they've got. This appears to go against what the papers on imprinting say.

I can give you my theory though it isn't nearly as exciting. The results of that study were not available until over three months after the first people would have been entitled to a booster so our government gave six months as the 'recommended' interval to a booster. Had they admitted that anything after three months was optimal there would have been outcry that we hadn't done it sooner - even though the evidence wasn't available sooner. It isn't sinister in any way other than a political need to 'manage expectations'. It's the difference between the science and what the media report. In this case the media were happy to quote without question how a six month interval was right - because government policy said so, not the science.

The Southampton study published in the Lancet linked in the BBC article you gave is very interesting. Seems all vaccines are good at boosting and if we only had O/AZ it would have been 'good enough'. Very interesting that the three month interval from second jab was always the recommendation. Why did we orginally go for six months?

Thank you. I've seen all sorts of figures bandied about.

Are you saying O/AZ induced antibodies aren't effective TJ?

That for certain though he isn't alone. As far as I'm aware it's expected that virus variants become more transmissable and less deadly which is what appears to be happening at last. Looking at how things are going around the world we'll all be under medical mandates as a reaction to something about as dangerous as the common cold.

So here we go again with another variant, proof that we're none of us safe until we all are. Have to wonder if a push for boosters among rich nations is what the world really needs.

I've seen a figure of 61 passengers from two flights. These were/are presumably symptom free or as good as. So far I've seen headache and overwhelming fatigue as the main symptoms (among the vaccinated) of the new variant - more or less what you'd expect from jet lag.

It really is mixed messaging UB. I can't get a booked appointment and when I look to walk-in centres every one flags up not doing boosters. There does seem to be a real PR job going to blame the public for not getting a third jab while making it very difficult in the real world. I'm not overly worried as I've been tracking my antibody levels and although they did drop significantly at around the 3-4 month mark they have plateaued nicely since then.

Well one part of the narrative above that graphic is true - people are sick of COVID and being told what to do. Two doors down from me last weekend, mother and six year old child both confirmed +ve on the Thursday. Birthday party for eight year old daughter went ahead on Saturday in the home and I'm not aware of anyone refusing to attend nor of anyone even commenting on it happening. That I know means it is common knowledge as I have no special access to such information. I wouldn't go near but I do understand (to an extent) the argument that says they're all mixing at school anyway so what's the difference.

Absolutely not. Where I'm seeing a lack of masks is in town, not in this conservative country backwater. Typical example - 27/9, tube from Leicester Square to King's Cross at around 11pm I'd generously estimate around 50% compliance with mask wearing. There's nothing special about this particular date/time/route, it's that I can recall it with some accuracy because I made a particular train out of St Pancras. I see nothing different at other times and nobody says a thing. That's on TFL where mask wearing is still supposedly mandatory.

It's not me you have to convince. I'm reacting to and asking about what I see in the real world, the risk people appear to accept. I was surprised at how quickly after freedom day London seemed completely normal. The streets and tourist areas crowded and barely a mask to be seen. Staff in shops and theatres tend to be masked but not the customers. This is how people are choosing to be. Getting nasty with me when I point this out and ask what should be done isn't a solution.

So I'll ask again - what's the solution? Lord knows I'm no fan of Boris but he can only act within the bounds of what the population will accept. I can't believe I'm actually defending the blithering idiot but it's obvious to me that people can't be controlled by fear any more and they have no appetite for further restrictions. He can close the leisure and entertainment industries again I suppose but so far they don't appear to be the problem. I have seen one headline trying hard to scaremonger with a figure of around 500 people +ve after a festival - that's out of a festival of 50,000 people. Primary school in my village has one class with over 50% +ve.

So what is the solution? On this forum herd immunity keeps getting mentioned as a negative thing so if that isn't an option what is? Permanent restrictions? If we don't want herd immunity why are we vaccinating the herd?

Yes, long covid is an issue but is it one which should shut the country down for ever? Is it happening in the vaccinated or younger children? If not (as I suspect) then are we close to the point where we have to consider Covid endemic and live with it? Through 2020 this was a dangerous disease which killed people and brought the NHS to its knees. That's not where we are any more. I understand the fear in people of going back there, nobody wants that, but a fear of a situation which no longer exists in its original form mustn't stop us moving forward. We will never be Covid free. Zero Covid isn't an option, even New Zealand which was perfectly placed to keep it out is having to accept that.