COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[Tekken_Guy]

Jesus, the liberal egghead outlets like NYT, Washington Post, and NPR are in full-on propaganda mode right now. They're putting out daily headlines fear-mongering about Omicron and not-so-subtly smearing the heroes that are trying to make sure school actually stays open. If these social media companies actually wanted to be consistent about their misinformation policies they would ban or at least threaten to ban these publications too. I don't want that to happen, but I'm just saying that the COVID lies go far beyond the Q people.

In a revote I think virginia would be very close between trump and biden.. considering all this hysteria

Yup. Virginia’s electoral votes will of course be awarded to Trump either way in 2024, but at this rate the GOP may win the state outright anyway.

https://twitter.com/stephenmoore/status/1477011711605587977?s=21

Trump will not be winning Virginia’s electoral votes under any scenario. First of all it’s far from certain he’ll be the GOP nominee. And while another Republican like DeSantis has a tiny shot at flipping the state, Trump himself does not. And I don’t think Youngkin would go through with overturning a Democratic win in the stets.

[Can't Bear]

https://twitter.com/NewDay/status/1478365316048736257

What the hell? The first (D) politician that cares about kids from poor families, not about wealthy lib donors TDS! 🤯

He's really, really good. Totally owns and debunks CNN's talking points. WOW!

[Hammy]

I find it strange that people on this forum are totally in favor of vaccine mandates but strongly against mask mandates

The mask mandates we have are nonsensical virtue signaling:
They're not enforced.
You can basically wear whatever mask you want, no matter how ineffective.
You're allowed to take it off to eat.

The people who are advocating mandates and claiming follow the science are themselves not following the science. It's either virtue signaling--telling the people they're on the 'correct' side of the issue while doing nothing of value, or worse--they're doing it purely as liability because they're afraid of being sued.

While I won't advocate stricter mandates as I'm wary of anything that might bring the police into the situation, the mandates as they are, are just utter nonsense. And as others have pointed out is destroying any remaining credibility from government agencies on this.

[All Along The Watchtower]

Weirdo with 20 mental illnesses: I enjoy work, enjoy wearing masks and dislike crowded social settings

Speaking as a weirdo with at least a few mental illnesses, if not quite 20, I tend to dislike crowded social settings (shyness, introversion, a bit claustrophobic tbh) but as far as the first two, I'm a downright normie--especially here in the SF Bay Area!

These #ZeroCOVID people are f--king psychotic!

[Bandit3 the Worker]

All the universities in my area are going back to online classes, even though there aren't that many cases, and far fewer deaths.

How can universities continue justifying such tuition for this sort of lousy experience? Students should be suing the pants off of these universities for not delivering the services they promised.

[Hammy]

All the universities in my area are going back to online classes, even though there aren't that many cases, and far fewer deaths.

How can universities continue justifying such tuition for this sort of lousy experience? Students should be suing the pants off of these universities for not delivering the services they promised.

The level of expenses aren't justifiable even in normal circumstances, so I doubt they care if people complain now.

[Democrats Hate Leftists More Than Predators]

Weirdo with 20 mental illnesses: I enjoy work, enjoy wearing masks and dislike crowded social settings

Speaking as a weirdo with at least a few mental illnesses, if not quite 20, I tend to dislike crowded social settings (shyness, introversion, a bit claustrophobic tbh) but as far as the first two, I'm a downright normie--especially here in the SF Bay Area!

These #ZeroCOVID people are f--king psychotic!

It's truly amazing how Branch COVIDianism has become mainstream in the party. Even here of all places, in the most socially libertarian state in the Union, the likely Democrat nominee for governor just endorsed a statewide mask mandate. And it's not just him - the entire party is embracing COVID restrictions too.

[Horus]

https://twitter.com/NewDay/status/1478365316048736257

What the hell? The first (D) politician that cares about kids from poor families, not about wealthy lib donors TDS! 🤯

He's really, really good. Totally owns and debunks CNN's talking points. WOW!

The kvetching from the lockdown crowd is absolutely glorious.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

Weirdo with 20 mental illnesses: I enjoy work, enjoy wearing masks and dislike crowded social settings

Speaking as a weirdo with at least a few mental illnesses, if not quite 20, I tend to dislike crowded social settings (shyness, introversion, a bit claustrophobic tbh) but as far as the first two, I'm a downright normie--especially here in the SF Bay Area!

These #ZeroCOVID people are f--king psychotic!

It's truly amazing how Branch COVIDianism has become mainstream in the party. Even here of all places, in the most socially libertarian state in the Union, the likely Democrat nominee for governor just endorsed a statewide mask mandate. And it's not just him - the entire party is embracing COVID restrictions too.

If you’re going to analogize any group in this pandemic to an actual death cult, it’s got the be the anti-vaxxers.  I think mask mandates at this point are annoying and mostly ineffective, but they are also for the most part harmless.  Closing schools is definitely -not- harmless, but at least it isn’t immediately killing people.

But they anti-vaxxers are directly responsible for the unnecessary deaths of tens if not hundreds of thousands of Americans.  It is likely by far the most deadly cult in American history by several orders of magnitude.

[Zohranism is OUR future]

Weirdo with 20 mental illnesses: I enjoy work, enjoy wearing masks and dislike crowded social settings

Speaking as a weirdo with at least a few mental illnesses, if not quite 20, I tend to dislike crowded social settings (shyness, introversion, a bit claustrophobic tbh) but as far as the first two, I'm a downright normie--especially here in the SF Bay Area!

These #ZeroCOVID people are f--king psychotic!

It's truly amazing how Branch COVIDianism has become mainstream in the party. Even here of all places, in the most socially libertarian state in the Union, the likely Democrat nominee for governor just endorsed a statewide mask mandate. And it's not just him - the entire party is embracing COVID restrictions too.

If you’re going to analogize any group in this pandemic to an actual death cult, it’s got the be the anti-vaxxers.  I think mask mandates at this point are annoying and mostly ineffective, but they are also for the most part harmless.  Closing schools is definitely -not- harmless, but at least it isn’t immediately killing people.

But they anti-vaxxers are directly responsible for the unnecessary deaths of tens if not hundreds of thousands of Americans.  It is likely by far the most deadly cult in American history by several orders of magnitude.

“How dare GMac claim the progressive wing is as bad as the GOP?!?!” -Sawx

“If you want a mask mandate when hospitalization rates are high you are as bad as bleach drinkers who think vaccines carry microchips.”-Also Sawx.

[Democrats Hate Leftists More Than Predators]

“How dare GMac claim the progressive wing is as bad as the GOP?!?!” -Sawx

“If you want a mask mandate when hospitalization rates are high you are as bad as bleach drinkers who think vaccines carry microchips.”-Also Sawx.

In New Hampshire (and the part of Massachusetts I go to), things have been back to normal for the past nine months just fine. Even as Delta ravaged through the nation, we've been living through our normal lives. Going back to pre-vaccine policies over a less dangerous variant is not only anti-science, but political suicide.

As I've said, you can't just shove the genie back in the bottle and expect people to be okay with it. Especially after nine months of normalcy.

[Democrats Hate Leftists More Than Predators]

If you’re going to analogize any group in this pandemic to an actual death cult, it’s got the be the anti-vaxxers.  I think mask mandates at this point are annoying and mostly ineffective, but they are also for the most part harmless.  Closing schools is definitely -not- harmless, but at least it isn’t immediately killing people.

But they anti-vaxxers are directly responsible for the unnecessary deaths of tens if not hundreds of thousands of Americans.  It is likely by far the most deadly cult in American history by several orders of magnitude.

I think we're all in agreement here about the anti-vaxxers. At the same time, if you lay out the risks and you don't take the vaccine, what more can we do for them? Moreover, why should I be punished and forced to jump through hoops because other people don't want to take basic health precautions?

We did the right thing. It's not our problem others won't.

[Zohranism is OUR future]

“How dare GMac claim the progressive wing is as bad as the GOP?!?!” -Sawx

“If you want a mask mandate when hospitalization rates are high you are as bad as bleach drinkers who think vaccines carry microchips.”-Also Sawx.

In New Hampshire (and the part of Massachusetts I go to), things have been back to normal for the past nine months just fine. Even as Delta ravaged through the nation, we've been living through our normal lives. Going back to pre-vaccine policies over a less dangerous variant is not only anti-science, but political suicide.

As I've said, you can't just shove the genie back in the bottle and expect people to be okay with it. Especially after nine months of normalcy.

I mean I am not for mask mandates (but I still will wear my mask for a few more weeks) right now, but if hospitalizations do reach critical points (they probably won’t but it’s always best to be uncertain) , well let’s just say a mask won’t be our biggest problem. And in some places during delta, mask mandates should have been implemented. Not many, but some.

[Roll Roons]

Amid all the insanity, I don't believe this has been brought up:
https://twitter.com/JacquiHeinrich/status/1478413004043698179

[Pyro]

https://twitter.com/NewDay/status/1478365316048736257

What the hell? The first (D) politician that cares about kids from poor families, not about wealthy lib donors TDS! 🤯

He's really, really good. Totally owns and debunks CNN's talking points. WOW!

Mulgrew and the UFT put forward their proposal to introduce temporary remote learning out of necessity and foresight, not a flippant desire to fall prey to "hysteria" as Adams insultingly calls it. This is about more than safety concerns (which are valid considering the lack of tests available for teachers, staff, and children). It's entirely plausible that a high number of educators will be unable to work due to illness. If schools enforce safety precautions and abide by the CDC's recommendations to quarantine, NYC schools may be facing a severe teaching shortage. Amid the surge, that's where the UFT is coming from.

[Aurelius]

Fine then, total hospitalizations in the US are at about 100K and quickly rising. Absolute peak was at 140K last winter. NY and NJ have passed their hospitalization peaks from last winter.

I understand all the hopium and copium that people here are huffing in large quantities on the subject of Omicron, but "mild" does not mean "harmless". Yes, Omicron is milder than Delta, particularly for vaccinated people. No, it's not harmless; there's no way the common cold or the flu caused hospitalizations at this level in the past. And no, the pandemic is not over, despite how much you want it to be. The virus couldn't care less about how over it you are.

Several points about this are questionable:
First and foremost, Delta is still circulating. People seem to be ignoring this point, so trying to hype omicron up into something more significant is grasping at straws.

Second, there have been several articles about the dominant flu strain this year (which is also one of the more severe ones) not matching the vaccines that are out, which is almost certainly behind the increase in hospitalizations.

Third, if you are hospitalized--no matter what reason--and test positive on screening, you are counted among covid hospitalizations. This is a point the CDC has been clear about in their studies, but everybody ignores when reporting the daily numbers. It's also worth noting many ICUs are near capacity even with only a quarter or so of those being COVID patients--we have a major capacity problem in general that is going ignored by much of the media.

And most importantly, the pandemic is now being driven entirely by the unvaccinated. At this point we need either penalization or incentive--hell, I'd be fine with just paying these people $10k or something to get vaccinated so we can get back to a functioning society. Continuing on the Covid Zero nonsense is destructive, both in the short and the longer term.

More copium here:

1. Delta is rapidly being replaced by Omicron, particularly in the Northeast and South where cases have exploded. Yes the CDC's modeling was proven to be shoddy when they "adjusted" the proportion by 50%, but it's still all we have, and it does line up with the fact that cases are exploding in a fashion we have not seen at any point since March 2020.

2. We're talking number of COVID hospitalizations, flu is not relevant.

3. NYC will soon separate the data in the way that you want. I think you're wrong and that most of these COVID hospitalizations are hospitalizations due to COVID, but we'll see.

4. Having a segment of the proportion unvaccinated is like a law of nature in the USA. There's a bunch of numbskulls that just won't get it and there's enough of them that the Republicans see political advantage in catering to them. They're here to stay and that's not going to change. I find it strange that people on this forum are totally in favor of vaccine mandates but strongly against mask mandates, when vaccine mandates are more intrusive and harder to implement and enforce. Remember every state had an indoor mask mandate at one point.

Calling the current government inaction a "COVID Zero" strategy is just a complete farce, and we all agreed that private entites have the right to restrict themselves or close themselves down. It's great to see private entities particularly in the Northeast recognize that Omicron is a threat and are taking action themselves in place of the government which won't do anything, such as ordering employees to WFH, cancelling holiday parties, restricting their hours, restaurants closing dining rooms, or even shutting down entirely for stretches.

We didn't "all agree" on that.

In part because many of our country's top universities (though thankfully not my own alma mater) are pushing this insanity.

https://news.stanford.edu/report/2021/12/16/first-two-weeks-winter-classes/

https://www.harvard.edu/coronavirus/covid-update-january-remote-learning-work/

https://covid.cornell.edu/updates/20211214-online-exams.cfm

https://www.georgetown.edu/news/important-public-health-alert-increase-in-covid-19-cases-2/

https://covid.princeton.edu/

https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2021/12/18/yale-moves-finals-online-and-allows-students-to-leave-campus-early/

Okay and? This is the farthest thing from a "lockdown". Online classes have been going on for years at most universities, so colleges going virtual for a few weeks is... not that big of a deal.

God, you really don't get it. If you go to a school of this caliber, you have the right to an actual college experience. Not online classes and a ghost town campus. If you want those, enroll in Liberty. Especially considering the fact that most students are at extremely low risk.

How many public schools are on this list? Zero. We all agreed that private institutions have the right to restrict themselves or shut down yet here you are nebulously blaming the government and Democrats for a "lockdown". It's entirely possible that this was demanded by the students and parents (i.e. paying customers) of these universities.

I don't agree with that at all. It is high time to begin punishing those in positions of power, even non-governmental positions of power, who continue to push March 2020-esque measures on a society sick and tired of covid theater. Highly ranked private universities should be first in line.

American society at large, especially our elites, has somewhat different conceptions than I do about the duties of public and private institutions to the public at large, so I know that there is zero chance of this happening, but I still resolutely believe that a sane society would take such actions by now.

Universities which insist on continuing the insane covid theater should be punished by the state. Universities,  even private ones, provide an essential public function and have profited immensely off of this. Public policy should reflect this. Universities must not be permitted to continue fattening their already grossly excessive endowments in providing a substandard educational product out of disproportionate hysteria.

[Democrats Hate Leftists More Than Predators]

I mean I am not for mask mandates (but I still will wear my mask for a few more weeks) right now, but if hospitalizations do reach critical points (they probably won’t but it’s always best to be uncertain) , well let’s just say a mask won’t be our biggest problem. And in some places during delta, mask mandates should have been implemented. Not many, but some.

At first I was skeptical but considering how far the paranoia has gone I wouldn't actually be surprised if some places locked down again.

[Zohranism is OUR future]

I mean I am not for mask mandates (but I still will wear my mask for a few more weeks) right now, but if hospitalizations do reach critical points (they probably won’t but it’s always best to be uncertain) , well let’s just say a mask won’t be our biggest problem. And in some places during delta, mask mandates should have been implemented. Not many, but some.

At first I was skeptical but considering how far the paranoia has gone I wouldn't actually be surprised if some places locked down again.

LOL.

[compucomp]

Fine then, total hospitalizations in the US are at about 100K and quickly rising. Absolute peak was at 140K last winter. NY and NJ have passed their hospitalization peaks from last winter.

I understand all the hopium and copium that people here are huffing in large quantities on the subject of Omicron, but "mild" does not mean "harmless". Yes, Omicron is milder than Delta, particularly for vaccinated people. No, it's not harmless; there's no way the common cold or the flu caused hospitalizations at this level in the past. And no, the pandemic is not over, despite how much you want it to be. The virus couldn't care less about how over it you are.

Several points about this are questionable:
First and foremost, Delta is still circulating. People seem to be ignoring this point, so trying to hype omicron up into something more significant is grasping at straws.

Second, there have been several articles about the dominant flu strain this year (which is also one of the more severe ones) not matching the vaccines that are out, which is almost certainly behind the increase in hospitalizations.

Third, if you are hospitalized--no matter what reason--and test positive on screening, you are counted among covid hospitalizations. This is a point the CDC has been clear about in their studies, but everybody ignores when reporting the daily numbers. It's also worth noting many ICUs are near capacity even with only a quarter or so of those being COVID patients--we have a major capacity problem in general that is going ignored by much of the media.

And most importantly, the pandemic is now being driven entirely by the unvaccinated. At this point we need either penalization or incentive--hell, I'd be fine with just paying these people $10k or something to get vaccinated so we can get back to a functioning society. Continuing on the Covid Zero nonsense is destructive, both in the short and the longer term.

More copium here:

1. Delta is rapidly being replaced by Omicron, particularly in the Northeast and South where cases have exploded. Yes the CDC's modeling was proven to be shoddy when they "adjusted" the proportion by 50%, but it's still all we have, and it does line up with the fact that cases are exploding in a fashion we have not seen at any point since March 2020.

2. We're talking number of COVID hospitalizations, flu is not relevant.

3. NYC will soon separate the data in the way that you want. I think you're wrong and that most of these COVID hospitalizations are hospitalizations due to COVID, but we'll see.

4. Having a segment of the proportion unvaccinated is like a law of nature in the USA. There's a bunch of numbskulls that just won't get it and there's enough of them that the Republicans see political advantage in catering to them. They're here to stay and that's not going to change. I find it strange that people on this forum are totally in favor of vaccine mandates but strongly against mask mandates, when vaccine mandates are more intrusive and harder to implement and enforce. Remember every state had an indoor mask mandate at one point.

Calling the current government inaction a "COVID Zero" strategy is just a complete farce, and we all agreed that private entites have the right to restrict themselves or close themselves down. It's great to see private entities particularly in the Northeast recognize that Omicron is a threat and are taking action themselves in place of the government which won't do anything, such as ordering employees to WFH, cancelling holiday parties, restricting their hours, restaurants closing dining rooms, or even shutting down entirely for stretches.

We didn't "all agree" on that.

In part because many of our country's top universities (though thankfully not my own alma mater) are pushing this insanity.

https://news.stanford.edu/report/2021/12/16/first-two-weeks-winter-classes/

https://www.harvard.edu/coronavirus/covid-update-january-remote-learning-work/

https://covid.cornell.edu/updates/20211214-online-exams.cfm

https://www.georgetown.edu/news/important-public-health-alert-increase-in-covid-19-cases-2/

https://covid.princeton.edu/

https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2021/12/18/yale-moves-finals-online-and-allows-students-to-leave-campus-early/

Okay and? This is the farthest thing from a "lockdown". Online classes have been going on for years at most universities, so colleges going virtual for a few weeks is... not that big of a deal.

God, you really don't get it. If you go to a school of this caliber, you have the right to an actual college experience. Not online classes and a ghost town campus. If you want those, enroll in Liberty. Especially considering the fact that most students are at extremely low risk.

How many public schools are on this list? Zero. We all agreed that private institutions have the right to restrict themselves or shut down yet here you are nebulously blaming the government and Democrats for a "lockdown". It's entirely possible that this was demanded by the students and parents (i.e. paying customers) of these universities.

I don't agree with that at all. It is high time to begin punishing those in positions of power, even non-governmental positions of power, who continue to push March 2020-esque measures on a society sick and tired of covid theater. Highly ranked private universities should be first in line.

American society at large, especially our elites, has somewhat different conceptions than I do about the duties of public and private institutions to the public at large, so I know that there is zero chance of this happening, but I still resolutely believe that a sane society would take such actions by now.

Universities which insist on continuing the insane covid theater should be punished by the state. Universities,  even private ones, provide an essential public function and have profited immensely off of this. Public policy should reflect this. Universities must not be permitted to continue fattening their already grossly excessive endowments in providing a substandard educational product out of disproportionate hysteria.

thankfully you're deep in the minority, even here. I posted a poll and 93% agree that private entities have the right to shut themselves down. Since it's hard to get 90% of people to agree in a poll that the sky is blue, 93% might as well be 100% and you don't matter.

[Hammy]

I mean I am not for mask mandates (but I still will wear my mask for a few more weeks) right now, but if hospitalizations do reach critical points (they probably won’t but it’s always best to be uncertain) , well let’s just say a mask won’t be our biggest problem. And in some places during delta, mask mandates should have been implemented. Not many, but some.

At first I was skeptical but considering how far the paranoia has gone I wouldn't actually be surprised if some places locked down again.

They didn't lock down during the delta wave, or during winter 2020-21--both of which saw skyrocketing deaths--so you're insane if you think they're going to now when there's zero public support.

[Aurelius]

I mean I am not for mask mandates (but I still will wear my mask for a few more weeks) right now, but if hospitalizations do reach critical points (they probably won’t but it’s always best to be uncertain) , well let’s just say a mask won’t be our biggest problem. And in some places during delta, mask mandates should have been implemented. Not many, but some.

At first I was skeptical but considering how far the paranoia has gone I wouldn't actually be surprised if some places locked down again.

They didn't lock down during the delta wave, or during winter 2020-21--both of which saw skyrocketing deaths--so you're insane if you think they're going to now when there's zero public support.

California did lock down during winter 2020-21, including a stay at home order.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

The only states in the U.S. that locked down last winter were California and New Mexico.

[Can't Bear]

https://twitter.com/NewDay/status/1478365316048736257
What the hell? The first (D) politician that cares about kids from poor families, not about wealthy lib donors TDS! 🤯

He's really, really good. Totally owns and debunks CNN's talking points. WOW!

Mulgrew and the UFT put forward their proposal to introduce temporary remote learning out of necessity and foresight, not a flippant desire to fall prey to "hysteria" as Adams insultingly calls it. This is about more than safety concerns (which are valid considering the lack of tests available for teachers, staff, and children). It's entirely plausible that a high number of educators will be unable to work due to illness. If schools enforce safety precautions and abide by the CDC's recommendations to quarantine, NYC schools may be facing a severe teaching shortage. Amid the surge, that's where the UFT is coming from.

What safety? What concerns? Science has showen time after time that schools don't drive cases more than other entities, likely less. If gyms and restaurangs and what not is open, but not public schools, what kind of message does it send? Teachers' unions have been through the pandemic Public Enemy No. 1 to the kids.

It's entirely plausible that a high number of educators will be unable to work due to illness.

Let's do some math - daily cases # in NYC is ~35,000. Times 10 ( the days one is "sick" per CDC is 5, but let's go with a "safer" assumption) = 350,000. It means that currently there is about 350,000 out of 8,419,000 = 4% who are officially "sick". Numerous study has shown that teachers are NOT over-represented compared to other occupations. 3-5% should not cause significant shortages. Unions and media are just spreading fear and dangerous bullsh**t. And as Adams says for the kids (especially poorer) the schools is the safest place to be.


https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n2060

Conclusion Compared with adults of working age who are otherwise similar, teachers and their household members were not found to be at increased risk of hospital admission with covid-19 and were found to be at lower risk of severe covid-19. These findings should reassure those who are engaged in face-to-face teaching.

Teacher's "worries" about safety.

If there is any shortage, it's because Teachers' Unions encourage teachers to stay home.

Biden should echo Adams and take a stance against Teachers' Unions, but he likely wont'. Hopefully, Democrats will pay dearly for their collusion () with Teachers Unions.

[Meclazine for Israel]

WA registers first Omicron case:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-05/wa-records-five-new-local-covid-19-cases-exposure-sites-grow/100739540

We only had 5 cases of community spread with Delta, but one Omicron case has emerged in hotel lockdown.

Here we go. We avoided it for nearly 2 years.

1, 4, 16, 64, 256, 1012, 4096........

[Wrong about 2024 Ghost]

Indiana life insurance CEO says deaths are up 40% among people ages 18-64

Davison said the increase in deaths represents “huge, huge numbers,” and that’s it’s not elderly people who are dying, but “primarily working-age people 18 to 64” who are the employees of companies that have group life insurance plans through OneAmerica.

“And what we saw just in third quarter, we’re seeing it continue into fourth quarter, is that death rates are up 40% over what they were pre-pandemic,” he said.

“Just to give you an idea of how bad that is, a three-sigma or a one-in-200-year catastrophe would be 10% increase over pre-pandemic,” he said. “So 40% is just unheard of.”

Most of the claims for deaths being filed are not classified as COVID-19 deaths, Davison said.

“What the data is showing to us is that the deaths that are being reported as COVID deaths greatly understate the actual death losses among working-age people from the pandemic. It may not all be COVID on their death certificate, but deaths are up just huge, huge numbers.”

He said at the same time, the company is seeing an “uptick” in disability claims, saying at first it was short-term disability claims, and now the increase is in long-term disability claims.