Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #102

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Dr. Angelique Coetzee-- one of first S. African doctors to tread Omicron patients-- on what she is seeing now. Also says almost all cases overall mild/moderate

"The patients who have been vaccinated so far have no complications."

Good news on the omicrom variant: *so far* doctors in South Africa are seeing only mild to moderate symptoms in patients who have been vaccinated against Covid with no larger complications, Dr. Angelique Coetzee tells @JohnBerman

https://twitter.com/JohnBerman/status/1465651133599436800?s=20
 
otto said:
Delta was more transmissible that the original covid. Omicron is what, 40% more transmissible than Delta? Is that people get sick sooner? More sick regardless of vaccine?
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It's so new that these are the million dollar questions. Because Health Canada changed their masking recommendations from the use of handmade masks to using hospital grade masks, I suspect that it is more transmittable and it readily found in aerosol rather than, or, in addition to droplets.

I'm guessing too, that those who have been vaccinated will have a much better response to infection. If anything, their immune systems have been primed for the task.

The speed at which this virus mutates is a huge concern. Think of how slowly a virus like rabies mutates. I think we are using the same rabies vaccine that we've been using for years, maybe decades.

Unfortunately, we may have covid with us until we have an equitable, global vaccination system in place, and the slowest learners in places with liberal access to vaccines get on board.
 
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The crazy thing, is that this weekend there is a huge indoor event here, gun show/Christmas Craft show. Usually it is a free event, always crowded. This year, they are selling tickets, $5, and keeping it to "2,500" tickets sold each day!

2500 people wandering around, masks optional. I guess people are tired of "lockdowns", but it seems to be insanity to continue to have these large scale events, knowing that this new Omnicron virus may be infecting people who have been vaccinated. And is more transmissible.
 
sds71 said:
Dr. Angelique Coetzee-- one of first S. African doctors to tread Omicron patients-- on what she is seeing now. Also says almost all cases overall mild/moderate

"The patients who have been vaccinated so far have no complications."

Good news on the omicrom variant: *so far* doctors in South Africa are seeing only mild to moderate symptoms in patients who have been vaccinated against Covid with no larger complications, Dr. Angelique Coetzee tells @JohnBerman

https://twitter.com/JohnBerman/status/1465651133599436800?s=20
Click to expand...

This is good news, but it's far from the final word on this issue. At first, the press will pick up information from any source that is willing to speak. We may be in for a couple of weeks of contradictory news. Some people will be able to assimilate changing information, but I fear that some will brush it all aside with stock replies such as, 'scientists don't know what they are talking about'.
 
Tiff23fr said:
Checked that box today. I was feeling more comfortable with plans to travel abroad in January. Flights and accommodations were booked last month. I am very hopeful we know more about Omicron by that time, as I am beginning to feel more uneasy about it with the latest news.
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My son is vaccinated and will soon begin an overseas assignment in the oil industry. The job will involve monthly flights. I was just beginning to feel comfortable about his job until the variant. My son has a young family.
 
mickey2942 said:
The crazy thing, is that this weekend there is a huge indoor event here, gun show/Christmas Craft show. Usually it is a free event, always crowded. This year, they are selling tickets, $5, and keeping it to "2,500" tickets sold each day!

2500 people wandering around, masks optional. I guess people are tired of "lockdowns", but it seems to be insanity to continue to have these large scale events, knowing that this new Omnicron virus may be infecting people who have been vaccinated. And is more transmissible.
Click to expand...

I so agree- people living like there is no pandemic, and I am kind of blaming shows like the Today Show - who are celebrating all of these events that involve hundreds to thousands of people getting together----that, while they talk about the new variant and all of the bad news involving that. There are no voices out there saying- wait a minute what are we doing????
 
Elley Mae said:
So sorry for your loss, I also lost a nephew to covid, no underlying health issues.

But there are cases out there that have ppl listed as covid death when they died by other means that tested positive for covid after death.


Jmo
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Sorry to hear that. Must have been a terrible shock with him having no underlying health issues.
 
Omicron linked to global vaccine inequality by experts (nbcnews.com)

Scientists have warned wealthy nations to share vaccines with poorer countries or risk the emergence of new mutant variants.

Rich countries can’t say they weren’t warned.

For almost as long as Covid-19 has been around, scientists, academics and campaigners have called on wealthy nations to share vaccines around the world — not only to protect people in those countries, but also to reduce the risk of new mutant variants emerging that could evade vaccines for everyone.

Those sounding the alarm have repeated the same mantra: No one is safe until everyone is safe.

Despite these warnings, this is exactly what appears to have happened, some of these experts say. The new omicron variant emerged in southern Africa with a large number of mutations that experts say may allow it to transmit more easily and possibly reduce existing immunity...
 
Omicron may cause milder symptoms. But experts aren’t breathing easy yet. (nbcnews.com)

With the new variant’s high number of mutations, “what we’re worried more about is the transmissibility and the immune-evasion capabilities,” one infectious disease doctor said.

Amid the global concern over a new coronavirus strain has been one piece of hopeful news: Those infected with the omicron variant appear to have “very mild” symptoms, according to the South African doctor who first spotted the variant.

Dr. Angelique Coetzee told the BBC that neither she nor her colleagues had admitted anyone who had the strain to the hospital so far. Her patients had experienced extreme fatigue but no loss of taste or smell, which are often telltale symptoms of Covid-19, she said.

The early reports are encouraging, epidemiologists and other experts said...
 
Transcript: Dr. Scott Gottlieb on "Face the Nation," November 28, 2021 - CBS News

Transcript of Scott Gottlieb's interview on Face the Nation this week. Interesting discussion of the new omicron variant and the three-dose regimen of the Pfizer vaccine. Also interesting that South Africa has asked Pfizer to stop sending vaccine doses, as they are not able to use the doses they receive. Pfizer has sent them 30 million doses, apparently, and they have used only 19 million in South Africa. So not sure if access to vaccines is the problem, or distribution is the problem, or vaccine hesitancy, or other. But good to know that vaccines are available and that they have them, and have asked Pfizer to hold off sending more because they can't use them.
 
Omicron variant: do we need a new vaccine? We didn't for beta or delta. (nbcnews.com)

Even as drugmakers are setting out to make vaccines specific to the new variant, it's unclear whether the world will ultimately need them.

Drugmakers are racing to develop new vaccines intended to target the omicron variant, a coronavirus strain that has mutations that suggest it could evade immunity provided by vaccination or natural infection.

Moderna Chief Medical Officer Dr. Paul Burton said in an interview on NBC News Now's "Hallie Jackson Now" on Monday that the company has already started work on a version of its vaccine to address the new variant. Pfizer and BioNTech said they could develop an omicron-specific vaccine within six weeks and ship initial batches within 100 days if needed. Johnson & Johnson also said it is pursuing a modified vaccine and will progress it as needed...
 
Moderna CEO predicts existing COVID vaccines less effective against Omicron

“The head of drugmaker Moderna said that existing COVID-19 vaccines, in all likelihood, would prove to be less effective against the new Omicron variant causing worldwide concern.

“There is no world, I think, where [the effectiveness] is the same level… we had with Delta,” Stephane Bancel told the Financial Times in an interview published Tuesday.

“I think it’s going to be a material drop,” Bancel cautioned. “I just don’t know how much because we need to wait for the data.

“But all the scientists I’ve talked to… are like ‘this is not going to be good,'” he said.

On Monday, the World Health Organization warned that the new COVID-19 Omicron variant poses a “very high” risk globally.”
 
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Zoe Yu : Covid isn't over. Texas schools pretend it is, and leave students to fend for ourselves. (nbcnews.com)

With no mask or vaccine mandates, my classmates are often sick. I want to protect myself, but I get judged if I cover up.

“What was the worst part about Covid? Besides masks, of course.”

That was the question one of my school administrators greeted me and my fellow Texas classmates with on my first day as a high school junior in August.

It was the first time that I had set foot in a physical classroom in almost two years. But instead of beaming with the excitement of returning to in-person schooling after completing both my freshman and sophomore years online or thinking about typical back-to-school questions like whether I had any classes with my friends or who my teachers were, I was rattled at hearing my administrator refer to the coronavirus in the past tense. It was even more unnerving to notice that, out of the 90 or so students sitting beside me at the assembly he was addressing, fewer than a sixth were wearing masks...
 
BetteDavisEyes said:
Zoe Yu : Covid isn't over. Texas schools pretend it is, and leave students to fend for ourselves. (nbcnews.com)

With no mask or vaccine mandates, my classmates are often sick. I want to protect myself, but I get judged if I cover up.

“What was the worst part about Covid? Besides masks, of course.”

That was the question one of my school administrators greeted me and my fellow Texas classmates with on my first day as a high school junior in August.

It was the first time that I had set foot in a physical classroom in almost two years. But instead of beaming with the excitement of returning to in-person schooling after completing both my freshman and sophomore years online or thinking about typical back-to-school questions like whether I had any classes with my friends or who my teachers were, I was rattled at hearing my administrator refer to the coronavirus in the past tense. It was even more unnerving to notice that, out of the 90 or so students sitting beside me at the assembly he was addressing, fewer than a sixth were wearing masks...
Click to expand...

I hear too many people talk about the pandemic in the past tense! I scream at the TV, but it is NOT OVER!!!!!!
 
Omicron variant was detected in the Netherlands before S. Africa flights

AMSTERDAM, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The COVID-19 Omicron variant was detected in the Netherlands before two flights arrived from South Africa last week carrying the virus, Dutch health officials said on Tuesday.

"We have found the Omicron coronavirus variant in two test samples that were taken on Nov. 19 and Nov. 23," the RIVM said. "It is not clear yet whether these people have visited Southern Africa."

Omicron variant was detected in the Netherlands before S. Africa flights

BEFORE South Africa raised the alarm.
This tells me that Omicron may very well be present elsewhere before the 24th but samples have not yet been tested as cases were assumed to be Delta......maybe.
 
This is not a pandemic of the unvaccinated

COVID is not the flu, and it is not Ebola. These simple facts explain much of the confusion about our government’s response to the pandemic. The ‘superpower’ which this virus has is that it is often highly contagious in people who have no significant symptoms.

When a person feels bad and has a fever, wearing a mask and staying away from other people makes sense. Likewise, it is common sense for the people around the victim to be fastidious about hand washing and other hygiene measures.

It is not common sense to live perpetually in that state, unless we are in the midst of an epidemic of an Ebola-like disease that spreads very easily and has a very high mortality. (About 50% or more of Ebola patients die, regardless of age or previous health status).
 
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