Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #102

[JayWill]

I’m not sure this has been posted yet. This would go over like a lead balloon here.

Making Covid-19 vaccines mandatory was once unthinkable. But European countries are showing it can work - CNN

Earlier this month, Austria took a step once unthinkable for a Western democracy: It announced that Covid-19 vaccinations would become compulsory for its entire population.

Up until then, governments around the world had rejected the idea of a universal coronavirus vaccine mandate, opting instead for incentives and other "nudges" to motivate people to get shots. Even in authoritarian states, like China, it is not mandatory policy.

Austria's extraordinary move came just days after it introduced a lockdown for the unvaccinated— a restriction that went farther than other European nations in singling out the people who have been driving a worrying surge in hospitalizations.

I think it may come to that, for the world. I know Australia copped much criticism after they closed the borders having given people three months notice to get home. Sent evacuation planes which some people chose not to take advantage of, then complained when they lost jobs overseas and wanted to go home.

 

[Satchie]

I’m not sure this has been posted yet. This would go over like a lead balloon here.

Making Covid-19 vaccines mandatory was once unthinkable. But European countries are showing it can work - CNN

Earlier this month, Austria took a step once unthinkable for a Western democracy: It announced that Covid-19 vaccinations would become compulsory for its entire population.

Up until then, governments around the world had rejected the idea of a universal coronavirus vaccine mandate, opting instead for incentives and other "nudges" to motivate people to get shots. Even in authoritarian states, like China, it is not mandatory policy.

Austria's extraordinary move came just days after it introduced a lockdown for the unvaccinated— a restriction that went farther than other European nations in singling out the people who have been driving a worrying surge in hospitalizations.

I'm not an expert but it seems to me antivax sentiment is extremely politically polarized in Austria. Austrian chancellor hits out at far-right anti-vaxxers
"the Freedom Party (FPÖ), one of the country’s largest opposition forces, has championed the cause with fervor."

So it's about politics with the gloves off, IMO, more than public health.

 

[margarita25]

Bringing forward GISAID for variant tracking.
https://www.gisaid.org/

 

[JayWill]

I'm not an expert but it seems to me antivax sentiment is extremely politically polarized in Austria. Austrian chancellor hits out at far-right anti-vaxxers
"the Freedom Party (FPÖ), one of the country’s largest opposition forces, has championed the cause with fervor."

So it's about politics with the gloves off, IMO, more than public health.

It is everywhere, but in Australia, where the antivaxxers were loud and often violent, the Premier of that state was returned with an increased majority, meaning that most approved of the safety measures and the too loud, too proud, minority were just that.

 

[margarita25]

I’m not sure this has been posted yet. This would go over like a lead balloon here.

Making Covid-19 vaccines mandatory was once unthinkable. But European countries are showing it can work - CNN

Earlier this month, Austria took a step once unthinkable for a Western democracy: It announced that Covid-19 vaccinations would become compulsory for its entire population.

Up until then, governments around the world had rejected the idea of a universal coronavirus vaccine mandate, opting instead for incentives and other "nudges" to motivate people to get shots. Even in authoritarian states, like China, it is not mandatory policy.

Austria's extraordinary move came just days after it introduced a lockdown for the unvaccinated— a restriction that went farther than other European nations in singling out the people who have been driving a worrying surge in hospitalizations.

(“lead balloon”...lol)

 

[margarita25]

South Africa has a lot of vaccine doses. So it's low vax rate is not because they don't have vaccines.

How do you know that? MOO.

I think @jjenny is correct. I’ve seen/heard this stated at least twice, and I only watch/read reputable sources. I’ve also watched a lot of videos from South Africa, so will try to remember where I saw this. Oh, Biden also said it in his press conference yesterday, iirc. I’m trying to remember if Doc T said it in his conference, can’t remember, but yes, SA does have vaccines but they have a lot of vaccine hesitancy, hence their low vaccination rate.

Eta, I think it might be in one of these videos:

—

Here is a WaPo article from yesterday, seems there may be some other factors as to their low vaccination rate as well:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/heal...ne-doses-issue-is-more-complicated-than-that/

““Given that we have sufficient stock on hand in the country, it doesn’t make sense to receive any more orders, so we have pushed back some of those orders into the early part of next year. We are well-stocked for the moment,” said Ron Whelan, who heads the covid-19 task team at health insurer Discovery Ltd., which has been involved in the rollout of vaccine doses in South Africa. Discovery worked alongside the South African government to secure vaccine doses and set up a distribution system across the country.

Whelan said South Africa’s vaccination program peaked at about 211,000 vaccinations a day. By September, the national vaccination rate had slowed to about 110,000 per day.

He pointed to three factors: significant vaccine hesitancy, apathy and structural barriers, which include people being unable to afford to travel to vaccine sites. He also noted that South Africa’s vaccination program started six months after those in Western countries, which began vaccinating people shortly after Pfizer-BioNTech’s and Moderna’s vaccines were authorized in December 2020.“

 

[ChatteringBirds]

BBM

Tragic. Although sleep is restorative, sleeping that much can be a red flag and it would have been good if he had gone to the ER earlier. When I had covid and wanted to go back to bed right after getting up, my dh called the doctor and then the ambulance, thankfully. On the list of deaths Oregon publishes each day, so many die at home. I think a lot of people just wait too long before seeking help.

It's scary that being very tired is said to be a primary symptom of the new Omicron variant while at the same time being a possible red flag.

How are people supposed to know when to call a doctor?
I know I would just want to stay in bed and sleep and not risk spreading it by going in when my main complaints are the expected symptoms.

Thank goodness you went for care and are alright.

 

[Satchie]

It's scary that being very tired is said to be a primary symptom of the new Omicron variant while at the same time being a possible red flag.

How are people supposed to know when to call a doctor?
I know I would just want to stay in bed and sleep and not risk spreading it by going in when my main complaints are the expected symptoms.

Thank goodness you went for care and are alright.

Just going back to the linked article, it says the 57 year old man died from complications from Covid, and went to hospital because he began experiencing chest pains.

So I would guess, he had a heart attack and didn't recover. Which isn't too unusual for a man that age (leading cause of death, in fact). Whether Covid caused his heart attack, how much heart disease he had, no one can know.

But I wouldn't really draw any conclusions from that incident. The same thing can happen with flu. Heart Disease & Stroke.

Trying to be as healthy as I can in my circumstances: eating better, getting regular good sleep, trying to exercise every day, lost some weight, avoiding stress - it's something I've begun to pay more attention to, and makes me feel better, in general.

JMO

 

[sds71]

@jeneps

CDC: California and San Francisco health depts identified an omicron Covid-19 case in someone who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22. "The individual, who was fully vaccinated and had mild symptoms that are improving, is self-quarantining and has been since testing positive."
"All close contacts have been contacted and have tested negative," the CDC says of the first U.S. omicron case to be identified.


First confirmed US case of Omicron coronavirus variant detected in California - CNN

https://twitter.com/jeneps/status/1466117651617488896?s=20

 

[SoCalDavidS]

Dr. Fauci talking about it now.

Said the infected person is fully vaccinated (but no booster,) and was tested on 11/29. He's experiencing mild symptoms, and he is improving.

 

[epiphany]

From Jerusalem Post

COVID: First signs that vaccine protects against Omicron – health minister

There are indications that individuals fully vaccinated against corona within six months or with the booster are also protected against the Omicron variant, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said on Tuesday, after another two cases were identified, bringing the total to four.

<snip> Later in the evening, a report by Channel 12 said the Pfizer vaccine is just slightly less effective in preventing infection with Omicron than with Delta – 90% as opposed to 95% – while it is as effective – around 93% – in preventing serious symptoms at least for those vaccinated with a booster.

According to the report, the ability of the variant to infect is higher than Delta but not as much as feared – around 1.3 times higher.

At the same time, those not inoculated have a 2.4 times greater chance of developing serious symptoms, a significant figure.

https://www.jpost.com/health-and-we...icacy-against-omicron-expected-tuesday-687392

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Omicron variant found in California (nbcnews.com)

It's the first known case of the new variant in the United States.

The omicron variant of the coronavirus has been detected in California, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday.

The CDC issued a statement that the California and San Francisco Departments of Public Health confirmed the case in a traveler who returned from South Africa on November 22.

"The individual, who was fully vaccinated and had mild symptoms that are improving, is self-quarantining and has been since testing positive," the statement read...

 

[margarita25]

Thank you @margarita25

I took this SS from the video that you so kindly linked above.

I think that for many of us here, the advice seems to be, to keep doing what we have been doing, and get your booster vaccine as soon as indicated.

I'm thankful for all the sensible, caring WS posters, who have been a voice of reason throughout this ongoing pandemic.

I was quite impressed with this presentation with Dr. F, Dr. W and “Jeff”.

We have realllly made progress with genomic surveillance. I remember when Biden made this a priority, and it is really great to see how this has improved and come to fruition.

I recommend watching this conference for anyone who has time, I found it quite informative. I feel that our government/health agencies are doing everything they can with all this O business, and it’s good to have that confident feeling. I really appreciate and respect their transparent and proactive approach.

Dr. F said he and Dr. W have been talking to doctors in SA and they too said it’s too early to tell about disease severity - he mentioned that these cases/sample size/pooling may be younger individuals and also early in the course of their disease, hence the milder severity, but again, we will know within the next few weeks, crossing my fingers.

 

[Herat]

It's H-E-R-E !

First U.S. case of omicron variant is found in California

 

[margarita25]

It's HERE !

First U.S. case of omicron variant is found in California

 

[Herat]

margarita25- you got my meaning Exactly !

 

[SoCalDavidS]

Honestly, I'm really only concerned with whether the vaccines provide a high level of protection, against the new variant.

While I know that there will be an interest in how serious the effects are on those who are not vaccinated, and the media will push that, perhaps in an effort to get those who have not been vaccinated yet to change their minds. I'm of the belief that it won't matter. If nothing has influenced them to this point, the knowledge that this new variant is somehow even worse, won't make them reconsider.

I'd just as soon the media didn't focus on that aspect at all, and merely concentrated on conveying to those who are vaccinated, that they do not need to change how they've been going about their lives, because they are still well protected, and this new variant is not going to cause more breakthrough cases than say Delta.

Knowing how the strain might effect the other side, merely only satisfies some sort of morbid curiosity. Because, as I said, it's not going to change minds, or suddenly result in more people getting shots. If their symptoms were more mitigated under this new strain, the other side will only use it as justification for their decision not to get vaccinated, and if the effects are worse, they'll shrug it off.

 

[Herat]

California has a program to stop invasive pests where all traffic entering California roads are stopped at Agricultural Inspection Station and you are briefly asked about the product you may be carrying. ( Unfortunately, it's only for little insect pests, not telemarketers, people with bad manners and loud music)
Affectionately known as the Bug Stations: CDFA - California Border Protection Station

If we get back to quarantining and vaccine passports, they could truly turn into another king of BUG STATION.

 

[Skigh]

South Africa's Covid cases DOUBLE in a day as test positivity climbs to 16.5% | Daily Mail Online


South Africa's Covid cases double in a day, but hospital admissions remain flat amid fears of an Omicron-driven wave of infections.

Data from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) shows 8,561 new Covid cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, a jump of 95.8 per cent in a single day and 571.5 per cent in a week.

Cases have been soaring in the country since the super mutant Omicron variant emerged, which experts say appears to be more infectious than Delta and has mutations that may allow it to dodge vaccine protection.

Some 51,977 people in the country took a Covid test and 16.5 per cent of them tested positive for the virus. For comparison, 10.2 per cent of tests taken yesterday were positive and last Wednesday the figure stood at just 3.6 per cent.

Meanwhile, Covid hospital admissions and deaths increased by around a quarter in a week.

But despite fears about Omicron, South Africa is still recording far fewer overall Covid cases compared to its population size than both the UK and US.

Figures from the Oxford University research platform Our World in Data show South Africa has 46 cases per million people compared to 628 in the UK and 246 in the US. Cases are rising sharply in South Africa but are starting at a low base.

And just a quarter of South Africans have had two Covid vaccine doses, which makes interpreting the data challenging. In the city of Tshwane in northern Gauteng, 87 per cent of hospital admissions this week were among the unvaccinated.

For comparison, 70 per cent of people in the UK are double-jabbed and the figure is as high as 80 per cent in some European nations.

The figures come after health chiefs today said the variant — scientifically known as B.1.1.529 — may cause less severe illness than previous strains.

A World Health Organization official said there is no evidence Omicron has any impact on vaccine effectiveness against serious illness and those infected are reporting mild symptoms.

 

[Satchie]

Honestly, I'm really only concerned with whether the vaccines provide a high level of protection, against the new variant.

While I know that there will be an interest in how serious the effects are on those who are not vaccinated, and the media will push that, perhaps in an effort to get those who have not been vaccinated yet to change their minds. I'm of the belief that it won't matter. If nothing has influenced them to this point, the knowledge that this new variant is somehow even worse, won't make them reconsider.

I'd just as soon the media didn't focus on that aspect at all, and merely concentrated on conveying to those who are vaccinated, that they do not need to change how they've been going about their lives, because they are still well protected, and this new variant is not going to cause more breakthrough cases than say Delta.

Knowing how the strain might effect the other side, merely only satisfies some sort of morbid curiosity. Because, as I said, it's not going to change minds, or suddenly result in more people getting shots. If their symptoms were more mitigated under this new strain, the other side will only use it as justification for their decision not to get vaccinated, and if the effects are worse, they'll shrug it off.

For me, it highlights the continued risk of international travel, which various people I know or have heard of doing.

For one, you could have your return flight suddenly cancelled and have to figure out how to return home, plus have to do unexpected quarantine measures. Then, you could be at increased risk of catching some kind of variant suddenly appearing where you are, and, mild or not, getting sick in a foreign country is a miserable experience.