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What’s Nu with Omicron

An omnicompendium of all things omicron for when the previous thread is full.

by Anonymousreply 600December 20, 2021 11:24 PM

Link to previous thread.

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by Anonymousreply 1December 7, 2021 10:03 PM

R2 here just saying hi.

by Anonymousreply 2December 7, 2021 10:18 PM

Is it not dangerous as Dr . fauci alluded to?

by Anonymousreply 3December 7, 2021 10:22 PM

The health system I work for has a huge uptick in Covid cases. But not all these people are coming in because they’re sick with Covid; they’re getting tested before surgeries and other procedures and finding out they’re positive. And many are asymptomatic.

Not a doctor, not even patient facing, but that’s what I hear.

by Anonymousreply 4December 7, 2021 10:26 PM

I am so unsure what to do with the upcoming holidays. It was touched on in the original thread. I am fully vaccinated with booster about 3 weeks ago and believe most of my family is too.

by Anonymousreply 5December 7, 2021 10:27 PM

I don't know about Nu or Omicon but I heard that Zeta Eta Theta and liked it.

by Anonymousreply 6December 7, 2021 10:30 PM

"I like it here on Omicron Ceti 3, Jim!!"

You could time new outbreaks & variants by my bursts of optimism. The week before Omicron was announced, I'd booked a January long weekend in NM, bought symphony tickets, and planned a trip to Philadelphia for this weekend. All now are very much in doubt.

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by Anonymousreply 7December 7, 2021 10:41 PM

R7 I bought concert tickets for February in my burst of optimism. Now I don’t know what to do, since Ticketbastard doesn’t do refunds.

by Anonymousreply 8December 7, 2021 10:48 PM

Same here Sylvia, family are coming to visit New York before Christmas and we have a full list of touristy activities including those Hamilton tickets I mentioned last thread planned. Then in January is my year-delayed birthday trip to Disney World. (I know liking Disney makes me even less cool than I would be otherwise.) if everything is cancelled, it’s cancelled, but I am going to continue on like everything is OK until I know for sure it isn’t.

by Anonymousreply 9December 7, 2021 10:49 PM

As reported on CNN today:

Early reports on the quick spread of the Omicron variant in South Africa were at first frightening, but then began to offer some hope. The new variant may have quickly overtaken other strains of the virus in South Africa as it enters the summer, but cases so far appear to have been overwhelmingly mild.

Then came a report showing the variant carries a portion of genetic material that's very similar to segments seen in one of the types of coronaviruses that causes the common colds -- one called HCoV-229E. A few researchers said it just might indicate the variant is starting to look more like a nuisance virus than a big killer.

It's a tantalizing idea. Many infectious disease experts have been predicting that the novel coronavirus, named SARS-CoV-2, would go in this direction, evolving into a milder form that joins the annual mix of seasonal respiratory viruses.

Could this be the variant that at least starts it down that path?

by Anonymousreply 10December 7, 2021 10:50 PM

On the other hand:

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by Anonymousreply 11December 7, 2021 11:00 PM

Man, am I bummed about that Florian Krammer tweet.

by Anonymousreply 12December 8, 2021 12:16 AM

I’m stuck here in Waikiki for a job, and there is some kind of giant cheerleader convention here. The elevators are jammed packed, usually with 1-3 teens or adults unmasked. I have started to take the stairs 27 flights to avoid all of them, even though HI requires a vaccination card or recent negative test prior to arrival. This does not fill me with confidence, as one of our team and their entourage are unvaxxed, some with fake vax cards. I can’t wait to go home to L.A. on Sunday.

by Anonymousreply 13December 8, 2021 12:26 AM

I expect to be the Omega Man before all this is over.

by Anonymousreply 14December 8, 2021 12:28 AM

R13 taking 27 flights of stairs will kill you faster than Omicron or Delta ever could.

JFC!

by Anonymousreply 15December 8, 2021 12:29 AM

Gum? GUM?!?!

If everyone's going to be perpetually smacking gum a la Britney, I will have to go into isolation permanently.

#MisophoniaSufferer

by Anonymousreply 16December 8, 2021 12:31 AM

I have dentist appointments this week and on the 20th. Should I just let my teeth fall out?

by Anonymousreply 17December 8, 2021 1:20 AM

The dentist’s office has always been one of the safest places to be during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic.

by Anonymousreply 18December 8, 2021 2:49 AM

Will we even know by the week of Christmas if it’s safe to be around large groups of people? I don’t feel like buying a ton of food only to call it off Christmas Day.

by Anonymousreply 19December 8, 2021 5:58 AM

Alex Sigal has been busy trying to put out the fires set by the usual suspects' misrepresentation of his study—"Nooo! We're back to square one! Vaccines are useless against Omicron!" A few takeaways:

The ACE2 receptor is still required.

Escape is extensive, but not complete.

The study was small—14 samples from 12 participants; none boosted but six with previous D614G infection, so three exposures, which could give an idea of how boosters will hold up—and was specific to NAb; nothing about adaptive (B&T) immunity.

He's expecting to have something on severe disease before the weekend, but, again, very wide confidence intervals.

He doesn't have enough virus to do everything he'd like at the moment.

And, from his Twitter...

[quote]Based on the genome, I though it will be worse. It looks like its mostly a question of quantity - the more antibody, the better

[quote]These results are better than I expected. The more antibodies you got, the more chance you'll be protected from Omicron

If you're not already boosted, do it now!

People are having trouble with sigallab dot net, so here's a direct link to the pdf.

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by Anonymousreply 20December 8, 2021 5:59 AM

The stock market is holding up. I’d imagine it would take a temporary dip if it looked like this was going to hit the fan. There would at least some shifting going on at least. I would think.

Until that happens I’m thinking things must not be so bad by people in the know.

by Anonymousreply 21December 8, 2021 6:48 AM

….or maybe there’s simply no where else to put your money?

by Anonymousreply 22December 8, 2021 8:08 AM

R12 Please read @EricTopol‘s tweets on Twitter. He does a magnificent job summarizing the daily ups and downs of the pandemic. His descriptions are very precise (yet concise) and well-balanced. I literally wish I had gotten to review some of his grant proposals at study sections, and I say that about almost no one else.

by Anonymousreply 23December 8, 2021 8:49 AM

^^ —Eldergay microbiologist/immunologist (who needs to clip his fingernails)

by Anonymousreply 24December 8, 2021 8:51 AM

Or you could just leave them long and pop off a list of names for startups.

Elsaer Biotherapeutics

by Anonymousreply 25December 8, 2021 9:15 AM

r5, why are you unsure about what to do for the holidays? You either trust the vaccine or you don't. If you don't, then why did you bother getting it?

I've been on planes, in crowded places and at conventions. Seen and hugged my friends, etc. We're all vaxxed. None of us has caught covid. Your chances of catching it after your vaccine and booster is very, very low. Go enjoy your holiday and your family and take the usual precautions if it will make you feel safer. Omicron is turning out to be less deadly but maybe a tad more infectious than Delta anyway. This is a good thing as it means the virus is weakening.

by Anonymousreply 26December 8, 2021 9:47 AM

[R8], I'm sorry if I sound the Debbie Downer gong (all rise for the Debbie Downer gong!), but imagine catching COVID from whatever concert you attend. Would you think it worth it to have gone, or to have remained away from large groups until you had creditable information that it was safe to congregate? - Signed, not your mother, I'm just trying to help.

by Anonymousreply 27December 8, 2021 10:17 AM

That's Karma for you, bitch R7

by Anonymousreply 28December 8, 2021 10:30 AM

Thanks R23

Eric Topol is a great hero for stopping the FDA from approving vaccines prior to phase 3 testing in the United States.

Speaking of nails, If Omicron causes another months long period where I can’t get a manicure I am going to be really annoyed.

by Anonymousreply 29December 8, 2021 11:17 AM

Fun fact: Eric Topol used to appear on Sean Cody under the name Tanner

by Anonymousreply 30December 8, 2021 11:37 AM

Early analysis is all over the board, as one might expect from an emerging variant. Per Reuters, virologist Sandra Ciesek of the University Hospital Frankfurt painted a somewhat bleaker picture than Alex Sigal, referenced above.

'Exposing the blood of vaccinated individuals to different virus variants, she found that the ability to mount an antibody response to Omicron in people who had three shots of BioNTech/Pfizer was up to 37 times lower than the response to Delta.

An antibody response to Omicron half a year after a two-shot regimen of Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna or a mixed course of AstraZeneca/BioNTech was not even measurable.

"The set of data underscores that it makes sense to develop a vaccine that is adapted to Omicron," Chiesek tweeted, adding that no conclusion could be drawn about protection against severe disease.'

by Anonymousreply 31December 8, 2021 11:45 AM

Pfizer and BioNTech said Wednesday that laboratory tests suggest that three doses of their coronavirus vaccine offers significant protection against the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the virus.

The companies said that tests of blood from individuals who received only two doses found more than a 25-fold reduction in antibody levels against the Omicron variant compared to an earlier version of the virus. That finding indicates that two doses alone “may not be sufficient to protect against infection” by the new variant.

But the blood samples obtained from people one month after they had received a booster shot showed neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant comparable to the levels of antibodies against a previous version of the virus after two doses.

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by Anonymousreply 32December 8, 2021 12:05 PM

Its milder just like any other flu , it gets milder as it gets more varients. It just the cdc trying to scare everyone

by Anonymousreply 33December 8, 2021 1:46 PM

R26 not worried about me, I’m boosted. Worried about the shitshow of my 20+ guests, some of whom are not boosted or even vaccinated.

by Anonymousreply 34December 8, 2021 1:58 PM

I am a vaccine enthusiast. First J&J, then Moderna. So, my third shot Moderna or J&J and when?

by Anonymousreply 35December 8, 2021 2:14 PM

R34, tape your windows shut, crowd your guests around the table and keep pots of food simmering on the stove to keep the humidity up. Remember, it's also flu season.

by Anonymousreply 36December 8, 2021 2:20 PM

R34 Why on earth would you invite unvaccinated people into your home? SHUN them like the lepers they are!

by Anonymousreply 37December 8, 2021 2:32 PM

It's OK if you are healthy. But many are in contact with people with medical issues and therefore must be extra careful, still don't know how bad it is on those who aren't healthy.

by Anonymousreply 38December 8, 2021 2:37 PM

What R37 said.

by Anonymousreply 39December 8, 2021 2:38 PM

[quote]Its milder just like any other flu , it gets milder as it gets more varients.

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by Anonymousreply 40December 8, 2021 3:12 PM

From @sailorrooscout (Chise) on Twitter—

[quote] Fantastic news. Initial lab studies show a third dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine neutralizes Omicron. A booster with the current version of the vaccine RAISES antibodies 25-FOLD providing a similar level as observed after two doses against the original virus and other variants!

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by Anonymousreply 41December 8, 2021 3:26 PM

^^ That’s a whole Twitter thread explaining the findings about the Pfizer booster, so be sure to click through and read it all.

I wish they’d publish something about the Moderna booster but I’m sure the results would be the same or better.

by Anonymousreply 42December 8, 2021 3:27 PM

Also from that thread: "Initial results from a study on antibody levels being conducted by the Tel Hashomer Hospital are set to be made public in 2-4 weeks, and will show that the third shot offers different, apparently improved, protection from the first two doses."

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by Anonymousreply 43December 8, 2021 3:37 PM

UK Prime Minister giving press conference now with his “Plan B” to help stall Omicron.

by Anonymousreply 44December 8, 2021 5:09 PM

[quote]...why are you unsure about what to do for the holidays? You either trust the vaccine or you don't. If you don't, then why did you bother getting it?

No one knows the effectiveness of the vaccines against Omicron yet. That's why. I bet you didn't bother getting it at all, did you?

by Anonymousreply 45December 8, 2021 6:30 PM

The second that boasted immunity is confirmed I’ need to book a flight.. I think it’s pretty much been confirmed upthread, no? I have a tight window and need to do this today if possible.

Am I officially in the clear?

by Anonymousreply 46December 8, 2021 6:47 PM

[quote]UK Prime Minister giving press conference now with his “Plan B” to help stall Omicron.

He said early analysis suggests cases could be doubling at a rate of as little as 2.5 to 3 days.

by Anonymousreply 47December 8, 2021 6:56 PM

[quote] Am I officially in the clear?

Nope

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by Anonymousreply 48December 8, 2021 7:14 PM

[quote] No one knows the effectiveness of the vaccines against Omicron yet. That's why. I bet you didn't bother getting it at all, did you?

Uh, yes we do. As of today.

by Anonymousreply 49December 8, 2021 7:22 PM

Yes, R46, you’re in the clear.

by Anonymousreply 50December 8, 2021 7:22 PM

I guess it all comes down to how realizable lab test are as compared to the real world. I supposed they hold up to some degree or they wouldn’t bother with lab tests.

by Anonymousreply 51December 8, 2021 7:22 PM

R49, why would you lie like that literally in the middle of a thread with tons of reputable links saying the exact opposite? Oh, that's right, we already know why...

by Anonymousreply 52December 8, 2021 7:55 PM

I am crossing my fingers and toes that the booster is good for two months and acting accordingly until I hear otherwise.

And happy to know that I was not completely crazy to wonder if Omicron came from an animal reservoir. (Although of course it’s all just speculation.)

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by Anonymousreply 53December 8, 2021 8:32 PM

There is zero evidence that Omicron has any widespread danger to human health and BoJo either knows that or should resign for not knowing that.

Omicron is less virulent than earlier strains but the pharmafia and the electronic taggers need an excuse to make politicians betray their electors to serve the interests of the global criminals.

by Anonymousreply 54December 8, 2021 9:15 PM

Wow, we should be thankful that we have someone at R54 right here on DL who knows things that none of the prominent epidemiologists or immunologists in the world even know.

R54, do idiots like you just bloviate on shit they don't know in their real lives, too, or do they save it all for anonymous postings on the internet?

by Anonymousreply 55December 8, 2021 9:24 PM

Does Omicron cause more mild or severe illness than Delta?

Early reports from South Africa indicated the possibility that cases were more mild, requiring less hospitalizations and oxygen supplementation. But the population assessed was predominantly young, had prior Covid, or were vaccinated. We can hope this is the case but will not really know the answer to this question until much larger numbers of people aged 60 plus, those without prior infection, or vaccination, or several months out from vaccination, are studied. Fortunately, there are no data to suggest Omicron is associated with more lethality or severe Covid than prior variants.

A key point here is that high transmissibility, which we are clearly seeing, will get a lot more people infected. Even if a smaller fraction don’t get severe illness, that’s still a lot more people very sick. That also means more Long Covid, too, which can occur with mild cases and can be quite disabling.

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by Anonymousreply 56December 8, 2021 9:26 PM

That’s a great post R56.

I didn’t get to listen to this today, but FYI a radio show with Dr. Topol with similar information to the link for people who prefer to listen rather than read.

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by Anonymousreply 57December 8, 2021 9:53 PM

MILDER ,dont get your panties in a bunch.

by Anonymousreply 58December 8, 2021 9:54 PM

R53 A lot of animals get Covid. I read that it’s widespread in whitetail deer and several lions and tigers at the National Zoo got it a few months back. Some were quite ill and required extensive veterinary care but they all pulled through.

by Anonymousreply 59December 8, 2021 9:55 PM

Sep. 24, 2021

The lions and tigers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo continue to be treated for COVID-19. All tigers and three lions are eating normally and improving. Three lions are of greater concern.

All six lions and two tigers are being treated for presumptive secondary bacterial pneumonia. Individual cats are being treated for discomfort and/or nausea as needed. To combat decreased appetites and make food as tempting as possible, special items have been added to the cats’ diets to stimulate eating, including goat milk, goat cheese, chicken broth, baby food and elk meat. Female Sumatran tiger Damai, male Amur tiger Metis and female Amur tiger Nikita are eating and alert. Nikita and Damai still have a very mild cough. Due to lack of appetite, dehydration and abnormal respiration, three lions — older female Shera and adult males Shaka and Jumbe — were anesthetized Saturday, Sept. 18 for fluid therapy as well as administration of long-acting antibiotics and other supportive medications. Blood was collected from all three lions for diagnostic and prognostic purposes.  Adult male lions Shaka and Jumbe, both 7 years old, continue to exhibit lethargy, decreased appetite, coughing and nasal discharge, but are improving. Shera’s condition is stable but still of concern. Bloodwork from Shera indicated the presence of renal failure. She since received two additional fluid therapies and her bloodwork was rechecked. Though not improved, her lab results did not show a decline. She will turn 17 in November. Adult lionesses Amahle and Naba and adult male lion Luke have shown improvements. As their condition does not require they remain inside, staff continue to manage the cats’ access to their outdoor habitats. The Zoo’s COVID-19 safety and response protocols are in place and continue to be strictly followed.

Animal keepers first observed decreased appetites, coughing, sneezing and lethargy in several lions and tigers Sept. 11 and 12. Fecal samples for all great cats tested presumptive positive the week of Sept. 13 and final results are still pending. A presumptive positive result means initial lab test results confirm the presence of the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Positive COVID-19 results are referred to as “presumptive positive” until a national laboratory validates the initial lab results.

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by Anonymousreply 60December 8, 2021 10:04 PM

Dr. John Campbell discusses Omicron in South Africa-

* How the symptoms of Omicron are different from Delta.

* Severity of symptoms for people who were never vaccinated.

* The remarkable speed at which Omicron displaced Delta from October to November in South Africa

* Does the current, sparse data still lend itself to the hope that Omicron is less severe than Delta?

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by Anonymousreply 61December 8, 2021 10:34 PM

For R52 —

[quote] The President says it is “very, very encouraging” that preliminary lab studies show three doses of Pfizer are able to neutralize the Omicron variant.

Maybe Biden has seen the reports I have. Maybe you can call him and tell him you KNOW WHY he’s lying about it.

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by Anonymousreply 62December 8, 2021 10:57 PM

I'm not R52, but a "preliminary" lab study's being "very, very encouraging" doesn't mean that the question is settled "as of today," as R49 said it was.

by Anonymousreply 63December 8, 2021 11:10 PM

Okay, fine—we don’t know nothin’ about the Omicron🦠 and the booster💉. Better?

Whatever.

Are you people just anti-vaxxer nutjobs, or did I get a Moderna booster for NOTHING?

by Anonymousreply 64December 8, 2021 11:35 PM

[quote]And happy to know that I was not completely crazy to wonder if Omicron came from an animal reservoir. (Although of course it’s all just speculation.)

We're all just going on speculation re: Omicron at this point, but that doesn't seem to stop people from picking a position—based on absolutely nothing—and defending it to the death. It's embarrassing to witness.

I lean toward the untreated HIV/AIDS theory myself after having seen the number and type of freaky mutations churned out by one of our patients whose SARS-CoV-2 replicated for ~55 days. She first tested positive after a few days with a persistent but mild cough which didn't require treatment. She wouldn't have been tested at all if a volunteer at a community outreach center hadn't suggested it. Three weeks later and asymptomatic after that initial cough, she was hospitalized for a cutaneous ulcer and continued testing positive. Minus-strand RNA was detected, which showed that viral replication was ongoing.

It went on like that until day 55, which was a little over two weeks after she was put on ART and her HIV-1 viral load had dropped from ~260,000k copies/mL to ~300, that she finally tested negative for minus-strand RNA. It wasn't until about three months from the outset that she finally tested negative for SARS-CoV-2.

One specific fifteen-day period stood out because the racked up multiple sketchy spike mutations in some very, very bad positions involved in immune escape. Compared to the other mutations, those fifteen days were the perfect storm. This was one woman who fell through the cracks in a county with better-than-average social services. Imagine what could be brewing in places where huge chunks of the population are HIV+ and untreated.

by Anonymousreply 65December 8, 2021 11:43 PM

That’s fascinating R65!

by Anonymousreply 66December 9, 2021 12:47 AM

Wouldn't it have been nice if it had acquired a mutation that made it unable to infect humans. Didn't cases just suddenly stop in the 1918 pandemic? LIke, almost overnight? Hope we get there with this one soon.

by Anonymousreply 67December 9, 2021 12:57 AM

Illinois state legislator put forth a bill a couple of days ago to require that all unvaccinated individuals pay for their own treatment if infected with Covid. I can't believe we, the taxpayers, are still paying for these assholes to get treatment. They should be left to die in the streets. Cause of death: Stupidity.

by Anonymousreply 68December 9, 2021 12:59 AM

"From the start of the pandemic, the coronavirus seemed to target people carrying extra pounds. Patients who were overweight or obese were more likely to develop severe Covid-19 and more likely to die.

Though these patients often have health conditions like diabetes that compound their risk, scientists have become increasingly convinced that their vulnerability has something to do with obesity itself.

Now researchers have found that the coronavirus infects both fat cells and certain immune cells within body fat, prompting a damaging defensive response in the body."

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by Anonymousreply 69December 9, 2021 2:01 PM

Man, am I glad I made a concerted (and successful) effort to lose weight when the pandemic started.

by Anonymousreply 70December 9, 2021 2:30 PM

[quote] maybe a tad more infectious than Delta

How many multiples equals a tad?

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by Anonymousreply 71December 9, 2021 2:32 PM

If it's just like the common cold, that means you gotta clean the surfaces like door knobs, light switches, taps, phone, keyboards etc.

by Anonymousreply 72December 9, 2021 2:42 PM

R67, well the viruses don't all mutate at once. One virus may have a mutation that makes it unable to infect humans, but that means it either dies out or finds an animal it can still effect. The 1918 flu did indeed die out, but it wasn't as infectious. It was easier to reach herd immunity.

by Anonymousreply 73December 9, 2021 2:56 PM

I know several people who are suffering with odd ailments months after they "recovered" from covid. Their doctors don't know what to do.

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by Anonymousreply 74December 9, 2021 3:02 PM

More than 40 people in the US have been found to be infected with the Omicron variant so far, and more than three-quarters of them had been vaccinated, the chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said. But she added nearly all of them were only mildly ill.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said the data was very limited and the agency was working on a more detailed analysis of what the new mutant form of the coronavirus might hold for the US.

She said “the disease is mild” in almost all of the cases seen so far, with reported symptoms mainly a cough, congestion and fatigue. One person had been admitted to hospital, but no deaths had been reported, CDC officials said.

by Anonymousreply 75December 9, 2021 3:17 PM

[quote] More than 40 people in the US have been found to be infected with the Omicron variant so far, and more than three-quarters of them had been vaccinated, the chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said. But she added nearly all of them were only mildly ill.

[quote] She said “the disease is mild” in almost all of the cases seen so far, with reported symptoms mainly cough, congestion and fatigue. One person was hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported, CDC officials said.

Fingers crossed that Omicron will become deadly and fully vaccine-evasive as I know many of you here are hoping it will!

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by Anonymousreply 76December 9, 2021 3:54 PM

Is it to soon to feel like this maybe how this pandemic start to become more like a seasonal flu?

I am due for the booster shot in January and I’m wondering if I should wait until they update the vaccine.

by Anonymousreply 77December 9, 2021 6:08 PM

R77, no, you shouldn't wait. The vaccine specific to Delta is the one that is just about to be ready in January or February. There won't be an Omicron specific one until late Summer or early Fall of 2022. There is a lead time and there are production times to take into consideration. Plus, they have to test the damn things again.

by Anonymousreply 78December 9, 2021 7:14 PM

Hard data is not available and estimates vary widely, but based on published studies and their own experience treating patients, several medical specialists said 750,000 to 1.3 million patients likely remain so sick for extended periods that they can’t return to the workforce full time.

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by Anonymousreply 79December 9, 2021 7:41 PM

R79 add that to the list including Fibromyalgia, Morgellon's, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and anything else common among the mug cradling crowd.

by Anonymousreply 80December 9, 2021 7:50 PM

I wonder if any countries will use Pfizer’s claim as a way of restricting travelers by only allowing in those who’ve had the booster. I can see countries like France, The Netherlands and Germany doing that.

by Anonymousreply 81December 9, 2021 8:03 PM

Even with the mass insanity this country displayed under Trump, if you had told me two years ago that 350,000 Americans would willingly choose death over a pinprick in their arms, I would not have believed it.

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by Anonymousreply 82December 9, 2021 8:06 PM

"The 1918 flu did indeed die out"

Except it didn't. It simply mutated to the point where it wasn't as deadly which is what is happening with Covid. Every strain of the flu today can be traced back to the 1918 flu.

by Anonymousreply 83December 9, 2021 8:06 PM

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

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by Anonymousreply 84December 9, 2021 9:01 PM

I wish they would stop talking about antibodies as if they were the be all and end all of the immune protections. Do you know what would cause the number of antibodies to jump back up in an immunized person? Infection. It would activate the T and B cell portions of the immune response which would, in turn, send out the antibodies en masse to take on the infection. So, if the vaccinated people are not reaching the point where the virus in getting beyond the initial killer cells in the nose and throat, you're not going to have a huge antibody response if your body encounters covid. Why aren't any of the studies about effectiveness analyzing B and T cell reactions in the vaccinated? It's all about antibody count which should lessen after three months.

The article at R84 is also a study in perspective. Retains only 75% protection negativism vs. remains 75% effective positivism. Vaccines with a 75% effectiveness rate are considered amazingly successful vaccines. This negativistic approach is helping grow the "well, what's the point of me getting vaccinated then!" crowd of idiots and keeping this going.

by Anonymousreply 85December 9, 2021 9:24 PM

Amen R85

How I understand seasonal influenza as a lay person (and elder immunologist/microbiologist please correct me if I get this wrong) is that the stalk of seasonal influenza is like Cher, but the exterior is like a Bob Mackie gown and each season is like a segment of a variety show between commercials. Each season looks like a completely different outfit to our immune systems.

And unlike immunity to coronaviruses which lessens over time after infection, influenza immunity is extremely durable. If you’ve had a particular strain (and these are actual strains, not just variants) of seasonal influenza you are protected for life from that strain.

And also the R0 for seasonal influenza in a naive population is only something like 1.2 so once about 30% of the population gets it, it falls under one and the spreading of that particular strain ends.

Which is why for the last 20ish years there has been such urgency around seasonal influenza research and creating a universal flu vaccine. As the last of the folks who survived 1918 have died so has the firewall protecting us from a reoccurrence of that particular virus.

by Anonymousreply 86December 9, 2021 9:52 PM

I hope the COVID pill is available by the next time I need another booster.

by Anonymousreply 87December 9, 2021 9:57 PM

This variant will only spaz the already spazzed. Nobody else needs to worry,.

by Anonymousreply 88December 9, 2021 10:02 PM

Yes, R87, and in gummy form!

by Anonymousreply 89December 9, 2021 10:13 PM

R82 At this point 90 percent of the anti vaxxed are hateful losers with the adult version of oppositional defiant disorder, with the government serving as their parents in their fractured minds. Daddy Biden and Mommy Pelosi would like them to get vaxxed but they hate mommy and daddy and don't want to be told what to do. Also they want to own the libs. Fuck em.

by Anonymousreply 90December 9, 2021 11:41 PM

Oh wow! I can't wait for the new vaccine tailored specifically to Omicron... so I can refuse that one too!

by Anonymousreply 91December 10, 2021 12:13 AM

R85, I had an interesting encounter last weekend involving just that. I volunteer at a vaccination site when I have a few hours and I worked next to an RN who said something about all this waiting in line for antibodies that only last a few weeks.

My capacity to make nice is gone after almost two years of hearing nonsense from people who should know better, so I said: "Well, luckily for them, they still have their adaptive immune systems. Did you forget that part, nurse?"

Blank stare. Then, "I [italic]apologize[/italic] for not following, but I don't what that means in the real word. I just know that when you don't have antibodies, you don't have immunity."

by Anonymousreply 92December 10, 2021 1:31 AM

Well with the way everyone is so hysterical and on tenterhooks over waning immunity and Omicron, it appears the VAST majority of people are only concerned with temporary antibodies and how long they might last. Not surprised the vaccine administrator didn’t know, either.

by Anonymousreply 93December 10, 2021 1:35 AM

The doubling down was what surprised me the most. We've had some dumb RNs show up at my hospital, but the older ones operate as a gang and drive them out quickly.

by Anonymousreply 94December 10, 2021 2:07 AM

So like 1 in 300 people will be dead by the time it’s all over.

I read somewhere that when this is all over, 900k will be dead. That was way back in spring of 2020. It seemed ridiculous at the time.

I’ll be dammed if that is not going to be the almost exact number. It’s looking that way. How did they know then.

by Anonymousreply 95December 10, 2021 2:31 AM

It was 900k Americans was the prediction.

by Anonymousreply 96December 10, 2021 2:31 AM
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by Anonymousreply 97December 10, 2021 12:35 PM

It has been said that even minor/asymptomatic Covid infections can lead to Long-Covid ailments with organ damage. I'm waiting to see if these minor Omicron variant infections are also messing people up. Time will tell.

by Anonymousreply 98December 10, 2021 12:40 PM
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by Anonymousreply 99December 10, 2021 1:18 PM

Is a RT-PCR test also a rapid PCR test?

I am getting conflicting info from testing places, I need a RT-PCR test for travel.

Also if you guys are traveling, test results are taking much longer now, I passed by a few mobile testing vans and have asked other places and now they are like 24-48 hrs and some even 3 days. City MD even said 3-5 days for PCR.

by Anonymousreply 100December 10, 2021 4:30 PM

I went to City MD a week ago and got a PCR test and had the results back in a day. And I didn't pay for the speedy results.

by Anonymousreply 101December 10, 2021 4:52 PM

Omicron was present in California wastewater before WHO declared it a "variant of concern."

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by Anonymousreply 102December 10, 2021 5:09 PM

What ISN'T present in California wastewater?

by Anonymousreply 103December 10, 2021 5:21 PM

yes, testing is free at City MD but now I see long lines and they say results take 3 days.

They have these mobile testing vans in NYC and those used to be just 12hrs turnaround times but now it's 36 hours to 48 hrs.

by Anonymousreply 104December 10, 2021 6:24 PM

Most reported U.S. Omicron cases have hit the fully vaccinated -CDC

Most of the 43 COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant identified in the United States so far were in people who were fully vaccinated, and a third of them had received a booster dose, according to a U.S. report published on Friday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that of the 43 cases attributed to Omicron variant, 34 people had been fully vaccinated. Fourteen of them had also received a booster, although five of those cases occurred less than 14 days after the additional shot before full protection kicks in.

While the numbers are very small, they add to growing concerns that current COVID-19 vaccines may offer less protection against the highly transmissible new variant.

The Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been found through testing in about 22 states so far after first being identified in southern Africa and Hong Kong in late November.

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by Anonymousreply 105December 10, 2021 6:51 PM

This is such a bullshit article. They need to word t differently because the moron antivax contingent will take it and turn it into "see, the vax makes you get it more!". The reason that more people who are vaxxed are showing up with it is because more people are vaxxed than unvaxxed AND because those people are also more likely to get tested. This report makes it sound like being vaxxed is the reason there are more infections. Assholes.

by Anonymousreply 106December 10, 2021 7:09 PM

I’m nervous to go to my dentist appointment on the 16th now.

by Anonymousreply 107December 10, 2021 7:12 PM

Have you gotten your booster, R107?

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by Anonymousreply 108December 10, 2021 7:24 PM

Gov. Hochul orders statewide mask-or-vax mandate with $1K fines for businesses

Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered offices, restaurants and shops statewide to require that staff and customers either show proof of vaccination or wear masks — or face a $1,000 fine per violation.

The new mandate on businesses — many of which are struggling to recover from pandemic lockdowns and battling workforce shortages — will take effect Monday and applies statewide.

Businesses that fail to enforce the rules could be subject to civil and criminal penalties, including a maximum fine of $1,000 for each violation.

It will remain in force until Jan. 15, when it could be extended, officials said. The governor’s office said local health departments will be in charge of enforcement.

“I speak all over the state and they’re asking for help. They’ve done everything they can, I applaud our local governments, our county executives, our county administrators and the local public health departments for doing what they can do,” Hochul told reporters after an unrelated event in Manhattan on Friday. “I said I’ll give them air cover, I will give them the protection.”

“This was completely avoidable — [a] completely avoidable circumstance,” the governor continued. “This is a crisis of the unvaccinated.”

The new rules require businesses to either have their customers and staff mask up before coming inside or to limit entry to those who are fully vaccinated.

Workers back at their desks would also be required to show vaccine proof or wear masks while on the clock, state officials later confirmed.

That falls short of Mayor de Blasio’s hotly disputed decision this week to require private employers vaccinate their staff before they return to the office.

Hochul’s regulations continue to define inoculations as following two doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines or the one-shot solution from Johnson and Johnson.

The CDC vaccination card and the state’s digital Excelsior Pass program will both count as acceptable forms of vaccination proof.

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by Anonymousreply 109December 10, 2021 8:10 PM

The UK gov't also said today that, "We know that the Omicron variant is doubling every two to three days in England, and possibly even faster in Scotland."

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by Anonymousreply 110December 10, 2021 8:13 PM

First real-world data, from the UK, showing booster dose reduces Omicron symptomatic infection chances by 75%.

No hospitalizations or deaths among that Omicron- vaccinated- UK study, either, and no, it is not too soon to report that.

Anyone who says “IT’S TOO EARLY TO KNOW!!!” can fuck right off and die. I’m SICK OF YOU PEOPLE.

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by Anonymousreply 111December 10, 2021 8:49 PM

"Since January, we've had about 289 deaths; 75% are unvaccinated people," Dover said. "And the very few (vaccinated people) who passed away all were more than 6 months out from their shot. So we've not had a single person who has had a booster shot die from Covid."

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by Anonymousreply 112December 10, 2021 9:08 PM

R109: Fucking power hungry cunt.

by Anonymousreply 113December 10, 2021 9:16 PM

[quote]For Omicron, essentially no protective effect of 2 AZ doses, 3rd goes to 71% (42,86); 2 Pfizer doses to 34%, 3rd doses to 76%

R111, since most people still aren't boosted and the effectiveness of just the two doses is shit, you can fuck off and die.

You can fuck off and die, too, R113. Hope the rest of the country follows suit. If you're too stupid to get vaccinated and boosted and wear your mask, you should be shunned by all of society and locked away in your fucking house (or a jail) until you figure out that the universe doesn't revolve around you alone.

by Anonymousreply 114December 10, 2021 9:17 PM

I got my booster on 12/2 (Moderna) and my Denise appointment is 12/16.

by Anonymousreply 115December 10, 2021 9:28 PM

R107 I hope you go to your dental appointment. It really is one of the safer places and good dental care is important to overall health and look you’ll be at peak boosterness time-wise and with Moderna, the Starbucks dark roast of the vaccines.

by Anonymousreply 116December 10, 2021 9:30 PM

Dentists tend to have good air filtration systems, which significantly reduces any risk to you (and them).

Plus, you'll be almost two weeks out. “There is a meaningful increase in antibody titers by one week and peak responses at two weeks following mRNA boosting,” says Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

by Anonymousreply 117December 10, 2021 9:31 PM

R114, I don’t give a fuck if “most people” aren’t boosted. I AM, it’s been 2 and a half weeks since I got my Moderna booster. What’s everyone else’s excuse?

I’m not making any judgment about how well any given population will do—my post was strictly about the effectiveness against Omicron after getting the booster. The data is here, and it’s good.

And you’re MAD about that?

Truly, I hope you get the WORST mild infection Omicron throws at you.

by Anonymousreply 118December 10, 2021 9:45 PM

Researchers in Japan use ostrich cells to make glowing COVID-19 detection masks

TOKYO, Dec 10 – Japanese researchers have developed masks that use ostrich antibodies to detect COVID-19 by glowing under ultraviolet light.

The discovery by Yasuhiro Tsukamoto and his team at Kyoto Prefectural University in western Japan could provide for low-cost testing of the virus at home, they said in a press release.

The scientists started by creating a mask filter coated with ostrich antibodies targeting the novel coronavirus, based on previous research showing the birds have strong resistance to disease.

In a small study, test subjects wore the masks, and after eight hours, the filters were removed and sprayed with a chemical that glows under ultraviolet light if the virus is present. The filters worn by people infected with COVID-19 glowed around the nose and mouth areas.

The team hopes to further develop the masks so that they will glow automatically, without special lighting, if the virus is detected.

Tsukamoto, a veterinary professor and the president of the university, has studied ostriches for years, looking for ways to adapt their immunity power to fight bird flu, allergies, and other diseases.

Tsukamoto told the Kyodo news agency he discovered his own positivity for COVID-19 after he wore one of the special masks and found that it glowed when checked. The diagnosis was confirmed after a standard test.

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by Anonymousreply 119December 10, 2021 10:08 PM

[quote]I got my booster on 12/2 (Moderna) and my Denise appointment is 12/16.

Lucky bastard.

by Anonymousreply 120December 10, 2021 11:05 PM

[quote]I don’t give a fuck if “most people” aren’t boosted. I AM, it’s been 2 and a half weeks since I got my Moderna booster. What’s everyone else’s excuse?

So you are just as selfish and as big an asshole as I thought. Thanks for confirming so quickly. The vast majority of the country is not 6 months out from their initial vaccinations. So, who the fuck cares if YOU are boosted if most other people are not. So, I stand by my directive that you go fuck youself with your selfish bullshit.

by Anonymousreply 121December 10, 2021 11:12 PM

Who TF is Denise?

by Anonymousreply 122December 10, 2021 11:13 PM

The clever people will Not comply with constant boosters .

by Anonymousreply 123December 10, 2021 11:20 PM

Then they will die, r123.

by Anonymousreply 124December 10, 2021 11:39 PM

R119

Yes this is just the quick and easy, low cost fix that will get the world out of the epidemic for good:

The scientists started by creating a mask filter coated with ostrich antibodies targeting the novel coronavirus, based on previous research showing the birds have strong resistance to disease.

In a small study, test subjects wore the masks, and after eight hours, the filters were removed and sprayed with a chemical that glows under ultraviolet light if the virus is present. The filters worn by people infected with COVID-19 glowed around the nose and mouth areas.

by Anonymousreply 125December 11, 2021 1:04 AM

R123: your so-called "clever" people a. are fucking idiots, b. are openly competing for the coveted Herman Cain Award.

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by Anonymousreply 126December 11, 2021 1:39 AM

[quote] The vast majority of the country is not 6 months out from their initial vaccinations.

WHAT IS THEIR EXCUSE?

There isn’t one, except that THEY are selfish fuckers. And you enable them, and frankly you come off as an anti-vaxxer, by the way.

by Anonymousreply 127December 11, 2021 2:51 AM

Most if not all of the guests wore masks when the Nov. 27 wedding ceremony started at a Wisconsin celebration that is now the suspected origin of an outbreak of COVID-19 and the omicron variant among Kaiser Permanente’s Oakland Medical Center staff.

But as the celebration wore on, the cocktails came out and people took to the dance floor, many leaving their masks behind, said Debra Furr-Holden, an epidemiologist and associate dean of public health at Michigan State University, who was in attendance and believes she contracted the coronavirus there.

“We need to shift the narrative and stop calling this a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” Furr-Holden said. “It doesn’t honor the fact that we’re seeing more and more breakthrough cases in the vaccinated.”

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by Anonymousreply 128December 11, 2021 11:32 AM

The Guardian: Omicron could cause 75,000 deaths in England by end of April without extra restrictions, scientists say.

Even under the most optimistic scenario (low immune escape of Omicron from vaccines and high effectiveness of booster jabs), a wave of infection is projected which could lead to a peak of more than 2,000 daily hospital admissions, with 175,000 hospital admissions and 24,700 deaths between 1 December this year and 30 April 2022.

This is if no additional control measures are implemented over and above the current Plan B introduced by the government in England.

The team said mask-wearing, working from home and booster jabs may not be enough, and predict a peak of daily hospital admissions of 2,400 in January.

by Anonymousreply 129December 11, 2021 12:08 PM

I hate going to Denise.

by Anonymousreply 130December 11, 2021 1:46 PM

Just let them die. too many people in this world.

by Anonymousreply 131December 11, 2021 2:32 PM

[quote]The Guardian: Omicron could cause 75,000 deaths in England by end of April without extra restrictions, scientists say.

Why would it cause so many deaths if the illnesses are so mild (as other reports have said)?

by Anonymousreply 132December 11, 2021 5:04 PM

Yes, R132, it could, because mild illnesses always can cause deaths in elderly or obese people.

The reason why there would be more of them this time, from Omicron, is because this variant spreads much more easily and more people in general are likely to come into contact with it, including the elderly and immunocompromised or obese people who die from things that don’t kill younger/healthy people.

by Anonymousreply 133December 11, 2021 5:32 PM

R132 Because some percentage of the cases will still not be mild. With vastly higher infectivity, there is more opportunity for severe cases to occur. In other words, 5% of 2 million cases is more than 5% of 1 million cases.

by Anonymousreply 134December 11, 2021 5:46 PM

I’m just about to start chemotherapy and in spite of being triple vaccinated will be very high risk if I catch this. Happy days.

by Anonymousreply 135December 11, 2021 5:47 PM

Omicron is a nothingburger.

by Anonymousreply 136December 11, 2021 5:55 PM

Take care of yourself r135.

*hugs*

by Anonymousreply 137December 11, 2021 5:55 PM

I’m off to vaccinate kids aged five to eleven.

Datalounger + screaming children + needles = ?

by Anonymousreply 138December 11, 2021 6:10 PM

Wishing you health and safety R135.

And wishing you brave, stoic children R138.

by Anonymousreply 139December 11, 2021 6:22 PM

No one has died from Omicron yet, correct?

by Anonymousreply 140December 11, 2021 6:26 PM

Correct, R140. But we’re expecting, and hoping, that some deaths from it will come in due time.

by Anonymousreply 141December 11, 2021 6:56 PM

R26 I think some things in life, we must accept are inevitable: i.e. death, suffering, taxes, etc. so in that respect I certainly DO get your point about needless fretting over the inevitable. I have heard many leading health authorities say as much about being exposed to this virus. We all shall be in time.

What I don't understand at all is this rhetoric of "trusting tbe vaccine" or "trusting in science". Science should not require our trust, but rather require our objectivity. Science has become a religion it would seem to some, requiring something akin to faith.

Furthermore, a jab should be as effective in the subject without any such implicit trust, or without an overly optimistic outlook as to its efficacy. It's actually not scientific to continue along as if there isn't any virus, simply hecause one has received his jabs. Ridiculously high level of expectation there for a jab which isn't a Sterilising Vaccination.

Transmission amongst vaccinated individuals has been proven time and again: especially with the Omicron variant. Sorry mate, (especially if such an idea is a comfort to you) but "trusting" a vaccine shall have no impact on whether you contract Covid or not. Having three jabs shall have an impact, and two iabs a bit lesser impact, yet some of it is chance, or the fickle finger of fate.

We all need to still keep in mind other additional measures of protection, and these of course vary from person to person. Science must continually prove itself with each new discovery and invention. It is not something to he associated with implicit or blanket trust. The Scientific Method, and the process of trying to disprove one's hypothesis is the complete opposite of such trust.

by Anonymousreply 142December 11, 2021 7:02 PM
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by Anonymousreply 143December 11, 2021 7:42 PM

I should add that the suggestion or rhetorical question as to why someone would accept the vaccines if they did not "trust" them is also neither scientific, nor is it an exercise in logic. That's a mighty slippery slope to propose to the vax-adverse, or frightened unvaccinated contemplating vaccination, or deciding on boosters.

See, we must divorce ourselves from such a construct which combines these two things. Trust should not have anything to do with it, except for a certain degree of personal trust one should have that his physician is genuinely concerned with, and invested in his health and well-being. That aside, we listen to public health authorities, their advisories, and we look the facts presented thus far.

Once we begin with similar axioms, we also allow for people to believe use of the argument " I don't trust science", or " I don't trust the vaccines" is valid. We simply cannot do that. Feelings of trust are quite irrelevant really.

by Anonymousreply 144December 11, 2021 7:47 PM

Sorry for leaving out the equally ridiculous "I trust in Jesus, not the Jabs". There's an enormous group of religious refusers amongst the unvaccinated who trust their god will magically protect them as well.

Science is the complete opposite of magic and religion; though science doesn't necessarily need to compete with a trust or belief in a god here, it certainly seems to be a competition for many unvaccinated individuals.

by Anonymousreply 145December 11, 2021 8:00 PM

Does this explain why I lost twenty pounds in three weeks when I was infected in April 2020?

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by Anonymousreply 146December 11, 2021 8:12 PM

R138 Is going to need Valium after this. You are a brave soul.

by Anonymousreply 147December 11, 2021 9:16 PM

[quote] 7 cases in young people all with 3rd shots 1-2 months previously, high anti-spike antibody levels. Symptoms mild to moderate

I don’t like this, not one bit.

by Anonymousreply 148December 11, 2021 9:23 PM

R148 I don't wish to get it either. Keep up with masking, and limit or eliminate dining out, pubs, concerts, sporting matches, etc. Consider taking regular deliveries rather than spending time in crowded shops. Keep vigilant with your personal hygiene, and other aspects of health.

Eat well, get good quality sleep, get fit if you're not, and stay fit if you are. Many like to make jokes about pricey pee, but there's more than enough evidence to support Vitamin D supplementation, along with B, C, and Zinc. Just don't get crazy with mega doses of anything.

by Anonymousreply 149December 11, 2021 9:37 PM

R149 Not one person, anywhere on Jesus' sweet green Earth, has died from this thing.

It is less dangerous than snack pretzels. It is safer than taking a shower in a thunderstorm.

by Anonymousreply 150December 11, 2021 10:14 PM

'What ISN'T present in California wastewater?'

Even bubonic plague is there.

by Anonymousreply 151December 11, 2021 10:18 PM

Funny how 70 people in Kentucky are dead from a tornado.

I wonder how many were vaccinated?

When the Christian god wants to kill you, he will kill you.

In Jesus' name.

by Anonymousreply 152December 11, 2021 10:20 PM

This thread is why I love the DL.

by Anonymousreply 153December 11, 2021 10:28 PM

R152 Grotesque.

by Anonymousreply 154December 11, 2021 10:28 PM

R150 and R152 speak the truth.

I could not be less worried about Omicron. I’m more likely to get it than Delta. I’m afraid of neither one.

by Anonymousreply 155December 11, 2021 10:37 PM

I'm getting my Moderna booster on 12/15. It's the earliest appointment I could find. Only 9 days away from Christmas Eve gathering instead of the ideal 14 days, but it's the best I can do. Overall I'm not too worried about Omicron. The media loves to report hyperbole and so far it seems like the best they can do is a few cases of "moderate" illness, with most "mild" and primarily cough, runny nose, fatigue, and some congestion. Sounds like a winter cold to me.

by Anonymousreply 156December 11, 2021 10:42 PM

Waiting now for the Long COVID troll to start screeching and posting links, in 3..2..1....

by Anonymousreply 157December 11, 2021 10:43 PM

Oh I’ve got a Long Covid link for you. The Long Covid fanatics won’t like it.

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by Anonymousreply 158December 11, 2021 10:47 PM

R150 I don't understand why you directed your post to me. I never said I was afraid of anything really, just that I would prefer not having this. As I've related upthread, I believe that to be inevitable really in the long run.

Go do your cheeky preaching to someone else please. I was one of the lone very early voices on the first thread taking issue with the assumptions, presumptions, and misinformation surrounding this variant. I was correct as well. It was almost comical that it was reported to be 500% more transmissible as Delta. It still isn't anything I wish to battle presently. You ought not be so flippant when you've no clue as to others' general health, age, or other risk factors. There's a smart side to be on here, and it's neither panicked, nor is it the cavalier attitude you hold toward it. You need to be in the middle. Vigilant, but not bonkers about it all the time.

If you happen to be R148, then ignore m plea to buzz off, as I rattled your cage first

by Anonymousreply 159December 11, 2021 11:02 PM

NOBODY HAS YET DIED FROM OMICRON DESPITE ITS BEING AROUND FOR WEEKS NOW

by Anonymousreply 160December 11, 2021 11:11 PM

NO DEATHS from Omicron may have been true as of the end of November.

South Africa is now reporting at least 10 deaths from it. The death rates from this variant wave is (so far) much less than from the previous waves, like Delta.

Deaths discussed at 12:50

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by Anonymousreply 161December 11, 2021 11:48 PM

R160 Yes, we have that now. The vast majority of cases have presented with gery mild symptoms. Why are you committed to shouting. The posters overreacting to people overreacting are the strangest ones in these threads. It's almost as if your peace of mind is so fragile, you cannot even tolerate others expressing their fears, or concerns without hecoming unhinged. People so quick to pounce are wound a bit too tight

by Anonymousreply 162December 11, 2021 11:52 PM

Didn't you just do the same thing R162?

by Anonymousreply 163December 12, 2021 12:09 AM

Omicron is not to be feared because of it's lethality, it is to be feared because it breeches the social distancing, transmissibility 6ft bubble of Delta. All that has to happen now is for a variant of Omicron to become more lethal. Then it becomes Delta on steroids.

by Anonymousreply 164December 12, 2021 12:26 AM

R164 Viruses mutate to become less lethal over time. If it starts out benign it will stay benign.

by Anonymousreply 165December 12, 2021 12:28 AM

R147, I was hoping for stories that would have everyone screaming ”EST!” at me, but they needed someone else who could answer parents’ questions, so that’s where I was sent.

The only break in the boredom was being interrogated by a woman who was trying to talk her daughter out of vaccinating the grandson.

Have you ever met anyone who had COVID? How do you know it was COVID? How do you know it wasn’t the flu? How can you be sure the tests weren’t designed with a certain number of positives built in? How do you know their lungs weren’t already failing and it just hadn’t been diagnosed yet? How do you know they wouldn’t have ended up in the ICU anyway?

But she wasn’t aggressive and she didn’t even accuse of harvesting kidneys. Blah.

by Anonymousreply 166December 12, 2021 12:32 AM

People on DL Want masks off and nay to vaccine.

by Anonymousreply 167December 12, 2021 12:35 AM

R166 The question about the flu is spot-on. I "had Covid" but probably actually had the flu. I was never given a flu test. There were only a few thousand cases of the flu reported in 2020, down from hundreds of thousands in 2019.

by Anonymousreply 168December 12, 2021 12:39 AM

The average person with the flu only infects 1,2 persons on average, with no masking, no social distancing, no work from home and poor hand hygiene. Actions that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 transmission destroy influenza transmission. It’s a wonder there were any cases of flu in the 2020/2021 season.

by Anonymousreply 169December 12, 2021 12:50 AM

Trust the vaccine. So far, no one who has had their booster has died. Omicron spreading is not an issue amongst those of us who have been triple vaxxed. So what if you catch it now? You will likely only have mild or no symptoms. And if you pass it to someone who isn't triple vaccinated, well, that's not on you. If people are too dumb to take precautions, that's on them.

We will have a million dead before this is over. So far, over 5 million around the globe have died. The world actually needs more to die off. Let it be the stupid anti vaxxers/MAGATS who bitch about their freedumbs.

by Anonymousreply 170December 12, 2021 1:04 AM

[quote]The question about the flu is spot-on.

It is not spot on. She was talking about PCR tests not knowing the difference between influenza viruses and SARS‑CoV‑2 while also claiming that [italic]they[/italic] preload a predetermined number of COVID tests with a positive result in order to inflate the numbers.

by Anonymousreply 171December 12, 2021 1:28 AM

R169 Occam's Razor says if you don't test for the flu, but do test for similar virus with identical symptoms, you won't diagnose the flu.

by Anonymousreply 172December 12, 2021 1:35 AM

R170 Take the vaccines is my advice, but wear a mask and do not trust the vaccine to magically prevent you from becoming infected, or from becoming unwell, and possibly infecting others.

However, You may gain solace in the facts presented which prove vaccination and booster dramatically increase the odds that you are protecting your life from hospitalisation, and from being claimed by Covid.

You can feel good you did the right thing by your fellow man by being vaccinated, even if you didn't trust it would be 100% effective at preventing transmission in the first place.

It may or it may not prevent infection in some people is the bottom line with this variant. Different measures need to be taken for different people. Older people don't typically mount as robust a creation of as many antibodies as younger people do.

by Anonymousreply 173December 12, 2021 1:39 AM

[quote]I’m off to vaccinate kids aged five to eleven. Datalounger + screaming children + needles = ?

Equals vicious face slappings and later smoking copious amounts of pot? Silly?

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by Anonymousreply 174December 12, 2021 1:53 AM

[quote]Does this explain why I lost twenty pounds in three weeks when I was infected in April 2020?

If you need them back, I found them.

by Anonymousreply 175December 12, 2021 1:54 AM

R171 What do you expect? People catch on to the bullshit. You're going to get treated with more and more hostility as times goes on. Especially when the lies about magically curing the flu overnight in 2020 are so flimsy.

I've had a suspicion for a while that there are good intentions behind a lot of the lying going on about Covid, but it's still lying.

What reaction are you expecting?

by Anonymousreply 176December 12, 2021 2:08 AM

Here is the truth about COVID: the vaccines are as safe as aspirin and prevent death.

Bottom line success.

by Anonymousreply 177December 12, 2021 3:15 AM

But...uhhh...aspirin can cause internal bleeding, can’t it?

by Anonymousreply 178December 12, 2021 3:29 AM

It's in Ohio.

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by Anonymousreply 179December 12, 2021 5:22 AM

r178, yes, but no cases resulted in hospitalization or death.

Plus, it is a safety warning about bleeding. Few people actually bleed.

Fewer yet die from the vaccines.

by Anonymousreply 180December 12, 2021 5:32 AM

The vaccines are either some kind of placebo, or some benign substance that you don't need to consent to administer, like fluoride.

by Anonymousreply 181December 12, 2021 11:46 AM

[quote]The vast majority of cases have presented with gery mild symptoms.

The vast majority of all covid variants present very mild or no symptoms. And yet, they've together killed more than 15 million people around the world.

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by Anonymousreply 182December 12, 2021 11:52 AM

[quote] "This is now our fourth week, there's no reason you can't trust us when we say to you 'it's mild disease!'"

People still don’t believe the South African doctors. Everyone is desperate for Omicron to cause moderate and severe illness.

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by Anonymousreply 183December 12, 2021 5:58 PM

Fear is more dangerous than omicron at this point.

by Anonymousreply 184December 12, 2021 5:59 PM

We have nothing to omicron but fear itself.

by Anonymousreply 185December 12, 2021 6:36 PM

Wake up. It was created to sell boosters!

by Anonymousreply 186December 12, 2021 6:54 PM

UK PM Boris Johnson warning the nation on live TV of an impending “tidal wave” of omicron.

by Anonymousreply 187December 12, 2021 7:09 PM

15 million? You know it's 5 million, right?

by Anonymousreply 188December 12, 2021 8:51 PM

Rounding up on DL means adding ten million and then throwing in a "more than" for good measure.

by Anonymousreply 189December 12, 2021 8:57 PM

[quote]15 million? You know it's 5 million, right?

Through tracking excess deaths, The Economist estimates that the pandemic's true global death toll is 17.9 million.

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by Anonymousreply 190December 12, 2021 9:10 PM

R190, shush up with your silly facts!!! Repugs don't take to facts well. Something literally has to happen to them or someone in their family or it never happened. They are literally that unable to empathize with anyone.

by Anonymousreply 191December 13, 2021 2:17 AM

I wonder if you can get Delta an Omicron at the same time?

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by Anonymousreply 192December 13, 2021 11:39 AM

I’ve been wondering the same things R192.

by Anonymousreply 193December 13, 2021 11:52 AM

[quote]No one has died from Omicron yet, correct?

The Guardian: Boris Johnson has confirmed that at least one patient in the UK has now died with the Omicron variant.

"Sadly yes Omicron is producing hospitalisations and sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron.

So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus, I think that’s something we need to set on one side and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population. So the best thing we can do is all get our boosters."

Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said around 10 people were in hospital with confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in England.

by Anonymousreply 194December 13, 2021 11:58 AM

from South Africa two days ago:

“ Just 3% of patients hospitalized recently with COVID-19 have died, versus about 20% in the country’s earlier outbreaks. Average hospital stays for COVID-19 have been shorter this time – about 2.8 days compared to eight days.“

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by Anonymousreply 195December 13, 2021 12:13 PM

R142/R144 that would be all well and good, if the public weren’t aware of drug lobbyists and of doctors pushing dangerous and unnecessary meds onto patients.

by Anonymousreply 196December 13, 2021 12:19 PM

[quote] Boris Johnson has said that at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

Speaking during a visit on Monday to a vaccination clinic near Paddington, west London, the prime minister said: “Sadly, yes, Omicron is producing hospitalisations and, sadly, at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron.

“So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus, I think that’s something we need to set on one side and just recognise the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population. So the best thing we can do is all get our boosters.”

by Anonymousreply 197December 13, 2021 1:14 PM

Sorry 194, didn’t see your post.

by Anonymousreply 198December 13, 2021 1:18 PM

How can BoJo expect anyone to follow his directives, now?

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by Anonymousreply 199December 13, 2021 1:50 PM

R194 What does dying “with” Omicron mean (vs dying ‘of’ Omicron)? Is it just the local idiom, how they say it differently or are the people dying of something else (while also testing positive?)

by Anonymousreply 200December 13, 2021 3:15 PM

It's getting bad here in Norway. Record number of hospitalizations. Record number of newly infected people. The hospitals are full. A significant increase in covid deaths this past month too. We will get new restrictions this evening. Might be a new lockdown. Facemasks are back as of last week.

by Anonymousreply 201December 13, 2021 3:32 PM

R200, a person could have died from anything and also, coincidentally, have tested positive for Omicron just before dying. It doesn’t mean Omicron killed them.

The agency reporting the world’s first Omicron death is being oddly coy about the details here.

by Anonymousreply 202December 13, 2021 3:33 PM

R201, what role does Omicron play in that situation?

by Anonymousreply 203December 13, 2021 3:33 PM

R203 Idk, many newly infected are infected with Omicron. I think most hospitalizations and deaths are from Delta though, at least for now.

by Anonymousreply 204December 13, 2021 3:35 PM

I wish someone would make a new Coronavirus megathread as part 10 is paywalled.

by Anonymousreply 205December 13, 2021 3:45 PM

Still not clear on whether the UK died of omicron or with it.

The UK Health Security Agency estimates that the current number of daily infections are around 200,000.

"While Omicron represents over 20% of cases in England, we’ve already seen it rise to over 44% in London and we expect it to become the dominant Covid 19 variant in the capital in the next 48 hours."

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by Anonymousreply 206December 13, 2021 3:48 PM

Does anyone know if Omicron is displacing Delta in England? Or is Delta as strong as ever, with Omicron in addition to?

by Anonymousreply 207December 13, 2021 4:31 PM

Don't know about the UK specifically, but there's a discussion of displacement vs. co-circulation. Seems we're in the wait-and-see phase.

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by Anonymousreply 208December 13, 2021 4:40 PM

R207, I thought I read somewhere that Omicron has a higher spread factor so, eventually, it should overtake Delta. I also think that one of the reasons Omicron SEEMS less virulent as of now is that the populations it is hitting first are the younger people who've been going around without taking any precautions and a lot of them have recently had Delta because they quit taking precautions a while ago. What's going to possibly happen is that once the protection they've gained from their recent Delta infections wane over the next month or two, Omicron will attack them at an even greater rate. Then, we'll see Omicron explode.

Ironically, the idiots who can't be bothered to wear masks or get vaxxed are being slightly protected from Omicron by their lingering Delta infections but that is going to end soon. I believe the prediction the Omicron isn't so bad will be disproven once all those infected with Delta in the prior wave lose their antibody protection and when it starts hitting older populations who were still being careful but haven't yet been boosted. We'll see.

by Anonymousreply 209December 13, 2021 4:41 PM

Omicron is now at 20% for all Covid cases in the UK and it’s doubling every day. A million cases by Christmas?

by Anonymousreply 210December 13, 2021 4:48 PM

I have heard the 15 million figure, too. The total deaths. Who's to say, since it's about uncounted deaths with the majority of countries did on purpose.

by Anonymousreply 211December 13, 2021 4:57 PM

Thanks R208. That’s fascinating

by Anonymousreply 212December 13, 2021 4:58 PM

Omicron is being oversold for fear mongering. Maybe tons of people go to the hospital, get some of the good drugs, and go home. Also sooner or later we have be thankful for having the WEALTH and logistics to pump everyone with vaccines and the people who aren't getting them - tough shit for them.

by Anonymousreply 213December 13, 2021 5:01 PM

Uh oh

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by Anonymousreply 214December 13, 2021 5:40 PM

The positivity rate in South Africa has been flattening and now declined for the past two days. Hospital admissions in the epicenter of the outbreak, the #Gauteng province, are stable

by Anonymousreply 215December 13, 2021 5:55 PM

R214 Yippy! My workplace has plans to fly in a speaker from Sydney next month for an in-person event.

by Anonymousreply 216December 13, 2021 6:08 PM

Minnesota hospitals are pleading with residents to act responsibly.

That includes wearing a mask even if you're vaccinated (contra the vaxxed DLers who have stated their refusal to do so).

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by Anonymousreply 217December 13, 2021 8:36 PM

Two listeners just phoned in to a UK radio phone in station claiming they are dealing with omicron now and it’s pretty awful. The symptoms might be classified as “mild” but it still sounds like a physical ordeal. Both said they’ve suffered excruciating headaches.

by Anonymousreply 218December 13, 2021 9:50 PM

That can cause a stroke r218

by Anonymousreply 219December 13, 2021 10:04 PM

The ambiguous classifications have been a problem since the beginning. When people hear “mild,” their minds automatically go to having a cold. And while lots of people with mild disease do have symptoms no worse than a cold, there are others, also in the “mild” category, who are wrecked by something that acts like the worst flu imaginable x 10.

If you asked the people who say, “no big deal; most cases are mild” if they’d be willing to catch the flu if it meant fevers, coughing around the clock, aching all over, being too wiped to get out of bed much less change the sheets they’re sweating through every half hour, and they wouldn’t want any part of that. With COVID, the same symptoms are suddenly a walk in the park…when they’re affecting other people.

by Anonymousreply 220December 13, 2021 10:17 PM

'If you asked the people who say, “no big deal; most cases are mild” if they’d be willing to catch the flu if it meant fevers, coughing around the clock, aching all over, being too wiped to get out of bed much less change the sheets they’re sweating through every half hour, and they wouldn’t want any part of that'

This isn't what mild covid is like. My 27 year old brother got it and just had a slight cough for a few days. Didn't take to his bed at any point.

by Anonymousreply 221December 13, 2021 10:19 PM

People in the Uk suffering from headaches can get legal codeine pills just over the counter in pharmacies. Around $7 for 30 tablets, each with 12.8mg of codeine. Take four and they will nuke any headache and give you a blissful night's sleep. I always stock up when I go there.

by Anonymousreply 222December 13, 2021 10:22 PM

'My workplace has plans to fly in a speaker from Sydney next month for an in-person event.'

I can't see that happening. Australia will close its borders again as soon as they get about 50 Omicron cases.

by Anonymousreply 223December 13, 2021 10:23 PM

R222 I thought they tightened those up.

by Anonymousreply 224December 13, 2021 10:28 PM

Reading comprehension problems, r221?

As I said, “mild” COVID encompasses symptoms from mild cold or allergy-like symptoms to severe flu-like symptoms.

The line from “mild” to “moderate” is drawn at dyspnea.

by Anonymousreply 225December 13, 2021 10:33 PM

R224, nope. I buy three packets of Solapdeine Max and decant them into Advil bottles. Get through customs every time. The pharmacist or chemist as the Brits call them never challenge me, just take my money. I go to three different ones over the course of my annual visit to my sister.

by Anonymousreply 226December 13, 2021 10:34 PM

Ya junkie.

by Anonymousreply 227December 13, 2021 10:42 PM

Do the codeine pills have acetaminophen/parecetamol in them?

by Anonymousreply 228December 13, 2021 11:04 PM

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

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by Anonymousreply 229December 13, 2021 11:23 PM

California just announced indoor mask mandates. I'm in LA so we've already been doing this but the idiots in red counties like Orange County are going to piss and moan again.

by Anonymousreply 230December 14, 2021 12:01 AM

R229 If China slams back into lockdown that’s gonna screw up supply chains even more, plus the worldwide economic implications will be dire.

UK getting slammed atm as well. Boris Johnson went on national TV last night warning that a “tidal wave of Covid” was about to hit.

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by Anonymousreply 231December 14, 2021 12:16 AM

Well, maybe their vaccine isn't as good and thousands are still attending soccer matches every weekend. No masks.

by Anonymousreply 232December 14, 2021 12:41 AM

[R208] Elder Lez, I need some advice. My first two vaccinations were Astra Zeneca. I'm about to book for a booster (5 months after my last vax) and here in Australia they are now just offering the choice between Pfizer and Moderna (they stopped offering AZ). Which would you suggest I choose? Thanks in advance. Your knowledge is always very much appreciated.

by Anonymousreply 233December 14, 2021 1:42 AM

R212 Elder Lez, I stuffed up my post above (233). Kindly read and let me know your thoughts. :)

by Anonymousreply 234December 14, 2021 1:45 AM

R233 — go with Moderna if it’s available. It’s always had a slightly higher VE than Pfizer, and when it comes to waning immunity vs Delta, it’s *more* than a slightly higher VE with the booster shot, which is what you’re getting.

by Anonymousreply 235December 14, 2021 2:17 AM

R222, the joys of Schoolboy, an old friend.

by Anonymousreply 236December 14, 2021 4:20 AM

Guess I won’t be playing Twister anytime soon.

by Anonymousreply 237December 14, 2021 4:28 AM

A huge increase in infected, hospitalizations and deaths means home office again😭 I hate home office. This makes me so depressed.

by Anonymousreply 238December 14, 2021 5:34 AM

If you were American, I think you’d welcome staying home. Corporations here treat workers like shit.

by Anonymousreply 239December 14, 2021 5:39 AM

R239 Maybe I'm lucky. I have a very good work environment. I get along with most of my co-workers. I'm also single and spend a lot of time alone, so work for me is about being social. That is why I prefer the office. I hate home office. It's so depressing.

by Anonymousreply 240December 14, 2021 5:55 AM

R239 I think there was a study done that showed most Scandinavians prefer to work from the main office.

by Anonymousreply 241December 14, 2021 5:57 AM

imagine a pandemic so deadly that you could afford to fire healthcare workers.

by Anonymousreply 242December 14, 2021 6:34 AM

R233 I'd be interested what ElderLez thinks too.

I've already booked my Pfizer booster after having AZ for the first & second. Actually, I've made two bookings in case for some reason I can't make the first I have a second lined up quickly. Another problem is that most places are shut for the Christmas/New Year period so there will be very few vaccines being injected into arms.

I think things are going to turn belly-up in Australia soon, depending where you live. I can't believe that Opus Day Dominic Perrottet is allowing Sydney (and NSW) to virtually fully open tomorrow (Wednesday) with cases rising dramatically. To the credit of Brad Hazzard (NSW Health Minister) he has stated that he is not ruling out lockdowns and feels the booster shots should be brought forward to 3 or 4 months after the second dose.

That super spreading event in Newcastle (believed to Omicron) is staggering and it turns out that somebody who was supposed to be in home quarantine went to the venue which now has well over 100 cases (or is it 200).

Early 2022 is not going to be pretty worldwide, though Dr. John Campbell thinks things aren't going to be so dire but he agrees with the UK Government taking precautions.

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by Anonymousreply 243December 14, 2021 7:01 AM

Covid has already affected the soccer teams in England. Outbreak of cases in many clubs.

by Anonymousreply 244December 14, 2021 7:15 AM

[quote]I've already booked my Pfizer booster after having AZ for the first & second.

Either mRNA vaccine is a good choice. I'm a nephrologist and I see a lot of patients who are moderately to severely immunocompromised. For them, there was no question in my mind that they would be getting a third 0.5 mL dose of Moderna (as opposed to the booster, which is only 0.25 mL).

For myself, the night I went for my booster they only had Pfizer in stock and that's what I got. I could have gone back the next day and gotten Moderna, but the difference in efficacy isn't such that I felt any apprehension.

That said, after almost two years of being neck deep in ventilated COVID patients with acute kidney injury, I am aware that my level of anxiety isn't the same as the general public's.

by Anonymousreply 245December 14, 2021 8:06 AM

You’ll have to hang out on DL more while at home, r240. You can sit next to me :)

Did the study say why, r241?

by Anonymousreply 246December 14, 2021 8:27 AM

[quote]I hate home office. It's so depressing.

I LOVE home office. It's so quiet.

by Anonymousreply 247December 14, 2021 8:30 AM

R233 please let listen to R245’s advice. Get what you can get first. I’m not a doctor and I can’t provide medical advice.

I got Moderna because that was my first available appointment. My booster was Pfizer because I could that before J&J. And the reason I wanted J&J doesn’t apply to you since you had AstraZeneca. I had hoped to hold out for NDV or a subunit particle booster like Novovax next year, but obviously that didn’t happen.

I am not looking forward to working from home again. My office-office is beautiful; light, large enough to spread out documents, quiet until someone is mad at the Governor, convenient to delicious ramen. My home office is literally under the stairs.

by Anonymousreply 248December 14, 2021 10:03 AM

[quote]This isn't what mild covid is like. My 27 year old brother got it and just had a slight cough for a few days. Didn't take to his bed at any point.

Another case of "mild" covid.

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by Anonymousreply 249December 14, 2021 11:38 AM

Already overwhelmed in many areas of the U.S., our hospitals will be stretched beyond the breaking point.

"Everything points to a large wave. A large wave is coming," a senior Biden administration official told Axios. "It will be fast. It won't be as severe, but regrettably, there will be plenty of hospitalizations," the official added.

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by Anonymousreply 250December 14, 2021 11:42 AM

Yikes, those toes. What’s so hard about wearing a mask? I’ve had it. Simply HORRIBLE. Why can’t folks get vaxed and wear a mask to avoid this awful disease? It isn’t that much of an inconvenience compared to sickness of this magnitude. OK, sorry for the rant.

A quick plug for Dr V vids. He has been calling this for weeks now.

by Anonymousreply 251December 14, 2021 11:57 AM

[quote]Early 2022 is not going to be pretty worldwide, though Dr. John Campbell thinks things aren't going to be so dire but he agrees with the UK Government taking precautions.

Are you all in a Nurse Campbell cult? "Though the great and powerful Campbell thinks..."

by Anonymousreply 252December 14, 2021 12:08 PM

A highly anticipated study of Pfizer’s Covid pill confirmed that it helps stave off severe disease, the company announced on Tuesday.

Pfizer also said its antiviral pill worked in laboratory studies against the Omicron variant, which is surging in South Africa and Europe and is expected to dominate U.S. cases in the weeks ahead.

If given within three days of the onset of symptoms, Paxlovid reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 89 percent. If given within five days, the risk was reduced almost as much, to 88 percent.

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by Anonymousreply 253December 14, 2021 12:25 PM

The patient at R249 is unvaxxed.

by Anonymousreply 254December 14, 2021 12:28 PM

[QUOTE] Do the codeine pills have acetaminophen/parecetamol in them?

Yes but you can still take four at once safely to nuke a headache and have a nice sleep.

by Anonymousreply 255December 14, 2021 3:41 PM

The UK has dozens of superspreader events a week as full capacity premiership football matches are still going ahead, some with 50k attendance.

by Anonymousreply 256December 14, 2021 3:45 PM

At least 89 killed by mystery disease as WHO deploys task force amid fears of outbreak

The World Health Organization has deployed a rapid response task force to South Sudan to investigate a mysterious illness that has left at least 89 people dead.

The ministry of health in South Sudan has reported fast-spreading illness in the northern town of Fangak, in the Jonglei state, which local scientists haven’t been able to identify.

The region was recently hit with severe flooding — with health officials tasked with gathering samples to help identify the deadly disease.

Local health officials in Fangak said initial samples from the sick returned negative results for cholera.

Sheila Baya, a spokesperson for the WHO, spoke to the BBC, saying the team of scientists had to reach Fangak via helicopter due to the flooding.

She added that the group is waiting for transport to return them to the capital, Juba, on Wednesday.

She said: “We decided to send a rapid response team to go and do risk assessment and investigation.

“That is when they will be able to collect samples from the sick people — but provisionally the figure that we got was that there were 89 deaths.”

The minister of land, Lam Tungwar Kueigwong, said severe floods have increased the spread of diseases such as malaria and caused malnutrition in children due to food shortages across the northern states.

Oil from the fields in the region had contaminated the water, he said, leading to the death of domestic animals.

International charity Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), which operates in the area, said the suffering caused by the floods, including food shortages and illnesses, is putting pressure on the health facilities.

It said, “We are extremely concerned about malnutrition, with severe acute malnutrition levels two times the WHO threshold.

“The number of children admitted to our hospital with severe malnutrition doubling since the start of the floods.”

South Sudan has been staring at a catastrophic humanitarian crisis as extreme floods hit the country for the third consecutive year.

Humanitarian agencies warned that the situation is threatening to cause an outbreak of waterborne diseases and malaria, and lead to food insecurity and malnutrition.

The flooding has cut off communities from accessing supplies of food and other vital commodities, as more than 700,000 people have been affected by the worst flooding for nearly 60 years.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said climate change was to blame.

Nearly a decade after South Sudan gained independence following a war, it faces the threat of conflict, climate change and COVID-19, the outgoing head of the UN mission in the country said in March.

Nearly all the population depends on international food aid, and most basic services such as health and education are provided by the United Nations agencies and aid groups.

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by Anonymousreply 257December 14, 2021 3:52 PM

Probably a new Ebola variant, R257.

by Anonymousreply 258December 14, 2021 3:59 PM

Sudan is pretty far from where Ebola comes from.

All sorts of things can cause dysentery related deaths in the circumstances described and it sounds like the main symptom is diarrhea if the one thing they were already suspicious enough to test for and rule out is cholera.

by Anonymousreply 259December 14, 2021 4:32 PM

Have there been any thoughts on whether those of us who got our boosters in the first wave (mine was late August) are in danger of waning immunity?

by Anonymousreply 260December 14, 2021 4:44 PM

5 new symptoms with Omnicron per NIH:

A scratchy throat (as opposed to a sore throat)

A dry cough

Extreme tiredness

Mild muscle aches

Night sweats

by Anonymousreply 261December 14, 2021 4:51 PM

My eyes are really really puffy like it almost looks like I have on stage make-up or CGI. I look like hell but I don’t feel bad.

Could this be omnicron? I’m a little tired but no other symptoms. Could it be a random allergy or what could this be? I’ve never had it before

by Anonymousreply 262December 14, 2021 4:56 PM

Perhaps your allergic to Omicron r262.

by Anonymousreply 263December 14, 2021 7:12 PM

Oh dear, R263.

by Anonymousreply 264December 14, 2021 8:10 PM

R262: COVID most frequently comes with multiple symptoms. Subtle it ain't.

One single symptom *could* indicate COVID infection, but not likely. Get tested just to be sure.

by Anonymousreply 265December 14, 2021 8:13 PM

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

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by Anonymousreply 266December 14, 2021 10:52 PM

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

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by Anonymousreply 267December 14, 2021 10:54 PM

The surge at Cornell is all superinfections of vaxxed people? 97% vax rate in that institution.

by Anonymousreply 268December 14, 2021 11:02 PM

R205 done.

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by Anonymousreply 269December 15, 2021 12:15 AM

R266 It's refreshing to see a University administration acting responsibly.

by Anonymousreply 270December 15, 2021 1:13 AM

Bloomberg: Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine produced virtually no antibody protection against the omicron coronavirus variant in a laboratory experiment, underlining the new strain’s ability to get around one pillar of the body’s defenses.

The vaccine appears to provide some defense against omicron, perhaps via other means such as stimulation of immune cells, according to Penny Moore, a South African virologist. The findings are consistent with other studies that show a partial loss of potency against Covid-19 for a number of vaccines, with J&J’s antibody protection looking particularly weak in the lab test.

by Anonymousreply 271December 15, 2021 2:27 AM

R267 Yeah, because the head of Moderna truly care$ about your health and $afety. The pearl clutchers are like locusts screeching all over this thread, hoping that covid-1984 will finally take them out of their misery.

by Anonymousreply 272December 15, 2021 5:18 AM

First day in home office since Easter. This is so depressing.

by Anonymousreply 273December 15, 2021 6:01 AM

Just saw on bloomberg news that sinovac vax is ineffective against omicron, according to HK study. one of the most widely used globally.

by Anonymousreply 274December 15, 2021 6:08 AM

"Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant," WHO chief says

From CNN's Naomi Thomas

The Omicron coronavirus variant is spreading at a rate not seen before, and there is concern that people are dismissing it as mild, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.

Tedros noted that 77 countries have now reported cases of Omicron, and “the reality is that Omicron is probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet.”

“Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant,” he said. “We’re concerned that people are dismissing Omicron as mild. Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril.”

“Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems,” he said.

Tedros said that vaccines alone won’t get any country out of this crisis.

“Countries can and must prevent the spread of Omicron with measures that work today,” he said. “It’s not vaccines instead of masks. It’s not vaccines instead of distancing. It’s not vaccines instead of ventilation or hand hygiene. Do it all. Do it consistently. Do it well.”

by Anonymousreply 275December 15, 2021 7:42 AM

1500 NEW cases. We only have a population of 5 million...

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by Anonymousreply 276December 15, 2021 8:45 AM

Sorry, that should be in total. I guess they don't operate with new cases when it comes to Omicron? Meanwhile we have 6000 new cases (of all mutations). This is getting bad.

by Anonymousreply 277December 15, 2021 8:47 AM

Blame the anti vaxxers, r277. The more people who refuse to get a vaccine, the more chances the virus has to mutate.

This could also turn out to be a good thing once it peters out. Viruses usually don't get stronger with time, only weaker. This seems to be the case with Omicron. I say let it infect as many people as it can. At this point, we know the vaccine helps to keep it mild. Let the unvaxxed deal with the consequences of their own stupidity.

by Anonymousreply 278December 15, 2021 9:20 AM
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by Anonymousreply 279December 15, 2021 11:11 AM

[quote]Viruses usually don't get stronger with time, only weaker.

Ebola, the West Nile virus and the Spanish flu from the 1918 pandemic are all examples of viruses that became more lethal after mutating, experts say.

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by Anonymousreply 280December 15, 2021 11:15 AM

New study out of Hong Kong:

[quote] The omicron variant of the novel coronavirus might spread close to 70 times faster than the delta variant, according to a new lab study.

*70 times faster than Delta.* It's going to be very, very hard to avoid.

[quote] The study — led by researchers from the LKS Faculty of Medicine at The University of Hong Kong — found that omicron “multiplies 70 times faster than the Delta variant and original SARS-CoV-2 in the human bronchus, which may explain why Omicron may transmit faster between humans than previous variants.”

[quote] The study also said the variant causes fewer infections in the lung.

[quote] The bronchus is the two large tubes that carry air from your windpipe to your lungs, meaning the virus might be more centralized in your throat, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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by Anonymousreply 281December 15, 2021 6:18 PM

Would it be reasonable to hope that, because Omicron spreads so quickly, the wave of its dominance will at least be short? Crashing and disastrous, but brief. Like a tsunami?

by Anonymousreply 282December 15, 2021 7:08 PM

R282 Looks like SA may have peaked already. They had a very steep, rapid rise but (hopefully) an equally rapid decline.

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by Anonymousreply 283December 15, 2021 8:24 PM

One would hope R282/Sylvia. Omicron is already up to 13% of cases in New York and doubling every two days.

by Anonymousreply 284December 15, 2021 9:47 PM

R284 Hunker down, EL!

I don't know if anyone in Allegheny County is even sequencing for omicron., so I'm going to assume it's here unless/until I hear otherwise. Partner and I found a really fast and convenient PCR testing van service; we may start getting surveillance tested on the regular. Definitely before Christmas dinner with Mom.

by Anonymousreply 285December 15, 2021 10:00 PM

R283, is anti vax

by Anonymousreply 286December 15, 2021 10:16 PM

Stock up now if you find 'em.

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by Anonymousreply 287December 15, 2021 10:48 PM

We could be at another stay at home order by mid January. I’m Seeing a lot of parallels to winter 2020. This could be a monster .

by Anonymousreply 288December 15, 2021 11:07 PM

R287, I thought Biden was gonna be giving them out for free? those self tests?

Those fuckers are expensive in NYC. like 26 bucks including tax at walgreens for 1 package (2 tests).

I know they are very cheap in Europe. like 5 bucks a test.

by Anonymousreply 289December 15, 2021 11:52 PM

[quote] Would it be reasonable to hope that, because Omicron spreads so quickly, the wave of its dominance will at least be short? Crashing and disastrous, but brief. Like a tsunami?

Yes it’s already happened in South Africa.

[quote] The surge at Cornell is all superinfections of vaxxed people? 97% vax rate in that institution.

What on earth is a “superinfection”? Is that when you get like 10 variants infecting you at once?

by Anonymousreply 290December 16, 2021 12:29 AM

[quote]imagine a pandemic so deadly that you could afford to fire healthcare workers.

Imagine a pandemic so deadly that inbred, mouth-breathing fuckwits like you would willfully ignore public health measures, stressing the healthcare system to the point of collapse.

Eat shit and die.

by Anonymousreply 291December 16, 2021 12:36 AM

NYU is requiring all students to get boosters

by Anonymousreply 292December 16, 2021 12:45 AM

We are in trouble . Most people are “over” Covid , but Covid is far from over .

by Anonymousreply 293December 16, 2021 12:49 AM

[quote] NYU is requiring all students to get boosters

I was wondering what the hell the lines down the street and around the block outside the City MD locations were all about. Although I thought I heard City MD doesn’t do vax, only tests?

by Anonymousreply 294December 16, 2021 12:50 AM

One of my touristy reservations for this weekend just got cancelled.

Way to go NYU

by Anonymousreply 295December 16, 2021 12:52 AM

There are long lines by the city MD by me too. They provide free covid tests.

by Anonymousreply 296December 16, 2021 12:55 AM

even those mobile vans have long lines.

I was visiting bloomingdales in midtown and across the street there are 3 mobile vans set up, with people lining up.

by Anonymousreply 297December 16, 2021 12:56 AM

I wonder if tests are suddenly required by a lot of institutions and employers in NYC? The long lines outside City MD just started 3 days ago (or maybe over the weekend). I haven’t seen anything like it since, I don’t know, the beginning of Covid?

I don’t quite understand the phenomenon.

by Anonymousreply 298December 16, 2021 12:59 AM

Some experts studying Omicron in South Africa say that it may be likely that Omicron is as virulent as Delta. It's just that there is so much previous infection in South Africa that people are somewhat protected from severe disease and death.

[quote] Some experts have warned that the reason why Omicron appears to be less virulent so far is that many of the people infected are either vaccinated or have had the virus previously, meaning that they still have enough antibodies to respond to it. A recent recent study in Gauteng found that 72 percent of the population had been previously infected with COVID-19.

If true, Omicron could present a really bad situation for unvaccinated people who had no prior Covid-19 infection.

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by Anonymousreply 299December 16, 2021 12:59 AM

[quote] Some experts studying Omicron in South Africa say that it may be likely that Omicron is as virulent as Delta.

Who said that it “may be likely” it’s as virulent as Delta?

And is it “it may be,” or “it’s likely”?

I’m glad I’m triple-vaccinated and don’t give a flying fuck. I don’t care if “Covid isn’t done with” me, I’m still done with *it*.

by Anonymousreply 300December 16, 2021 1:06 AM

Many people are traveling for the holidays and need negative covid tests...that's what I'm assuming the long lines were about. I've seen the lines for a couple of weeks now.

by Anonymousreply 301December 16, 2021 1:07 AM

Oh yeah, the lines outside have been there for quite a while, but just in the last few days, they’ve gotten about 6-8 times as long as they were a few weeks ago (no exaggeration). I guess it’s just testing pre-travel for Christmas.

(International travel?)

by Anonymousreply 302December 16, 2021 1:10 AM

NYU moves finals online, cancels some indoor activities due to COVID surge

New York University will move final exams online and cancel some indoor activities, including athletic events, due to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

Citing a “sharp acceleration” in student infections, school officials have forbidden all “nonessential” indoor events through the new year.

“The continuous review of the data from our COVID-19 testing program has indicated a considerable acceleration in the rate of new cases in our community,” Provost Katherine Fleming wrote in an email to the school community. “It’s not a cause for alarm, but it is a cause for concern, caution, and appropriate actions.”

The school encouraged instructors to move their finals to a remote format as soon as possible.

NYU’s measures follow several other schools, including Princeton and Cornell, that have limited indoor activity due to surging coronavirus numbers and concerns over the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

An increasing number of colleges have also required vaccine booster shots for students to remain eligible for enrollment. NYU on Tuesday announced a booster deadline of Jan. 18 for all its “community members” amid the spread of the Omicron variant.

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by Anonymousreply 303December 16, 2021 1:17 AM

My guess is testing due to contract tracing.

by Anonymousreply 304December 16, 2021 1:17 AM

[quote] Who said that it “may be likely” it’s as virulent as Delta?

Here's a different source in the Dr. John Campbell Youtube presentation tonight. He discusses another study from South Africa.

At timemark 3:00 he identifies the South African expert.

At timemark 5:10 they discuss the possibility that Omicron is not less virulent than Delta.

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by Anonymousreply 305December 16, 2021 1:26 AM

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

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by Anonymousreply 306December 16, 2021 1:31 AM

The person in this video looks decidedly unhealthy and poorly-groomed.

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by Anonymousreply 307December 16, 2021 2:37 AM

The UK recorded its highest daily new cases since the pandemic began - 78k.

Back in Jan 2021, the UK had daily cases in the 60ks but deaths were around 1500 a day for a population of 66m.

by Anonymousreply 308December 16, 2021 3:51 AM

I'm not surprised that the the UK recorded its highest daily new cases after that dreary unwatchable video at R307

by Anonymousreply 309December 16, 2021 4:02 AM

Health officials to weigh limits on J&J vaccine as deadly blood clots continue

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was set to meet with advisers Thursday to discuss possible restrictions on Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine due to ongoing concerns about blood clots, particularly among women.

Federal officials temporarily halted use of the single dose J&J vaccine in April to study six women who had experienced blood clots after getting vaxxed. The government ruled that the rewards far outweighed the risks associated with the shot, and usage of the vaccine resumed within days with a new warning label.

Although complications remain rare, some nine American women have died after experiencing blood clots associated with the vaccine, and the rate of clots in people who received it has increased since April, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.

About one woman per 100,000 aged 30 to 49 had experienced clot issues after getting a J&J jab, the FDA said in a fact sheet released Tuesday.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was expected to vote on restricting the usage of J&J’s initial and booster shot or issuing a preferential recommendation for other vaccines, according to the paper. Any recommendation would need to be reviewed by the CDC, which was reportedly asking state health departments to evaluate how dependent they were on the shot.

“We are committed to understanding and communicating all known risks, including rare events of [the blood clot condition], and strongly support raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of this rare event,” Jake Sargent, a spokesman for Johnson & Johnson, reportedly said.

Only about 17 million doses of J&J have been distributed in the US compared to about 470 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, according to the CDC.

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by Anonymousreply 310December 16, 2021 4:04 AM

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

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by Anonymousreply 311December 16, 2021 4:21 AM

There’s a mobile unit set up in my neighborhood in nyc. I was getting tested once a week because there was never a line and it was easy so why not. For the past two weeks the line has been around the block. Same with CityMD. People are very nervous about the new warnings and I’ve never seen so many people wearing masks. I was in both Target and the Spectrum store today and the mask mandate was being enforced by employees and I have never seen that before.

by Anonymousreply 312December 16, 2021 4:30 AM

R311

Godol Latio = Hot Tamale!

by Anonymousreply 313December 16, 2021 5:33 AM

New York (CNN Business)The CEOs of two of the nation's major airlines say they don't think wearing masks on planes does much to help limit exposure to Covid.

The comments from American Airlines (AAL) CEO Doug Parker — the nation's largest carrier — and Southwest (LUV) CEO Gary Kelly came during a hearing about the financial support that airlines received from the federal government in 2020 and 2021. But the topic of masks arose via a question from Sen. Roger Wicker, the ranking Republican on the Senate committee holding the hearing. "I think the case is very strong that masks don't add much, if anything, in the air cabin environment. It is very safe and very high quality compared to any other indoor setting," said Kelly.

Both Kelly and Parker, who each have announced plans to retire as CEOs in the coming months, mentioned that high-grade HEPA air filters on planes capture virtually all airborne contamination and air quality is helped by how frequently cabin air is exchanged with fresh air from outside the cabin.

"I concur. An aircraft is the safest place you can be," said Parker. "It's true of all of our aircraft — they all have the same HEPA filters and air flow."

After the hearing, American Airlines tried to walk back Parker's remarks. It issued a statement claiming that his concurrence with Kelly was on the point about the quality of the air in the aircraft cabin, not mask requirements. Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants, testified at the hearing that not all aircraft are equipped with the same quality of air filters. For example, some older planes do not have HEPA filters, she said. The mask requirement is still a source of controversy. Much of the steep rise of in incidents involving unruly passengers over the last two years have revolved around passengers being ordered to wear masks.

"I think that is probably for the medical community to decide rather than me," Nelson added. "What I will add is that the studies that have been done [on masks]....were done with mannequins that were sitting straight forward with masks on, not removing them, not eating." "It is important to recognize that the safe, controlled environment on planes...includes the HEPA filters that are not on all aircraft," she concluded. Masks on planes are required by the federal government, following the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control. The DOT did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the testimony. The remarks by Kelly and Parker were criticized by one committee member, Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat. "I'm shocked that some of the CEOs here today have suggested we no longer need masks mandates on planes," he said. "In the face of Omicron, children under five who still cannot be vaccinated....and that we still allow unvaccinated people on planes." He said it was "immoral" to take the position that people on planes could be forced to sit next to unvaccinated people who are not wearing masks. Nelson, who Markey was questioning, agreed that while she hopes that one day masks will not be required, she does not support lifting the mask mandate at this time.

"I believe that the government has taken a very responsible approach to this," she said. "We believe it should continue to stay in place. It's a workplace safety issue. We do need a consistent message though. It troubles me too to hear different messages. I would hope we are going to stay on the same messages and follow the medical experts and do what's necessary to keep everybody safe." Nelson said that the confidence in the safety of air travel is the reason people are willing to buy airline tickets in near pre-pandemic levels today. She said that the mask mandate is one of the factors leading to that confidence by airline passengers.

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by Anonymousreply 314December 16, 2021 6:51 AM

R314 Those comments are BS. What it comes down to is that they are ceding to their insane and violent customers. They figure that it's less trouble to drop the masks then it is to have an air marshall on every plane.

by Anonymousreply 315December 16, 2021 7:01 AM

Good news. Just resd an article that said Omicron acts more like a cold. It sits higher up, in the nose/throat area and not the lungs. Is this the beginning of the end? Viruses get weaker before they die, right?

by Anonymousreply 316December 16, 2021 7:15 AM

R314 Motherfuckers. What R315 said, plus they're being hurt by lower food and beverage sales on board, probably. Fuck those guys. I have a domestic flight planned for late Jan. that I've been waffling over canceling for COVID reasons, but now I want to cancel just to spite these greedy, murderous, pieces of shit.

by Anonymousreply 317December 16, 2021 10:39 AM

What airline are you flying Sylvia? I feel like Delta has been really good and responsible and JetBlue has been not bad.

American and Southwest SMH.

by Anonymousreply 318December 16, 2021 11:16 AM

R318 United. Any dirt on them?

by Anonymousreply 319December 16, 2021 12:08 PM

No clue about United.

by Anonymousreply 320December 16, 2021 12:15 PM

A surprisingly non-hysterical summary of what is known so far in today’s NY Times:

Get ready for the Omicron surge, and take it seriously. But remember that the vaccines appear to provide strong protection against what matters most: severe Covid illnesses.

That’s my reading of experts’ reactions to the latest developments on the Omicron variant. Today, I will walk through them.

Highly contagious

The news over the past few days — both scientific studies and real-world data — has added to the evidence that Omicron is more contagious than any previous version of the Covid-19 virus.

In South Africa, where Omicron was first identified, the recent rise has been steeper than during any previous surge. “When Omicron enters a community, the increase in case numbers looks like a vertical line,” Dr. Paul Sax of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston said.

Chart shows 7-day daily average.Source: Johns Hopkins University In Britain, new cases also hit a record yesterday. In the U.S., Omicron has not yet spread as widely, but scientists believe it’s only a matter of time.

One reason that Omicron seems to spread so quickly is that it causes more cases among the vaccinated than earlier variants, although they are likely to be mild. “There will be a lot of breakthrough cases,” Dr. Jennifer Lighter, an epidemiologist at N.Y.U. Langone Health, told me.

Dr. Muge Cevik, an infectious-disease expert at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, noted on Twitter that much about Omicron remains uncertain, but its infectiousness seems clear:

The only thing I am sure of is that Omicron will spread so quickly through the population, making it likely impossible to contain even with the most stringent measures and giving us very little time over the next few weeks. So get your vaccines and boosters!

I know that some readers will find this news extremely alarming. And it is alarming in several respects: Unvaccinated adults are at even greater risk than they were a few weeks ago, and about 15 percent of American adults remain unvaccinated. (The global share of unvaccinated adults is probably not much higher; many of the world’s unvaccinated people are children, and serious Covid illness remains extremely rare in children.)

The large number of unvaccinated adults means that Omicron may lead to spikes in Covid hospitalizations and deaths, which in turn could overwhelm some hospitals. This prospect is why Cevik emphasized the importance of the next few weeks. Persuading more vaccine skeptics in both the U.S. and other countries to get shots — before the Omicron surge has fully arrived — can save a lot of lives.

“I have been telling my unvaccinated patients that it is extremely urgent for them to start a vaccine series as soon as possible,” Dr. Aaron Richterman of the University of Pennsylvania said.

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by Anonymousreply 321December 16, 2021 12:19 PM

Continued

The power of vaccines

The most encouraging news about Omicron is that it does not appear to cause more severe illness than earlier versions of the virus.

Some evidence even suggests Omicron is less severe. A new study from Hong Kong, for example, found that Omicron replicated itself less efficiently than Delta inside the lungs, which could make it less likely to cause acute symptoms. But many scientists say it is too soon to be confident.

Either way, the crucial question for most people is not whether Omicron is less severe than earlier versions of the virus; the question is whether Omicron is more severe. So far, the answer is no.

If that continues to be true, it will mean that Omicron — like earlier variants — presents only a very small risk of serious illness to most vaccinated people. It is the kind of risk that people accept every day without reordering their lives, not so different from the chances of hospitalization or death from the flu or a car crash.

Unfortunately, there are some vaccinated people for whom any Covid case remains a threat. Those whose health is already vulnerable — like the elderly, people undergoing cancer treatments, people who have received organ transplants and some other groups — can become extremely ill from a Covid case that is mild in a technical sense. Their bodies are weak enough that any infection can cause major problems. It’s the same reason that the seasonal flu kills tens of thousands of Americans annually.

These are the people, in addition to the unvaccinated, who need the most attention now that Omicron has arrived.

Next steps

What can be done? A few things, experts say:

Anybody eligible for booster shots — Americans 16 and older who received their second vaccine dose at least six months ago — should get one. Boosters appear to make a major difference against Omicron, as Dr. Anthony Fauci and experts at the World Health Organization emphasized yesterday.

Even if your health is not vulnerable, a booster can reduce the chances you contract Covid and pass it on to somebody who is vulnerable. Likewise, vaccinating children can protect their grandparents.

Rapid tests — more widely available than a few months ago — can help, too. If you’re socializing with somebody who is medically vulnerable, try to take a test beforehand. And the Biden administration can do more to cut the tests’ costs, many experts say.

We will learn more about Omicron in coming weeks, and the facts could still become either more worrisome or less so. For now, the variant seems to represent a step toward the future of Covid. It will not disappear, but there are many ways to lessen its toll — and live as normal a life as possible.

As Dr. Monica Gandhi and Dr. Leslie Bienen, two public health experts, wrote in a recent Times Opinion article, “America is in the slow process of accepting that Covid-19 will become endemic — meaning it will always be present in the population at varying levels.”

by Anonymousreply 322December 16, 2021 12:20 PM

Many thanks R321 / R322 for posting that.

by Anonymousreply 323December 16, 2021 12:26 PM
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by Anonymousreply 324December 16, 2021 12:39 PM

Chief Medical Adviser at the UK Health Security Agency Susan Hopkins says that for Omicron, the R value is between 3 and 5 in the UK, and that the variant is spreading rapidly - doubling in size every two days.

The current R value of the Delta epidemic in the UK is estimated to be between 1.1 and 1.2.

by Anonymousreply 325December 16, 2021 12:59 PM

I feel like a broken record Cassandra on this and I apologize if I am annoying anyone else, cause I am kind of annoying myself, BUT

People need to stop worrying about the hospitals being overrun with Omicron patients and start worrying about inadequate hospital staff to care for people with Delta, heart attacks, etc, because so many doctors, nurses, aides and custodians are doing 10 day quarantines at the same time from Omicron.

It's weird to me how people focus on the risks of the past and can't redirect to the new risks.

by Anonymousreply 326December 16, 2021 1:13 PM

Also look for businesses, especially retail and restaurants, to have to close temporarily because all of their employees will be infected and isolating.

by Anonymousreply 327December 16, 2021 1:17 PM

I already have a house stored with long lasting food and other essentials.

I've always taken the attitude that COVID ain't over until its over and it may never be so I take advantage of the 'good periods' to stock up.

by Anonymousreply 328December 16, 2021 2:13 PM

Personally, I have no room to stock up. I must carefully husband my toilet paper.

by Anonymousreply 329December 16, 2021 2:17 PM

So right, R326.

by Anonymousreply 330December 16, 2021 2:17 PM

R312 same. I’m currently in a line wrapping around the block. Ughhhhhh.

by Anonymousreply 331December 16, 2021 2:19 PM
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by Anonymousreply 332December 16, 2021 3:27 PM

[quote]One reason that Omicron seems to spread so quickly is that it causes more cases among the vaccinated than earlier variants, although they are likely to be mild.

I wish they would elaborate on whether it's causing more cases in the vaccinated who have irresponsibly dropped their masks everywhere they go because of some false sense of security or just all vaccinated. The number of people on here over the last 6-8 months who have proclaimed, like petulant children, that "I've got my shot, I ain't wearing my mask no more and you can't make me!!" is astonishing.

by Anonymousreply 333December 16, 2021 4:40 PM

"This will get extremely serious within the next two weeks, perhaps quicker."

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by Anonymousreply 334December 16, 2021 4:50 PM

Sylvia, before you cancel your trip, find out what United's policy is for refund/credit. I canceled a flight on American back in early 2020 when all this started because Broadway had shut down and my job in NYC was canceled. American would NOT give me a refund no matter how much I complained, and my credit is going to expire in March of 2022. I tried to use it this fall for a trip on JetBlue (which is their sort-of partner airline) but was unable to do so. I only felt safe flying JetBlue because I booked a single seat row in Mint.

by Anonymousreply 335December 16, 2021 5:42 PM

R333 — So as long as we boosted individuals wear our masks in public places, we won’t get breakthrough infections?

by Anonymousreply 336December 16, 2021 8:28 PM

For those who are flying, I sent my best friend to the airport just a couple of days ago, he flew American Airlines and he is fine. He flew business so he wasn't in the back of the plane in economy class. The flight was full and he was on it for 7 hrs, flying to London.

In the airport, there weren't too many people when he checked in. And the TSA security line was short. He breezed through...no drama.

Also, AA sent email a few days before the flight telling him that the air is HEPA filtered blah blah blah every 2-4 min

This was JFK.

by Anonymousreply 337December 16, 2021 8:39 PM

At today's briefing, NYC mayor said they would be giving away 1 million N95 masks and also home testing kits.

I really want some!

by Anonymousreply 338December 16, 2021 8:42 PM

Tonight I seem to have a weird, intermittent, uncharacteristic pressure headache deep in my temples and crown, and a bit of a sniffle. Bit freaked out...

In fairness, I know I haven’t drunk enough water today, and I have been sleeping like shit (way too late, due to a different health condition) for weeks now, so it could easily be that rather than any virus. I’m double-vaxxed, and booked in for a third booster in a couple weeks, plus I mask in public spaces.

But the fact that I never get headaches for any reason usually, and that I got dragged out of the house into our local town two days ago (against my will to distribute early Xmas gifts, by my fucking family) gives me pause and makes me worried.

So I’ll probably take a home swab test tomorrow. Do the old kits (ones made and distributed before this month) even pick up Omnicron, though?

by Anonymousreply 339December 16, 2021 8:43 PM

R336, you should add a face shield.

Vaccines aren't working well against this variant.

I was reading somewhere that pfizer is on 33% successful?! not sure.

JnJ is useless against this variant, according to study in the lab and so is that chinese vax.

by Anonymousreply 340December 16, 2021 8:44 PM

R339, yes I think they do.

by Anonymousreply 341December 16, 2021 8:45 PM

‘Striking’ vaccine resistance in Omicron variant: Columbia University

A new study out of Columbia University says the Omicron variant is “markedly resistant” to vaccines and boosters might not do much to help, spelling bad news for the country as Omicron spreads and COVID-19 cases rise nationally.

“A striking feature of this variant is the large number of spike mutations that pose a threat to the efficacy of current COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapies,” according to the study authored by more than 20 scientists at Columbia and the University of Hong Kong.

The Omicron variant was first detected in South Africa in November and is widely believed to soon become the dominant strain in the US, eclipsing the Delta variant.

The scientists express concern in the study published Wednesday that the variant’s “extensive” mutations can “greatly compromise” the vaccine, even neutralizing it. The report said the booster shots prevent some of the neutralization, but the variant “may still pose a risk” for those with their third shot.

“Even a third booster shot may not adequately protect against Omicron infection,” the study said, adding it’s still smart to get a booster.

The results are “in line with emerging clinical data on the Omicron variant demonstrating higher rates of reinfection and vaccine breakthroughs,” the authors said.

One study recently showed Omicron is roughly 70 times more transmissible than Delta, but less severe.

The new Columbia study ends with a grave warning and a call to action to the scientific community.

“It is not too far-fetched to think that this [COVID-19] is now only a mutation or two away from being pan-resistant to current antibodies,” it says. “We must devise strategies that anticipate the evolutional direction of the virus and develop agents that target better conserved viral elements.”

More than 5.3 people million worldwide, including more than 802,000 in the US, have died from COVID-19 as of Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

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by Anonymousreply 342December 16, 2021 8:51 PM

[quote] It is not too far-fetched to think that this [COVID-19] is now only a mutation or two away from being pan-resistant to current antibodies.

Then what is it even possible to do at this point?

by Anonymousreply 343December 16, 2021 9:01 PM

R343 If it becomes that remarkably different, I suspect it may be labelled as SARS CoV-3, and a fresh batch of vaccines would go into quick production. Just a hasty surmise on my part.

by Anonymousreply 344December 16, 2021 9:05 PM

Nothing R343 while things evolve, except follow common sense precautions like vaccines to protect against other strains and possibly some protection against new strains, masks indoors, avoid crowds, social distancing where possible, work from home if possible. At some point mrna vaccines can probably be relatively quickly revised to address new strains.

by Anonymousreply 345December 16, 2021 9:07 PM

I doubt new vaccines will work. There will be even less compliance this time around.

by Anonymousreply 346December 16, 2021 9:10 PM

It’s hard to get appointments for boosters in New York now so many people want them all at once.

Pfizer goes to 75% post third dose. I wish they’d talk about Moderna which is effective for longer to start.

by Anonymousreply 347December 16, 2021 9:30 PM

R346 I think portions of our innate immunity would still provide some ammo, so to speak. We still would most certainly have our T-Cells, which are a bridge between our innate and adaptive immune systems.

If it still was technically a Corona virus, the spike would still be similiar [talic] enough [/italic] for our bodies to identify it.

I wish I had a link for you handy, but some research has detected a bit of such adaptive immunity conferred from previous Coronavirus exposure, like the ones which cause some of the common colds. It's definitely a very positive outlook, yet I prefer that to believing we would be completely powerless.

by Anonymousreply 348December 16, 2021 9:31 PM

R347, just walk in to any of the city hospitals. they take walk ins. no appt needed. My friend got one end of Nov, he had an appt but when he showed up there were plenty of walk ins. they were taking everyone.

by Anonymousreply 349December 16, 2021 9:57 PM

Thankfully I am boosted now.

by Anonymousreply 350December 16, 2021 10:03 PM

Might not be that effective r350

by Anonymousreply 351December 16, 2021 10:06 PM

This is bowing up on the east coast. Not sure of the severity though. So many people have tested positive. Just in the last 3 days or so. Since Monday.

by Anonymousreply 352December 16, 2021 10:25 PM

R335 Not to fear, I purchased refundable tickets. I'll never buy any other sort of ticket again; the extra money is worth the peace of mind.

by Anonymousreply 353December 16, 2021 10:37 PM

R332 So on the one hand the ‘experts’ are saying the SA cases are mostly mild because so many of them had previous Delta infections, but one of the medical experts just said on CNN that people here shouldn’t get complacent because natural immunity (from a previous infection) WON’T shield them from a serious Omicron illness.

wtf?

by Anonymousreply 354December 16, 2021 10:41 PM

Sylvia, I just flew United, Waikiki to L.A. Everyone was masked, including flight attendants, and they did remind people to put their masks back on if they tarried too long eating or drinking. I've flown quite a bit for work on Delta and United this year, and am still healthy-for work, I need to get tested 3x week.

by Anonymousreply 355December 16, 2021 11:25 PM

R354, anyone who appears on CNN is required to make dire predictions or they’ll never be asked back.

by Anonymousreply 356December 16, 2021 11:36 PM

[quote][R318] United. Any dirt on them?

I've flown United three times this year. Very chill, everybody masked no questions asked. Polite reminder to passengers that refusing to wear a mask will result in a permanent airline ban.

Passengers are all still doing the dopey "unmask for a bite of food" shtik, but if you avoid food/drink I think you'd be fine.

by Anonymousreply 357December 16, 2021 11:38 PM

In addition to hospitals' demand for PRN staff, the locum agencies have started going absolutely nuts this week.

When I told the latest guy that two other people from his agency had already called me, he yelled into the phone: No! Please don't hang up! I know you're not interested, but you must know someone who might be. No call, no nights, no weekends, no codes!

Sure, Jan.

by Anonymousreply 358December 17, 2021 1:09 AM

R355/R357 Thanks, that's good to know. My concern is that we'll be at Peak Omicron on my travel dates (late Jan). I trust my N95 masks, but I don't know if I trust them THAT much.

(BTW I found 3M Aura masks online at Staples.)

by Anonymousreply 359December 17, 2021 1:39 AM

I'm supposed to go to a potluck on the 23rd. I think I am going to back out.

by Anonymousreply 360December 17, 2021 2:10 AM

What booster are you all having next?

My lungs did NOT agree with Pfizer so I am deciding between AZ and Moderna.

by Anonymousreply 361December 17, 2021 2:44 AM

R361, go for the Moderna. AZ ain't that great.

by Anonymousreply 362December 17, 2021 2:50 AM

OMFG Omicron is God's gift to the media business, that's for sure. The PANIC and CONCERN and maybe this and maybe that. EVERY media whore is gunning for HITS, BABY, HITS.

by Anonymousreply 363December 17, 2021 2:51 AM

In February of 2020 I went to farm and hardware shop and they had one of these left and no other masks so I bought it. Its been sitting my self gathering dust for almost 2 years. This past summer I noticed filters had been restocked, finally, and bought some.

Well, has the time come?

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by Anonymousreply 364December 17, 2021 2:56 AM

Are you really that afraid of wee little Omicron, R364? Delta didn’t do it for you, but Omicron does??

by Anonymousreply 365December 17, 2021 3:43 AM

it seems out of control in NY at the moment with not enough testing supplies as people line up and schools shutting down

by Anonymousreply 366December 17, 2021 3:47 AM

R365=DJT

by Anonymousreply 367December 17, 2021 3:48 AM

[quote]So as long as we boosted individuals wear our masks in public places, we won’t get breakthrough infections?

If you are boosted and taking masking and distancing precautions, I'd say you are way less likely to get it than the 90% of vaccinated people who seemingly thought getting vaccinated meant they could throw all other precautions to the wind.

R340, the booster shot brings Pfizer protection against Delta back up to over 90% and protection against Omicron up to the mid-70% range.

[quote]The scientists express concern in the study published Wednesday that the variant’s “extensive” mutations can “greatly compromise” the vaccine, even neutralizing it. The report said the booster shots prevent some of the neutralization, but the variant “may still pose a risk” for those with their third shot.

[quote]The results are “in line with emerging clinical data on the Omicron variant demonstrating higher rates of reinfection and vaccine breakthroughs,” the authors said.

I'd really like to know how many of these vaccine breakthroughs are in people who stopped wearing masks and taking any precautions because they were vaccinated vs. how many of them are in vaccinated people who continued to mask and distance and didn't rush out to group settings and restaurants, etc. Vaccinated people who dropped precautions and vaccinated people who didn't are two very different groups.

by Anonymousreply 368December 17, 2021 4:15 AM

In Los Angeles, our numbers are going up and every person in public spaces wears masks. It's required and has been for a long time. So either the masks don't really work or the people getting infected here are unvaccinated. I'm leaning towards it's the unvaxxed idiots who are getting it.

by Anonymousreply 369December 17, 2021 4:47 AM

According to an ABC report NYC positivity rates have spiked over 3 days and it seems that it evades immunity. One senior spokesperson said "We've never seen this before"

by Anonymousreply 370December 17, 2021 5:57 AM

NY braces as COVID cases jump -NBC News

by Anonymousreply 371December 17, 2021 6:09 AM

Who could have predicted that cramming thousands of drunk Santas into bars, one after another, mixing and matching, so that they could bellow Christmas carols at top volume into each others' unmasked faces might not be a good idea?

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by Anonymousreply 372December 17, 2021 6:36 AM

I hate these fucking irresponsible assholes. They are assaulting the rest of us every single day. Get vaxxed or lock their asses in their houses and shoot them if they leave. Society will be better off for their absence.

by Anonymousreply 373December 17, 2021 7:42 AM

R360 it would be potluck going to a potluck tbh.

by Anonymousreply 374December 17, 2021 9:33 AM

Or potunluck tb even more h.

by Anonymousreply 375December 17, 2021 10:37 AM

[quote]In Los Angeles, our numbers are going up and every person in public spaces wears masks

But you don't know what they do in private spaces. If they're like many of my fully vaccinated and boosted friends, they're hanging out in their houses unmasked with both vaccinated and unvaccinated friends and family. Yet they maintain that they're being "very safe."

by Anonymousreply 376December 17, 2021 10:53 AM

I do not to believe that “every person” in LA wears masks in public spaces.

by Anonymousreply 377December 17, 2021 12:45 PM

[quote]But you don't know what they do in private spaces.

I learned that lesson early on when I used what was then the standard wording, “have you socialized with people from outside of your household?” The guy said he hadn’t, and that he always wore masks. Moments later, it came out that he only socialized with family members in his own house or at theirs.

He wasn’t trying to be deceptive. English was his second language and he took “outside the household” to mean strangers. It never occurred to him that family living elsewhere could fall into the same category.

He also thought that since he was only spending time with family members, they all would have known when one person was sick, so masks weren’t required when they were together.

That conversation feels like it was 100 years ago, but not much has changed.

by Anonymousreply 378December 17, 2021 12:53 PM

This new report estimates that the risk of reinfection with the Omicron variant is 5.4 times greater than that of the Delta variant.

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by Anonymousreply 379December 17, 2021 2:37 PM

My partner and I are both sick and had to cancel our tropical Christmas plans. We've ordered Whole Foods delivery for Christmas dinner instead.

by Anonymousreply 380December 17, 2021 2:52 PM

Sorry to hear that R380. How would you describe your symptoms?

by Anonymousreply 381December 17, 2021 2:55 PM

r380 I'm so sorry, hope you feel ok. What part of the US are you in? I hear tons of people in NYC are testing positive.

by Anonymousreply 382December 17, 2021 3:00 PM

New York City seems to be in the beginning of a panic, frankly. Long lines to get tested. No rapid tests to be found in pharmacies.

by Anonymousreply 383December 17, 2021 3:37 PM

Feel better R380. That really sucks but at least you have a partner. To a random stranger on the internet, it sounds kind of cozy for Christmas to do Whole Foods delivery?

I live alone and I'm dreading if this becomes isolation lockdown again. 2020 was so rough mentally. I told myself I would try to find a partner the second they eased restrictions and yet here we are again. Oh well.

Sending healthy energy to my fellow DLers.

by Anonymousreply 384December 17, 2021 4:04 PM

Radio City cancelled its Christmas Show!

by Anonymousreply 385December 17, 2021 4:10 PM

Where is sleepy Joe?

by Anonymousreply 386December 17, 2021 4:11 PM

[quote] [R335] Not to fear, I purchased refundable tickets. I'll never buy any other sort of ticket again; the extra money is worth the peace of mind.

Glad to hear it. And yes, I will never again book a trip without taking the insurance on it!

by Anonymousreply 387December 17, 2021 5:21 PM
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by Anonymousreply 388December 17, 2021 5:56 PM

D'oh!

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by Anonymousreply 389December 17, 2021 7:33 PM

R373, the vaccinated are getting this variant. Even the boosted

by Anonymousreply 390December 17, 2021 9:25 PM

R384, hugs 🤗. . You will find the lover beyond your wildest dreams.

by Anonymousreply 391December 17, 2021 9:27 PM

So now the booster is useless? Links please.

by Anonymousreply 392December 17, 2021 9:28 PM

Look at R388, the booster seems quite effective.

by Anonymousreply 393December 17, 2021 9:29 PM

My fetal hygienist was telling me that in order to go to New Zealand. One first had to secure a hotel room, and to get a hotel room it’s through a lottery system.

He finally won a hotel room, had to test before going and of course mask up on his flight. There were 3 people on his flight!! Two in back and he was up front.

Arriving, he had to quarantine and be tested, had to have food delivered, but was required to wait two minutes before opening the door to retrieve it. Then he finds out one of the guys on the plane tested positive for COVID!

by Anonymousreply 394December 17, 2021 9:40 PM

If you have blood type O you have an edge against covid. If you're not fat another edge. But some things you can do which you have total control over: Vitamin D (Fauci says he takes 6,000 units daily.) Also masks where appropriate. Vaccines (Not J&J) Get extra sleep if possible (For immune system). Long shot: Gargle with Listerine or generic copy. Covid is mostly in air passages, but if your throat is scratchy there might be some there too. Will lower viral load. Caveat: If you are obese vitamin D will not be properly absorbed in your system and will have little or no benefit.

by Anonymousreply 395December 17, 2021 9:52 PM

[quote]If you have blood type O you have an edge against covid.

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by Anonymousreply 396December 17, 2021 9:54 PM

I had someone cancel their coveted before Christmas hair appointment. Their whole house has covid and they haven't worn masks in months so God knows who they gave it too.

by Anonymousreply 397December 17, 2021 9:59 PM

One study of others who disagree.

by Anonymousreply 398December 17, 2021 10:00 PM
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by Anonymousreply 399December 17, 2021 10:40 PM
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by Anonymousreply 400December 17, 2021 10:50 PM

Concerning blood type, R396, that study only looked at infection, not severity of illness. There is some possibility that different blood types might react differently because Covid is a circulatory illness and the evolutionary histories of the various blood types do make a difference in some ways. It's unsettled with studies on both sides at this point.

[quote]Caveat: If you are obese vitamin D will not be properly absorbed in your system and will have little or no benefit.

Wrong. Why even bother writing that lie? If you are obese, take extra vitamin D to make up for the storage differences in fat cells in order to increase the amount of circulating vitamin D. The same way you should supplement at a higher dose if you are dark skinned because the higher melanin in your cells doesn't let you metabolize vitamin D through natural sun exposure.

by Anonymousreply 401December 17, 2021 10:52 PM

Fetal = dental

by Anonymousreply 402December 17, 2021 10:58 PM

I don't understand why Gottlieb is acting like we have no clue about what he posted in the tweet at R400. It's been predicted all over the place that it was possible that due to the infectivity rate of Omicron that the wave could be very, very steep but not long-lived. That's played out in South Africa with its specific set of variables. It remains yet to be seen if the same happens in other countries. The UK will be the next one to watch. The US is a crapshoot due to the mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated, the international travel, the fucking moron contingent, and the prevalence of Delta infection over the last few months in different pockets across the country.

by Anonymousreply 403December 17, 2021 10:58 PM

If it's a lie a lot of top epidemiologists have been lying, too.

by Anonymousreply 404December 17, 2021 11:01 PM

Spreading Swifties! 100 tested positive after impromptu Taylor Swift party to celebrate the rerelease of her album!

by Anonymousreply 405December 17, 2021 11:02 PM

Hawaii 797 cases Friday. Huge increase. Honolulu Marathon Dec 12th. And then they take it back home.

by Anonymousreply 406December 17, 2021 11:07 PM

"I see the next few months as a time to fortify one's safety behaviors. Why?.

1st, Omicron looks to have peaked in So Africa; we'll likely see a familiar surge-then-plunge pattern, just with a much steeper upslope. Second, I’m quite worried about an overwhelmed healthcare system – we’ll rapidly hit capacity limits in meds, beds, ICUs, testing and most importantly people (many MDs/RNs out sick too). Trust me, you want to avoid getting sick when the system is stressed. Third, I see the Pfizer oral anti-viral as a very big deal, and it won’t be available for 4-6 weeks (even then it'll be in short supply).

Even if Omicron proves to be less severe, don't get lulled: it's unlikely to be massively less severe. If (let’s say) Omcrn is 30% less severe but cases go up 5-10x (both plausible), that’s still awful, w/ far more hospitalizations & deaths than comparable Delta surge."

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by Anonymousreply 407December 17, 2021 11:10 PM

Thank you, R402; I was wondering why you were seeing a hygienist who's too young to have been fully gestated, let alone pass their training exams.

by Anonymousreply 408December 17, 2021 11:12 PM

[quote] Almost exactly one month after Mayor Bill de Blasio triumphantly announced tens of thousands of fully vaccinated people could return to Times Square to celebrate New Year’s Eve in person this year, the state saw it’s highest single-day reporting of new COVID infections. The previous record, set 11 months ago on Jan. 14, crumbled when Gov. Kathy Hochul announced 21,027 new positive cases statewide Friday. The old record for most reported cases in a single day was 19,942, when reported hospitalizations were on the brink of 9,000. Now, the number of people admitted is down by more than half.

Are there any studies on this surge indicating if new infections are strictly un-vaxed or are they also break thru cases? Two shots or booster?

by Anonymousreply 409December 17, 2021 11:26 PM

At least half a dozen Broadway shows will not go on due to cast members with breath through infections

by Anonymousreply 410December 17, 2021 11:48 PM

To be fair to DiBlasio 97% of the people in Times Square on New Year's eve are tourists from Ohio. They're currently running rampant over the city sucking up COVID-infused spittle like their lives depended on it. So it should work out well for them.

by Anonymousreply 411December 17, 2021 11:54 PM

R410 break through

by Anonymousreply 412December 17, 2021 11:58 PM

My fecal hygienist Danny Thomas says scat play with a glass barrier is perfectly covid safe.

by Anonymousreply 413December 18, 2021 12:08 AM

LMFAO, R413.

by Anonymousreply 414December 18, 2021 1:48 AM

I wish people like this would cool their hysteria down. All this “OMG SO MANY CASES IT’S THE APOCALYPSE!!!” crap is not helpful. “Cases” does not equal “sick people.” It’s simply positive tests, many of which are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic.

Enough!

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by Anonymousreply 415December 18, 2021 2:02 AM

Cable news showing pictures of people lined up for Covid tests, OMG! Yeah, they’re lining up because you need a negative test to fly anywhere and it’s a week before Christmas, the busiest travel time of the year. The fear mongering is ridiculous.

by Anonymousreply 416December 18, 2021 2:07 AM

r405- that's from the recent Pearl Harbor Day celebration weekend, where thousands of vets, military people, cheerleaders, band members and their families descended upon Waikiki like locusts- I was staying at the Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa (for work), and people would cram into the elevators, 10 at a time. Often times 1-3 people unmasked. I ended up taking the stairs 27 flights instead of riding the whole week with them. Someone on DL mocked me about it, saying that would kill me before getting CV19, but I do stairs anyway, and it only took me 15 minutes.

by Anonymousreply 417December 18, 2021 2:10 AM

Sorry- it should be r406 in r417's post.

by Anonymousreply 418December 18, 2021 2:10 AM

Why would veterans celebrate Pearl Harbor?

by Anonymousreply 419December 18, 2021 2:13 AM

Around 5pm today, I passed 3 covid testing sites in Manhattan (UES) with no lines whatsoever.

I waited in line for an hour yesterday at 10am to get a test, but I think timing is everything.

by Anonymousreply 420December 18, 2021 2:16 AM

Those mildly symptomatic and asymptomatic cases force hospital staff into quarantine.

Good luck to you when you finally stroke out over something someone wrote on Twitter and you’re stuck with the 78-year-old PRN nocturnist because the board-certified vascular neurologists are at home watching Yellowjackets.

by Anonymousreply 421December 18, 2021 2:22 AM

I wish Taylor would not make the oldies albums as main projects.

She should do them in the background and then release them but not have them distract from her mainline albums.

I think by doing all of this re-recording she is actually letting that pig who bought her masters have the satisfaction of distracting her from her would-be albums.

She would be releasing something special right now, just in time for the holidays that would have continued her trend of getting better and better and really pushing herself. I love her music, sue me, it’s always of the moment. No other artist really nails the contemporary sounds like she does as far as sonically.

Some of her lead singles have been questionable but the albums always delivered.

She was going along towards Stevie nicks tinged territory on her last album, so it would have been nice to see where she took that with a new album but I guess I’ll have to wait.

by Anonymousreply 422December 18, 2021 2:23 AM

Amen, R421.

R422, I hear ya, but it’s neither the time nor the place.

by Anonymousreply 423December 18, 2021 2:24 AM

It’s interesting that most of the monoclonal antibody treatments aren’t going to work for Omicron, given how they’ve become the safety net of the unvaxxed.

by Anonymousreply 424December 18, 2021 2:34 AM

I was supposed to go to a small potluck on the 23rd, I backed out today. Not worth the risk of spreading it.

by Anonymousreply 425December 18, 2021 3:31 AM

There's always horsepaste ElderLez

by Anonymousreply 426December 18, 2021 3:38 AM

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

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by Anonymousreply 427December 18, 2021 4:05 AM

VP ,La said 'The Biden administration didn't see Omicron coming'

by Anonymousreply 428December 18, 2021 4:14 AM

[quote]Why would veterans celebrate Pearl Harbor?

Wow you're dumb.

by Anonymousreply 429December 18, 2021 8:35 AM

People are out and about, as if there was no such thing as a pandemic - the logic being that not too many have died by Omicron and most have been vaccinated already. It’s only the death casualties that strike fear on them.

by Anonymousreply 430December 18, 2021 9:06 AM

So true R426

by Anonymousreply 431December 18, 2021 10:31 AM

As for that bizarre up and down line I have a thought with is probably unfounded optimism mixed with wishful thinking, but here goes:

Have you ever had a day where you had no symptoms, but felt like you were “fighting something?” Sometimes you feel fine the next day and sometimes you you actually get sick. Has that ever happened to you?

Let’s suspend disbelief and imagine for a second that the insane terrifying statement about Omicron being 70 times more infectious than Delta is actually true, or at least an overstatement rather than nonsense.

And then let’s suspend disbelief and imagine that the equally insane, but super comforting for most people on this thread, speculation that vaccines and prior infection provide good protection for Omicron and mostly keep the virus to the nose and throat and generally asymptomatic.

Well maybe the straight up and down is whole communities having the “think I am fighting something” day all at the same time and most of them better the next.

Anyway it’s sheer speculation on my part and it is most likely that I am wrong.

by Anonymousreply 432December 18, 2021 10:59 AM

[quote]I wish people like this would cool their hysteria down. All this “OMG SO MANY CASES IT’S THE APOCALYPSE!!!” crap is not helpful. “Cases” does not equal “sick people.” It’s simply positive tests

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by Anonymousreply 433December 18, 2021 11:56 AM

[quote]It’s interesting that most of the monoclonal antibody treatments aren’t going to work for Omicron, given how they’ve become the safety net of the unvaxxed.

Indeed.

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by Anonymousreply 434December 18, 2021 11:57 AM

Something to do with the furin cleavage in SARS/COVID virus.

by Anonymousreply 435December 18, 2021 12:03 PM

R381, our main symptoms are extreme fatigue, bad body aches (worst in the back of my head and neck- my head is pounding all day), stratchy/sore throat, and minor congestion. I also feel foggy. Neither of us have the classic symptoms of the previous varients. We're both doubled jabbed with Pfizer - boosters had been scheduled for early January - and live in the UK. Boosters were only made available to our age group very recently in the UK, unfortunately.

Ironically, I'm the frontline key worker who's been surrounded by colleagues getting covid this entire term and paranoid about catching it there, but it's my WFH partner who caught it and started displaying symptoms a day before me. It was probably in the supermarket or something. We've at least been able to reschedule our travel plans for next year with minimal hassle.

by Anonymousreply 436December 18, 2021 12:24 PM

[quote] furin cleavage

Hot.

by Anonymousreply 437December 18, 2021 12:27 PM

My sister, who had invited me over for Christmas with her family, called me yesterday and advised that I stay home to be safe since her kids have been in exposure risk areas. I didn't argue that point and was considering declining anyway.

However, my siblings and I have been planning a NYE/birthday party (It'll be my 60th). I think it'll only be 5 of us, but we all live in different houses. We are all fully vaccinated, but not all boosted, but we'll all be in the 60+ crowd.

I'm in Michigan, so all will be indoors. While there's room to keep some distance, I doubt anybody in the house will be masking.

I'm considering cancelling this too since we're still a Delta hotspot and Omicron is knocking a the doorstep. Not sure.

by Anonymousreply 438December 18, 2021 1:59 PM

All five of you could do rapid home tests a few hours before the party, R438 ... if you can manage to lay your hands on tests, that is.

by Anonymousreply 439December 18, 2021 2:25 PM
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by Anonymousreply 440December 18, 2021 2:27 PM

Worse than Delta.

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by Anonymousreply 441December 18, 2021 2:36 PM

Men more likely to die of COVID than women, data shows

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by Anonymousreply 442December 18, 2021 2:39 PM

Why does a third dose of mNRA vaccine decrease the infection risk of Omicron if the vaccine was developed for another variant and the first two doses offer limited protection against Omicron?

Also, it takes a long time to do genetic sequencing and yet somehow we had single cases pop-up within one week globally? Swabs from (PCR) tests can show if the variant causing the infection looks like Omicron... a full genetic analysis can take "a couple of weeks."

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by Anonymousreply 443December 18, 2021 2:45 PM
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by Anonymousreply 444December 18, 2021 2:52 PM

[quote]People are out and about, as if there was no such thing as a pandemic

R430, people are out and about because after 2 years of this thing, we have to get on with some semblance of life. We cannot stay locked down and cooped up forever as a society. Prudent precautions, of course, are a good idea -- get vaxxed and boosted, wear a mask, try not to crowd, and don't lick strangers. For most of us, those are measures that arrive at a reasonable level of risk.

COVID will never go away, so all we can do is figure out how to live with it. Folks are going to die. That's just the way this is going to go... but we can't keep open and closing and hiding in fear forever.

by Anonymousreply 445December 18, 2021 3:02 PM

So R445, you are really prepared to die so that people can shop and go to concerts?

by Anonymousreply 446December 18, 2021 3:04 PM

Well, R446, I'd be prepared to die so I didn't have to read that sort of hyperbolic nonsense anymore.

I've gotten vaxxed and boosted, I mask in public spaces, and I encourage everyone around me to do the same. There is literally nothing else that can be done to stop this. Closing down concerts and shops will not stop the spread at this point. It just won't.

Vaccines fight COVID. Masks fight COVID. Hand-wringing does not.

by Anonymousreply 447December 18, 2021 3:09 PM

R446 How do you expect society to function with social distancing forever? What about people who can't work from home?

by Anonymousreply 448December 18, 2021 3:12 PM

[quote]Vaccines fight COVID. Masks fight COVID.

True. But not enough humans are utilizing either of these tools –so when their irresponsibility periodically threatens to overwhelm the healthcare systems in their respective countries, closing down concerts and shops does indeed stop the spread, enough to give healthcare a bit of a reprieve.

by Anonymousreply 449December 18, 2021 3:15 PM

[quote]Closing down concerts and shops will not stop the spread at this point. It just won't.

Are you a scientist or physician, BearHo?

Your statement is completely untrue: a fallacy.

by Anonymousreply 450December 18, 2021 3:16 PM

R450: No, it is not a fallacy and not completely true. It will not stop the spread. No lockdowns that we've done have stopped the spread. All of the trends bear that out.

Could lockdowns slow spread? Perhaps, but at what cost and at what added benefit beyond vaccine and mask mandates?

by Anonymousreply 451December 18, 2021 3:19 PM

[quote] [R450]: No, it is not a fallacy and not completely true. It will not stop the spread. No lockdowns that we've done have stopped the spread. All of the trends bear that out.

Don’t know what you are smoking, but lockdowns that were OBSERVED ceased the spread. See China and Australia for [bold] All of the trends that bear that out[/bold].

You clearly do not KNOW what you are talking about and spouting misinformation.

by Anonymousreply 452December 18, 2021 3:27 PM

[quote] but lockdowns that were OBSERVED ceased the spread. See China and Australia for All of the trends that bear that out.

R452, you're batshit crazy if you still think that China or Australia-style lockdowns could be successfully implemented in the US, or most of the west for that matter. Fucking crazy.

by Anonymousreply 453December 18, 2021 3:29 PM

[quote] [R452], you're batshit crazy if you still think that China or Australia-style lockdowns could be successfully implemented in the US, or most of the west for that matter. Fucking crazy.

With repetitive Covid mutations that hit countries like “tsunamis” decimating healthcare systems (not to mention the economic impact of a pandemic that continues on and on and ON) what is more crazy: people who continue to spread a virus like wildfire, or measures to stop the spread?

Lockdowns do work. So your original point was WRONG.

by Anonymousreply 454December 18, 2021 3:37 PM

Ugh, R454. Glad you're not in charge of anything other than your little kingdom.

A lockdown in the US now would be too little, too late, and absolutely politically a non-starter. We can argue all you'd like about their potential impact, but it's all fucking academic. They are not feasible.

Not feasible. Read the fucking words.

Could we then focus on measures that are both feasible and can have some impact? Like, you know, masks and vaccines?

by Anonymousreply 455December 18, 2021 3:41 PM

Indoor mixing is the “biggest risk factor” for the spread of the Omicron variant, UK experts have warned, as documents revealed advisers cautioned that large gatherings risked creating “multiple spreading events”.

Documents released by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) on Saturday revealed the advice which had been given to ministers by the body. And at a meeting Thursday, the experts said that stricter measures may be needed for Omicron, because of its transmissibility.

Minutes from the meeting said that this could include “reducing group sizes, increasing physical distancing, reducing duration of contacts and closing high-risk premises”. (If only BearHo were there to advise them differently!)

They said that lateral flow tests should also be used on a group basis - so if one person in a group tests positive before going to an event, their whole group should also not attend, even if they did not test positive. The experts warned that “hospitalisations in UK will reach high levels in about two weeks even if transmission is reduced soon”, and predicted between 1,000 and 2,000 hospital admissions per day in England by the end of the year.

by Anonymousreply 456December 18, 2021 3:42 PM

[quote] Minutes from the meeting said that this could include “reducing group sizes, increasing physical distancing, reducing duration of contacts and closing high-risk premises”. (If only BearHo were there to advise them differently!)

Oh, go fuck yourself. All of these things will slow -- not stop -- the spread, and again, it's all academic. Even in the very blue urban Pacific Northwest that I live in, there's little appetite to return to closures. There just isn't.

So we can piddle away time pretending that we have options that we don't, or we can put our effort into getting people vaxxed and boosted, and staying masked. Which do you think is a better use of our time?

by Anonymousreply 457December 18, 2021 3:46 PM

[quote] after 2 years of this thing, we have to get on with some semblance of life. We cannot stay locked down and cooped up forever as a society

People keep repeating this "we're tired of living like this" line as if the protocols were just there to humor scientists. See what the brute facts of reality think about your "we're tired of living like this."

by Anonymousreply 458December 18, 2021 3:51 PM

[quote] Could we then focus on measures that are both feasible and can have some impact? Like, you know, masks and vaccines?

That’s the point, bro....or Bear....Hoe.

Vaccines aren’t the end all be all. Last night, I admitted eleven to the hospital with Covid. Nine were completely vaccinated and eight were boosted. As of the am, three are in the ICU. Half are under 35 years of age.

We’re seeing a ton of breakthroughs in our “little kingdom”, so the vaccines aren’t doing everything.

By the way, before you sit in your “ugh” chair as an armchair critic telling me that I’m “batshit crazy”, perhaps gear up in layers of sweltering PPE, triple mask and come and work a 24 hour shift intubating Covid-positive people who are placed on the ventilator.

If you develop Covid and require assistance breathing, it’s likely YOU would show up and expect one of us to treat you.

Never mind that we are exhausted and overworked. But keep on going out and spreading that virus: expecting someone to take care of you.

by Anonymousreply 459December 18, 2021 3:53 PM

R459, I appreciate your work and I'm glad that you're doing it, but yeah. You're batshit crazy if you think we're going to suddenly change our direction and lock down like Australia and China. It's just not going to happen.

by Anonymousreply 460December 18, 2021 3:57 PM

R459 were the people you admitted fat?

by Anonymousreply 461December 18, 2021 3:59 PM

[quote]don't lick strangers.

What if I only lick strangers outdoors?

by Anonymousreply 462December 18, 2021 4:10 PM

No. Most were previously healthy.

As far as ignorant BearHo goes, he does not see the endpoint. None of us knows how this is going to play out. Being on the front lines, we are observing the slow collapse of the US medical system. I work at a top-tier University system in a major US city.

Although unthinkable if this virus continues to breakdown the medical personnel/available resources/manpower/etc., the West could be facing collapse if this does not cease in the not-too-distant future. It is that serious.

Capitalism does not want this to occur, but there are some major, major issues percolating along in our healthcare system....and nothing.....NOTHING is off the table if it comes to that (including lockdowns).

by Anonymousreply 463December 18, 2021 4:11 PM

[quote] You're batshit crazy if you think we're going to suddenly change our direction and lock down like Australia and China. It's just not going to happen.

Another inane talking point. "It's just not going to happen" ≠ "there won't be dire consequences if we don't."

by Anonymousreply 464December 18, 2021 4:23 PM

[quote] And then let’s suspend disbelief and imagine that the equally insane, but super comforting for most people on this thread, speculation that vaccines and prior infection provide good protection for Omicron and mostly keep the virus to the nose and throat and generally asymptomatic.

What part of that is equally “insane”?

by Anonymousreply 465December 18, 2021 4:41 PM

The Netherlands is going into lockdown:

The Dutch hit the shops on Saturday as they prepared for a Christmas lockdown that is expected to close all but essential stores from Sunday, as the health minister said authorities were "extremely worried" about the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

The main shopping street in Leiden, 20 kilometres from the capital The Hague, was thronged with people looking for last-minute gifts. Some stores, selling toys or luxury skin care and cosmetics, had queues outside.

Municipal authorities in the port city of Rotterdam urged shoppers via Twitter to stay at home because the city centre was "too busy".

The government is meeting on Saturday with its health experts, who have recommended the closure of all non-essential shops, schools, bars, restaurants and other public venues. read more

"We are extremely worried," about the possible spread of the Omicron variant, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge told journalists earlier on Saturday.

Health ministry spokesperson Axel Dees told Reuters there would be a government press conference to announce new measures at 7 p.m. (1800 GMT). He did not comment on the types of measures that would be announced.

Broadcasters NOS and RTL reported that the lockdown, which will also see hairdressers and gyms close their doors, would start early on Sunday morning and run until Jan. 14.

It would come after the government on Tuesday extended the 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. closure of bars, restaurants and most stores, introduced in late November, until Jan. 14.

On Saturday the National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) reported a total of over 2.9 million COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic with 20,420 reported deaths. On Saturday the institute reported 14,616 new infections in 24 hours.

by Anonymousreply 466December 18, 2021 5:03 PM

PARIS, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Paris has cancelled planned fireworks as well as festivities on the Champs Elysees avenue on New Year's Eve in line with new government rules to prevent the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, BFM TV reported on Saturday.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Friday major public parties and fireworks would be banned on New Year's Eve and recommended that people - even if vaccinated - take a COVID-19 self-test before getting together for year-end partie

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by Anonymousreply 467December 18, 2021 5:11 PM

I don't think NYC will go ahead with its current plans to welcome crowds into Times Square for NYE, either.

by Anonymousreply 468December 18, 2021 5:12 PM

R459 thank you for the work you do. Seriously.

by Anonymousreply 469December 18, 2021 5:16 PM

R436 Hope you and your partner are on the mend soon, and thanks for the reply. I was particularly curious about headache, as a friend says hers doesn't go away with a standard dose of Ibuprofen. She said 600 mg makes it bearable, yet it really doesn't go away. She mentioned same back of head and neck area. Alas, good news about your rescheduling the trip!

by Anonymousreply 470December 18, 2021 5:29 PM

Americans will riot if another lockdown

by Anonymousreply 471December 18, 2021 5:36 PM

Do DLs feel it’s safe to eat at a restaurant. I really enjoy going out for dinner - they try to keep social distancing.

by Anonymousreply 472December 18, 2021 5:57 PM

COVID is the reason why the word clusterfuck was invented.

by Anonymousreply 473December 18, 2021 6:18 PM

If you go to a restaurant, you will get Omicron, R472.

Everyone will get Omicron eventually, unless sheltering completely alone in a house.

by Anonymousreply 474December 18, 2021 6:19 PM

the doctor on tv said it's easy to get like measles but I don't know how easy that is. I've never had measles.

by Anonymousreply 475December 18, 2021 6:22 PM

Okay, I’m fucked.

by Anonymousreply 476December 18, 2021 6:24 PM

Shit, I think we are going to have another lockdown. Most of Europe is shutting down.

by Anonymousreply 477December 18, 2021 6:35 PM

[quote]Americans will riot if another lockdown

Beyond being illiterate, your memory seems to also be shit. You might want to try to remember that America never locked down. You and BearHo should hook up.

by Anonymousreply 478December 18, 2021 6:36 PM

[quote]You and BearHo should hook up.

Pics please.

by Anonymousreply 479December 18, 2021 6:56 PM

America never did a lockdown. We asked people nicely to wear masks indoors and they lost their fucking minds.

by Anonymousreply 480December 18, 2021 7:11 PM

Hey there and fuck you, R478. Never said that America locked down.

I am saying that we won't ever do it, no matter what happens with case trends.

by Anonymousreply 481December 18, 2021 7:12 PM

Are you in the UK, R477?

by Anonymousreply 482December 18, 2021 7:15 PM

Gentle Bear Whore: Since you admit that America never locked down and the administration has stated there is no intent to lock it down now, why so invested?

by Anonymousreply 483December 18, 2021 7:16 PM

[quote]I am saying that we won't ever do it, no matter what happens with case trends.

Gee I wonder if that correlates to the US having the highest number of COVID fatalities in the world.

by Anonymousreply 484December 18, 2021 7:21 PM

Lockdowns do nothing anyway, except delay the inevitable, somewhat.

by Anonymousreply 485December 18, 2021 7:24 PM
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by Anonymousreply 486December 18, 2021 7:25 PM

R483, because the drumbeat is already starting here (in the Pacific NW) to close everything down when the reality is that there's no political will to do it. It's really too bad that folks here are so quick to snap to closures and shutdowns instead of focusing on things like mandatory vaccines, actually enforcing mask mandates, and increasing hospital capacity (including bridging staffing with National Guard, for example).

We are not going to eradicate COVID, and all signs are that Omicron is transmissible enough that we're not going to slow it without super restrictive stay-at-home orders (again, which are just political nonstarters). We have to get on with living with this. Locking down every time just deepens the economic and social wounds and, frankly, just delays what's going to happen anyway.

Denying that there are political limits to the measures that can be taken is as unproductive and potentially as dangerous as denying that no measures are needed at all.

by Anonymousreply 487December 18, 2021 7:28 PM

Covid enthusiasts will say that the hospitalizations in South Africa will spike again any day now.

by Anonymousreply 488December 18, 2021 7:28 PM

BearHo is completely correct at R487.

by Anonymousreply 489December 18, 2021 7:29 PM

Ugh, sorry, typed too fast at R487. Last line should be: Denying that there are political limits to the measures that can be taken is as unproductive and potentially as dangerous as asserting that no measures are needed at all.

by Anonymousreply 490December 18, 2021 7:30 PM

Interesting article linked with this Tweet.

“With Omicron, and its initial Rt being three-ish, the equation should give you something like 90 percent of the population infected. But from what we’ve seen in South Africa, it seems like the wave is crashing well before that. So something is going on.”

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by Anonymousreply 491December 18, 2021 7:40 PM

Yeah, sitting on your hands is always the best solution to any problem, huh?

by Anonymousreply 492December 18, 2021 7:41 PM

[quote]the doctor on tv said it's easy to get like measles but I don't know how easy that is.

CDC: "Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, 9 out of 10 people of all ages around him or her will also become infected if they are not protected."

by Anonymousreply 493December 18, 2021 8:06 PM

"The scale of the threat posed by the Omicron variant (in the UK) was laid bare by government scientists last night as they warned that there are now hundreds of thousands of infections every day. That daily number could reach between 600,000 and 2 million by the end of the month if new restrictions are not brought in immediately."

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by Anonymousreply 494December 18, 2021 8:19 PM

The R0 for measles is 16 R475

by Anonymousreply 495December 18, 2021 8:33 PM

No audience for SNL tonight.

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by Anonymousreply 496December 18, 2021 8:40 PM
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by Anonymousreply 497December 18, 2021 8:45 PM

Oh those poor people waiting in the street last night to get to be in the audience for the show this evening, how disappointing for them.

by Anonymousreply 498December 18, 2021 8:45 PM

BearHo= I don't want anything in my life to be disrupted and I expect them to fix this for me.

Asshole.

by Anonymousreply 499December 18, 2021 9:52 PM

R499 = Anyone who even poses questions about COVID response is killing grandma, and I expect hiding under the bed to fix this for me.

Asshole.

by Anonymousreply 500December 18, 2021 10:04 PM
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by Anonymousreply 501December 18, 2021 10:05 PM
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by Anonymousreply 502December 18, 2021 10:47 PM

Lots of these recent stories about super spreader events like parties or whatever sound like everyone came down with a cold. Then on the other hand we have all the doomsday stories that make it sound like the world is going to come to an end by January. The bullshit is out of control.

by Anonymousreply 503December 18, 2021 10:52 PM

[quote] The bullshit is out of control.

The bullshit is very much in control, actually. COVID fear and outrage based on early data generates lots of clicks and eyeballs. Quite profitable for the media to ask leading open-ended questions and whip up fear that might not yet be justified.

by Anonymousreply 504December 18, 2021 10:56 PM

Disneyland will Shut down soon as will movie theaters etc . Stay at home orders coming soon .

by Anonymousreply 505December 19, 2021 12:38 AM

Is NY still having Times Square NYE celebrations?

by Anonymousreply 506December 19, 2021 12:47 AM

R474: I've been in Ubers/Lyfts, shopping malls, markets, trains, restaurants, bar, convention - no 19, delta or omicron. I do have the vaccines, booster, mask, wash hands and will continue to do so. But to tell people they will get sick if they go out to the store or restaurant is fearmongering. As long as they are taking the necessary precautions, they should enjoy life. Covid isn't going anywhere, unfortunately.

by Anonymousreply 507December 19, 2021 12:49 AM

So glad I got my vacation and convention out of the way in early Nov! Jan/Feb is going to suck in a bad way! Are new stimulus checks coming?

by Anonymousreply 508December 19, 2021 12:52 AM

R507, everyone is supposedly going to get Omicron. I’m not saying everyone should stay home, I’m just saying wearing a mask and being triple-vax’d isn’t going to stop the infection.

It might be asymptomatic; if it’s symptomatic it’ll almost certainly be mild. But it’s going to happen.

by Anonymousreply 509December 19, 2021 2:03 AM

R509, the scientists Don’t believe it’s going to be that mild .

by Anonymousreply 510December 19, 2021 2:05 AM

Per Daily Mail just now, Biden said he'll implement more Covid measures because Covid Omicron doubling. What part of R2 did we not understand. I just feel bad for the doctors. What if doctors become scarce because they've all gone n to something more rewarding? We're screwed.

by Anonymousreply 511December 19, 2021 2:45 AM

Please start a new thread, Elderlez.

Thanks in advance.

by Anonymousreply 512December 19, 2021 2:49 AM

Please link

by Anonymousreply 513December 19, 2021 3:27 AM

R509 doesn't know what he's talking about. The reason vaxxed and boosted people are getting breakthrough infections is because they are doing things without masking and distancing because they like fantasyland better than reality.

[quote]Anyone who even poses questions about COVID response is killing grandma, and I expect hiding under the bed to fix this for me.

Except no one is saying that.

by Anonymousreply 514December 19, 2021 3:30 AM

[quote] The reason vaxxed and boosted people are getting breakthrough infections is because they are doing things without masking and distancing because they like fantasyland better than reality.

So do you think that getting the booster plus wearing a mask confers 100% protection? You throw in ‘distancing’ but Covid can linger indoors. Fomite transmission happens sometimes. People who were fully vaccinated and wore masks all the time still got Delta infections — why wouldn’t that be possible with Omicron, which is FAR more transmissible than Delta?

Do you really think that everyone who maintains 6 ft. distance from other people, wears a mask in public, and gets the booster will not get an Omicron infection?

Everyone is going to get it, including you. Unless you never ever leave your house and don’t come into contact with anyone until Omicron burns out. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it’s going to be.

by Anonymousreply 515December 19, 2021 4:15 AM

And one other thing, virtuous cunt @ R514, not everyone can physically distance 100% of the time. I am fully vaccinated and boosted and wear my mask, but it is not possible for me to stay 6 ft away from people. I have to ride the subway several times a day for work, and sometimes I’m lucky if I can get 6 centimeters between myself and another person.

So fuck off with your “fantasyland” judgment bullshit.

by Anonymousreply 516December 19, 2021 4:18 AM

maybe you already had it and didn't even know it!

by Anonymousreply 517December 19, 2021 4:34 AM

If hundreds of thousands a day catch COVID in the UK I think there's no point in lockdowns. Human nature has shown over 2 years lockdowns are spotty and this variant is way too contagious. It seems obvious that after these surges of 2 or 3 weeks the rates plummet.

That's not to say people can't individually decide the risk they will take. If they have the leisure and power over their lives. Many working stiffs don't have that. And young people want to PARTY.

by Anonymousreply 518December 19, 2021 5:13 AM

There won't be any lockdowns. The vaccine is available and it's the unvaxxed that are dying. No one cares if they do. There might be individual businesses that will have to close while their unvaxxed employees get sick and likely die, but "lockdowns" like last year will not happen again.

by Anonymousreply 519December 19, 2021 5:36 AM

[quote]So do you think that getting the booster plus wearing a mask confers 100% protection?

Are you just fucking stupid or do you just pull stuff that no one has said out of your ass constantly and have the people around you pretend you're not full of shit? No, nothing in the world is 100% except death but getting a booster and wearing a mask and distancing and not eating in restaurants and not going to fucking shows and not gathering with groups of people will protect you a whole lot more than if you don't do those things. But, go ahead and live in your fantasyland and pretend that the vaxxed people who've been going around pretending they are invincible just don't exist. Like I've said before stupid, irresponsible vaxxed people are only one rung higher than the stupid fucking unvaxxed assholes and both are spreading Omicron like crazy.

by Anonymousreply 520December 19, 2021 8:53 AM

Death toll from Omicron in the UK rises to 7.

Disclaimer: I don't know who reliable this news service is.

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by Anonymousreply 521December 19, 2021 9:00 AM

As requested R512, for when the thread gets wonky. It’s still fine for me at the moment, but your experience may differ.

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by Anonymousreply 522December 19, 2021 10:35 AM

[quote]Everyone is going to get it, including you.

That wasn't the case in South Africa.

by Anonymousreply 523December 19, 2021 11:31 AM

Way too early for a new thread. When you don’t go to 600, then you get people posting on both threads.

Ugh

by Anonymousreply 524December 19, 2021 11:34 AM

Sorry R524. When this thread fills up I am unlikely to be available to create the next one.

Glad I wasn’t able to get a J&J booster like I wanted and got Pfizer now with this news from the NYT.

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by Anonymousreply 525December 19, 2021 11:47 AM

[quote]Everyone is going to get it, including you.

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by Anonymousreply 526December 19, 2021 11:56 AM

It makes sense if you blow your wad too fast, too soon then you will burn out.

by Anonymousreply 527December 19, 2021 12:54 PM

[quote] Are new stimulus checks coming?

R508 made a funny. Congress can't agree on the day of the week these days, and we expect them to start cutting checks? No chance.

R519 is right about not returning to lockdowns, mostly because there won't be any checks coming. We have rapid inflation, the holidays, and supply chain problems. Add to that sudden unemployment (mostly for those who are at lower socioeconomic levels and are least able to absorb that finanical impact), and you're going to have a HUGE mess on your hands, just in time for 2022 campaigns to be kicking off.

[quote] The vaccine is available and it's the unvaxxed that are dying. No one cares if they do.

I think a whole lot of people would agree with that (I DEFINITELY DO), and then at the same time we're all wringing our hands because people are dying. We need to pick.

by Anonymousreply 528December 19, 2021 1:28 PM

7 England lushes probably die every day hitting their heads on the sidewalk when they black out.

by Anonymousreply 529December 19, 2021 1:34 PM

[quote] not returning to lockdowns

There will be "lockdowns" one way or another wherever omicron tears through enough of the population to slow down or even shut down businesses and clog up medical facilities.

by Anonymousreply 530December 19, 2021 1:43 PM

I agree that Omicron is likely to cause such massive shutdowns in the next two weeks that questions of government directed lockdowns are going to become moot. I am taking a break from my totally inadvisable family visit to pick up a few things from the office so I can work from home for the foreseeable future.

by Anonymousreply 531December 19, 2021 1:53 PM

[quote] I agree that Omicron is likely to cause such massive shutdowns in the next two weeks that questions of government directed lockdowns are going to become moot.

The problem is that without government-mandated shutdowns, there's no financial support for those who are impacted, whether it's a bartender or the bar owner. So I think you'll see businesses soldier on as best they can, not shutting down but definitely adjusting to what they can reasonably accomplish.

It's easy for most of us to sit up here and play SimCity to solve the problem -- just shut stuff down, right? I bet most of us here have the privilege to adjust without having too much disruption in our lives, where the people who are really impacted don't have much latitude at all. The folks that are going to get walloped by this can't just show up at work and prepare to work from home at a whim.

by Anonymousreply 532December 19, 2021 1:57 PM

[quote]So I think you'll see businesses soldier on as best they can, not shutting down but definitely adjusting to what they can reasonably accomplish.

Tough to "soldier on" when all your employees are out sick.

by Anonymousreply 533December 19, 2021 2:08 PM

Omicron is now the dominant strain of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland, according to authorities, who said that recent measures had slowed down the spread somewhat.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan told RTE News: “It has taken less than two weeks for Omicron to become the dominant strain of Covid-19 in Ireland, revealing just how transmissible this variant is.

by Anonymousreply 534December 19, 2021 2:19 PM

[quote] who said that recent measures had slowed down the spread somewhat.

Considering the most recent measures came into place in the past 24 hours, I don't quite understand what he means. Does he mean the curfew or other actions?

by Anonymousreply 535December 19, 2021 2:20 PM

I hear what you are saying R532, but with all due respect there is no law that says the government has to provide support during a lockdown or can’t provide support during a shutdown. If Omicron does what many people suspect it is going to do, the government could call it a natural disaster and use FEMA money to help people.

by Anonymousreply 536December 19, 2021 2:21 PM

12 deaths (up from 7) from omicron in the UK.

by Anonymousreply 537December 19, 2021 2:45 PM

Biden is working to stop price gouging. Fucking Wall Street corporate GREED!

by Anonymousreply 538December 19, 2021 2:47 PM

I have been commuting to my job in Manhattan by subway at least once a week since early August. Last week, I went in three times. I was planning to keep the three times a week schedule up starting in January. I received my booster shot in early October.

I’m rethinking this plan with the Omicron rates rising in NYC, especially in light of the pending Times Square NYE’s festivities. I am really hoping we don’t go ahead with this foolishness.

by Anonymousreply 539December 19, 2021 2:55 PM

We've had semi-lockdowns in in the U.S.- Los Angeles and Hawaii to name two. During that time, the air and water was incredibly clean (in HI, the fish came back to the shores), and it was a really cool time to sneak out and walk or drive around the empty streets.

by Anonymousreply 540December 19, 2021 3:58 PM

Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University say they’ve found evidence to suggest breakthrough infections create “super immunity” to the virus that causes COVID-19.

“You can’t get a better immune response than this,” senior author Fikadu Tafesse, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the OHSU School of Medicine, said in a news release. “These vaccines are very effective against severe disease. Our study suggests that individuals who are vaccinated and then exposed to a breakthrough infection have super immunity.”

Specifically, Tafesse and his team of researchers found that antibodies in the blood of a vaccinated person who experienced a breakthrough case could be 1,000% more effective than those found in some fully vaccinated individuals who did not get infected.

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by Anonymousreply 541December 19, 2021 4:57 PM

BearHo sounds like the Netherlands thread poster. This is the poster that began a thread back in September whinging that the Dutch were looking at the US case rate and adjusting their travel policies accordingly.

That same poster had planned a Christmas trip to the Netherlands to go to the Christmas markets and baths in the country and was dead set on traveling to the Netherlands despite the developing Omnicron and recommendation of other posters to remain flexible in the face of a worldwide pandemic. The poster was affronted that people did not share his sense of outrage that his travel would be negatively impacted by a virus.

Welp, guess what?

Not only did the Insistent-Travel-At-All-Costs-Poster incur much more $$$$$$ to travel to the Netherlands, he has now had invasive (“the most invasive of 180 tests”)testing, just to navigate in the Netherlands. He finds himself now in a [bold]Hard Lockdown[/bold]inside the country where his AirB&B hosts have encouraged him to cancel his stay (hint hint), and he’s now watching the Dutch version of The Masked Singer on tv.

by Anonymousreply 542December 19, 2021 5:20 PM

People are vaccinated who want to be. Let people get this milder strain and have even more immunity. Allow this to be the beginning of the end.

by Anonymousreply 543December 19, 2021 6:06 PM

R532 I am in the restaurant industry in the Detroit area. My industry was decimated by this. The government wants half of my ppp loan money back to the tune of 13k, even though I was working when the lockdown happened in March. I finally started a new job at a lucrative restaurant a few weeks ago. Right when training was over and I was able to make real money once again, money I haven’t made in almost 2 years, we had to shut down due to an outbreak. Have since opened, now I am feeling sick. Am vaccinated but it is a mandatory 14 day quarantine. This cycle will go on and on. People in the restaurant industry are getting pummeled with no one to really advocate for us. Its really rough right now.

by Anonymousreply 544December 19, 2021 6:23 PM

Super immunity, according to many doctors and scientists, is real. R541. But a friend (33, very healthy) from NYC who had Covid in April 2020, again in Feb 2021( and was double vaxed soon after that plus a booster in Sept) has Covid again, as of yesterday. She had gotten it at an event on Wednesday that required a negative test. She's not in the hospital but it's not mild.

by Anonymousreply 545December 19, 2021 6:34 PM

Dec. 18

27 Covid-19 deaths reported in Los Angeles County and over 3,700 new cases

In related news Governor Newsom cancels reservations at The French Laundry.

by Anonymousreply 546December 19, 2021 6:48 PM

[quote] She's not in the hospital but it's not mild.

This is my experience at the hospital also.

Mild = not in respiratory distress and requiring supportive care.

Moderate = en route to intubation/much more aggressive treatment

Severe = intubation/sedation/mechanical ventilation/organ failure

The thing is this: nobody really has a great handle on the Covid thing. If anyone says otherwise, well, they likely have beachfront property in Phoenix to sell you.

I say this as someone who worked at the CDC, before it became the shambles that we’ve since come to recognize.

Scientists and politicians are doing tit for tat at the moment, but what it really boils down to is what the Covid impact means to each individual: for some it means corporeal danger, others economic hits, and then for some others, it’s an inconvenience.

One thing is certain, though, it is not just a risk to older folks. I’ve taken care of many, many young folks who have had the virus. Interestingly, they are our future. And some of them have long Covid issues which can be utterly devastating.

As an aside, a surgical colleague contracted Covid and now is a long hauler. Imagine a neurosurgeon, machismo guy who cannot get out of bed and rolls up to see us for his appointments in a wheelchair. It is debilitating and discouraging.

I am hopeful someday we will find ways to treat this bizarre, individualistic virus. In the meantime, do everything you can to possibly avoid it.

by Anonymousreply 547December 19, 2021 6:50 PM

R545 Shit

by Anonymousreply 548December 19, 2021 7:12 PM

[quote]It is debilitating and discouraging.

Yep.

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by Anonymousreply 549December 19, 2021 7:36 PM

This is R545 from NYC adding 3 more in NYC that I know personally who just tested positive today for Omicron. 20s, healthy and vaxed X2 . All had Covid in 2020. Mild symptoms so far.

by Anonymousreply 550December 19, 2021 7:55 PM
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by Anonymousreply 551December 19, 2021 9:06 PM

These anecdotal cases of vaccinated people getting covid—were they socializing maskless indoors?

by Anonymousreply 552December 19, 2021 9:16 PM

Omicron has been found in San Mateo County's wastewater, but there haven't been any positive (human) tests yet. It's looking like significant community transmission with cases either asymptomatic or so mild that people aren't getting tested. On top of that, the county has decided that now is an excellent time to close its large-scale drive-through vaccine clinic for a couple of weeks as it transitions to a walk-up system.

I'm also texting back and forth with a friend in NY who was attacked by a COVID+ patient last night after he jumped in to protect the nurse who was the original target. He had his PAPR hood and N95 ripped off, and was headbutted and spat on. So there's another pulmonologist lounging around at home for two weeks.

I'm bracing myself for an exciting end to 2021.

by Anonymousreply 553December 19, 2021 9:32 PM

[quote] he’s now watching the Dutch version of The Masked Singer on tv.

Which is worse that the most virulent form of COVID plus a side dose of leprosy.

by Anonymousreply 554December 19, 2021 10:38 PM

R553 NY and night not a good idea.

by Anonymousreply 555December 19, 2021 10:58 PM

An unacceptable failing on the Senator’s part. If he had stayed properly masked and isolated instead of living in fantasyland, this never would have happened. And now he’ll go on to infect 4 other people.

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by Anonymousreply 556December 19, 2021 11:38 PM

Elizabeth Warren too.

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by Anonymousreply 557December 20, 2021 12:37 AM

MSNBC analyst and author Jonathan Alter too.

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by Anonymousreply 558December 20, 2021 12:52 AM

And people here think they can avoid Omicron…

by Anonymousreply 559December 20, 2021 2:16 AM

I heard on the grapevine that Jack Mackenroth has moderate butt covid.

by Anonymousreply 560December 20, 2021 2:53 AM

I 100% guarantee that Booker and Warren were unmasked in each other's presence, along with a lot of other senators. The committee meetings in Congress on television show almost no one wearing a mask or distancing properly. They need to start reporting what risky situations all of them were in when they report all these new infections because, no, not everyone will get it. Only everyone not acting responsibly and masking and distancing and avoiding gatherings and restaurants, etc. It's dangerous to pretend otherwise because it will make people throw their hands in the air and so, oh well, gonna get it anyway, might as well not act responsibly anymore.

I hope all the idiots who've been posting about how they're vaxxed so they're never wearing a mask again for the last six months enjoy their infections.

by Anonymousreply 561December 20, 2021 7:08 AM

Exactly. R561. I've noticed a significance drop-off recently in the "Mary!" posts from those mocking our precautions and insisting that vax = no mask.

by Anonymousreply 562December 20, 2021 12:06 PM

Great Britain: Deputy prime minister and justice secretary Dominic Raab has said 12 people have died with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, and 104 are in hospital with it.

by Anonymousreply 563December 20, 2021 12:10 PM

Asked this in another thread but is super immunity for real? JAMA says vax plus breakthrough can give you 1000x protection from Covid.

by Anonymousreply 564December 20, 2021 12:30 PM

jfc r553. I hope that guy was hauled off to jail

by Anonymousreply 565December 20, 2021 2:18 PM

How effective is the Moderna booster against the omicron variant?

On Monday, Moderna's Hoge said early lab research shows its COVID-19 vaccine booster should provide "good protection against the omicron variant," raising antibody levels approximately 37 fold. For comparision, Pfizer said earlier this month its booster raises antibody levels 25 fold, creating "robust protection" and offering "a sufficient level of protection" against omicron, the company said.

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by Anonymousreply 566December 20, 2021 2:33 PM

Here's why you should be cautious in using South Africa's Omicron trajectory as a model for the US

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

Earlier on Monday, Dr. Angelique Coetzee, national chair of the South African Medical Association, said Covid-19 case numbers in the country have started to decline. However, the United States and South Africa have key differences, which create "issues with extrapolation" on how the Omicron variant may behave in the two countries, according to Dr. Leana Wen.

"It looks like they were looking at a trajectory of three to four weeks of Omicron really being dominant and driving the number of infections, and now it's trending down again. In the US, there are some issues with extrapolation," Wen explained.

Omicron may take time to get to some parts of the US.

"We have a lot of different parts of the country, including some that are not well-vaccinated. Other parts where it might take a little bit of time for Omicron to get to. So I don't think we could say that the US as a whole will be out of this in three to four weeks. It might be a case of rolling cases, where there are large numbers of infection in parts of the country that then cycle to others," Wen said.

The population makeup is different.

"South Africa has a much younger population. The individuals also who were initially infected tended to be young people. So even if they were unvaccinated, the chance of them becoming severely ill is relatively low. Here in the US, we have not yet seen what happens when Omicron rips through nursing homes, as an example," Wen added. "I would really hesitate to say that Omicron is somehow going to not cause severe disease in the US even if it hasn't overwhelmed hospital systems in South Africa," she said Monday.

by Anonymousreply 567December 20, 2021 3:43 PM

R561, YOU WILL get Omicron, unless you’re planning to stay inside and see no one—not a single person— until this variant dies out. I guarantee it.

by Anonymousreply 568December 20, 2021 3:45 PM

Care to explain why that wasn't the case in South Africa, R568?

by Anonymousreply 569December 20, 2021 3:49 PM

[quote]YOU WILL get Omicron

Thank you god, the might and terrible.

by Anonymousreply 570December 20, 2021 3:50 PM

4 in 10 with COVID may be spreading virus unknowingly, global study warns

Four in 10 people infected with COVID-19 show no symptoms — but are still potential spreaders of the disease, according to a new study.

The findings, published last week in JAMA Network Open, found that 40.5 percent of people diagnosed with COVID-19 globally were asymptomatic.

However, researchers said this highlights the “potential transmission” of the virus unknowingly, particularly in certain settings.

“Screening for asymptomatic infection is required, especially for countries and region that have successfully controlled SARS-CoV-2,” researchers from Peking University said.

“Asymptomatic infections should be under management similar to that for confirmed infections, including isolating and contact tracing.”

The analysis pooled 95 studies covering nearly 30 million people tested for virus and found that 0.25 percent — or one in every 400 — were asymptomatic. Those figures were higher among populations in nursing homes (4.52 percent), travelers (2 percent) and pregnant women (2.3 percent), researchers found.

Among confirmed cases of the virus, however, the figure shot up to more than 40 percent. Some 54 percent of pregnant women with confirmed cases were asymptomatic, compared to 53 percent of air or cruise passengers and 48 percent of nursing home residents or staffers, according to the study.

“The high percentage of asymptomatic infections highlights the potential transmission risk of asymptomatic infections in communities,” the study concluded.

The findings show the need for comprehensive COVID-19 testing while people with asymptomatic infections should also go into isolation and undergo contact tracing, Min Liu, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Peking University in Beijing, told UPI.

Research published in also February suggested as many as 44 percent of coronavirus cases were asymptomatic, UPI reported.

“This is a highly important finding because this substantial group of people can transmit the virus to others,” molecular medicine specialist Dr. Eric Topol told UPI in an email.

Topol, director of Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Jolla, California, published similar findings earlier this year, UPI reported.

“It is essential that we have pervasive rapid testing to determine a person’s infectiousness to limit transmission for people without symptoms,” Topol, who was not part of the study, told UPI.

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by Anonymousreply 571December 20, 2021 4:08 PM

BioNTech CEO says vaccines alone not enough to fight Omicron

One of the scientists behind Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 shot said Monday that he believes vaccines alone will not be enough to fight the Omicron variant.

BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin warned that other preventative measures need to be in place to stop the spread of the virus, especially with the emergence of the contagious variant.

“Even triple-vaccinated people can transmit the disease, and they will have to be tested, especially around vulnerable people,” Sahin told French newspaper Le Monde.

“With the Omicron variant becoming dominant, protective measures will remain essential, especially this winter.”

Sahin said the German company is working on an adapted version of its vaccine tailored to Omicron that could be available by March.

He predicted that those who have received the original Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and its booster will see a drop in efficacy against Omicron after a certain amount of time.

Sahin said he’s waiting for more data to confirm the findings of a German study that suggested the vaccine’s efficacy against the virus dropped about 25 percent after three months, even after three doses.

“There will be a loss of effectiveness against Omicron over time, it is very likely, but we still have to measure the speed,” he said.

“It’s obvious we are far from the 95 percent effectiveness that we had against the initial virus. But after the third injection our vaccine seems to provide 70 percent or 75 percent protection against any form of the disease, which is still a good result for a vaccine in general — and I think we will be well beyond that for severe forms,” he continued.

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by Anonymousreply 572December 20, 2021 4:09 PM

We are so fucked ! The unvaccinated feel emboldened right now. No way are they getting vaxxed . This is awful.

by Anonymousreply 573December 20, 2021 4:19 PM

R568 just pulls bullshit proclamations out of his ass, probably to make himself feel better about being so stupid.

by Anonymousreply 574December 20, 2021 4:27 PM

[quote] The analysis pooled 95 studies covering nearly 30 million people tested for virus and found that 0.25 percent — or one in every 400 — were asymptomatic. Those figures were higher among populations in nursing homes (4.52 percent), travelers (2 percent) and pregnant women (2.3 percent), researchers found.

[quote]Among confirmed cases of the virus, however, the figure shot up to more than 40 percent. Some 54 percent of pregnant women with confirmed cases were asymptomatic, compared to 53 percent of air or cruise passengers and 48 percent of nursing home residents or staffers, according to the study.

Can someone explain to me the difference between only 0.25% being “asymptomatic” and then in “confirmed cases” over 40%? What does that even mean?

by Anonymousreply 575December 20, 2021 4:29 PM

Unvaccinated people face 20 times greater risk of dying from Covid-19 than those who have been boosted, according to US data

From CNN Health’s Deidre McPhillips

Unvaccinated people face a 10 times greater risk of testing positive and 20 times greater risk of dying from Covid-19 than fully vaccinated people who have also received a booster, according to data published recently by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC data -- which assesses data through October -- suggests the gap in risk between unvaccinated people and those with a booster is even larger than it is between unvaccinated people and those who are fully vaccinated with their initial series.

Unvaccinated people face a five times greater risk of testing positive for Covid-19 and 14 times greater risk of dying from Covid-19 than fully vaccinated people do, according to the CDC data.

by Anonymousreply 576December 20, 2021 4:29 PM

What about with those that already had it?

by Anonymousreply 577December 20, 2021 4:30 PM

I'm on PrEP so I figure I don't need extra protection.

by Anonymousreply 578December 20, 2021 4:54 PM

The unvaccinated are not dying in high numbers. They don’t see the danger

by Anonymousreply 579December 20, 2021 4:55 PM

just saw on cnbc that Moderna is gonna start human testing of omicron-specific vaccine in early 2022

by Anonymousreply 580December 20, 2021 5:16 PM

The Pentagon is deploying additional medical teams to help with Covid-19 relief

From CNN's Barbara Starr

The Defense Department this week plans to send two additional Navy active duty medical teams to states asking for assistance for overworked medical staff as the number of Covid-19 cases continues to significantly expand, a defense official tells CNN.

One team will go to Indiana, the other to Wisconsin.

There are currently military teams in five other states: two in Colorado, three in Michigan, two in Minnesota, one in Montana and two in New Mexico.

Each team has approximately 20 medical personnel including doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists. One of the in Colorado is a monoclonal antibody infusion team according to the official. The two new teams will be manned by Navy personnel, with the entire medical team effort putting more than 200 active duty troops away from home during the holidays.

The National Guard also has a massive effort underway in helping administer vaccines. So far, more than 12,000 National Guard are supporting Covid-19 response efforts, with the majority working on vaccines according to a Guard official.

Guard personnel are currently working in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam.

by Anonymousreply 581December 20, 2021 7:15 PM

Aren't these mostly red states except for N.M.?

by Anonymousreply 582December 20, 2021 7:20 PM

Yes the anti-vax cunts feel extremely empowered by this vaccine resistant variant - seeing no correlation whatsoever between their refusal to get the vaccine and the virus continuing to mutate.

It's completely maddening.

by Anonymousreply 583December 20, 2021 7:41 PM

Got my booster this am. Feeling fine!

by Anonymousreply 584December 20, 2021 7:57 PM

You won’t feel fine tomorrow, R584. Hope you know that.

But congratulations on getting it!

by Anonymousreply 585December 20, 2021 8:00 PM

White House previews Biden's Covid-19 remarks: "This is not a speech about shutting the country down"

From CNN's Nikki Carvajal

President Biden will “announce additional steps” in the fight against Covid-19 during his planned remarks about the Omicron variant Tuesday, the White House said, but he won’t necessarily talk about additional restrictions in the face of rising cases.

“This is not a speech about shutting the country down,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki at a Monday afternoon press briefing. “This is a speech outlining and being direct and clear with the American people about the benefits of being vaccinated, the steps we're going to take to increase access and to increase testing, and the risks posed to unvaccinated individuals.”

Psaki said Biden will “issue a stark warning and make clear unvaccinated individuals will continue to drive hospitalizations and deaths.”

“That is not trying to scare people – or maybe it is, trying to make clear to people in the country what the risks are here of not being vaccinated,” she continued. “What is clear is that we're not in the same place that we were in.”

“To be clear,” Psaki added, “Covid-19 is not the same threat to fully vaccinated individuals that it was in March 2020.”

by Anonymousreply 586December 20, 2021 8:04 PM

NJ hits highest daily positive case count in nearly a year, but hospitalizations not rising at same rate

From CNN’s Evan Simko-Bednarksi

New Jersey's Covid-19 case count is spiking, but hospitals remain within their capacity, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday.

"We are now seeing the daily case count hitting levels we haven't seen since mid-January of this year," Murphy said, a figure echoed by Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli, who said that Sunday's 6,533 positive PCR tests marked the highest single day of positive tests since January 2021.

The statewide percent-positivity is 12.11%.

Still, the governor said, hospitalizations are not growing at the same rate.

"We continue to stay at hospitalization levels that are just a fraction of what they were at this time last year, even as the recent case counts are going up with such speed," Murphy said.

"This is only possible because the vaccines are keeping even those folks who have breakthrough case of infection from developing a serious Covid-related illness," he added.

The state reports 1,902 people currently hospitalized with the virus. Hospitalizations peaked early in the pandemic with 8,270 reported hospitalizations in April 2020.

"We're nowhere near where we were," Murphy said.

According to state data, 73% of eligible New Jersey residents have received a full initial course of vaccination, and 40% of those who can be are boosted.

There has been an uptick of in-school Covid-19 transmission, Murphy said, with 47 outbreaks tied to in-school transmission in the week of Dec. 6 — the most recent available data — up from 15 outbreaks three weeks prior.

Murphy said that despite the rise, "these cases do remain somewhat rare."

To that end, Murphy was supportive when asked about a so-called test-and-stay program for students in New Jersey schools. He and Persichilli said they were preparing a pilot program for such a policy, in which students known to be close contacts of Covid-positive individuals can take frequent Covid-19 tests in lieu of quarantining.

by Anonymousreply 587December 20, 2021 8:05 PM

I don’t trust cdc or cnn.

by Anonymousreply 588December 20, 2021 8:51 PM

Or anything else with a c in it.

by Anonymousreply 589December 20, 2021 9:00 PM

They don't speak highly of you either, R588.

by Anonymousreply 590December 20, 2021 9:00 PM

What’s wrong with the CDC? It’s an excellent institution without meddling from trump. And now that Dr Brix is gone, it’s better than ever.

by Anonymousreply 591December 20, 2021 9:04 PM

I miss her scarves. A different one every day. Refreshing somehow.

by Anonymousreply 592December 20, 2021 9:24 PM

Time to take this thread off its ventilator

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 593December 20, 2021 9:35 PM

Um or

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by Anonymousreply 594December 20, 2021 9:37 PM

I have autoimmune disease and I felt fine, other than waking up in the middle of the night after having slept on my shot arm.

by Anonymousreply 595December 20, 2021 9:40 PM

Omicron sweeps across nation, now 73% of new US COVID-19 cases

NEW YORK (AP) — Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version of the coronavirus in the U.S., accounting for 73% of new infections last week, federal health officials said Monday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers showed nearly a six-fold increase in omicron's share of infections in only one week.

In much of the country, it's even higher. Omicron is responsible for an estimated 90% or more of new infections in the New York area, the Southeast, the industrial Midwest and the Pacific Northwest. The national rate suggests that more than 650,000 omicron infections occurred in the U.S. last week.

Since the end of June, the delta variant had been the main version causing U.S. infections. As recently as the end of November, more than 99.5% of coronaviruses were delta, according to CDC data.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the new numbers reflect the kind of growth seen in other countries.

“These numbers are stark, but they’re not surprising,” she said.

Scientists in Africa first sounded the alarm about omicron less than a month ago and on Nov. 26 the World Health Organization designated it as a “variant of concern." The mutant has since shown up in about 90 countries.

Much about the omicron variant remains unknown, including whether it causes more or less severe illness. Early studies suggest the vaccinated will need a booster shot for the best chance at preventing omicron infection but even without the extra dose, vaccination still should offer strong protection against severe illness and death.

“All of us have a date with omicron,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “If you’re going to interact with society, if you’re going to have any type of life, omicron will be something you encounter, and the best way you can encounter this is to be fully vaccinated.”

Adalja said he was not surprised by the CDC data showing omicron overtaking delta in the U.S., given what was seen in South Africa, the U.K. and Denmark. He predicted spread over the holidays, including breakthrough infections among the vaccinated and serious complications among the unvaccinated that could stress hospitals already burdened by delta.

Dr. Eric Topol, head of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, said other countries had seen omicron's fast growth, but the U.S. data showed “a remarkable jump in such a short time.”

Topol also said it’s unclear how much milder omicron really is compared with other variants.

“That’s the big uncertainty now,” Topol said. “We have to count on it being a lot of hospitalizations and a lot severe disease from omicron.”

CDC’s estimates are based on thousands of coronavirus specimens collected each week through university and commercial laboratories and state and local health departments. Scientists analyze their genetic sequences to determine which versions of the COVID-19 viruses are most abundant.

In the week that ended Dec. 11, omicron’s share of new infections in the U.S. increased to 2.9% from 0.4% the week before, the CDC previously reported.

But CDC on Tuesday said they are revising some of the earlier numbers, after analyzing more specimens. The new numbers indicate that about 13% of the infections the week of Dec. 11 were omicron, and not 3%, CDC officials said.

Though there remain a lot of new infections caused by the delta variant, “I anticipate that over time that delta will be crowded out by omicron," Walensky said.

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by Anonymousreply 596December 20, 2021 11:09 PM

[quote] Four in 10 people infected with COVID-19 show no symptoms — but are still potential spreaders of the disease

So the answer is, test everyone, every day? Is that what R371 is saying?

by Anonymousreply 597December 20, 2021 11:09 PM

Also, I checked online for rapid at-home Covid tests. They’re $24 a pop which would add up quickly. And they’re mostly sold out/not available anyway.

by Anonymousreply 598December 20, 2021 11:13 PM

^And that's only going to get worse in the next 4 weeks or so.

by Anonymousreply 599December 20, 2021 11:17 PM

Testing availability is on the agenda for Joe's speech tomorrow. The U.S. has supposedly been "ramping up production" the past 18 months but we're still lagging far behind other countries.

Eric Topol: "In Europe, more than 60 rapid tests are approved by the regulatory authorities. They are freely available in many countries or for nominal cost from vending machines or pharmacies. In the U.S., the FDA has been very slow to provide clearance for the tests, with only a handful on the market. (Binax is the most common.) But these tests remain expensive at around $8 each, which makes frequent or daily testing much too costly for most people."

Binax is available at some stores around me. Cost is $14 for a box of two tests.

by Anonymousreply 600December 20, 2021 11:24 PM
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