This is exactly it. Until more research has been done regarding how effective the vaccines are against it it is hard to say how dangerous it is. The issue is that if this can get around vaccines then it possibly means more people suffer with serious covid disease and thus put more pressure on healthcare systems globally. Equally, if we see greater infection rate with it as more currently vaccinated people can contract it we can expect to see faster mutation of the current strain. I have no doubt that an updated vaccine will be sorted soon for it though. Unfortunately, much like flu it will be a case of keeping up with the mutations and adapting as we go.
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I am resigned to having to have both flu and covid vaccinations every year from here on.
Who saying this morning that they will know within days on transmissibility - SA know now - weekly case avg 2 wks back was 300 per day now 3,500 per day. Tues to yesterday cases doubled.
That’s the bad news - the good news is that the jury is still out on case severity and vaccine efficacy on this variant. The Dr in SA who first spotted the different (more mild) symptoms in her patients and alerted health authorities to check for the presence of a new variant reports that her patients retained taste/smell , had itchy dry throat with associated cough and headache - but tellingly no breathing difficulties.
Is it possible like the Spanish flu back 100 years this virus will eventually mutate to a milder form.
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For the UK, masks in shops and public transports are mandatory, but the rules don’t apply to other indoor venues such as gyms, theatres, cinemas, restaurants, pubs + all night clubs are fully open. I was in a fully packed venue yesterday, with no masks in sight, but a friend was turned away from entering the Sainsbury’s without the mask.
What is interesting to me is how the US market reacts to news like this, and how ‘scared’ the investors get. News about the new variant has been out around the world since last week, so it was expected that the US market will eventually drop. I expected the drop when the first case shows up, but this just looks like heavy manipulation - US30 dropped for 1000points because of it - buy is going to be beautiful 
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Yea I think this will be the new normal.
News out of South Africa regarding increased infections in young kids. So more transmissible.
However, hopeful news on a tiny sample of patients infected with Omnicron that show it’s less severe.
The report included an analysis of 42 Covid patients in the hospital on Dec. 2 which showed that most were actually hospitalized for other medical reasons; their infections were only detected because hospitals are testing all incoming patients for Covid. Many did not have respiratory symptoms. And the average length of hospital stay was 2.8 days, far shorter than the average of 8.5 days recorded in the region over the past 18 months, the report said.
It will make its way everywhere eventually, it is inevitable, unfortunately.
From an economic pov when it reaches China there will be problems.
China developed a zero tolerance policy - yesterday being reported one case - entire block residents dispatched to to a quarantine facility - all close buildings sealed off etc.
Problem is that Chinese people have little natural immunity plus reports from HK suggest that sinovac not effective - end result more lockdowns and more supply issues - unless they change policy like NZ did.
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Not great news for China, not great news for the “supply chain”. Hopefully it passes quickly.
Real world data is that it is about 4 times more contagious - what we have to wait and see is how potent it is - early comments from Africa suggest less potent than delta.
Also early data shows booster has increased immunity - so all to play for.
Huge push in Europe right now on boosters.
I’m in the UK and omicron is the main concern right now.
If it is confirmed to cause as mild a disease as the doctors hope, I’m not going to be happy if I have to be put under any further restrictions. I’m happy to do what I’ve been doing all along - I am double-masked in shops and premises - but I won’t be told to stay home just to avoid spreading omicron.
If I pass it on, it will be like a mild flu. Likewise if I catch it. Of course there might be a tiny percentage of infected people who get a sever reaction, but its the same for flu or any other endemic disease. And there will be people who are immuno-compromised and it could be serious for them - but I’m not going close to anyone in that category and if they’re coming close to me that’s their decision.
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I mean that’s reasonable. I’m glad I still see people around me marking, indoors and outdoors. But isolation is starting to wear thin. I’m with you on not locking myself inside away from people. Be smart about it.
I wonder what the next version will be called?
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Anti-climax.
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i am fully vaccinated with all required boosters.
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The CDC/government claim this is all about public health, then tell me if a person choices to not get this vaccine how is firing them and denying them unemployment and healthcare is helping their health, then there are the effects of isolation. Bottom line, this has nothing to do with public health and everything to do with government control
That is just my two cents
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What do you mean by that? “All required” isn’t it two vaccines + Booster vaccine Pfiser?
Three years from now he will be boasting about having taken 4 vaccines and 8 boosters, this is nothing but a money tree for big pharma, and no indication they will stop anytime soon.
The said thing is half the population will line up like sheep and do what ever the government tells them
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I’ve been taking boosters this past 10 years - flu virus thinks it can out-wit the big pharma but but it has no hope as long as that big ol’ tree keeps flourishing
In the UK we’ve been running a very second-rate national health service since the late 1940’s which is paid for through general taxation and which is free at the point of delivery. All medical issues are resolved free of charge with the exception of dentistry and cosmetic surgery. Its a universal benefit irrespective of income or wealth.
The covid pandemic is going to have one of two long-term and beneficial major impacts on our national health service. Either we will have to invest much more tax revenue into the service and make it effective, or we will have to change the entire system and abandon the universal free at the point of delivery principle.
Naturally, both options lead to greater revenue for pharmaceutical firms and medical practitioners. But we must pick one or the other. I honestly hope for either, as we cannot continue as we are anyway.
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