COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[President Johnson]

Is it possible masks will be something to live with for literally the rest of our lives?

I don't think so, though it may have raised general awareness for other infectious diseases. mask wearing and other measures against Covid have significantly reduced the number of flu infections (at least in Germany; I would expect the same is true for the US and elsewhere).

Masks in crowded spaces are pretty standard in many Asian countries and have been for many years, in stark contrast to Northern America or Europe.

[President Johnson]

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

Are these numbers for a single day? Jesus Christ.

[President Johnson]

Question:

Do 2 doses of a mRNA vaccine protect you from a severe omicron case, or do I need a booster?

One google search suggested 2 moderna shots provides substantial protection against severity

One suggested 2 shots totally useless

Booster shot increases protection greatly, to over 80% from what our Health Minister said. Four or five months after the second dose protection is down to about 35%.

mRNA vaccines are certainly better than Vector vaccines.

[President Johnson]

Less severe? Quantitative evidence, please.

There's not enough data for a serious answer as of now. I heard from studies that confirm this, though others say these are flawed or just not representative.

[President Johnson]

Obviously a correct statement from a scientific standpoint. He's not saying nobody should gather. Seeing family when all are vaccinated is pretty safe. If you want to be super safe or have vulnerable people around, an additional test makes sense and shouldn't be a big deal.

[President Johnson]

I'm just leaving this good news here as well: BioNtech, Pfitzer's German partner in vaccine development, begun producing an adjusted vaccine for Omicron. First deliveries expected for March.

BioNtech also developed a method for fast detection of new variants:

https://twitter.com/Reuters_Health/status/1480955224395239434

[President Johnson]

Seems like this hasn't been posted yet: Doug Emhoff tested positive. However, Biden and Kamala were tested negative.

https://twitter.com/SecondGentleman/status/1503880657797357575

[President Johnson]

Jen Psaki has been tested positive again. Meanwhile, Biden was tested negative (at this point, I'm actually surprised he hasn't catched the virus yet).

https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1506324579500937216