Official Thread: Coronavirus "COVID-19"

[SubCog]

at this point i would say 50% to 75% of the unvaccinated will never get it voluntary .

[Java Cool Dude]

What are the chances of the NU variant from South Africa already spreading in Europe and the States?!
Thousands of travellers went and came back from SA in the last few weeks.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59424269

[Crawdaddy79]

What are the chances of the NU variant from South Africa already spreading in Europe and the States?!

100%, give or take.

[Greasy]

What are the chances of the NU variant from South Africa already spreading in Europe and the States?!
Thousands of travellers went and came back from SA in the last few weeks.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59424269

So much for those booster shots we just got...

Here we go again.

[bill dennison]

So much for those booster shots we just got...

Here we go again.

if you get all the variants and survive you win a cookie

[Greasy]

if you get all the variants and survive you win a cookie

Watch this **** hit the US in Jan when I'm supposed to go to the mountains with the boys. Last year I did that ****, and had to quarantine for a week, because my buddy that rode with me had Covid.

I'm not going this year if that's the case. That week after just plain sucked ass. Walking around my own house with a mask on, and avoiding my kids.

So sick of this ****!

[Silent-Runner]

man, i always thought all the UFO/abduction, hollow earth, flat earth nutjobs were whack, but after reading through some of the comments here i really dunno what to say anymore.

Somehow the whole "we have to get through this together" never happened and instead turned into "us against them". Bravo!

well, whatever... meanwhile germany crossed the 100k (deaths) mark.

[Lazy8s]

man, i always thought all the UFO/abduction, hollow earth, flat earth nutjobs were whack, but after reading through some of the comments here i really dunno what to say anymore.

Somehow the whole "we have to get through this together" never happened and instead turned into "us against them". Bravo!

well, whatever... meanwhile germany crossed the 100k (deaths) mark.

I think that sometimes it’s about what “not” to say these days. I know some, and run into some anti-vaxxers just like we all do.

I’m learning to just start with the assumption that they have their reasons. If it becomes a discussion and they’re not interested in what I have to say, I let it go. I’m not going to change their minds anyway, but I’m also not going to start treating them like dirt either. The divisions are deep enough as it is, no point in making it worse.

I’m getting my booster shot soon, and I’m still masking up, and….I’m just so tired of it all. But tired or not , gotta do what I got to do.

[Lazy8s]

The Israeli military is rounding up people who have returned from “red” countries to force isolation after the new strain was detected there…

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-south-africa-middle-east-14b1419135057aaf96bfb495742e4ab1

Scary stuff.

Edit: The article actually states “Will instruct them to go into isolation”

I mis-spoke there….

[Riptide]

Currently, Moderna provides the best protection against COVID-19

Good because that's the one I'm getting. First dose is Dec 2.

they won't do that might apeer racist

Not when this administration does it.

[12Bass]

Moderna/Pfizer/AstraZenica efficacy comparison here: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...20v3.full-text

Against Delta, vaccine effectiveness after the first dose was higher for mRNA-1273 (70%; 95% CI, 64–76%) and ChAdOx1 (68%; 95% CI, 57–76%) than BNT162b2 (57%; 95% CI, 53–61%) (Figure 1e). Vaccine effectiveness was increased after the second dose for all three vaccines, to 95% (95% CI, 91–97%) for mRNA-1273, 87% (95% CI, 69–95%) for ChAdOx1, and 92% (95% CI, 90–94%) for BNT162b2.

By product, vaccine effectiveness after one dose tended to be lower against Delta than against Alpha and Gamma for mRNA-1273 (70% vs. 82% and 89%) and for BNT162b2 (57% vs. 67% and 63%), but was similar to Alpha for ChAdOx1 (68% vs. 63%). Two doses of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 increased protection against Delta (92–95%) to levels comparable to Alpha (89–92%), Beta (87%), and Gamma (88%).
Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization or death

Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization or death caused by all four VOCs was generally higher than against symptomatic infection after the first dose for all three vaccines (Figure 2). In particular, against Delta, vaccine effectiveness against severe outcomes after the first dose of BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, and ChAdOx1 was 81% (95% CI, 76–85%), 90% (95% CI, 82–94%), and 91% (95% CI, 72–97%), respectively (Figure 2e). Receipt of the second dose was associated with vaccine effectiveness estimates above 90% against: Alpha, Beta, and Delta for BNT162b2; Alpha and Delta for mRNA-1273; and Delta for ChAdOx1. Estimates were in the 80% range against Gamma for BNT162b2 and Alpha for ChAdOx1, and could not be reliably estimated for other VOC-vaccine combinations due to low numbers, or absence, of vaccinated cases.

Moderna is mRNA-1273. I did my own research a few months back because a friend needed to be vaccinated and I wanted her to have the best protection against Delta with a single dose. Moderna was the clear choice, and I took her in for her first shot. Frustratingly, she lives in a high infection area and has yet to get her second shot. But I live far away and can't do anything about it....

[pax]

New variant called omicron.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/world-health-organization-b-1-1-529-variant-south-africa-1.6263826

The World Health Organization has declared the new coronavirus variant identified in South Africa as a variant of concern and named it omicron.

WHO's technical working group met on Friday to assess the new B.1.1.529 variant and decide whether it should be deemed a variant of concern or a variant of interest. Variant of concern is the more serious of the two designations. The delta variant that is dominating infections in Canada and around the world is a variant of concern.

WHO defines a variant of interest as one that shows genetic changes that in theory could give it the potential to affect transmissibility, severity of disease, or how well vaccines or treatments work on the virus and could cause significant community transmission in "multiple countries … to suggest an emerging risk to global public health."

Omicron is the fifth coronavirus variant of concern named by the WHO. The other four are: alpha, beta, gamma and delta.

There are two coronavirus variants of interest: lambda and mu.

https://twitter.com/CBCAlerts/status/1464297809881059329

CBC News Alerts
@CBCAlerts
World Health Organization declares new COVID-19 variant a variant of concern and name it Omicron. Preliminary evidence shows increased risk of reinfection with new variant.

Gonna be a fun winter...

[huskylord]

[Greasy]

Only a Prime can save us now!

[Nunz]

Bro who comes up with these names tho

[andino]

New variant called omicron.

I will forever call it Omicron Persei 8.

[GSGRUNT]

"Omicron Variant" would be a cool title for a post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie

[Crawdaddy79]

There's a new variant out?

What's it called?

The Nu variant.

Yes, that one. What are we going to call it.

Nu.

I know it's new, but it needs a name.

.... Xi .... Omicron.

[Sasquach]

next one should be called troll or meme variant.

because at this point that is what hte coronvirus is doing :P

[Greasy]

next one should be called troll or meme variant.

because at this point that is what hte coronvirus is doing :P

Seriously. Maybe they'll name the one that finally takes us all out Chuck Norris.

[andino]

Did a little reading on Omicron Persei 8. The thing is 500 percent more infectious than Delta.

https://www.dw.com/en/covid-what-we-know-about-the-omicron-variant/a-59948143

Researchers are concerned about the new variant because they say it shows an "extremely" high number of mutations of the coronavirus. They have found 32 mutations in the spike protein. By comparison, the delta variant, which is considered highly infectious, shows eight mutations.

While the number of mutations in the spike protein is not an exact indication of how dangerous a new variant is, it does suggest that the human immune system may find it harder to fight the new variant. There are indications that omicron can escape an immune response, leaving us at a greater risk.

Dr Ulrich Elling, a molecular biologist at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna — a laboratory that specializes in sequencing the coronavirus and detecting new variants — told DW that the first estimates indicated the new variant "might be 500% more infectious than delta."

Infections with the new variant are not necessarily more severe than infections with previous variants. But there are signs that the new variant spreads faster and that that may now put national health systems under a greater strain, faster.

There isn't enough data as of yet to tell if this makes you sicker or not but that 500% more infectious than Delta and the number of mutations is crazy. I can totally understand why they are moving fast on this variant.

[Greasy]

So much for that booster I just got. Good news is I don't have to go back to the office anytime soon.

[Jankan]

I feel so sorry for the people in South Africa. Flights are being banned from South Africa everywhere now but the only reason they found the new variant is because it’s one of the few countries testing for new variants so it doesn’t mean there aren’t other variants in other countries but because they tested and released the details they are being punished

[0091/2]

I feel so sorry for the people in South Africa. Flights are being banned from South Africa everywhere now but the only reason they found the new variant is because it’s one of the few countries testing for new variants so it doesn’t mean there aren’t other variants in other countries but because they tested and released the details they are being punished

You don't think it's good to slow the spread until they digest the data?

[pax]

We need to know if the vaccines work on this variant before allowing it to spread so its not punishment. The upside as one virologist said on CBC last night is if we can slow its spread we can whip up another mrna vaccine pretty quickly now.

[Jankan]

You don't think it's good to slow the spread until they digest the data?

That’s not what I am saying. I read yesterday they estimate there are a lot more variants out there but here isn’t enough testing being done. I think it’s pointless punishing one country for testing and not enough other testing is being done

[pax]

A lot more testing in done in modern countries than in less modern or third world so its much more likely for measures to hit them if a dangerous variant is found. Its actually a problem in that variants are more likely to go unnoticed in the third world where vaccination levels are also much less.

[0091/2]

That’s not what I am saying. I read yesterday they estimate there are a lot more variants out there but here isn’t enough testing being done. I think it’s pointless punishing one country for testing and not enough other testing is being done

I get that but you can only react to information on hand. What are you supposed to do with this information? I think the important thing people need to keep in mind is this particular variant is labeled of concern more than the previous variants. You call it punishment I called it precaution.

Countries with high travel got a travel ban did anyone says they're getting punished for testing? Did it discourage other countries from reporting their numbers?

One country isn't getting punishing for testing. It's WHO designation for the virus that caused it. You can blame the media for spreading the uncertainty. Why does the public need to know about this new variant if not to avoid traveling the country that has it? The news about this virus is no one knows ****, only speculation.

[pax]

We should shut down travel to Belgium Egypt and Turkey if the good doctor is right.

[yt]abMDdJojnqc[/yt]

DW news, quite rightly and correctly, asked me for clarification on my contention that the virus was likely to have arisen in Africa. We know that a young woman arrived from Egypt who had flown via Turkey into Belgium landing on the 11th of November.

We also we also know that she became symptomatic and tested positive for the omicron variant on the 22nd of November.

It is possible that this young woman had a long incubation period of 11 days or more, but this is somewhat improbable.

This clearly leaves open the possibility that she contracted the virus within Belgium, between the 11th and 22nd of November.

It is therefore within the bounds of possibility that she originally contracted this virus in Egypt, or on the flight from Egypt to Turkey, or the flight from Turkey to Belgium, or in Belgium.

[pax]

Some good news:

https://twitter.com/sailorrooscout/status/1464622927333232640

Chise DNAPetri dishMicrobeSyringeSoon with rightwards arrow above MFF
@sailorrooscout
Good news for your morning.

“The new Omicron variant of the Coronavirus results in MILD disease, WITHOUT prominent symptoms.” -Angelique Coetzee, the chairwoman of the South African Medical Association.
11:51 AM · Nov 27, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

Lets see if this pans out over the next few weeks...

[Crawdaddy79]

Some good news:

https://twitter.com/sailorrooscout/status/1464622927333232640

Lets see if this pans out over the next few weeks...

Yeah. 30+ mutations sounds scary, but to me the odds of the mutations making it worse seems unlikely. I noted elsewhere that a virus so different (omicron) from the one we are all familiar with (alpha and delta) might just be akin to the common cold.

Still too early to go out and cheer for sure, but I'll take any good news I can at this point.

[Greasy]

Some good news:

https://twitter.com/sailorrooscout/status/1464622927333232640

Lets see if this pans out over the next few weeks...

If it does, this could hopefully spell the end of it. The one variant to get us all, but leave us in a state where it becomes like a traditional cold. Oh how nice that would be!

[pax]

If it does, this could hopefully spell the end of it. The one variant to get us all, but leave us in a state where it becomes like a traditional cold. Oh how nice that would be!

Milder than delta but more contagious so it displaces it might help at this point.

[Greasy]

Milder than delta but more contagious so it displaces it might help at this point.

It's already in the EU. Probably here too now. Let's hope it is a Delta replacement with very mild symptoms.

[Riptide]

Bro who comes up with these names tho

Well I guess it beats 'China Flu' right?

[Java Cool Dude]

It's already in the EU. Probably here too now. Let's hope it is a Delta replacement with very mild symptoms.

Wouldn't it be hilarious if the end of the covid pandemic was at the hands of the new, non-lethal but more contagious variant?

[Crawdaddy79]

Wouldn't it be hilarious if the end of the covid pandemic was at the hands of the new, non-lethal but more contagious variant?

Would suck if we all ended up with AIDS tho.

[Greasy]

Wouldn't it be hilarious if the end of the covid pandemic was at the hands of the new, non-lethal but more contagious variant?

Dude, that would be one hell of a way to kick off 2022.

Surprise bitches!

[Greasy]

Would suck if we all ended up with AIDS tho.

Save that for 2024. We need at least a year off!

[Shapeshifter]

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/south-african-variant-of-concern-discovered-in-israel-687074

Israel bans foreigners from entering country to stop Omicron variant

New restrictions go into effect on Sunday night * One case of Omicron confirmed, seven under investigation

The government voted to ban all foreigners from entering Israel as part of an effort to stem the spread of the new South African "Omicron" variant, one case of which has been confirmed in the country and seven others which are under investigation.

The coronavirus cabinet met for nearly three hours on Saturday night agreeing on a series of new restrictions.

For the time being, all individuals returning from any country – vaccinated Israelis included – will need to be isolated for three days upon entry into Israel. Travelers would be tested at the airport and then be required to take a PCR test on day three, and only leave isolation once a negative result is obtained.

Unvaccinated Israelis would be required to be isolated for seven days subject to a negative test.

And any foreigners who do manage to get permission to enter Israel would have to quarantine in a state-run coronavirus hotel.

State of emergency
On Friday, Bennett held an emergency meeting and then addressed the nation about the South African variant B.1.1.529, now known as Omicron, saying that it is “extremely concerning” and that Israel is “raising a red flag” and “on the verge of a state of emergency.”