COVID-19 News and Discussions

[Yuli Ban]

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

[andmar74]

If that post is for real..Talk about an idiot. Much in life you can't control, but this you certainly can.

[Yuli Ban]

That moment when you realize that COVID-19 is basically a mass Jonestown event for anti-vaxxers and Qanon types

[erowind]

.

[caltrek]

What Makes the Omicron Variant So Strange and Surprising
by Umair Irfan
December 23, 2021

https://www.vox.com/22846696/omicron-co ... on-vaccine

Extract:

(Vox) There are close to 50 mutations in the omicron variant compared to the original SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in China in 2019. These changes are manifesting in several key ways.

One of the most important areas is in the spike protein of the virus. This is the part of the virus that comes into contact with human cells, and a prominent target for the immune system. Antibodies attach to the spike protein and stop the virus from causing an infection. This makes the spike protein critical for how the virus functions and for how the immune system stops it.

Omicron has 36 mutations in its spike protein, compared to 10 in alpha, 12 in gamma, and nine in delta. Within its spike protein, omicron has mutations in the part of the spike that connects directly to a receptor called ACE2 on human cells. Omicron’s mutations seem to increase its affinity for ACE2, allowing it to more efficiently infect cells, thereby increasing its reproduction rate and transmissibility.
…
There are mutations on other parts of omicron’s spike protein as well. Because of these changes, antibodies have a harder time recognizing and sticking to omicron’s spike. That may explain why omicron seems to cause more reinfections and breakthrough infections in vaccinated people compared to other variants.

The Vox article also refers to research conducted by the University of Hong Kong:

https://www.med.hku.hk/en/news/press/20 ... infection

Introduction:

(LKS Faculty of Medicine at The University of Hong Kong) A study led by researchers from the LKS Faculty of Medicine at The University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) provides the first information on how the novel Variant of Concern (VOC) of SARS-CoV-2, the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 infect human respiratory tract. The researchers found that Omicron SARS-CoV-2 infects and multiplies 70 times faster than the Delta variant and original SARS-CoV-2 in human bronchus, which may explain why Omicron may transmit faster between humans than previous variants. Their study also showed that the Omicron infection in the lung is significantly lower than the original SARS-CoV-2, which may be an indicator of lower disease severity. This research is currently under peer review for publication.

[weatheriscool]

Florida's second COVID Christmas marred by 320% infection hike
Source: Tampa Bay Times

The contagious omicron variant is likely driving a surge of more than 17,800 infections a day.

The omicron variant is Florida’s unwelcome Christmas visitor, likely driving a 320 percent surge of COVID-19 cases in just one week.

The state on Christmas Eve reported 125,201 cases from Dec. 17-23, a daily average of more than 17,800 over the seven-day period. That’s the highest infection rate since early September, when the delta wave was cresting.

In just two weeks, Florida’s seven-day average has gone from 4,200 cases a week to 17,800, according to the data released Friday. The Sunshine State has already surpassed the 16,000 daily cases recorded at the peak of last year’s winter wave and could soon surpass the summer delta wave, which peaked at 25,000 daily cases.

The Florida Department of Health has not released any data that shows how much of the surge is driven by the omicron variant. But the fast-spreading mutant virus has repeated this pattern in South Africa and Great Britain and is now the dominant strain in the U.S., spreading to all 50 states in less than a month.

Read more: https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/20 ... tion-hike/

[andmar74]

Interestingly, in my country the number of positive cases have stagnated in the last week, this also goes for the number of hospitalizations.
It could be because of fast roll-out of booster shots. As of today, 42% of the population in Denmark is boosted ( 3 shots total).

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/de ... ar-AAS7GgJ

UK has even more boosters per capita, and we don't see the high hospitalizations that we saw a year ago, at least not yet.
If you look at France for example, there's a sharper increase in hospitalizations, and France have a booster % of about 30.

[Ken_J]

Florida's second COVID Christmas marred by 320% infection hike
Source: Tampa Bay Times

The contagious omicron variant is likely driving a surge of more than 17,800 infections a day.

The omicron variant is Florida’s unwelcome Christmas visitor, likely driving a 320 percent surge of COVID-19 cases in just one week.

The state on Christmas Eve reported 125,201 cases from Dec. 17-23, a daily average of more than 17,800 over the seven-day period. That’s the highest infection rate since early September, when the delta wave was cresting.

In just two weeks, Florida’s seven-day average has gone from 4,200 cases a week to 17,800, according to the data released Friday. The Sunshine State has already surpassed the 16,000 daily cases recorded at the peak of last year’s winter wave and could soon surpass the summer delta wave, which peaked at 25,000 daily cases.

The Florida Department of Health has not released any data that shows how much of the surge is driven by the omicron variant. But the fast-spreading mutant virus has repeated this pattern in South Africa and Great Britain and is now the dominant strain in the U.S., spreading to all 50 states in less than a month.

Read more: https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/20 ... tion-hike/

just wait a week and a half. it's gonna look apocalyptic.

[andmar74]

It's just so complex now, with the new omicron variant, my mind can't keep up. Take a look at this thread to see what I mean..

[erowind]

.

[Yuli Ban]

[Yuli Ban]

[Yuli Ban]

France has recorded more than 100,000 virus infections in a single day for the first time in the pandemic and COVID-19 hospitalizations have doubled over the past month, as the fast-spreading omicron variant complicates the French government’s efforts to stave off a new lockdown.

More than 1 in 100 people in the Paris region have tested positive in the past week, according to the regional health service. Most new infections are linked to the omicron variant, which government experts predict will be dominant in France in the coming days. Omicron is already dominant in Britain, right across the Channel.

Meanwhile a surge in delta variant infections in recent months is pushing up hospital admissions in France, and put ICUs under strain again over the Christmas holidays. More than 1,000 people in France with the virus died over the past week, bringing the country's overall death toll to more than 122,000.

President Emmanuel Macron's government is holding emergency meetings Monday to discuss the next steps in tackling the virus. Some scientists and educators have urged delaying the post-holiday return to school, or suggested re-imposing a curfew.

[Yuli Ban]

[Yuli Ban]

[wjfox]

"The Scottish government said provisional data suggested Christmas weekend had seen the highest daily cases recorded in Scotland since the start of the pandemic."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59804686

[Yuli Ban]

[Yuli Ban]

Thank you, Brandon

Can we just impeach this guy already?