Omicron definitely exists worldwide already and did before the South African doctors sounded the alarm.
The only difference between SA and the rest of the world has nothing to do with where omicron originated. Point of origin is moot anyway. SA just has the largest number of known cases and therefore is the largest know reservoir of omicron infections. The air travel bans make at least some sense in a public health context, in that it is a form of quarantine on that reservoir. Blaming SA in any way as being 'responsible' for omicron is just the normal extremely irrational, xenophobic and reactive way most humans think. It is 100% wrong. And it was 100% predictable.
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Thursday, 2 December 2021 17:35 (two years ago) link
and I've seen several people make the case that the reason SA was able to identify it first was that it's way more sophisticated at sequencing (which I take with a grain of salt and read as "is doing way more sequencing at the very least")
― colette, Thursday, 2 December 2021 18:08 (two years ago) link
Is it wrong to think that a variant with mild symptoms becoming the dominant one is a good thing? If vaccines aren’t a viable path to herd immunity, or at least it becoming endemic (if I am understanding that correctly), maybe those who won’t take a vaccine getting a less severe strain is the second best path out of this pandemic?
― beard papa, Thursday, 2 December 2021 19:42 (two years ago) link
It's premature to speculate about omicron's eventual path through the world. But ofc we will anyway. Hoping it proves to be a milder version that crowds out more virulent strains is a good thing to hope. But there's not much to pin that hope on so far.
― more difficult than I look (Aimless), Thursday, 2 December 2021 19:46 (two years ago) link
Given the data we're all waiting on with Omicron, I want to spend a minute talking about antibodies and the possible worst-case scenario of Omicron showing complete escape from neutralization by vaccine- or infection-derived antibodies. 🧵— Edward Nirenberg (@ENirenberg) December 2, 2021
― Cool Im An Situation (Neanderthal), Thursday, 2 December 2021 19:48 (two years ago) link
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/12/covid-boosters-omicron-effective/620883/
Seems too early to tell if omicron really does have milder symptoms.. or if that's just anecdotal observations about the handful of westerners who caught it
― Andy the Grasshopper, Thursday, 2 December 2021 19:51 (two years ago) link
IMO omicron turns you into the Beatles
― Cool Im An Situation (Neanderthal), Thursday, 2 December 2021 19:56 (two years ago) link
Dark Hoarse.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 2 December 2021 20:00 (two years ago) link
The doctor in South African who initially reported the new and different symptoms of the omicron variant said they were "very, very mild." I realize nothing is certain and everything could change, but in agreement w beard papa, if the virus mutated into one that didn't kill its hosts wouldn't that be extremely in line with what viruses have always done and overall probably a not-bad outcome for people?
― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Thursday, 2 December 2021 20:00 (two years ago) link
And also that most of the patients who were admitted were unvaccinated, as I understand the reporting.
― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Thursday, 2 December 2021 20:01 (two years ago) link
i read an article a while ago by an immunologist that said yes, the virus will mutate, but when looking at how other viruses mutate often mutations that allow viruses to evade vaccines/antibodies also sometimes make the virus less severe or hamper the virus in other ways. i'm choosing to believe that is the case with omicron and all future "variants of concern", lalala i can't hear you
― 龜, Thursday, 2 December 2021 20:26 (two years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf2c6D0xlCE
― Goofy the Grifter (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 2 December 2021 20:30 (two years ago) link
― coombination gazza hut & scampo bell (wins), Thursday, 2 December 2021 20:49 (two years ago) link
can you extrapolate a key lime pie
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 2 December 2021 20:50 (two years ago) link
I am definitely up for just going along with “that’s apparently what viruses usually do” tbc, just don’t think what that one doctor said is the most meaningful data point necessarily
― coombination gazza hut & scampo bell (wins), Thursday, 2 December 2021 20:52 (two years ago) link
refreshingly honest take here:
“When delta overwhelms southwest Missouri, which is not very densely populated, it’s very foreboding what it can do to highly densely populated areas like the northeast,” said Steve Edwards, chief executive of CoxHealth, which operates a Springfield hospital that was battered in the summer and recently reopened a covid ward as admissions rise again.Edwards watched in dismay as much of the country failed to heed the lessons from southern Missouri before delta tore through the Sun Belt and rest of the Midwest.“Half the country listened and the other half listened to an ideology based on politics, religion and their sense of culture which overrode their understanding of science,” Edwards said. “It kind of breaks your spirit because it’s an open book test and the answers are there.”
Edwards watched in dismay as much of the country failed to heed the lessons from southern Missouri before delta tore through the Sun Belt and rest of the Midwest.
“Half the country listened and the other half listened to an ideology based on politics, religion and their sense of culture which overrode their understanding of science,” Edwards said. “It kind of breaks your spirit because it’s an open book test and the answers are there.”
― skull. kneel. kneel. kneel. kneel. (Karl Malone), Thursday, 2 December 2021 20:53 (two years ago) link
I'm all for changing the variant names to various Transformers rather than greek letters
― Andy the Grasshopper, Thursday, 2 December 2021 20:54 (two years ago) link
“It kind of breaks your spirit because it’s an open book test and the answers are there.”
Books?!? What're we, nerds!?! (dies of COVID like a total nerd)
― Rep. Cobra Commander (R-TX) (Old Lunch), Thursday, 2 December 2021 21:00 (two years ago) link
― Goofy the Grifter (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 2 December 2021 21:20 (two years ago) link
Is it wrong to think that a variant with mild symptoms becoming the dominant one is a good thing?
Well, that depends. If omicron confers some immunity to delta, then sure. But if that's the case, it's just as likely that delta (and vaccinations to same) confers some immunity to omicron, which would be great.
If that's not the case, then you're talking about a milder strain which becomes very common OVER AND ABOVE the level of delta we already have, which is causing some real damage! i.e. 1000 people getting delta and 1000000 people getting omicron is worse than 1000 people getting delta and omicron not existing, even if omicron has milder symptoms.
And we have no reason to think omicron has milder symptoms.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 2 December 2021 21:43 (two years ago) link
if the virus mutated into one that didn't kill its hosts wouldn't that be extremely in line with what viruses have always done
(If I understand correctly): Fortunately, COVID doesn't kill that many of its hosts; not enough for this kind of evolutionary pressure to work. Almost everyone survives and even the people who don't certainly get plenty of chances to transmit, which is all the virus cares about.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 2 December 2021 21:45 (two years ago) link
yeah you don't even know you have it for a few days usually and that's enough to spread so unfortunately i think the dying or the not dying is neither here nor there
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 2 December 2021 21:49 (two years ago) link
I've heard lots of anecdotes about the third vaccination having "saved" people - stories about coach trips where all the double vaccinated people have contracted Covid and those with the booster haven't ... and that kind of thing. And I guess others are hearing the same thing and thinking "I'll get that"?
― djh, Thursday, 2 December 2021 23:01 (two years ago) link
I thought I was going to be fine, and then I decided to go to NY for a weekend, and two weeks before I made an appointment.
While I was there, I was in some very crowded places. Really glad I got boosted.
― we need outrage! we need dicks!! (the table is the table), Thursday, 2 December 2021 23:03 (two years ago) link
at least NYC requires proof of jabs. I too was in crowded places exactly three weeks ago and have tested negative twice since then.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 2 December 2021 23:08 (two years ago) link
Hearing word of recent upticks in our elementary schools (kids under 12, so only recently eligible for vax) and high school (kids whose vaccine effectiveness could be waning 6+ months out).
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 2 December 2021 23:28 (two years ago) link
Hm oh well, never mind, everything I thought I knew is disproved! Booster appt next week and I convinced my elderly neighbors to get it which I'm not sure they were planning to, and they only had the J&J before. So I'm happy about that.
― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Friday, 3 December 2021 00:00 (two years ago) link
gw io
― bobo honkin' slobo babe (sic), Friday, 3 December 2021 00:20 (two years ago) link
I actually scheduled hers and mine last night while on the phone w her--we'd just been talking earlier about how all the pharmacies require you to use an online booking system and how she wasn't comfortable with the technology and how were people supposed to etc etc the same thing we all said back in March. After clicking through a lot of days, I finally found a place with 10+ slots open and called her immeds and got it done! Woot.
― Ima Gardener (in orbit), Friday, 3 December 2021 00:26 (two years ago) link
The online booking systems for CVS and Walgreens are garbage where I am. Ended up going to an urgent care and was surprised with a $25 charge. Oh well.
― Nhex, Friday, 3 December 2021 15:53 (two years ago) link
I think the vaccine itself is free, that's probably some sort of general co-pay for medical services. So far everything covid-related we've had to deal with here has been completely free, with the exception of home antigen tests. When I went in for a drive-through PCR test the other week they didn't ask for anything more than my name, address, phone number and email.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 3 December 2021 16:07 (two years ago) link
it'll be an interesting situation if i ever have to prove i have a booster. i have my original vaccination card, now torn in half and held together with tape, and then when I got the booster (at a CVS), i was like "should we add this onto my old vaccination card or is there a new one?" and he looked at the old card for a minute, then said "no, it doesn't look like there's a space for it. just hold onto the receipt and, of course, it'll in the CVS system". hahaha, right
― skull. kneel. kneel. kneel. kneel. (Karl Malone), Friday, 3 December 2021 16:26 (two years ago) link
I got a new card with my booster -- the aide just transcribed the first two vaccine info.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 3 December 2021 16:27 (two years ago) link
Depending on where you live your covid vaccination record is probably with the state too. Mine from https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/ has my booster within 48 hours. Admittedly I don’t get out much but I’ve never been anywhere the digital cars wasn’t accepted.
― 𝔠𝔞𝔢𝔨 (caek), Friday, 3 December 2021 16:31 (two years ago) link
Anecdotal because we still have a handful at home and I haven't tried to source any myself for several months, but heard from several people this week that they are having a lot of trouble finding at home COVID tests.
― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 3 December 2021 16:41 (two years ago) link
Biden's personally delivering them iirc
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 3 December 2021 16:45 (two years ago) link
Explains the Trans Am blasting Foreigner I keep seeing spinning around the neighborhood.
― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 3 December 2021 16:46 (two years ago) link
joe biden: america's sexy dad
― skull. kneel. kneel. kneel. kneel. (Karl Malone), Friday, 3 December 2021 16:54 (two years ago) link
What's hard for me is that I really can't make a rational case that I shouldn't dial back my interactions with other people, since there is a substantial chance -- I guess I'd say less than 50/50, but enough to pay attention to -- that my current vaccination status is not going to afford me much protection against omicron. Like, I am supposed to go see my over-75 parents in two weeks. Should I cancel it? They haven't asked me to or even raised the question. But until we know more about relation between omicron and existing mRNA vaccine, isn't there a real risk I pick it up and carry it to them?
And yet nobody around me is changing anything or talking about changing anything.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Friday, 3 December 2021 22:06 (two years ago) link
You can substitute "delta" for "omicron."
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 3 December 2021 22:10 (two years ago) link
Are they vaccinated and boosted? Then, yeah, visit them. If you're eating indoors or hanging out in large parties indoors, I'd cool it in the days before visiting them -- the same precaution I took in August with delta and April with the other variants.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 3 December 2021 22:11 (two years ago) link
They're vaccinated and boosted, and so am I. And I don't think one can substitute "delta" for "omicron" because we have known for a while that current vaccines provide very good protection against delta. I don't want my parents to be exposed to delta but I like their chances if they are. Omicron I don't know.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Friday, 3 December 2021 22:17 (two years ago) link
The point is, we didn't know 100% in April and May as it spread. I mean, you do you. Has omicron spread enough that I'd worry about seeing my boosted parents? I wouldn't. You may think otherwiise.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 3 December 2021 22:19 (two years ago) link
Speaking for myself, I mask in my classrooms and any time I speak to a colleague at work -- we still observe those professional courtesies. I test myself voluntarily every Monday or Tuesday on campus. I hang out inside a coffee shop masked for three or four hours. I just left a meeting with students and their advisor at which every person -- let me stress, every person -- was unmasked in a classroom except me.
Those things, and avoiding crowded indoor settings where I'm unmasked, are my risk mitigation. They give me the confidence to visit friends and my parents indoors. It helps that Miami-Dade has averaged a 3% positivity rate for weeks (we'll see. I expect a spike).
Again, you asked for advice. I gave it to you.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 3 December 2021 22:32 (two years ago) link
It is appreciated
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Friday, 3 December 2021 22:42 (two years ago) link
The omicron variant is likely to have picked up genetic material from another virus that causes the common cold in humans, according to a new preliminary study, prompting one of its authors to suggest omicron could have greater transmissibility but lower virulence than other variants of the coronavirus.
Researchers from Nference, a Cambridge, Mass.-based firm that analyzes biomedical information, sequenced omicron and found a snippet of genetic code that is also present in a virus that can bring about a cold. They say this particular mutation could have occurred in a host simultaneously infected by SARS-CoV-2, also known as the novel coronavirus, and the HCoV-229E coronavirus, which can cause the common cold. The shared genetic code with HCoV-229E has not been detected in other novel coronavirus variants, the scientists said.
The study is in preprint and has not been peer-reviewed.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/12/04/omicron-coronavirus-transmissible-cold-variant/
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 4 December 2021 16:27 (two years ago) link
Encouraging
― imago, Saturday, 4 December 2021 16:40 (two years ago) link
While we still need more data, see here stating that most patients contributing to the hospitalized numbers were hospitalized for another reason and found to be SARS-CoV-2 upon admission screen. H/T: @emilybethwong pic.twitter.com/786uPqHCOb— Chise 🧬🧫🦠💉🔜 MFF (@sailorrooscout) December 4, 2021
― Cool Im An Situation (Neanderthal), Saturday, 4 December 2021 17:39 (two years ago) link
🦠 There’s a lot we don’t yet understand about Omicron, including its impact on immunity and what it means for vaccines. New data will be emerging over the next few wks, which could be misinterpreted w/o context. What we might expect & how to interpret the emerging data? 🧵(1/n)— Muge Cevik (@mugecevik) December 3, 2021
― Cool Im An Situation (Neanderthal), Saturday, 4 December 2021 18:05 (two years ago) link