COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/oliverdarcy/status/1437844301103390726

[Frodo]

This is a very sad story, in which an entire family caught COVID.  Though the kids survived, their parents did not.  Neither parent was vaccinated:

A California couple with five children died of COVID-19 before they could name their youngest

The children are now being taken care of by their grandparents.

[Progressive Pessimist]

This guy is a disaster.

https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/1437786228636721158

Notice how they are against the very same concept when it comes to Biden doing this, federally, to businesses that don't vaccinate.

Does the GOP even know how to pronounce the word "consistency?"

[DaleCooper]

Covid booster: Data shows third shots 'not appropriate' at this time, scientists say

An expert review of scientific evidence to date has concluded that Covid-19 vaccine booster shots are not needed at this time for the general public, a group of leading U.S. and international scientists said Monday in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet.

The conclusion by scientists, including two senior Food and Drug Administration officials and the World Health Organization, came as studies continue to show the authorized Covid vaccines in the U.S. remain highly effective against severe disease and hospitalization caused by the fast-spreading delta variant.

While Covid vaccine effectiveness against mild disease may wane over time, protection against severe disease may persist, the scientists said. That’s because the body’s immune system is complex, they said, and has other defenses besides antibodies that may protect someone from getting seriously sick.

I disagree with this 100%. You'd think scientists have learned not to tell white lies to manipulate public opinion after the "Masks don't work" and "COVID is not airborne" debacles. At least they learned a little bit and are using "boosters are not necessary" rather than "boosters don't work" since they clearly work. There's also been no additional safety issue associated with boosters. Since the US has zero problems supplying vaccine now, necessity is not a reason to withhold boosters, especially since they can bring immunity levels to sterilizing immunity.

Also, if Biden actually withholds boosters so the US can supply vaccines to other countries, then he should be impeached and removed from office.

I agree. Those goddamn know-nothing scientists need to shut the hell up and get on board with booster shots. I'm gonna get two booster shots, one in each arm. And I'm gonna do it every week. Those foreigners shouldn't get any vaccines until I've had my fill.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

Covid booster: Data shows third shots 'not appropriate' at this time, scientists say

An expert review of scientific evidence to date has concluded that Covid-19 vaccine booster shots are not needed at this time for the general public, a group of leading U.S. and international scientists said Monday in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet.

The conclusion by scientists, including two senior Food and Drug Administration officials and the World Health Organization, came as studies continue to show the authorized Covid vaccines in the U.S. remain highly effective against severe disease and hospitalization caused by the fast-spreading delta variant.

While Covid vaccine effectiveness against mild disease may wane over time, protection against severe disease may persist, the scientists said. That’s because the body’s immune system is complex, they said, and has other defenses besides antibodies that may protect someone from getting seriously sick.

I disagree with this 100%. You'd think scientists have learned not to tell white lies to manipulate public opinion after the "Masks don't work" and "COVID is not airborne" debacles. At least they learned a little bit and are using "boosters are not necessary" rather than "boosters don't work" since they clearly work. There's also been no additional safety issue associated with boosters. Since the US has zero problems supplying vaccine now, necessity is not a reason to withhold boosters, especially since they can bring immunity levels to sterilizing immunity.

Also, if Biden actually withholds boosters so the US can supply vaccines to other countries, then he should be impeached and removed from office.

They didn't say, boosters didn't work, so you disagree with a straw man.

They say "booster shots are not needed at this time for the general public" which is what ECDC/EMA has concluded, too.

Biden's decision is purely political answer [in order to look tough/like he's actually do something about it] to his own/Dem/Medias fear-mongering.

As I said, they learned a little bit, and shied away from saying something that is easily (and has actually already been) proven false. However what they want to do is to withhold boosters for the general population, which I disagree with 100%. Since there is no vaccine scarcity whatsoever in the US, and there is a clear benefit to boosters and no additional safety risk, the boosters should be offered and whether it's "needed at this time" or not is something for us to decide, not them.

Clearly the ECDC/EMA has limited influence as France and Germany have started boosters already. I 100% support Biden's plan to offer boosters to the general public in the USA. Supplying other countries is a tertiary concern at most, and if Biden actually puts that above supplying boosters for the USA he should be impeached and removed from office. I might hate Trump but when it comes to my own health and protecting myself from COVID, it's MAGA and America First all the way.

Wrong. France and Germany (and soon UK) will begin /has begun to offer boosters to elder or at-risk population. It's by definition is the opposite to general public.

Most people don't understand how age-related Covid is. For instance, a healthy un-vaccinated <40 y.o. has about the same risk to be hospitalized/die as fully vaccinated >60 and much better chances than vaccinated >80. Obviously, elder or/and at-risk people should be recommended to get a booster. For the rest [of fully vaccinated people], Covid is literally less or as dangerous as a flue.

As most of the time, Biden's/CDC's Covid policies are incoherent and confusing (= gives anti-vaxxers more fuel).

[SnowLabrador]

It's official: 1 in 500 Americans has died of COVID.

[Person Man]

It's official: 1 in 500 Americans has died of COVID.

Wut about muh aborshun?

[Former President tack50]

It's official: 1 in 500 Americans has died of COVID.

Wut about muh aborshun?

I am pro-choice but come on.

Anyways if you care (you don't and were just looking for a cheap shot presumably) in 2018 there were 620k abortions in the US. Assuming it has remained constant and linearly scaling to 18 months would imply 930k abortions since the start of covid.

Since the start of the pandemic meanwhile 664k Americans have died. Of course this doesn't get into the whole excess deaths debate.

So the number of Americans killed by Covid and the number of would-be Americans killed by abortion (if you thought abortion is murder; which I don't) is at least roughly in the same ballpark; with abortions probably being higher

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

It's official: 1 in 500 Americans has died of COVID.

Wut about muh aborshun?

I am pro-choice but come on.

Anyways if you care (you don't and were just looking for a cheap shot presumably) in 2018 there were 620k abortions in the US. Assuming it has remained constant and linearly scaling to 18 months would imply 930k abortions since the start of covid.

Since the start of the pandemic meanwhile 664k Americans have died. Of course this doesn't get into the whole excess deaths debate.

So the number of Americans killed by Covid and the number of would-be Americans killed by abortion (if you thought abortion is murder; which I don't) is at least roughly in the same ballpark; with abortions probably being higher

Also, median age of those who died of covid is 83, and the mean is 80 (in UK, but likely about the same in US). By the way, the median and mean age of death 2016-18 was 84 and 81, respectively (UK).

The average life expectancy at age of 80 is ~8 years. But those who die from covid are not average, but skew sicker. So their life expectancy is probably much lower.

I'm not trying to play down Covid victims, but as I said earlier, many Americans lacks understanding of how age-related Covid is.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Question for the Americans.

How are people going with entering society in it's current state?

I spoke to an American yesterday about not sending Fedex, but he said there was no alternative as he was not prepared to visit the USPS in San Francisco at the risk of becoming infected.

In Western Australia, we have no COVID, so it's something that does not come to mind at present.

Any tips, behaviours or places that you are avoiding to reduce chances of infection.

[Skill and Chance]

Update: Western/Central PA starting to lose control like WV and OH, cracks in the urban VA "wall"- even Arlington and Alexandria are going up now.  Also a possible cold weather outbreak in northern Maine?  Not great. 

[Person Man]

It's official: 1 in 500 Americans has died of COVID.

Wut about muh aborshun?

I am pro-choice but come on.

Anyways if you care (you don't and were just looking for a cheap shot presumably) in 2018 there were 620k abortions in the US. Assuming it has remained constant and linearly scaling to 18 months would imply 930k abortions since the start of covid.

Since the start of the pandemic meanwhile 664k Americans have died. Of course this doesn't get into the whole excess deaths debate.

So the number of Americans killed by Covid and the number of would-be Americans killed by abortion (if you thought abortion is murder; which I don't) is at least roughly in the same ballpark; with abortions probably being higher

No. I am just giving people a hard time. I did see a conservative meme on Facebook comparing Covid to abortion though.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Question for the Americans.

How are people going with entering society in it's current state?

I spoke to an American yesterday about not sending Fedex, but he said there was no alternative as he was not prepared to visit the USPS in San Francisco at the risk of becoming infected.

In Western Australia, we have no COVID, so it's something that does not come to mind at present.

Any tips, behaviours or places that you are avoiding to reduce chances of infection.

I think most vaccinated folks are just living as normal.

One of my best friends (vaccinated) just got COVID after traveling a lot, and he's been resting up at home but feels OK after a rough day or two.  No worse than the flu.

I'm not quite as cavalier because I'm still spooked about long-term effects.  It's unknown whether the vaccine prevents/mitigates those.  But at the end of the day, I've got the vaccine, I'm mostly only hanging out with other vaccinated people, we wear masks when needed, and I avoid situations where I'll be unnecessarily close to people who might not be vaccinated.  More and more Seattle-area establishments are starting to require proof of vaccination, which makes me much more comfortable frequenting those establishments.

[compucomp]

Covid booster: Data shows third shots 'not appropriate' at this time, scientists say

An expert review of scientific evidence to date has concluded that Covid-19 vaccine booster shots are not needed at this time for the general public, a group of leading U.S. and international scientists said Monday in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet.

The conclusion by scientists, including two senior Food and Drug Administration officials and the World Health Organization, came as studies continue to show the authorized Covid vaccines in the U.S. remain highly effective against severe disease and hospitalization caused by the fast-spreading delta variant.

While Covid vaccine effectiveness against mild disease may wane over time, protection against severe disease may persist, the scientists said. That’s because the body’s immune system is complex, they said, and has other defenses besides antibodies that may protect someone from getting seriously sick.

I disagree with this 100%. You'd think scientists have learned not to tell white lies to manipulate public opinion after the "Masks don't work" and "COVID is not airborne" debacles. At least they learned a little bit and are using "boosters are not necessary" rather than "boosters don't work" since they clearly work. There's also been no additional safety issue associated with boosters. Since the US has zero problems supplying vaccine now, necessity is not a reason to withhold boosters, especially since they can bring immunity levels to sterilizing immunity.

Also, if Biden actually withholds boosters so the US can supply vaccines to other countries, then he should be impeached and removed from office.

I agree. Those goddamn know-nothing scientists need to shut the hell up and get on board with booster shots. I'm gonna get two booster shots, one in each arm. And I'm gonna do it every week. Those foreigners shouldn't get any vaccines until I've had my fill.

After they said "Masks don't work" and "COVID is not airborne" while attempting to manipulate public opinion to prevent panic or a run on available masks or whatever, maybe they should refrain from trying the "white lie" strategy again. At least this time they made it clear that they think boosters are not necessary instead of saying they don't work. But since there's no vaccine scarcity whatsoever, whether it's necessary or not is for us to judge, not them. Present the data on efficacy with the booster, make them available, and stop moralizing about how "others" need it more.

I don't think even Xi Jinping could get away with diverting domestic supply of the vaccine to foreign countries while the pandemic is raging in his country.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/megtirrell/status/1437813932132085764

This will be huge when it happens, of course.  Will we see schools adding COVID to their list of required vaccinations soon after the new year?

[Ferguson97]

https://twitter.com/washingtonpost/status/1438200988981137419?s=20

[emailking]

After they said "Masks don't work" and "COVID is not airborne" while attempting to manipulate public opinion to prevent panic or a run on available masks or whatever, maybe they should refrain from trying the "white lie" strategy again.

As I said before, although you ignored it, no scientist ever gave those quotes.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Covid isn't that bad I haven't gotten sick of any Covid Varient even before the Vaccine

.if you do get Covid the Drs are gonna test you for Pre diabetic because of sugar levels and fevers go hand and hand and give you vitamin or antibiotics anyways

A1C sugar and feverish goes g as ND and hand with diabetes and go up with Covid

[compucomp]

After they said "Masks don't work" and "COVID is not airborne" while attempting to manipulate public opinion to prevent panic or a run on available masks or whatever, maybe they should refrain from trying the "white lie" strategy again.

As I said before, although you ignored it, no scientist ever gave those quotes.

At the start of the pandemic, Fauci told people not to wear masks, and later justified it because saying the truth would have caused a shortage of masks for doctors (link: https://www.cnn.com/factsfirst/politics/factcheck_e58c20c6-8735-4022-a1f5-1580bc732c45). Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeted the following: "Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!" and "They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus"

On the airborne issue, here's a blurb in an article from May 10, 2021:

https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/ct-aud-nw-nyt-coronavirus-fauci-masks-20210510-jd2nxxx5evapdej3bn7rhpjvf4-story.html

On Friday, the CDC updated its guidance about how the coronavirus spreads, stating explicitly that people can inhale airborne virus even when they are more than 6 feet away from an infected individual. Previously, the agency had said that most infections were acquired through “close contact, not airborne transmission.”

And only in October 2020, at which point it was already obvious, did the CDC acknowledge that the virus could be airborne:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/07/cdc-confirms-airborne-transmission-of-covid-19-how-to-prevent-spread.html

There's no way to deny that these two "white lie" attempts by public health officials completely backfired and substantially impacted their credibility.

[Former Dean Phillips Supporters for Haley (I guess???!?) 👁️]

After they said "Masks don't work" and "COVID is not airborne" while attempting to manipulate public opinion to prevent panic or a run on available masks or whatever, maybe they should refrain from trying the "white lie" strategy again.

As I said before, although you ignored it, no scientist ever gave those quotes.

The WHO is not "a scientist," it is an organization, but it was spreading this incorrect information back in March 2020, with literally those exact words in its public communications:

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1243972193169616898

You could find similar things from the CDC for example (likewise not "a scientist," but an organization).

In fact, if you read the fine print in the picture embedded in the twee, they actually called the truth that COVID is in fact airborne to be "misinformation" !!!

[emailking]

After they said "Masks don't work" and "COVID is not airborne" while attempting to manipulate public opinion to prevent panic or a run on available masks or whatever, maybe they should refrain from trying the "white lie" strategy again.

As I said before, although you ignored it, no scientist ever gave those quotes.

At the start of the pandemic, Fauci told people not to wear masks, and later justified it because saying the truth would have caused a shortage of masks for doctors (link: https://www.cnn.com/factsfirst/politics/factcheck_e58c20c6-8735-4022-a1f5-1580bc732c45). Surgeon General Jerome Adams tweeted the following: "Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS!" and "They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus"

On the airborne issue, here's a blurb in an article from May 10, 2021:

https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/ct-aud-nw-nyt-coronavirus-fauci-masks-20210510-jd2nxxx5evapdej3bn7rhpjvf4-story.html

On Friday, the CDC updated its guidance about how the coronavirus spreads, stating explicitly that people can inhale airborne virus even when they are more than 6 feet away from an infected individual. Previously, the agency had said that most infections were acquired through “close contact, not airborne transmission.”

And only in October 2020, at which point it was already obvious, did the CDC acknowledge that the virus could be airborne:

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/07/cdc-confirms-airborne-transmission-of-covid-19-how-to-prevent-spread.html

There's no way to deny that these two "white lie" attempts by public health officials completely backfired and substantially impacted their credibility.

All of that is fine, you could have made those points, but the quotes you gave do not exist and it sounds like you agree. No scientist would have ever said those things.

[emailking]

The WHO is not "a scientist," it is an organization, but it was spreading this incorrect information back in March 2020, with literally those exact words in its public communications:

I don't know how to explain that WHO tweet. They shouldn't have posted that.

[Horus]

The WHO is not "a scientist," it is an organization, but it was spreading this incorrect information back in March 2020, with literally those exact words in its public communications:

I don't know how to explain that WHO tweet. They shouldn't have posted that.

WHO is not a reputable org, too much Chinese influence, the CDC is much better.

[Former Dean Phillips Supporters for Haley (I guess???!?) 👁️]

The WHO is not "a scientist," it is an organization, but it was spreading this incorrect information back in March 2020, with literally those exact words in its public communications:

I don't know how to explain that WHO tweet. They shouldn't have posted that.

If you want to know why, read these two articles. It is an interesting example of how science works. Scientists are human and certainly can make mistakes in the short run. But the good thing about the scientific method is that in principle it is eventually self-correcting.

https://www.wired.com/story/the-teeny-tiny-scientific-screwup-that-helped-covid-kill/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/07/opinion/coronavirus-airborne-transmission.html

[emailking]

They were right that the evidence at the time pointed toward fomites over airborne droplets as the primary method of transmission, but to state definitively it was not airborne (applies to something like HIV) was wrong.