COVID-19 News and Discussions

[erowind]

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[Ken_J]

honestly, it's possible that the new variant is so mild as to be a minor inconvenience to get, but way more easy to get, and immunities from it may be longer lasting and protect against the worse versions. Think cow pocks and small pocks.

this talk of pocks does have me wondering is there is a risk of a shingles like effect years down the line.

Like maybe the new strain out competes the rest, spreads super easy and only results in a sore throat and lost of smell and taste. But then goes dormant in the nervous system (perhaps olfactory) and at a later time reemerges in the nervous system causing neurological destruction like severe strokes and whatnot.

[Xyls]

If this virus is highly transmissible yet not dangerous that would be ideal. However, we do not know what this particular variant is capable of... and we have not seen enough cases to know how this variant plays out in people. (Most importantly the already vaccinated.) If it makes the vaccinated seriously ill another global lockdown will be imminent...

I expect we are going to have an explosive global tsunami of cases by Christmas...

[Yuli Ban]

England's COVID-19 weekly reproduction "R" number has risen and is likely to be above one, with latest estimates showing it between 1.0 and 1.1, the UK Health Security Agency said on Friday

[Yuli Ban]

If COVID-Omicron develops as I think it might, we'll be in for a perfect storm early next year:

- New, massive wave of COVID that forces new lockdowns and restrictions
- Global supply shortage straining the economy
- Student loan pause ends, further buckling the economy
- Labor shortage continues and becomes even worse, putting even more weight on the economy
- Oil prices are sky high but could crash, making the economy suffer
- Inflation is skyrocketing, even though wages are just barely budging upwards
- Chinese property bubble may or may not pop

Each one of these casts massive anxiety to the global markets, but all seven coalescing together would precipitate a supermassive crash that makes even 2020's look tame

[wjfox]

[Yuli Ban]

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency ahead of potential COVID-19 spikes this winter due to the already-circulating Delta and newly-identified Omicron variants of coronavirus.

The declaration, which goes into effect on Dec. 3, will allow the state to acquire pandemic-fighting supplies, increase hospital capacity and fight potential staffing shortages. It would also allow the state Health Department to limit non-essential and non-urgent procedures at hospitals.

"We continue to see warning signs of spikes this upcoming winter, and while the new Omicron variant has yet to be detected in New York State, it's coming," Hochul said.

The move comes hours after the governor said her office was closely monitoring the new variant, which was first sequenced in South Africa earlier this week.

[Yuli Ban]

[Yuli Ban]

[Xyls]

Some interesting anecdotal news coming in from South Africa:

Appears that Omicron is causing a surge in young patients in South Africa in the 20-30 range so it appears to be possibly more severe for younger people. However, it appears that almost all those going to hospital are unvaxxed or partially vaccinated which possibly suggests that the vaccines still provide good protection against severe outcomes for Omicron for the fully vaxxed even if it doesn't prevent infection...

https://www.trtworld.com/africa/south-a ... iant-52079

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/ ... ern-africa

[wjfox]

Interestingly, we passed 100 doses per 100 people globally yesterday.

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/covi ... =~OWID_WRL

Obviously that doesn't mean the entire world is vaccinated (!) – "All doses, including boosters, are counted individually. As the same person may receive more than one dose, the number of doses per 100 people can be higher than 100."

[wjfox]

Great thread –

[wjfox]

Aaaaaaaand it's in the UK.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59445388

Another lockdown on the horizon, I guess. That'll be two years I've gone without seeing my family at Christmas.

[raklian]

[erowind]

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[Cyber_Rebel]

Idk, just spitballing ideas because I think at some point even in light of the pandemic we have to find safe ways to see our loved ones.

Zoom? It may not be ideal, but if you're worried about keeping people safe yet still wish to see them then that seems like the most logical thing. It was always the future we were told would happen, we just didn't know exactly how it would be adopted.

[Yuli Ban]

Lol look at the date

[Yuli Ban]

[caltrek]

South African Scientists Brace for Wave Propelled by Omicron
by Andrew Meldrum
November 27, 2021

https://www.courthousenews.com/south-af ... y-omicron/

Introduction:

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Worried scientists in South Africa are scrambling to combat the lightning spread across the country of the new and highly transmissible omicron Covid-19 variant as the world grapples with its emergence.

In the space of two weeks, the omicron variant has sent South Africa from a period of low transmission to rapid growth of new confirmed cases. The country's numbers are still relatively low, with 2,828 new confirmed cases recorded Friday, but omicron's speed in infecting young South Africans has alarmed health professionals.

"We're seeing a marked change in the demographic profile of patients with COVID-19," Rudo Mathivha, head of the intensive care unit at Soweto's Baragwanath Hospital, told an online press briefing.

"Young people, in their 20s to just over their late 30s, are coming in with moderate to severe disease, some needing intensive care. About 65% are not vaccinated and most of the rest are only half-vaccinated," said Mathivha. "I'm worried that as the numbers go up, the public health care facilities will become overwhelmed."

She said urgent preparations are needed to enable public hospitals to cope with a potential large influx of patients needing intensive care.

[Yuli Ban]