COVID-19: Chapter 9 - OMGicron

How long and where was the contact between the friend and the gf?

Can you get one of the rapid antigen tests at your local CVS or whatever?

I think your risk of being positive because of your SOā€™s close contact 5 days ago is very low. However, I also think the risk of going to a holiday party right now is exceedingly high. I therefore think you are making the correct decision, although perhaps not necessarily based upon the correct risk caclulation.

Edit: Holiday parties are a bad idea right now: https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/15/us/covid-19-outbreak-at-manhattan-da/index.html

I mean, you could also quote the part that says two shots of Pfizer is still 70% effective against hospitalization with omicron in this preliminary study, which is still pretty darn meaningful.

Itā€™s right there at the top of the image under No. 1

image

You want to factor in that many of those studied had their 2 doses more recent than us and are far more likely to have had a delta infection too. And the SA population average age is c. 45yrs old i.e. younger than ours and that SA have only just reached 100% omicron coverage (early days) so our mileage may vary.

Omicron ā€˜poses a real threatā€™, says Moderna chief

In the UK , Dr Paul Burton , chief medical officer at Moderna, has been speaking to MPs on the Commons science and technology committee.

Burton said he expects data in the coming days to show how well the Moderna booster improves protection against the Omicron variant.

He cautioned against claims, largely from South Africa , that the variant is causing milder disease, and warned that Omicron and Delta are likely to circulate together for some time.

ā€œI do not think Omicron is a milder, less severe version of the current virus,ā€ he told the committee.

He added:

The idea it will push Delta out of the way and take over may occur in the future, but I think in the coming months these two viruses are going to co-exist, and Omicron, which I would maintain is actually a severe disease, will now infect people on a background of very, very strong Delta pressure.

It will also lead to a situation where individuals will become co-infected ā€¦ which gives the opportunity for this virus to further evolve and mutate which is a concerning and worrying situation.

We certainly donā€™t have to panic, we have many many tools at our disposal, weā€™ve learnt so much about this virus over the last two years, and we can continue to fight it, but I think Omicron poses a real threat.

When you look at the data in SA about 15% of people who are hospitalised are in the intensive care unit, and while thereā€™s variability, if you look back earlier in the year, at a time of delta surge in August, those numbers are about the same, 15%.

So while the mortality rate we are seeing right now is mercifully lower, I think as a disease it is a very fit virus and itā€™s severe.

My message, get a booster (UK quoting one week to activate, 4 weeks to get to full strength)

Alright, present, but hard to read. No idea why you chose an image of tiny text instead of a text quote.

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The images are clickable to zoom but edited upon request

Apple has canceled their Return to Office date of February 1st for the time being.

Makes sense to me. That can be 7-10 days though too.

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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has started distributing free Covid home test kits to international travellers, the agency said.

The CDC said it began distributing the kits on Wednesday and is giving them out at Minneapolis-St Paul, Miami and Chicago Oā€™Hare and will soon add Dallas-Fort Worth. It plans to add four additional unidentified international airports in the coming weeks.

The CDC encourages - but does not mandate - international air travelers to get a new Covid test upon arriving in the United States.

New rules took effect on 6 December to require nearly all people flying to the United States to obtain a negative test within one day of travel.

Holy shit. 68 unread posts and 100% content. This Omicron discussion is certainly less severe than the old Delta discussion.

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29 percent less severe anyway.

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Severity? Weā€™re not even sure itā€™s more contagious than Delta yet ;)

Ah, maybe it isā€¦

Bonus graphā€¦ (weā€™re both building off a bigger base than SA)

well, admitting my first boosted covid patient ever. Old and super immunocompromised though.

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On the one hand, we have our first actual study out of South Africa concluding it caused 29 percent fewer hospital admissions then OG Covid: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/14/south-africa-omicron-coronavirus/

On the other hand, we have graphs posted by Churchill.

It was an an overnighter at her friendā€™s last Saturday, her and 3 other women basically hung out in the same room for hours.

I actually have one but didnā€™t want to burn it because I was saving it for next week before we travel to her motherā€™s

And yea definitely this. Probably shouldnā€™t have considered going even prior to this.

Thanks all, I feel better about my decision after giving it a little time.

Oof. Will you all find out which variant?

Severity and contagiousness are two different things.

Itā€™s just hit 100% in SA - youā€™re acting like the wave has passed and making the assumption all countries and their populations are the same. Weā€™re nearing the end of the 1st quarter. Covid ainā€™t no bullet wound, give it time.

On the one hand we have the chief medical officier in a country where 40% are boostered saying donā€™t look at hospitalisations until end December.

On the other hand, we have Jman with his unlicenced pills being the omicron game changer.

nope