COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[compucomp]

And that's their prerogative. Just like they can tell you to wear gloves, a hair net, a long sleeve shirt, or anything else that some might hate wearing all day.

We've argued enough about this already. I've said repeatedly that the Spanish Flu did not bring about permanent mask mandates. Why should there be?

If the CDC doesn't drop the general indoor mask recommendation for vaxxed next week, or if most businesses don't follow suit if they do drop it, I might be more sympathetic to this viewpoint. Right now, I just don't see permanent masking becoming a thing.

I wish I could share your optimism. Even after the CDC modifies their recommendations, there will be some segments of society, and some quarters of the century, that will cling to these mandates. And the CDC Director herself implied that "mitigating practices would return" if there is another surge in cases or a new variant of concern arises.

If there is another surge in cases and hospitalizations or another variant, mask mandates would absolutely called for as a low cost, low effort, moderately effective mitigation. Your rhetoric sounds good now with the virus in retreat but not all of us are so short-sighted, especially with BA.2 right around the corner possibly to wreck your world in the near future.

It's clear to me that you are a member of that class of society that actively wants for this pandemic to continue, and who doesn't want to return to pre-pandemic life. You actively want for there to be more cases and deaths, and for the restrictions to be sustained indefinitely. Again, we should not be spending the next seventy years living in pandemic mode.

He's a CCP lackey, his entire existence on this forum is to try to scare and demoralize Americans. Nothing else.

I've certainly come to the viewpoint that he belongs to Camp#1, of the camps identified by ExtremeRepublican. He is very much in favor of restrictions, and is particularly fond of mask mandates. But for some strange reason, he opposes vaccine mandates.

That's untrue. I'm not in favor of restricting or shutting down businesses or putting people out of work because "money printer go brrrr" is not a legitimate economic strategy and I'm not interested in paying more taxes or suffering more inflation to support them. I support vaccine mandates but I'm not going to support them vigorously because I think the arguments against have merit, unlike with mask mandates where I think the arguments against have no merit.

[Frodo]

When even Dr. Fauci is saying we should start moving towards normalcy, you know the pandemic is on its last legs:

Fauci says time to start 'inching' back toward normality

[compucomp]

A new study indicates the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron may cause severe disease at the level of prior variants. It's already shown to be more contagious than Omicron (BA.1) and will eventually become the dominant variant. You guys thought the end-of-pandemic party was on, well, it might already be over! I thought we wouldn't see another surge until the end of the year but if this study holds, we may see another one within a few months!

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/17/health/ba-2-covid-severity/index.html

The BA.2 virus -- a subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant -- isn't just spreading faster than its distant cousin, it may also cause more severe disease and appears capable of thwarting some of the key weapons we have against Covid-19, new research suggests.
New lab experiments from Japan show that BA.2 may have features that make it as capable of causing serious illness as older variants of Covid-19, including Delta.
And like Omicron, it appears to largely escape the immunity created by vaccines. A booster shot restores protection, making illness after infection about 74% less likely.

BA.2 is also resistant to some treatments, including sotrovimab, the monoclonal antibody that's currently being used against Omicron.

You sound almost giddy with excitement, what with your use of exclamation marks...

From the same article you posted:

Similar to the original Omicron, BA.2 was capable of breaking through antibodies in the blood of people who’d been vaccinated against Covid-19. It was also resistant to the antibodies of people who’d been infected with Covid-19 early in the pandemic, including Alpha and Delta. And BA.2 was almost completely resistant to some monoclonal antibody treatments.

But there was a bright spot: Antibodies in the blood of people who’d recently had Omicron also seemed to have some protection against BA.2, especially if they’d also been vaccinated.

And that raises an important point, Fuller says. Even though BA.2 seems more contagious and pathogenic than Omicron, it may not wind up causing a more devastating wave of Covid-19 infections.

I hate to disappoint you, but with nearly three-quarters of all Americans having been exposed to the Omicron variant, we are now immune to it. Which also means that BA 2 will not have quite the same devastating impact that Delta and the original COVID had.

That's not what your article says. It says that 73% either got a booster or has been infected recently by BA.1. Only the people who were infected by BA.1 recently can hope to be immune to BA.2, as we all know that breakthrough infections are common now.

[It’s so Joever]

A new study indicates the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron may cause severe disease at the level of prior variants. It's already shown to be more contagious than Omicron (BA.1) and will eventually become the dominant variant. You guys thought the end-of-pandemic party was on, well, it might already be over! I thought we wouldn't see another surge until the end of the year but if this study holds, we may see another one within a few months!

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/17/health/ba-2-covid-severity/index.html

The BA.2 virus -- a subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant -- isn't just spreading faster than its distant cousin, it may also cause more severe disease and appears capable of thwarting some of the key weapons we have against Covid-19, new research suggests.
New lab experiments from Japan show that BA.2 may have features that make it as capable of causing serious illness as older variants of Covid-19, including Delta.
And like Omicron, it appears to largely escape the immunity created by vaccines. A booster shot restores protection, making illness after infection about 74% less likely.

BA.2 is also resistant to some treatments, including sotrovimab, the monoclonal antibody that's currently being used against Omicron.

You sound almost giddy with excitement, what with your use of exclamation marks...

From the same article you posted:

Similar to the original Omicron, BA.2 was capable of breaking through antibodies in the blood of people who’d been vaccinated against Covid-19. It was also resistant to the antibodies of people who’d been infected with Covid-19 early in the pandemic, including Alpha and Delta. And BA.2 was almost completely resistant to some monoclonal antibody treatments.

But there was a bright spot: Antibodies in the blood of people who’d recently had Omicron also seemed to have some protection against BA.2, especially if they’d also been vaccinated.

And that raises an important point, Fuller says. Even though BA.2 seems more contagious and pathogenic than Omicron, it may not wind up causing a more devastating wave of Covid-19 infections.

I hate to disappoint you, but with nearly three-quarters of all Americans having been exposed to the Omicron variant, we are now immune to it. Which also means that BA 2 will not have quite the same devastating impact that Delta and the original COVID had.

That's not what your article says. It says that 73% either got a booster or has been infected recently by BA.1. Only the people who were infected by BA.1 recently can hope to be immune to BA.2, as we all know that breakthrough infections are common now.

Studies from South Africa and Denmark seem to conflict with these findings…

https://en.ssi.dk/news/news/2022/omicron-variant-ba2-accounts-for-almost-half-of-all-danish-omicron-cases

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-16/study-shows-omicron-sub-variant-no-more-severe-than-first-strain

I am open to changing my mind on mask mandates if BA2 is proven to be more severe, as I believe public policy ought to focus on keeping people alive, not making Atlas 20 year olds happy.
However, I would need some more evidence than this. Also some real world evidence.

While hamster experiments do provide insight, they will never compare to real human analysis.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Effective immediately, New Mexico is lifting its mask mandate in public places and in schools.

Excellent news. New Mexico has generally been one of the stricter states. That leaves us with only Hawaii and Washington who haven't yet acted.

Inslee will be announcing their end date at some point today. I stand by my prediction that Hawaii will never repeal their mandate.

There it is:

https://twitter.com/ByMikeBaker/status/1494433110674456594

[Frodo]

A new study indicates the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron may cause severe disease at the level of prior variants. It's already shown to be more contagious than Omicron (BA.1) and will eventually become the dominant variant. You guys thought the end-of-pandemic party was on, well, it might already be over! I thought we wouldn't see another surge until the end of the year but if this study holds, we may see another one within a few months!

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/17/health/ba-2-covid-severity/index.html

The BA.2 virus -- a subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant -- isn't just spreading faster than its distant cousin, it may also cause more severe disease and appears capable of thwarting some of the key weapons we have against Covid-19, new research suggests.
New lab experiments from Japan show that BA.2 may have features that make it as capable of causing serious illness as older variants of Covid-19, including Delta.
And like Omicron, it appears to largely escape the immunity created by vaccines. A booster shot restores protection, making illness after infection about 74% less likely.

BA.2 is also resistant to some treatments, including sotrovimab, the monoclonal antibody that's currently being used against Omicron.

You sound almost giddy with excitement, what with your use of exclamation marks...

From the same article you posted:

Similar to the original Omicron, BA.2 was capable of breaking through antibodies in the blood of people who’d been vaccinated against Covid-19. It was also resistant to the antibodies of people who’d been infected with Covid-19 early in the pandemic, including Alpha and Delta. And BA.2 was almost completely resistant to some monoclonal antibody treatments.

But there was a bright spot: Antibodies in the blood of people who’d recently had Omicron also seemed to have some protection against BA.2, especially if they’d also been vaccinated.

And that raises an important point, Fuller says. Even though BA.2 seems more contagious and pathogenic than Omicron, it may not wind up causing a more devastating wave of Covid-19 infections.

I hate to disappoint you, but with nearly three-quarters of all Americans having been exposed to the Omicron variant, we are now immune to it. Which also means that BA 2 will not have quite the same devastating impact that Delta and the original COVID had.

That's not what your article says. It says that 73% either got a booster or has been infected recently by BA.1. Only the people who were infected by BA.1 recently can hope to be immune to BA.2, as we all know that breakthrough infections are common now.

Are you sure you read it?

About half of eligible Americans have received booster shots, there have been nearly 80 million confirmed infections overall, and many more infections are all but certain to have never been reported. One influential model uses those factors and others to estimate that 73% of Americans are, for now, immune to omicron, the dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, and that could rise to 80% by mid-March.

If you are now immune to Omicron, you are likely immune to the new BA 2 sub-variant as well.  Which is pretty much everyone, vaccinated and unvaccinated alike.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

There it is:

https://twitter.com/ByMikeBaker/status/1494433110674456594

I guess this leaves Hawaii as the last holdout.

[Oakvale]

tfw I come here to post that fearmongering muh BA.2 article from the scum media and see compucomp has beaten me to it.

I can't stress enough how obscene the American media has been throughout this period. Positively salivating, lying to the people at every opportunity in their flailing attempt to prolong the pandemic and keep their ratings up. It's remarkable: literally no one but American journos care about "BA.2". For example... Denmark, where this non-entity sub-variant was initially detected, are profoundly unconcerned and yet neurotic American liberals have talked themselves into thinking the Danes are suffering mass death on a scale not seen since the Black Death. Incredible scenes.

[Frodo]

U.S. COVID Deaths See a Peak As Cases Take Significant Dive
----------------

As of Monday's update (which it's worth noting seems to have a couple of gaps, albeit not huge ones), our weekly national case load is now back below peak-Delta levels in early September.

When our death rate eventually falls to a similar level, I will be joining Camp 4.

Deaths lag too much, you should use hospitalizations since those lag a bit less.

Call it an abundance of caution.   

[It’s so Joever]

tfw I come here to post that fearmongering muh BA.2 article from the scum media and see compucomp has beaten me to it.

I can't stress enough how obscene the American media has been throughout this period. Positively salivating, lying to the people at every opportunity in their flailing attempt to prolong the pandemic and keep their ratings up. It's remarkable: literally no one but American journos care about "BA.2". For example... Denmark, where this non-entity sub-variant was initially detected, are profoundly unconcerned and yet neurotic American liberals have talked themselves into thinking the Danes are suffering mass death on a scale not seen since the Black Death. Incredible scenes.

See, this is the problem with Atlas on Covid. You were literally shown a study that at least gives some credibility to the claim that BA2 could be worrisome, and you just say “hur durr American libruhls bad”

You did not once show any counter study, you did not actually read the article probably, you just voiced your unfounded opinions because you want a protein copy machine to care about your feelings.

[It’s so Joever]

Also friendly reminder that immunity is a spectrum. Even if you are not fully immune to omicron, you can still have partial immunity. It isn’t some binary thing.

[compucomp]

A new study indicates the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron may cause severe disease at the level of prior variants. It's already shown to be more contagious than Omicron (BA.1) and will eventually become the dominant variant. You guys thought the end-of-pandemic party was on, well, it might already be over! I thought we wouldn't see another surge until the end of the year but if this study holds, we may see another one within a few months!

https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/17/health/ba-2-covid-severity/index.html

The BA.2 virus -- a subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant -- isn't just spreading faster than its distant cousin, it may also cause more severe disease and appears capable of thwarting some of the key weapons we have against Covid-19, new research suggests.
New lab experiments from Japan show that BA.2 may have features that make it as capable of causing serious illness as older variants of Covid-19, including Delta.
And like Omicron, it appears to largely escape the immunity created by vaccines. A booster shot restores protection, making illness after infection about 74% less likely.

BA.2 is also resistant to some treatments, including sotrovimab, the monoclonal antibody that's currently being used against Omicron.

You sound almost giddy with excitement, what with your use of exclamation marks...

From the same article you posted:

Similar to the original Omicron, BA.2 was capable of breaking through antibodies in the blood of people who’d been vaccinated against Covid-19. It was also resistant to the antibodies of people who’d been infected with Covid-19 early in the pandemic, including Alpha and Delta. And BA.2 was almost completely resistant to some monoclonal antibody treatments.

But there was a bright spot: Antibodies in the blood of people who’d recently had Omicron also seemed to have some protection against BA.2, especially if they’d also been vaccinated.

And that raises an important point, Fuller says. Even though BA.2 seems more contagious and pathogenic than Omicron, it may not wind up causing a more devastating wave of Covid-19 infections.

I hate to disappoint you, but with nearly three-quarters of all Americans having been exposed to the Omicron variant, we are now immune to it. Which also means that BA 2 will not have quite the same devastating impact that Delta and the original COVID had.

That's not what your article says. It says that 73% either got a booster or has been infected recently by BA.1. Only the people who were infected by BA.1 recently can hope to be immune to BA.2, as we all know that breakthrough infections are common now.

Are you sure you read it?

About half of eligible Americans have received booster shots, there have been nearly 80 million confirmed infections overall, and many more infections are all but certain to have never been reported. One influential model uses those factors and others to estimate that 73% of Americans are, for now, immune to omicron, the dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19, and that could rise to 80% by mid-March.

If you are now immune to Omicron, you are likely immune to the new BA 2 sub-variant as well.  Which is pretty much everyone, vaccinated and unvaccinated alike.

This is misusing the term "immune". People who got boosters still caught Omicron/BA.1 frequently. There's every reason to think that they are still vulnerable to catching BA.2, assuming the vaccine does no better at preventing BA.2 infection than BA.1 infection. People who caught BA.1 however have recent antibodies that are better suited to neutralize BA.2 and thus can hope to be immune to BA.2 infection, so I guess if you caught Omicron you're now in luck.

[Oakvale]

tfw I come here to post that fearmongering muh BA.2 article from the scum media and see compucomp has beaten me to it.

I can't stress enough how obscene the American media has been throughout this period. Positively salivating, lying to the people at every opportunity in their flailing attempt to prolong the pandemic and keep their ratings up. It's remarkable: literally no one but American journos care about "BA.2". For example... Denmark, where this non-entity sub-variant was initially detected, are profoundly unconcerned and yet neurotic American liberals have talked themselves into thinking the Danes are suffering mass death on a scale not seen since the Black Death. Incredible scenes.

See, this is the problem with Atlas on Covid. You were literally shown a study that at least gives some credibility to the claim that BA2 could be worrisome, and you just say “hur durr American libruhls bad”

You did not once show any counter study, you did not actually read the article probably, you just voiced your unfounded opinions because you want a protein copy machine to care about your feelings.

I read the article. It was the typical pro-mask propaganda (remember the flurry of CNN articles about how 'omicron isn't actually mild!!!' we were deluged with?) I've come to expect from the American liberal media. That's why I came here to post it, because I was disgusted.

Let me know when literally anything fundamentally changes as a result of this sub-variant. Until then, I will not care, and neither should you.

[It’s so Joever]

tfw I come here to post that fearmongering muh BA.2 article from the scum media and see compucomp has beaten me to it.

I can't stress enough how obscene the American media has been throughout this period. Positively salivating, lying to the people at every opportunity in their flailing attempt to prolong the pandemic and keep their ratings up. It's remarkable: literally no one but American journos care about "BA.2". For example... Denmark, where this non-entity sub-variant was initially detected, are profoundly unconcerned and yet neurotic American liberals have talked themselves into thinking the Danes are suffering mass death on a scale not seen since the Black Death. Incredible scenes.

See, this is the problem with Atlas on Covid. You were literally shown a study that at least gives some credibility to the claim that BA2 could be worrisome, and you just say “hur durr American libruhls bad”

You did not once show any counter study, you did not actually read the article probably, you just voiced your unfounded opinions because you want a protein copy machine to care about your feelings.

I read the article. It was the typical pro-mask propaganda (remember the flurry of CNN articles about how 'omicron isn't actually mild!!!' we were deluged with?) I've come to expect from the American liberal media. That's why I came here to post it, because I was disgusted.

Let me know when literally anything fundamentally changes as a result of this sub-variant. Until then, I will not care, and neither should you.

So…I am guessing you did not look at the study which was linked?

We’ve hit a societal low when scientific studies are now political propaganda.

[Calthrina950]

tfw I come here to post that fearmongering muh BA.2 article from the scum media and see compucomp has beaten me to it.

I can't stress enough how obscene the American media has been throughout this period. Positively salivating, lying to the people at every opportunity in their flailing attempt to prolong the pandemic and keep their ratings up. It's remarkable: literally no one but American journos care about "BA.2". For example... Denmark, where this non-entity sub-variant was initially detected, are profoundly unconcerned and yet neurotic American liberals have talked themselves into thinking the Danes are suffering mass death on a scale not seen since the Black Death. Incredible scenes.

See, this is the problem with Atlas on Covid. You were literally shown a study that at least gives some credibility to the claim that BA2 could be worrisome, and you just say “hur durr American libruhls bad”

You did not once show any counter study, you did not actually read the article probably, you just voiced your unfounded opinions because you want a protein copy machine to care about your feelings.

I read the article. It was the typical pro-mask propaganda (remember the flurry of CNN articles about how 'omicron isn't actually mild!!!' we were deluged with?) I've come to expect from the American liberal media. That's why I came here to post it, because I was disgusted.

Let me know when literally anything fundamentally changes as a result of this sub-variant. Until then, I will not care, and neither should you.

Interestingly enough, Dr. Ashish Jha went on two of the morning news programs-The Today Show and CBS Mornings-over the past few days, to discuss the relaxing restrictions and the future of the pandemic response. The hosts on those programs seemed to be concerned about the mandates being dropped, and were apparently of the belief that such moves might be premature. Jha told them what I've been saying on here for some time now-that people can continue to mask up if they please, but that there is no longer any need for mask mandates at this juncture.

[T'Chenka]

So…I am guessing you did not look at the study which was linked?

We’ve hit a societal low when scientific studies are now political propaganda.

"It doesn't fit my narrative" = "it isn't real"

[GregTheGreat657]

Effective immediately, New Mexico is lifting its mask mandate in public places and in schools.

Excellent news. New Mexico has generally been one of the stricter states. That leaves us with only Hawaii and Washington who haven't yet acted.

I wonder why they have been so much stricter with COVID post-vaccine than every other state?

[Calthrina950]

Effective immediately, New Mexico is lifting its mask mandate in public places and in schools.

Excellent news. New Mexico has generally been one of the stricter states. That leaves us with only Hawaii and Washington who haven't yet acted.

I wonder why they have been so much stricter with COVID post-vaccine than every other state?

I have no idea. The voters in that state could change their state's direction, but it's Hawaii.

[It’s so Joever]

Effective immediately, New Mexico is lifting its mask mandate in public places and in schools.

Excellent news. New Mexico has generally been one of the stricter states. That leaves us with only Hawaii and Washington who haven't yet acted.

I wonder why they have been so much stricter with COVID post-vaccine than every other state?

Think of the demographics.

[compucomp]

Effective immediately, New Mexico is lifting its mask mandate in public places and in schools.

Excellent news. New Mexico has generally been one of the stricter states. That leaves us with only Hawaii and Washington who haven't yet acted.

I wonder why they have been so much stricter with COVID post-vaccine than every other state?

I have no idea. The voters in that state could change their state's direction, but it's Hawaii.

I would guess it's because they are isolated in the middle of the Pacific, if their hospitals ran out of space, they are SOL, unlike the continental US where overflow patients could be  driven or flown by helicopter to an out-of-state hospital.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

My school still has a mask mandate.   We got an email from the President earlier this week saying it -might- be repealed “in the next several weeks”.

[Frodo]

Americans Are Still Living With a 2020 Attitude Toward COVID-19 Risk. It's Time for That to Change

[Not Me, Us]

My school still has a mask mandate.   We got an email from the President earlier this week saying it -might- be repealed “in the next several weeks”.

If it makes you feel any better, my school mandates n95s or kn95s and requires you to leave the room during class if you want a drink of water. No sign of it being lifted or even loosened anytime soon.

[emailking]

Well that sucks. I don't think you should have to leave the room to take a sip of water.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

And that's their prerogative. Just like they can tell you to wear gloves, a hair net, a long sleeve shirt, or anything else that some might hate wearing all day.

We've argued enough about this already. I've said repeatedly that the Spanish Flu did not bring about permanent mask mandates. Why should there be?

Okay, I've been patient and polite(ish) long enough. Dude... who THE F__K said anything about permanant mandates?

Scarlet