COVID-19 Megathread 6: Return of the Omicron

[Calthrina950]

It's just maddening to me that so many people have had their minds "screwed up" by this pandemic and the response to it.

A lot of this was caused by TV.

True. My stepmother loves to watch TV, particularly programs such as The View, the CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell, and ABC World News Tonight with David Muir. And these programs (the Evening News programs in particular), tend to highlight the most depressing and heartbreaking aspects of the pandemic, with regards to severe outlier cases of COVID, hospitalizations, and of course deaths. They bring on Dr. Fauci, Dr. Walensky, Dr. Murthy, and other public health experts frequently. It's not wrong to consult them, but these individuals certainly aren't the best messengers and haven't been the most consistent.

Yeah, I’ve found it best not to watch the nightly news, tbh. I thought this before Covid too. Seems like it’s just “So and so got shot in (bad neighborhood)” and “Bad car crash on dangerous section of road” or if you’re looking at a wider scale, “School shooting in (random suburb that no one has ever heard of)” or “Natural disaster in (third world country)”.

You're right. These programs are very sensationalist and are driven by a desire for profits and ratings, which has greatly influenced their coverage of the pandemic and of other issues.

[Inmate Trump]

We need normalcy now!

Normalcy has been rejected by Republican anti-vaxxers who refuse to get the shot and whose actions demand a prolonged pandemic.

[DINGO Joe]

We need normalcy now!

Please tell everyone to stop filling the hospitals and dying, because the death rate is pretty far from normal.

[Pericles]

It looks like the Omicron wave has just peaked nationally anyway, so hopefully the US will be in a much better position soon.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Tennessee's health commissioner said today that Omicron has peaked in the cities and will soon peak in the rural areas.  Judging from other places, that would mean that it could vanish by mid-February.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Last winter's peak in the U.S. was on Jan. 11. This winter's peak was on Jan. 13. But I'm sure it's different from state to state.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Last winter's peak in the U.S. was on Jan. 11. This winter's peak was on Jan. 13. But I'm sure it's different from state to state.

There being the significant difference that 2020-21's winter wave was elongated but less sharp, while 2021-22's will be very short-lived but very sharp.  In other words, cases in mid-December and (I hypothesize) mid-February were/will be much lower this winter than last, but the opposite is true in mid-January.

[emailking]

Omicron is now 99.5% of USA cases and there were 2300 deaths today. Are we still going with this is almost all Delta, and the super mild Omicron is causing negligible deaths?

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Omicron is now 99.5% of USA cases and there were 2300 deaths today. Are we still going with this is almost all Delta, and the super mild Omicron is causing negligible deaths?

Most of the deaths are people who caught it a long time ago, so they would have to be Delta.

Also, my spreadsheet document says deaths divided by known cases is down to 0.2%. It was 0.6% as recently as Christmas.

[emailking]

Most of the deaths are people who caught it a long time ago, so they would have to be Delta.

How do we know that?

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Omicron is now 99.5% of USA cases and there were 2300 deaths today. Are we still going with this is almost all Delta, and the super mild Omicron is causing negligible deaths?

It was a mistake to assume that Omicron wasn't deadly.

[Hammy]

Omicron is now 99.5% of USA cases and there were 2300 deaths today. Are we still going with this is almost all Delta, and the super mild Omicron is causing negligible deaths?

It's not as straight forward or black and white as that. Deaths were already trending on the rise before Omicron, and cases were also starting to increase already due to Christmas shopping, gatherings, etc. We also have 120 million people who have not been vaccinated who are around 20x likely to die vs those vaccinated.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

Omicron is now 99.5% of USA cases and there were 2300 deaths today. Are we still going with this is almost all Delta, and the super mild Omicron is causing negligible deaths?

Cases have risen almost 1000% compared to pre-Christmas while deaths have risen maybe 50%.  On its face this seems much, much less deadly to me.

And this isn’t even considering whether the people dying are vaccinated or not.  If you are choosing not to get vaccinated, dying of covid should be classified as a suicide.

[emailking]

Not disputing that it's less deadly, just that it's nothing to worry about. The data doesn't seem to be bearing that out. And no they're not suicides.

[Inmate Trump]

Not disputing that it's less deadly, just that it's nothing to worry about. The data doesn't seem to be bearing that out. And no they're not suicides.

If you say anything on this forum about anything that isn't extremely positive, some posters will call you a doomer and try to shut you up.  (The doomers were right about Trump trying to perform a coup, and people here tried to downplay it and shame us for even suggesting he'd attempt one.)

It does seem to be less deadly.  It does seem to be less severe.  These are good things.  It's still covid, and it isn't a simple flu/cold for everyone.  People are still dying needlessly.  People are still getting terrible cases of it.  There is some light here but there is also some dark and we should all be adult enough to discuss it.

[Ferguson97]

We need normalcy now!

We have had normalcy for several months!

[Donerail]

We need normalcy now!

We have had normalcy for several months!

what are you talking about

[Calthrina950]

We need normalcy now!

We have had normalcy for several months!

What? We have not returned to the conditions of 2019. The pandemic still dominates the headlines, and many of the restrictions remain in force.

[beesley]

A good benchmark of a return to normalcy will be the end of isolation for positive tests, which I hope to see implemented soon.

[compucomp]

We need normalcy now!

That won't happen until COVID ceases to be a threat. Until that happens, there is a clear majority that demands the government do something about it and a smaller but still substantial proportion of the population (I estimate 30%) that will change their behavior. Accordingly Biden is doing something about it, encouraging mask wearing and vaccine uptake, and shipping out vast quantities of test kits and N95 masks. Yes Omicron is milder than Delta but it is so contagious it is a big problem anyway, hospitalizations are at a record and deaths have gone up, both at levels 10x or more than what is expected of seasonal flu.

In a recent hearing with the CDC and FDA multiple Republican senators criticized the administration's response to Omicron as incompetent. Now it's not necessary for the opposition party to be logically sound in its criticism of the incumbent but the logical conclusion of this criticism is the exact opposite of the position you're proposing, that we pretend that COVID is not a threat and that it's 2019 again. You're clearly denying reality if you believe that, and honestly this forum is fiercely in denial of reality when it howls with indignation at Biden sending out masks and test kits, which did exactly zero economic harm and impeded no freedoms.

I want to see polls of mask mandates and such add a question asking if respondents agree that COVID is not a threat and that all containment should be abandoned. I think this will poll around 20-25% support and bust this forum's bubble on this issue.

[Calthrina950]

A good benchmark of a return to normalcy will be the end of isolation for positive tests, which I hope to see implemented soon.

Another benchmark would be the abolition of mask mandates.

[beesley]

A good benchmark of a return to normalcy will be the end of isolation for positive tests, which I hope to see implemented soon.

Another benchmark would be the abolition of mask mandates.

Yes - I'm pleased that our Prime Minister has announced as such (at present, he may not be PM when they end).

[Calthrina950]

A good benchmark of a return to normalcy will be the end of isolation for positive tests, which I hope to see implemented soon.

Another benchmark would be the abolition of mask mandates.

Yes - I'm pleased that our Prime Minister has announced as such (at present, he may not be PM when they end).

Didn't Johnson get in trouble for attending a Christmas party in violation of his own regulations? And isn't he facing a challenge from members of his own party? I'm not entirely sure with what's going on, though I know that Johnson's approvals have declined.

[Inmate Trump]

A good benchmark of a return to normalcy will be the end of isolation for positive tests, which I hope to see implemented soon.

Another benchmark would be the abolition of mask mandates.

Do you mean mandates from government or from private businesses?

I can get behind government no longer mandating them, but private businesses must be allowed to require masks if they so choose.

[Calthrina950]

A good benchmark of a return to normalcy will be the end of isolation for positive tests, which I hope to see implemented soon.

Another benchmark would be the abolition of mask mandates.

Do you mean mandates from government or from private businesses?

I can get behind government no longer mandating them, but private businesses must be allowed to require masks if they so choose.

Government mandates. Private businesses can impose their own mandates, but I would be hopeful that they would not do so. There still won't be normalcy if employees of all stripes are still masked on the job.