COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/josh_wingrove/status/1473318224204910593

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I got my booster today and then did a bunch of Christmas shopping in Madison.  I saw a pretty fair number of unmasked people in the stores despite a mask mandate being in effect.  From my experience, people at Madison stores have been pretty consistent with wearing masks when a mandate is in effect.  I’m guessing these stores and malls are currently getting a good number of shoppers from more rural, maskphobic areas as Christmas approaches.  

I feel like I live in the only city in America where people wear masks consistently (only exceptions being church and work).

I don't think these shoppers were necessarily faraway travelers, so much as sick of it. This is how New Jersey malls have been since the mask mandates were first lifted earlier this year.

When I was in Virginia Beach last month, there was a mall with a "mask mandate" postered on the window of every store despite no local ordinance. I had not brought one, but once I peaked in, I saw the 90% of shoppers were not masked. People simply don't care outside of the absolute biggest cities. Once you cross the city line here, the suburbs are completely free - no second thoughts. Not just rural reactionaries.

[GeorgiaModerate]

I got my booster today and then did a bunch of Christmas shopping in Madison.  I saw a pretty fair number of unmasked people in the stores despite a mask mandate being in effect.  From my experience, people at Madison stores have been pretty consistent with wearing masks when a mandate is in effect.  I’m guessing these stores and malls are currently getting a good number of shoppers from more rural, maskphobic areas as Christmas approaches.  

I feel like I live in the only city in America where people wear masks consistently (only exceptions being church and work).

I don't think these shoppers were necessarily faraway travelers, so much as sick of it. This is how New Jersey malls have been since the mask mandates were first lifted earlier this year.

When I was in Virginia Beach last month, there was a mall with a "mask mandate" postered on the window of every store despite no local ordinance. I had not brought one, but once I peaked in, I saw the 90% of shoppers were not masked. People simply don't care outside of the absolute biggest cities. Once you cross the city line here, the suburbs are completely free - no second thoughts. Not just rural reactionaries.

In this suburban area (Forsyth County, north of Atlanta) mask usage is iffy.  I'd guess 30 or 40 percent when I went to Walmart last Sunday.  This is more than a few weeks earlier, though; I assume the increase is due to publicity about Omicron.

OTOH, I had an experience a few weekends ago that surprised me quite a bit.  I was coming back from Athens and stopped for lunch in Jefferson, Georgia.  It's a smallish city on I-85 about 60 miles northeast of Atlanta.  You could maybe call it exurban if you really stretch the definition, but it's pretty rural.

I went into a fast food restaurant (Zaxby's) and found that their dining room was closed; you could order at the counter, but only for takeout, which I did.  Every last person, and there was a fair crowd waiting, was masked (except me on the way in, so I went back to the car and got one).  There were marks on the floor for social distancing that were pretty well observed.  This is in a block of similar restaurants, and as I drove out I took a close look at the others; they all had their dining rooms closed.  

I was definitely not expecting this in a place like Jefferson.  The only thing I can think of is that perhaps the area has been hard hit by COVID, and they don't want to vaccinate so this is their way to cope instead.  But that's just a guess.

[pikachu]

I got my booster today and then did a bunch of Christmas shopping in Madison.  I saw a pretty fair number of unmasked people in the stores despite a mask mandate being in effect.  From my experience, people at Madison stores have been pretty consistent with wearing masks when a mandate is in effect.  I’m guessing these stores and malls are currently getting a good number of shoppers from more rural, maskphobic areas as Christmas approaches.  

I feel like I live in the only city in America where people wear masks consistently (only exceptions being church and work).

I don't think these shoppers were necessarily faraway travelers, so much as sick of it. This is how New Jersey malls have been since the mask mandates were first lifted earlier this year.

When I was in Virginia Beach last month, there was a mall with a "mask mandate" postered on the window of every store despite no local ordinance. I had not brought one, but once I peaked in, I saw the 90% of shoppers were not masked. People simply don't care outside of the absolute biggest cities. Once you cross the city line here, the suburbs are completely free - no second thoughts. Not just rural reactionaries.

Yeah, the city-suburb contrast has been stunning. NYC was way majority masked during the summer/fall even when there wasn’t a mask mandate and it was pretty common to see people masked in movie theaters where you need a vaccination card to enter. I go to New Brunswick for one day and it’s like entering a different world with pretty much no masks outside of workers. (Ofc, now New York has a mask mandate while New Jersey still doesn’t.)

[Mr. Illini]

I feel like I live in the only city in America where people wear masks consistently (only exceptions being church and work).

Assuming you don't live in Chicago, add us to the list. There's been pretty strong compliance with our mandate.

In the last month or two, many restaurants/bars began stopping enforcement, but I imagine they will resume enforcement with the current news.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/RiegerReport/status/1473382744336093194

Sleepy Joe has awaken! Should have been hammering this message from the summer. Sending military doctors to hospitals is good, too.

[jamestroll]

I feel terrible..

Not in a sick way. In fact I hiked 4 miles and jogged 4 today!


But I was very meticulous during the whole pandemic and suddenly I end up infected probably because I entered one crowded area without a mask.

[Horus]

I feel terrible..

Not in a sick way. In fact I hiked 4 miles and jogged 4 today!


But I was very meticulous during the whole pandemic and suddenly I end up infected probably because I entered one crowded area without a mask.

Everyone is going to get COVID at some point. Trying to dodge it is fruitless.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/GregStohr/status/1473408907108405249

[GoTfan]

To anyone who says this pandemic is nearly over, I'd encourage you to look at vaccination rates in places like Nigeria.

The issue in Africa is not lack of vaccine supply, it's lack of vaccine demand and poor infrastructure for delivering them. Multiple articles have come out about this, saying that 45% of the vaccines delivered to Africa have not been administered, SA asked vaccine companies to halt shipments, etc. This is a talking point that seriously needs to die.

If you think that, then I honestly think you might be a little sociopathic. Variants are going to emerge in places where less vaccines are available.

Unless you're okay with Africa being a COVID petri dish for the next twenty years or so, which i can only assume you and anyone who recommended your comment are.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

To anyone who says this pandemic is nearly over, I'd encourage you to look at vaccination rates in places like Nigeria.

The issue in Africa is not lack of vaccine supply, it's lack of vaccine demand and poor infrastructure for delivering them. Multiple articles have come out about this, saying that 45% of the vaccines delivered to Africa have not been administered, SA asked vaccine companies to halt shipments, etc. This is a talking point that seriously needs to die.

If you think that, then I honestly think you might be a little sociopathic. Variants are going to emerge in places where less vaccines are available.

Unless you're okay with Africa being a COVID petri dish for the next twenty years or so, which i can only assume you and anyone who recommended your comment are.

Did you even read what he wrote? It's not an opinion, it's a fact. Africa lacks "vaccine demand and infrastructure for delivering them".

Moreover Africa, at least some countries like South Africa has probably higher immunity than many other countries due to many infections (80-90% per different estimations has been previously infected), why they weathered Omicron pretty well, it seems.

[Hammy]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/21/politics/biden-trump-covid-vaccine-booster/index.html

President Joe Biden on Tuesday gave credit to the Trump administration for the development of the Covid-19 vaccine and praised his predecessor, Donald Trump, for getting a booster shot

It's funny this should come after several people here suggested it, is Biden or one of his advisors on Atlas?

[Meclazine for Israel]

Thanks to Omicron variant, Australia is about to get hit hard with new cases, but not necessarily hospitalisations.

Western Australia has escaped with zero community transmission, but it won't escape Omicron.

Queensland and NSW will record record infection numbers shortly.

Once Omicron enters WA, it's going to be hard to imagine us escaping it's wrath. We have over 90% 1st jab complete, and should be close to 90% double jabbed by mid-January.

Luckily, we have a mandatory vaccination program for nearly all workers:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-22/wa-first-state-for-mandatory-covid-boosters-as-borders-close/100718716

But amazingly, we have not had any community outbreaks.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/AP/status/1473591598697041921

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-minnesota-pandemics-covid-19-pandemic-d2e77c86caa98078248cd6bd75f09150
As COVID fueled the drug crisis, Native Americans hit worst

As the pandemic ravaged the country, deaths from drug overdoses surged by nearly 30%, climbing to a record high. The drug crisis has also diversified from an overwhelmingly white affliction to killing people of color with staggering speed. The death rate last year was highest among Native Americans, for whom COVID-19 piled yet more despair on communities already confronting generations of trauma, poverty, unemployment and underfunded health systems.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

https://twitter.com/business/status/1473623053900918795

Good, though, still not "adjusted" for 80-90% of pop. are estimated to have "natural" immunity.

[FrancoAgo]

british study show that omicron is no more mild of delta if you see too age, just omicron get more infection in younger and these, like all the other variants, get mild or low level symptom more easy

[It’s so Joever]

british study show that omicron is no more mild of delta if you see too age, just omicron get more infection in younger and these, like all the other variants, get mild or low level symptom more easy

Show?
You can’t make claims like these without something, and a quick searching does not yield what you claim.

In fact…
https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/london-playbook/scoop-omicron-milder-in-uk-new-years-fireworks-liz-vs-no-10/

[Sir Mohamed]

british study show that omicron is no more mild of delta if you see too age, just omicron get more infection in younger and these, like all the other variants, get mild or low level symptom more easy

Different studies seem to contradict themselves here. I think we have to wait a few more weeks to collect enough valid data that gives us a clearer picture.

https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1473675235455119368

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Lol, as I said many times it's the flu and we have had many forms of the flu before and Drs and Nurses can't do anything for because there is no cure for viruses or Common cold

It's not gonna kill you unless you have an underlying medical condition

[FrancoAgo]

my info came from this

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto%2F%3Ffbid%3D436853074665404%26set%3Da.183645173319530&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="470" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe>

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

british study show that omicron is no more mild of delta if you see too age, just omicron get more infection in younger and these, like all the other variants, get mild or low level symptom more easy

South African study (pre-print) is adjusted for age, too. Moreover, they adjusted for previous infections.

In the data that are being submitted to a preprint medical publication -- MedRxiv -- the authors adjusted for various confounding factors that could influence the results, including age, gender and whether the cases were known reinfections. For severity of disease after admission, they also adjusted for the presence of other illnesses and prior immunization.

The problem is "known" infection rate is jut 5% in SA, while estimated i 90% (even before Omicron).

That's why the study from UK and Denmark will shed much more light.

[Matty]

A bizarre data point out of South Africa

Whites in the country have a higher death rate than blacks, despite the wealth and income and healthcare access gap being extreme.

Wonder what explains this?

Are whites in SA an older cohort?

[FrancoAgo]

A bizarre data point out of South Africa

Whites in the country have a higher death rate than blacks, despite the wealth and income and healthcare access gap being extreme.

Wonder what explains this?

Are whites in SA an older cohort?

i suspect much older

[emailking]

FDA authorizes first pill to treat Covid-19

The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized Pfizer's antiviral pill, Paxlovid, to treat Covid-19 in high-risk individuals age 12 and older who weigh at least 88 pounds.

This is the first antiviral Covid-19 pill authorized for ill people to take at home, before they get sick enough to be hospitalized.

"Today's authorization of PAXLOVID represents another tremendous example of how science will help us ultimately defeat this pandemic, which, even two years in, continues to disrupt and devastate lives across the world. This breakthrough therapy, which has been shown to significantly reduce hospitalizations and deaths and can be taken at home, will change the way we treat COVID-19, and hopefully help reduce some of the significant pressures facing our healthcare and hospital systems," Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement. "Pfizer stands ready to begin delivery in the U.S. immediately to help get PAXLOVID into the hands of appropriate patients as quickly as possible."

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/22/health/pfizer-antiviral-pill-authorized/index.html

[GeorgiaModerate]

A bizarre data point out of South Africa

Whites in the country have a higher death rate than blacks, despite the wealth and income and healthcare access gap being extreme.

Wonder what explains this?

Are whites in SA an older cohort?

Yes.  From Wikipedia:

In South Africa, the Black African population is spread out, with 34.0% under the age of 15, 21.6% from 15 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 11.8% from 45 to 64 and 4.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age of an Black African is 21 years.
...
In South Africa, the White population is spread out, with 19.0% under the age of 15, 15.1% from 15 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age of a White is 35 years.