COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[Calthrina950]

Honestly the fact that Fauci of all people inspires such reactions from the right shows how much of a Neanderthal party they have become

This. If not for the fact that he's become a key figure in the culture war, he seems about as inoffensive as you can get.

Fauci is very bland, and he has a tendency of explaining matters through medical jargon, such as his comments about the "nasal pharynx" and "chromosomes" and "virus", and so forth. He's not necessarily the best communicator to "reassure" the public against alarm.

[Pericles]

While political leaders should consider other factors like economics, they do need to be getting that independent, honest science/health-based perspective.

[Hindsight was 2020]

Honestly the fact that Fauci of all people inspires such reactions from the right shows how much of a Neanderthal party they have become

This. If not for the fact that he's become a key figure in the culture war, he seems about as inoffensive as you can get.

Fauci is very bland, and he has a tendency of explaining matters through medical jargon, such as his comments about the "nasal pharynx" and "chromosomes" and "virus", and so forth. He's not necessarily the best communicator to "reassure" the public against alarm.

True but that if anything that further reinforced my point as those are not faults that warrant the type of reactions he has gotten from certain blue avatars here to say nothing to wider rw spheres reaction to him

[VBM]

?

What is your opinion?

[dw93]

No, but he should minimize his public role. Fauci's ascent to being the "voice of the pandemic" was an accident of history due to Trump's alarming incompetence. Fauci's trade is worst-case scenarios, and that's no longer what the public needs to hear.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

[Yeahsayyeah]

I dont understand why yall think I am an out of control crazy psycho

Maybe, your posting style and your fixation of making the same points, weither there is context or not, again and again and in caps could lead some to this conclusion. ;-)

[pbrower2a]

The endgame of covid-19 is it becomes another cold virus. The only question is how much damage attempting to reduce it's spread governments and corps do to society.

COVID-19 is just not to much of a killer.

Did anyone ever say something like "Lay off Ted Bundy because he will grow out of it?"

[emailking]

The data is getting better that Omicron may be both more transmissible and less severe than previous variants.

[Matty]

An interesting question I saw posted on reddit


if covid19 happened in, say, the year 1757, would it have even gone noticed? People were dying of everything back then, there were less old and fat people, etc.

Would a 757 covid outbreak have been something learned about in a history class?

[emailking]

I guess probably not. But medical care was also primitive so that would benefit the virus.

It might not have been able to form in 1757 without modern day wet markets. It would also be a lot less likely to take off beyond a local group or even patient 0.

[BigSerg]

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1468064213314772995?s=20

[It’s so Joever]

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/south-africa-reports-rise-in-number-of-kids-hospitalized-with-covid-19-omicron-variant/2747608/

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/south-africa-reports-rise-in-number-of-kids-hospitalized-with-covid-19-omicron-variant/2747608/

This story on the same topic is more recent.

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/safrican-official-says-number-children-sick-with-covid-19-is-not-cause-panic-2021-12-04/

Higher hospital admissions among children during a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections in South Africa that has been driven by the Omicron coronavirus variant should not prompt panic as infections have been mild, a health official said on Saturday.

[Pericles]

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/south-africa-reports-rise-in-number-of-kids-hospitalized-with-covid-19-omicron-variant/2747608/

Is there any indication that the variant is more likely to make children severely ill, rather than more children being hospitalized because there are more infections (so the harm is all being caused by the increased transmissibility)?

[Person Man]

An interesting question I saw posted on reddit


if covid19 happened in, say, the year 1757, would it have even gone noticed? People were dying of everything back then, there were less old and fat people, etc.

Would a 757 covid outbreak have been something learned about in a history class?

It could have gone unnoticed or have been a slower and more insidious version of the plague. We don’t know.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/south-africa-reports-rise-in-number-of-kids-hospitalized-with-covid-19-omicron-variant/2747608/

This story on the same topic is more recent.

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/safrican-official-says-number-children-sick-with-covid-19-is-not-cause-panic-2021-12-04/

Higher hospital admissions among children during a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections in South Africa that has been driven by the Omicron coronavirus variant should not prompt panic as infections have been mild, a health official said on Saturday.

A lot in news that infections have been mild, but it's a dumb take, because 60-90% (according to different estimates) of South Africa's population has been infected by Covid (and most has been infected relatively lately by Delta) and has natural immunity. Of course, there have to be more milder cases all other things being equal. While it is a good news, because it shows immunity (and booster immunity by vaccines is likely much stronger than from being previous infected) works, you'll need compare apples to apples to estimate how severe Omicron is. I'd wait for analysis from UK, who have superb data about their patients.

https://twitter.com/business/status/1428019105655889920

Note that the article is from August.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

The WHO said the other day that there hasn't been a single recorded death from the Omicron variant.  If it turns out that this is just a cold, we need to stop treating it any differently from other colds (and that includes stopping testing and no longer encouraging those who have it to quarantine).

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

The WHO said the other day that there hasn't been a single recorded death from the Omicron variant.  If it turns out that this is just a cold, we need to stop treating it any differently from other colds (and that includes stopping testing and no longer encouraging those who have it to quarantine).

I would agree with not requiring quarantine for Omicron as long as the data on the mildness of the variant holds up.  And we should certainly lift any Omicron-related travel restrictions.

But I'm not sure what you mean by "stopping testing" given that you can't know exactly which variant you have before you test, and much deadlier variants are still much more prevalent than Omicron.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

The WHO said the other day that there hasn't been a single recorded death from the Omicron variant.  If it turns out that this is just a cold, we need to stop treating it any differently from other colds (and that includes stopping testing and no longer encouraging those who have it to quarantine).

I would agree with not requiring quarantine for Omicron as long as the data on the mildness of the variant holds up.  And we should certainly lift any Omicron-related travel restrictions.

But I'm not sure what you mean by "stopping testing" given that you can't know exactly which variant you have before you test, and much deadlier variants are still much more prevalent than Omicron.

If Omicron is as contagious as it is, it's likely it will outcompete Delta and bring it to extinction, just like Delta did with the original virus.

[Lief 🗽]

The WHO said the other day that there hasn't been a single recorded death from the Omicron variant.  If it turns out that this is just a cold, we need to stop treating it any differently from other colds (and that includes stopping testing and no longer encouraging those who have it to quarantine).

I would agree with not requiring quarantine for Omicron as long as the data on the mildness of the variant holds up.  And we should certainly lift any Omicron-related travel restrictions.

But I'm not sure what you mean by "stopping testing" given that you can't know exactly which variant you have before you test, and much deadlier variants are still much more prevalent than Omicron.

If Omicron is as contagious as it is, it's likely it will outcompete Delta and bring it to extinction, just like Delta did with the original virus.

Okay but how do we figure any of this out without testing?

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

The WHO said the other day that there hasn't been a single recorded death from the Omicron variant.  If it turns out that this is just a cold, we need to stop treating it any differently from other colds (and that includes stopping testing and no longer encouraging those who have it to quarantine).

I would agree with not requiring quarantine for Omicron as long as the data on the mildness of the variant holds up.  And we should certainly lift any Omicron-related travel restrictions.

But I'm not sure what you mean by "stopping testing" given that you can't know exactly which variant you have before you test, and much deadlier variants are still much more prevalent than Omicron.

Even if Omicron is milder, it doesn't mean, it won't overwhelm the hospitals given that it seems much transmissible/immune averting. Look at the third graph.


https://www.ft.com/content/d315be08-cda0-462b-85ec-811290ad488e


So it's really unlikely, that Omicron will be like a cold or even like a flu, even if in long run Covid, indeed, will eventually likely turn into a regular cold.

_{Btw, if there is anything I hate more than masks, it's the people in public place having cold/flu sneezing and coughing around with their  f**king runny noses. If there is anything coming from your body, stay f**king home, you disgusting little bastard. We would likely save hundres of thousands of people each year globally by only following this simple advice}

[President Johnson]

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1468064213314772995?s=20

Are these numbers for a single day? Jesus Christ.

[Hammy]

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1468064213314772995?s=20

Are these numbers for a single day? Jesus Christ.

Monday backlog. Most states don't log numbers on weekends.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1468064213314772995?s=20

Are these numbers for a single day? Jesus Christ.

Monday backlog. Most states don't log numbers on weekends.

Yet, a new wave is coming, and it might get even [much?] worse, when Omicron takes over. If it really as contagious as it seems to be, it might overwhelm hospitals, even if it is milder (which we still don't know). And Biden has already ruled out "lockdowns". Well, at least, Omicron made people more willing to vaccinate themselves.

[Person Man]

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1468064213314772995?s=20

Are these numbers for a single day? Jesus Christ.

Monday backlog. Most states don't log numbers on weekends.

Yet, a new wave is coming, and it might get even [much?] worse, when Omicron takes over. If it really as contagious as it seems to be, it might overwhelm hospitals, even if it is milder (which we still don't know). And Biden has already ruled out "lockdowns". Well, at least, Omicron made people more willing to vaccinate themselves.

You still think there should be lockdowns? They obviously don’t work.