OT: The Official COVID/Omicron Variant+ thread

[Clyde_Style]

I am pro-mask and have always wore one. Even when the CDC, medical professionals, med-students, and those at my place of business were saying I shouldn’t be wearing one. That only COVID-infected individuals should be wearing one. But of course they eventually reversed course. Then legislation was passed.

This is why I tend to think for myself and do what’s best for me and my family. IDGAF about a so-called “expert” or authority figure. At the end of the day, I’m responsible for me, my family, and those in my community whom I interact with in close proximity.

The shepherd leads more sheep to slaughter than the wolf ever kills and consumes.

They all tried to do this little dance around masking because there weren't enough masks but didn't understand how much it would look like flip-flopping when mask production ramped up. It was the biggest mess of a message.

Asian countries had been doing it since original SARS at least. I don't know why we couldn't have deferred to their scientists and culture for explanation while we were figuring things out. Oh wellsky.

The other issue early on was a preventable mask shortage. When protective materials were in short supply for hospitals early pandemic a huge PPE shipment was sent to China by the White House. And then FEMA officials hijacked PPE cargo on the airport runways preventing delivery to some of the states that had offended Orangina.

Kushner was put in charge of this and it appears they were diverting masks for profit. FEMA seized 50,000 N95 respirators headed for NYC when it was the epicenter of the pandemic. And for most of his tenure, Trump refused to invoke the Emergency Defense Act to ramp up PPE production when it was needed most.

So many fumbled balls, many of them due to malicious intent or grifting.

[Clyde_Style]

Luckily, I have a wealth of Asian contacts and I’m fully in-tune with the culture.

Hell yes, I said before in here to Clyde - I first wore a mask 15-20 years ago when I was in Japan and I already had them before the pandemic started.

Super facts. I already had masks AND gloves on deck before the pandemic hit. I was telling individuals to get some and wear them and they were coming at me with CDC statements and arguing with me that masks and gloves will make me more likely to catch COVID.

Yes, I remember those arguments. It didn't make sense to me either

[Clyde_Style]

I don't know that there have really been lies about the vaccine, but then again, I have a tendency to tune out messaging that is nonsense while I look for something useful. The vaccine pretty much stopped the first batch of variants. Then Delta had a bunch of breakthroughs but it still helped tamp down severe cases. And with Omicron... still milder cases but way more breakthroughs.

The information keeps changing but it's not really anyone's fault. If the vaccine from sham's post bears fruit, a new vaccine style may provide more blanket protection. We shall see though.

Have you heard about the new Sham variant from Outer Mongolia?

It hates us all

[Clyde_Style]

Cade and Noel in health and safety. Knicks causing the outbreak.

Fk Cade. He sold me a bag of oregano

[Clyde_Style]

I don't know that there have really been lies about the vaccine, but then again, I have a tendency to tune out messaging that is nonsense while I look for something useful. The vaccine pretty much stopped the first batch of variants. Then Delta had a bunch of breakthroughs but it still helped tamp down severe cases. And with Omicron... still milder cases but way more breakthroughs.

The information keeps changing with it. If the vaccine from sham's post bears fruit, a new vaccine style may provide more blanket projection. We shall see though.

Credibility matters tho. If you lie to the general public about one thing, you’re likely to lie about another. The CDC outright lied about the mask dilemma due to availability and supply-chain concerns. So I’d be gullible af to just take their word as bond with anything else with total disregard to my own thought-processes.

I don’t do what I’m told with anything. I’ve never lived my life that way. I do what’s best for me, my people, and my situation. If I don’t have the information, then I’ma proceed with caution until I get it. But nobody gonna speed me up blindly just because they say so. Or bc they’re an authority figure. Or a so-called “expert.”

I think you have to account for what they were up against with an insane POTUS holding daily press conferences to stroke himself and make up lies on the spot because, well, he's insane. The WH was actively sabotaging the supply chain and the CDC was constantly being undermined by them. The WH tried to suppress CDC data and there was a raging internal war going on behind the scenes. Watching Fauci and Birx squirm at the press conferences was profoundly disturbing. The CDC was put between a rock and a hard place. I'm not saying they would have been flawless under a sane administration, but it would have gone much better. That was a really bad scene

[j4remi]

I don't know that there have really been lies about the vaccine, but then again, I have a tendency to tune out messaging that is nonsense while I look for something useful. The vaccine pretty much stopped the first batch of variants. Then Delta had a bunch of breakthroughs but it still helped tamp down severe cases. And with Omicron... still milder cases but way more breakthroughs.

The information keeps changing with it. If the vaccine from sham's post bears fruit, a new vaccine style may provide more blanket projection. We shall see though.

Credibility matters tho. If you lie to the general public about one thing, you’re likely to lie about another. The CDC outright lied about the mask dilemma due to availability and supply-chain concerns. So I’d be gullible af to just take their word as bond with anything else with total disregard to my own thought-processes.

I don’t do what I’m told with anything. I’ve never lived my life that way. I do what’s best for me, my people, and my situation. If I don’t have the information, then I’ma proceed with caution until I get it. But nobody gonna speed me up blindly just because they say so. Or bc they’re an authority figure. Or a so-called “expert.”

I think you have to account for what they were up against with an insane POTUS holding daily press conferences to stroke himself and make up lies on the spot because, well, he's insane. The WH was actively sabotaging the supply chain and the CDC was constantly being undermined by them. The WH tried to suppress CDC data and there was a raging internal war going on behind the scenes. Watching Fauci and Birx squirm at the press conferences was profoundly disturbing. The CDC was put between a rock and a hard place. I'm not saying they would have been flawless under a sane administration, but it would have gone much better. That was a really bad scene

The mask issue was more of them not knowing enough. Bare in mind that guidance came about late Feb., early March when they thought the virus spread through droplets that were too heavy to hang in the air. They initially didn't know it was airborne until more data came in. This was also at a time when PPE was so low that nurses and other healthcare workers had to buy their own equipment, recycle and reuse masks, and were doing ish like wearing trash bags for extra protection (sidenote: I know a couple of former-nurses that left the profession over this).

I wouldn't frame that in a "don't trust experts" way though, because the experts were actively debating over it. The CDC and WHO got it wrong, but even they were acknowledging a lack of data and I'm pretty sure the WHO even co-signed that any country suggesting masks was fine to do so while everything got figured out. I'd have to find old articles from Feb-April to get the details though. From my purview at the library, CDC would issue guidance and then researchers would hit them up and send in more data which could help change the guidance. The masks discussion shifting within like a month, is a good example of this actually.

But yeah, the Trump admin was straight up fighting with the CDC about information released through a lot of this ish:
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/11/exclusive-trump-officials-interfered-with-cdc-reports-on-covid-19-412809

[Clyde_Style]

Credibility matters tho. If you lie to the general public about one thing, you’re likely to lie about another. The CDC outright lied about the mask dilemma due to availability and supply-chain concerns. So I’d be gullible af to just take their word as bond with anything else with total disregard to my own thought-processes.

I don’t do what I’m told with anything. I’ve never lived my life that way. I do what’s best for me, my people, and my situation. If I don’t have the information, then I’ma proceed with caution until I get it. But nobody gonna speed me up blindly just because they say so. Or bc they’re an authority figure. Or a so-called “expert.”

I think you have to account for what they were up against with an insane POTUS holding daily press conferences to stroke himself and make up lies on the spot because, well, he's insane. The WH was actively sabotaging the supply chain and the CDC was constantly being undermined by them. The WH tried to suppress CDC data and there was a raging internal war going on behind the scenes. Watching Fauci and Birx squirm at the press conferences was profoundly disturbing. The CDC was put between a rock and a hard place. I'm not saying they would have been flawless under a sane administration, but it would have gone much better. That was a really bad scene

The mask issue was more of them not knowing enough. Bare in mind that guidance came about late Feb., early March when they thought the virus spread through droplets that were too heavy to hang in the air. They initially didn't know it was airborne until more data came in. This was also at a time when PPE was so low that nurses and other healthcare workers had to buy their own equipment, recycle and reuse masks, and were doing ish like wearing trash bags for extra protection (sidenote: I know a couple of former-nurses that left the profession over this).

I wouldn't frame that in a "don't trust experts" way though, because the experts were actively debating over it. The CDC and WHO got it wrong, but even they were acknowledging a lack of data and I'm pretty sure the WHO even co-signed that any country suggesting masks was fine to do so while everything got figured out. I'd have to find old articles from Feb-April to get the details though. From my purview at the library, CDC would issue guidance and then researchers would hit them up and send in more data which could help change the guidance. The masks discussion shifting within like a month, is a good example of this actually.

But yeah, the Trump admin was straight up fighting with the CDC about information released through a lot of this ish:
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/11/exclusive-trump-officials-interfered-with-cdc-reports-on-covid-19-412809

Right, was adding it as context for what the CDC was up against. In hindsight, the confusion over the efficacy of masks to mitigate transmission should not have happened really. It would have been a safe default position to assume airborne particles could pose a problem until proven otherwise. I never really understood why this was not the baseline

I remember reading about a particle dispersion study about 15 months ago that identified large amounts of airborne covid from feces. Ever since I've always worn a mask in any public bathroom. I bet many people don't know about this even now

[ellobo]

Here's the latest update from Katelyn Jetelina, aka "Your Local Epidemiologist":

https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/omicron-update-dec-22

This question is for anyone working in healthcare who is willing to provide insight.

What is the diagnostic process for determining which COVID-19 variant a patient has (Delta, Omicron, etc.) when they test positive for the novel coronavirus using the rapid RT-PCR test?

Also, please let me know which diagnostic tools and equipment are being used for this process in detail.

If diagnostic tools and equipment aren’t being used, and the determination is based solely on symptoms, please detail which symptoms differentiate enough between the two variants to mitigate potential human error in deciding definitively between which variant the patient has been labeled with.

If the findings of which variant a positive-testing patient has isn’t determined in-office with a rapid test, and is instead determined via the PCR lab test, please indicate the diagnostic process, tools and equipment used in that regard as well.

Lastly, if sizeable amounts of vaccinated positive-testing patients are asymptotic, how are we certain the variant they have is indeed Omicron?

The answers to these questions have direct correlation to the data being cited and it’s merit.

The answer is complicated.

First, Omicron (or any other variant) can't be differentiated by symptoms.

The most accurate way to identify the specific variant is by genomic sequencing. This is not done routinely in the US (5-10% of positive tests), and is not part of a routine PCR test result. When you get a positive COVID test result, you never know what variant you have.

There is a way to identify Omicron without genomic sequencing using some types of PCR tests, such as the one made by Thermo Fisher Scientific. These tests test for the presence of three signature proteins from the virus. With previous variants a positive test lights up all three channels of the test. But part of the package of Omicron mutations is that it is missing one of the proteins the test is designed to look for. So Omicron only lights up two channels of the test and returns an error called "S gene dropout." This doesn't conclusively confirm Omicron, but in practical terms it narrows it down to Omicron and Alpha because all the other previous variants have all three proteins the test looks for.

Other PCR tests only test for one signature virus protein and won't be able to distinguish Omicron from other variants.

To further complicate matters, a second lineage of Omicron has been identified that doesn't have the "S gene dropout" signature and can only be distinguished by genomic sequencing. This subvariant has been labeled "stealth" Omicron.

[2010]

Here's the latest update from Katelyn Jetelina, aka "Your Local Epidemiologist":

https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/omicron-update-dec-22

This question is for anyone working in healthcare who is willing to provide insight.

What is the diagnostic process for determining which COVID-19 variant a patient has (Delta, Omicron, etc.) when they test positive for the novel coronavirus using the rapid RT-PCR test?

Also, please let me know which diagnostic tools and equipment are being used for this process in detail.

If diagnostic tools and equipment aren’t being used, and the determination is based solely on symptoms, please detail which symptoms differentiate enough between the two variants to mitigate potential human error in deciding definitively between which variant the patient has been labeled with.

If the findings of which variant a positive-testing patient has isn’t determined in-office with a rapid test, and is instead determined via the PCR lab test, please indicate the diagnostic process, tools and equipment used in that regard as well.

Lastly, if sizeable amounts of vaccinated positive-testing patients are asymptotic, how are we certain the variant they have is indeed Omicron?

The answers to these questions have direct correlation to the data being cited and it’s merit.

The answer is complicated.

First, Omicron (or any other variant) can't be differentiated by symptoms.

The most accurate way to identify the specific variant is by genomic sequencing. This is not done routinely in the US (5-10% of positive tests), and is not part of a routine PCR test result. When you get a positive COVID test result, you never know what variant you have.

There is a way to identify Omicron without genomic sequencing using some types of PCR tests, such as the one made by Thermo Fisher Scientific. These tests test for the presence of three signature proteins from the virus. With previous variants a positive test lights up all three channels of the test. But part of the package of Omicron mutations is that it is missing one of the proteins the test is designed to look for. So Omicron only lights up two channels of the test and returns an error called "S gene dropout." This doesn't conclusively confirm Omicron, but in practical terms it narrows it down to Omicron and Alpha because all the other previous variants have all three proteins the test looks for.

Other PCR tests only test for one signature virus protein and won't be able to distinguish Omicron from other variants.

To further complicate matters, a second lineage of Omicron has been identified that doesn't have the "S gene dropout" signature and can only be distinguished by genomic sequencing. This subvariant has been labeled "stealth" Omicron.

Thanks for the info!

So now with that said, my follow-up question is, so how do we consider data credible and reliable that cites statements such as [_ _%] of new COVID-19 cases, and [_ _%] of breakthrough cases among the vaccinated are of the Omicron variant” if the determination is that complicated and trivial?

Especially if genomic sequencing is not routinely done in the U.S. and since it doesn’t sound like the non-genomic PCR tests identifying variants are commonplace either?

[ellobo]

Here's the latest update from Katelyn Jetelina, aka "Your Local Epidemiologist":

https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/omicron-update-dec-22

This question is for anyone working in healthcare who is willing to provide insight.

What is the diagnostic process for determining which COVID-19 variant a patient has (Delta, Omicron, etc.) when they test positive for the novel coronavirus using the rapid RT-PCR test?

Also, please let me know which diagnostic tools and equipment are being used for this process in detail.

If diagnostic tools and equipment aren’t being used, and the determination is based solely on symptoms, please detail which symptoms differentiate enough between the two variants to mitigate potential human error in deciding definitively between which variant the patient has been labeled with.

If the findings of which variant a positive-testing patient has isn’t determined in-office with a rapid test, and is instead determined via the PCR lab test, please indicate the diagnostic process, tools and equipment used in that regard as well.

Lastly, if sizeable amounts of vaccinated positive-testing patients are asymptotic, how are we certain the variant they have is indeed Omicron?

The answers to these questions have direct correlation to the data being cited and it’s merit.

The answer is complicated.

First, Omicron (or any other variant) can't be differentiated by symptoms.

The most accurate way to identify the specific variant is by genomic sequencing. This is not done routinely in the US (5-10% of positive tests), and is not part of a routine PCR test result. When you get a positive COVID test result, you never know what variant you have.

There is a way to identify Omicron without genomic sequencing using some types of PCR tests, such as the one made by Thermo Fisher Scientific. These tests test for the presence of three signature proteins from the virus. With previous variants a positive test lights up all three channels of the test. But part of the package of Omicron mutations is that it is missing one of the proteins the test is designed to look for. So Omicron only lights up two channels of the test and returns an error called "S gene dropout." This doesn't conclusively confirm Omicron, but in practical terms it narrows it down to Omicron and Alpha because all the other previous variants have all three proteins the test looks for.

Other PCR tests only test for one signature virus protein and won't be able to distinguish Omicron from other variants.

To further complicate matters, a second lineage of Omicron has been identified that doesn't have the "S gene dropout" signature and can only be distinguished by genomic sequencing. This subvariant has been labeled "stealth" Omicron.

Thanks for the info!

So now with that said, my follow-up question is, so how do we consider data credible and reliable that cites statements such as [_ _%] of new COVID-19 cases, and [_ _%] of breakthrough cases among the vaccinated are of the Omicron” if the determination is that complicated and trivial?

Especially if genomic sequencing is not routinely done in the U.S. and since it doesn’t sound like the non-genomic PCR tests identifying variants are commonplace either?

I don't know for sure, but I would guess they have to do a lot of statistical modeling and extrapolating based on the sample of people they have data from. That doesn't mean their conclusions are necessarily inaccurate or unreliable. Trusting whomever is doing the statistical modeling is not much different than trusting them to just count, which has its own difficulties and sources of error.

It's a really big and hard job. While it's fair and necessary to interrogate the data, recognize it's limitations, and treat information and understanding as tentative, I don't personally find that grounds for dismissing it.

[2010]

Here's the latest update from Katelyn Jetelina, aka "Your Local Epidemiologist":

https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/omicron-update-dec-22



The answer is complicated.

First, Omicron (or any other variant) can't be differentiated by symptoms.

The most accurate way to identify the specific variant is by genomic sequencing. This is not done routinely in the US (5-10% of positive tests), and is not part of a routine PCR test result. When you get a positive COVID test result, you never know what variant you have.

There is a way to identify Omicron without genomic sequencing using some types of PCR tests, such as the one made by Thermo Fisher Scientific. These tests test for the presence of three signature proteins from the virus. With previous variants a positive test lights up all three channels of the test. But part of the package of Omicron mutations is that it is missing one of the proteins the test is designed to look for. So Omicron only lights up two channels of the test and returns an error called "S gene dropout." This doesn't conclusively confirm Omicron, but in practical terms it narrows it down to Omicron and Alpha because all the other previous variants have all three proteins the test looks for.

Other PCR tests only test for one signature virus protein and won't be able to distinguish Omicron from other variants.

To further complicate matters, a second lineage of Omicron has been identified that doesn't have the "S gene dropout" signature and can only be distinguished by genomic sequencing. This subvariant has been labeled "stealth" Omicron.

Thanks for the info!

So now with that said, my follow-up question is, so how do we consider data credible and reliable that cites statements such as [_ _%] of new COVID-19 cases, and [_ _%] of breakthrough cases among the vaccinated are of the Omicron” if the determination is that complicated and trivial?

Especially if genomic sequencing is not routinely done in the U.S. and since it doesn’t sound like the non-genomic PCR tests identifying variants are commonplace either?

I don't know for sure, but I would guess they have to do a lot of statistical modeling and extrapolating based on the sample of people they have data from. That doesn't mean their conclusions are necessarily inaccurate or unreliable. Trusting whomever is doing the statistical modeling is not much different than trusting them to just count, which has its own difficulties and sources of error.

It's a really big and hard job. While it's fair and necessary to interrogate the data, recognize it's limitations, and treat information and understanding as tentative, I don't personally find that grounds for dismissing it.

I feel you on that. While understood, all I’m saying is that some like to pretend that data churned out is absolute, without estimate, assumption, agenda, or human error. As if things cannot be questioned. And contrary to popular narrative belief, the very essence of science is to question everything and all findings.

From the line of business I deal in, it’s well known data and statistics can be manipulated to justify the stance one chooses to take. Which is why I never trust data as the be all end all. It should always be viewed as a piece of the puzzle, and one that should always be open for audit.

[spree2kawhi]

You really think getting booster after booster is the right thing to do? The shots are not eradicating the disease so what good will that do? All the shots ALLEGEDLY do is prevent severe symptoms. They do nothing else. Seeing how many people are asymptomatic...how do you even know the shot is helping with the severity of the symptoms? They don't stop the spread. They don't prevent catching the disease. So getting numerous boosters seems like a waste of time.

Ending your social life will help YOU from getting or spreading the virus. If the rest of the world doesn't lock down at the same time ..guess what...it won't help at all to end the disease.

Common sense would suggest that this virus is going to run its course without a worldwide simultaneous lock down for two weeks. That won't happen either.

Mask up and social distancing while washing your hands and getting a vaccine is only proving to help protect the individual who does these things. That's all.

Immune reaction is measurable. You can measure it before and after vaccination. It’s very clear and simple, but you forgot to think about that.

You think 21st century science is that dumb. How smart does that idea sound to you? My God, the ignorance.

Where do you get that I don't believe in 21st century science? Never said anything of the sort. Don't be a child. The virus is mutating and spreading regardless of the vaccines. People who are vaccinated can still spread the virus and catch it. The virus...as any virus...will almost always mutate and many cases that means nothing and many cases they weaken.

Get a vaccine. Wash your hands. Mask up. Try to socially distance yourself. All any of that will do...is protect the person who does those things. As I myself have done. The vaccines may actually help slow the spread to a point. That is definitely a good thing. Sometimes though...the virus can adapt and the vaccines become useless. Time will tell.

Continuing to get boosters and locking yourself in a house will not end the problem though ...unless everyone on the planet does so at the same time.

What do you suggest?

[BadNewsBarnes]

With the NBA suffering from a COVID-19 outbreak that threatens to pause the season, Denver Nuggets guard Austin Rivers shared some of the wild conspiracy theories that have been floating around the Nuggets locker room.

https://www.complex.com/sports/austin-rivers-covid-conspiracy-theories-locker-room

[Clyde_Style]

With the NBA suffering from a COVID-19 outbreak that threatens to pause the season, Denver Nuggets guard Austin Rivers shared some of the wild conspiracy theories that have been floating around the Nuggets locker room.

https://www.complex.com/sports/austin-rivers-covid-conspiracy-theories-locker-room

I suspected the testing practices among teams varied wildly and in some cases was probably very lax. The lack of uniformity won’t help the NBA get themselves sorted out.

[BadNewsBarnes]

More controversy:

LeBron James appeared to compare Covid-19 to both the flu and the common cold online Friday amid a nationwide outbreak of cases which are mostly being attributed to the Omicron variant.

https://www.mediaite.com/sports/lebron-james-divides-nba-fans-with-meme-comparing-covid-to-the-flu-and-the-common-cold/

[Clyde_Style]

More controversy:

LeBron James appeared to compare Covid-19 to both the flu and the common cold online Friday amid a nationwide outbreak of cases which are mostly being attributed to the Omicron variant.

https://www.mediaite.com/sports/lebron-james-divides-nba-fans-with-meme-comparing-covid-to-the-flu-and-the-common-cold/

Easy for him to say when he’s in the 1% of human physical specimens

Someday in the not that distant future covid will be regarded as a permanent fixture like the flu, an endemic virus that is no longer life-threatening.

We’re weeks or months away from data that shows whether Omicrom is surely decoupling its infection rate from fatalities which would be a strong sign of a movement towards endemic status. Right now we’re seeing a large spike in cases and we have to wait and see how serious it is for those who are hospitalized.

The two biggest unknowns are further mutations and long covid for those who become sufficiently ill to worry about the long term effects of covid if their immune response doesn’t adjust.

I wish people would talk about the threat of long covid more as I find it as compelling a reason for getting vaccinated as is the mitigation of more severe illness upon initial infection. Having your immune system continue to ravage your organs after it has eradicated covid sounds like a miserable fate to me and that seems to be a fate that befalls the unvaccinated some of the time.

[movingon]

More controversy:

LeBron James appeared to compare Covid-19 to both the flu and the common cold online Friday amid a nationwide outbreak of cases which are mostly being attributed to the Omicron variant.

https://www.mediaite.com/sports/lebron-james-divides-nba-fans-with-meme-comparing-covid-to-the-flu-and-the-common-cold/

Easy for him to say when he’s in the 1% of human physical specimens

Someday in the not that distant future covid will be regarded as a permanent fixture like the flu, an endemic virus that is no longer life-threatening.

We’re weeks or months away from data that shows whether Omicrom is surely decoupling its infection rate from fatalities which would be a strong sign of a movement towards endemic status. Right now we’re seeing a large spike in cases and we have to wait and see how serious it is for those who are hospitalized.

The two biggest unknowns are further mutations and long covid for those who become sufficiently ill to worry about the long term effects of covid if their immune response doesn’t adjust.

I wish people would talk about the threat of long covid more as I find it as compelling a reason for getting vaccinated as is the mitigation of more severe illness upon initial infection. Having your immune system continue to ravage your organs after it has eradicated covid sounds like a miserable fate to me and that seems to be a fate that befalls the unvaccinated some of the time.

I'd be curious to know what the long covid rate is among the vaccinated, as well as the vaccinated + boosted.
During the delta wave, we saw that the rate of infection is reduced by 3, and hospitalization by a factor of 10, however, I haven't seen any data on how much vaccination reduces long-term covid effects.

[Clyde_Style]

More controversy:

LeBron James appeared to compare Covid-19 to both the flu and the common cold online Friday amid a nationwide outbreak of cases which are mostly being attributed to the Omicron variant.

https://www.mediaite.com/sports/lebron-james-divides-nba-fans-with-meme-comparing-covid-to-the-flu-and-the-common-cold/

Easy for him to say when he’s in the 1% of human physical specimens

Someday in the not that distant future covid will be regarded as a permanent fixture like the flu, an endemic virus that is no longer life-threatening.

We’re weeks or months away from data that shows whether Omicrom is surely decoupling its infection rate from fatalities which would be a strong sign of a movement towards endemic status. Right now we’re seeing a large spike in cases and we have to wait and see how serious it is for those who are hospitalized.

The two biggest unknowns are further mutations and long covid for those who become sufficiently ill to worry about the long term effects of covid if their immune response doesn’t adjust.

I wish people would talk about the threat of long covid more as I find it as compelling a reason for getting vaccinated as is the mitigation of more severe illness upon initial infection. Having your immune system continue to ravage your organs after it has eradicated covid sounds like a miserable fate to me and that seems to be a fate that befalls the unvaccinated some of the time.

I'd be curious to know what the long covid rate is among the vaccinated, as well as the vaccinated + boosted.
During the delta wave, we saw that the rate of infection is reduced by 3, and hospitalization by a factor of 10, however, I haven't seen any data on how much vaccination reduces long-term covid effects.

It would be really good to know. Though I would speculate it is less among the vaccinated since Long Covid, as I understand it, is in part a result of immune system disorientation and your killer cells not getting the message they can back off after the covid itself is killed off. In people who get long covid it seems their immune system stays in hunt and kill mode and attacks an otherwise healthy body.

I haven’t researched it so I’m just spitballing, but it seems logical that if vaccines mitigate illness they may also mitigate an over-reaction by the immune system.

Someone with better knowledge can pipe in if they know more about long covid

[Clyde_Style]

Vaccination reduces risk of long Covid, even when people are infected, U.K. study indicates

https://www.statnews.com/2021/09/01/vaccination-reduces-risk-long-covid-even-when-people-are-infected-study/

[cgmw]

I’m on Day 6 of quarantine (which helps explain why I just argued for 10 pages of PG thread nonsense).
I got it last Friday night at a party (15 of 19 attendees have tested positive), and i started to feel mild symptoms Monday. Possibly a small fever + some congestion and loss of appetite for maybe 6 hours. Then I just had a runny nose and general fatigue for a couple days.

I’m vaccinated (not yet boosted) and have been asymptomatic for a couple days now. There are no rules about this so I’m just going to proceed back to life as usual tomorrow afternoon, which will be 7 days from onset of symptoms.

I’m gonna get my booster next week and go live my life. I’ll wear a mask, avoid indoor spaces, wash my hands, stay 6 feet when possible, and do my best to keep others safe until I get a negative test. But I feel ethically fine moving around starting tomorrow.

I don’t see how Omicron doesn’t infect just about everybody this winter. Interested to see hospital/fatality numbers as well as the economic panic that’s about to ensue when stores and services can’t stay open for lack of a workforce.

I got 3 good Kemba games in, so that was fun. How’s everyone else doing?