Looks like a plateau, yeah
Does the vaccine prevent it from spreading or does it just treat the symptoms?
The vaccine will generally stop you getting ill enough to need hospitalisation.
There is a chance that even if vaccinated you still become infected and are contagious so for the time being you will need to continuing wearing a mask, socially distancing yourself and washing your hands - even if vaccinated with two doses.
Respiratory viruses seem to have a chance of ābloomingā in your nose (nasal mucosa), even if vaccinated, so you could still potentially be contagious for a while.
Fact is, we donāt really know as of yet - the tests done in the development of the vaccine were for safety and efficacy (how effective it is at preventing death, serious illness). The more people vaccinated the less chance of death, serious illness and a decrease in the chain of transmission.
Tier 4 incoming 
Poor Boris I wonder if heās managed to forget already that heād not cancel Christmas and everyone would be happy with the new found freedom.
So Tier 4 confirmed for London and South East.
Tier 4 sounds like it will be similar closures to Lockdown 1 in March, except Places of Worship + Schools
Christmas cancelled, pretty much, for Tier 4 - no mixing over Christmas with other households
Rest of the country - 3 households meeting can only do so for 1 day (Christmas day).
Pretty much, Christmas still on the cards for us. Was only ever going over on the day for food as it is.
Except, of course, for those who will just ignore itā¦
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I was in Tier 2 last night
Tier 3 today
Tier 4 tomorrow
Going great then
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Iāll wave at you from Tier 3 
Iām sure the rest of us will follow in January and weāll all remain there until at least Easter
I was hoping to get my hair cut tomorrow as well. Hope the missus doesnāt mind Christmas Presents from whatever I can scrounge round the house
I havenāt had mine cut since February 
Johnson doing the exact thing he called Starmer āinhumanā for suggesting three days ago.
Iām shocked. Shocked, I tell you.
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It was a silly idea to relax the rules in the first placeā¦ but backtracking a week ago when everyone said he should would have been a lot better than now.
I suspect many will simply ignore him though. Iām not convinced that adherence to the existing rules was going well already (I commute between tier 2 and 3 and really couldnāt tell you the differenceā¦ traffic has been normal at both ends).
Problem is Johnson wants to be liked, so heāll keep saying that people want to hear right up until the point where the absolutely, positively canāt (and said point is later than any rational person would like it to be anyway).
This goes right back to Lockdown v1, when the reaction of everyone I know was āAbout fucking timeā rather than āJesus Christ, a lockdown? Thatās extreme and surprising.ā
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Do you not go out for exercise/shopping/social things at all?
Pretty much. Of course, the schools are shut, anyway.
Coming from an area of the country who have only had 2 weeks of non-lockdown or Tier 3 rules since March (I think that was at the tail end of July), you start to give up thinking things will improve.
We clutched at straws we may go into Tier 2 this last week, but nope. Still in Tier 3. I guess the only respite is we are not in the highest tier for the first time from tomorrow.
One of the few skills I learnt during Covid is how to shave my own hair reasonably well.
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It had been around last November for me, so it was getting pretty desperate when I snuck in the day before the second lockdown here. Flapping around my shoulders and not in a particularly flattering way!
Always been the highest tier for us too.
There are too many people who think theyāre experts and know better so donāt follow the rules. Then theyāre the ones who shout the loudest when there are consequences.
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