Omicron Spreading...........

Shero said:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a new prediction about the omicron variant of the coronavirus, saying it could cause a wave of cases in January 2022.

Per The Washington Post, the CDC said the omicron variant is already spreading quickly throughout the United States. Cases related to omicron could peak in January, according to a new CDC modeling projection.

The omicron variant will put a strain on areas already impacted by the delta variant.

Now more that ever it is imperative to get boosters, continue wearing mask.
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They told us this same news two weeks ago in Europe. So far I haven't seen compliance to the advisory statements.
I don't see more masks, I see less. Yesterday two work men came up the stairway, which is narrow, with no masks on. Last night there was a large drinking party in the next building with lot drunk loud shouting people spilling out on the streets in the wee hours. Not nice really.

People are suffering from Covid Fatigue around here.

šŸ’ššŸ’›šŸŒøšŸ’›šŸ’š
 

Skimming various news sources this morning, looks like the Omnicron variant has the UK's Covid infection numbers at the highest since the pandemic, yet the death rate is decreasing. Still seeing a lot of 'could' overwhelm the UK hospital system but so far hospitalizations aren't living up to the hysteria. Hoping that stays the case.
 
Furryanimal said:
I would love to ignore the media for whom it will be mission accomplished if the UK has more lockdowns, but as I have plans for every week,all of which involve me being in crowds,I have to stay abreast of of what is going on.
As I have said several times I only got vaccinated because I feared being banned from things if I didnā€™t.
That was a prudent move.
But having been triple jabbed I will apoplectic if my life becomes one of merely existing again.
I had 15 months of that.Enough is enough.
We just have to get on with things.And anyone who wants to stay in their own personal lockdown can do so.
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Furry, you sound truly frustrated. As we all are. I doubt if there are any people on earth who aren't thoroughly sick of hearing about this virus and all its complications, all the time.

But you seem to consider this an affront to your personal freedom, about which you have a choice. You were smart enough to get vaccinated and get the booster, good for you. But that doesn't mean life can now return to normal, because "enough is enough."

Lockdown isn't a personal decision, it's something that is imposed on us by law to save lives, and if the rules seem to be changing all the time, that is not being done for frivolous reasons. It's because the virus keeps changing, and the statistics keep changing also. Our government officials must be tearing their hair out trying to find a balance between keeping people safe, and keeping life as open and normal as possible. It's probably a constant guessing game, but they're doing the best they can with what's available. Things seem to go better when the politics are left out of it. It isn't a political matter, it's a disease.

I was at a bridge game in our party room last night. A dozen people were playing. Eleven of us had our masks on (required in my county), and one guy had his mask dangling around his neck. The woman who organizes the game interrupted us to ask (politely) that everyone put their mask on, as it is required. He complied. No one likes wearing masks, but we have to if we want to take part in indoor group activities. I just read that colleges are starting to go back to lockdown status again, with online access to classes instead of in-person. Live theatre productions are balanced on a thin edge; whether a show will be able to open (or continue) is always uncertain. Restaurants and stores are doing their best to stay open, especially in this Xmas season, but some won't make it. No one "wants their own personal lockdown." And your implied sneering at people who are 1) following the law, and 2) trying to stay healthy... well, that doesn't help. The whole world is caught up in this disaster; we are not children being unfairly punished.

Maybe try stepping back and looking at the bigger picture?
 

Sunny said:
Furry, you sound truly frustrated. As we all are. I doubt if there are any people on earth who aren't thoroughly sick of hearing about this virus and all its complications, all the time.

But you seem to consider this an affront to your personal freedom, about which you have a choice. You were smart enough to get vaccinated and get the booster, good for you. But that doesn't mean life can now return to normal, because "enough is enough."

Lockdown isn't a personal decision, it's something that is imposed on us by law to save lives, and if the rules seem to be changing all the time, that is not being done for frivolous reasons. It's because the virus keeps changing, and the statistics keep changing also. Our government officials must be tearing their hair out trying to find a balance between keeping people safe, and keeping life as open and normal as possible. It's probably a constant guessing game, but they're doing the best they can with what's available. Things seem to go better when the politics are left out of it. It isn't a political matter, it's a disease.

I was at a bridge game in our party room last night. A dozen people were playing. Eleven of us had our masks on (required in my county), and one guy had his mask dangling around his neck. The woman who organizes the game interrupted us to ask (politely) that everyone put their mask on, as it is required. He complied. No one likes wearing masks, but we have to if we want to take part in indoor group activities. I just read that colleges are starting to go back to lockdown status again, with online access to classes instead of in-person. Live theatre productions are balanced on a thin edge; whether a show will be able to open (or continue) is always uncertain. Restaurants and stores are doing their best to stay open, especially in this Xmas season, but some won't make it. No one "wants their own personal lockdown." And your implied sneering at people who are 1) following the law, and 2) trying to stay healthy... well, that doesn't help. The whole world is caught up in this disaster; we are not children being unfairly punished.

Maybe try stepping back and looking at the bigger picture?
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Well said, completely agree.
 
Information for those who need such information.

Omicron is a different to the Alpha and Delta variants. Their threat came from the increased ability to replicate quickly within their host and their higher contagiousness. Both variants were associated with higher hospital admisssion rates and deaths. However, neither variant was good at escaping immune recognition, although each could cause occasional ā€œbreakthrough infectionsā€ in immunised people, with high contagiousness allowing these variants to barge through the first-line immune defence.

Omicron is different. Rather than just relying on brute force, as Delta did, it is far better at sneaking through immune defences, thanks to a number of mutations that it acquired in key regions of its spike protein. These reduce the ability of neutralising antibodies to bind to it. As such, it spreads primarily by (re-)infecting previously immunised hosts.
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It appears that Omicron isn't as devastating as Delta, BUT, it seems to spread far more easily than the prior variants. With the holidays nearing, and large groups gathering, I can just imagine how our hospitals are going to be impacted in January.

We will be getting together with the family for Christmas, but after that, I think we'll be staying close to home through much of the Winter. Even though we're fully vaccinated and boosted, there is just too much unknown about this new variant.
 
I read that Fauci want there to be a Universal vaccine (one vaccine) for all covid variants and flu shots. Hmmmm... we will see how that goes. :mad: I am sure people are starting to wonder what the....

Hubby was against the booster but now since he is hearing about the Omicron he is thinking about getting the booster. I mention to him that his White blood cell count is pretty high so why would he risk getting a booster shot - however, his decision.
 
I don't think Omicron cares if your vaccinated or not. šŸ˜¢

Cornell partially shuts down its campus due to more than 900 COVID-19 cases in possible omicron outbreak​


Cornell University has partially shut down its Ithaca, N.Y., campus due to a ā€œrapid spreadā€ of COVID-19 cases among the student body, the Ivy League school announced Tuesday.

The universityā€™s online COVID dashboard counted 469 active student cases as of Tuesday afternoon. It was updated later in the day to count 903 students testing positive between December 7-13, with school officials telling CNN that a ā€œvery high percentageā€ of them are omicron variant cases in fully vaccinated people. Some 97% of Cornellā€™s population is fully vaccinated.

ā€œVirtually every case of the omicron variant to date has been found in fully vaccinated students, a portion of whom had also received a booster shot,ā€ Vice President for University Relations Joel Malina told CNN.

University president Martha E. Pollack posted a statement online updating the campus community to the worsening COVID outbreak on Tuesday. And she revealed that lab tests have identified evidence of the highly contagious omicron variant in a ā€œsignificant numberā€ of Mondayā€™s COVID-19 positive student samples. But she cautioned that their evidence of omicron is ā€œpreliminaryā€ after PCR testing identified a genetic marker that has been identified as a hallmark of the omicron variant. So while the school awaits confirmatory sequencing information, it is proceeding as if omicron is the source of the outbreak.

ā€œAs a result, and out of an abundance of caution, the university is moving to Alert Level Red and announcing a number of immediate measures, outlined below,ā€ she wrote.

The emergency measures include moving all final exams online as of noon on Tuesday.

All undergraduate university activities and university-sponsored events are canceled ā€” and that includes the Dec. 18 graduation ceremony for December graduates.

Students who have tested negative for COVID-19 within the past 48 hours (Saturday or Sunday) who wish to leave campus are allowed, and they are encouraged to wear face masks and take another COVID-19 test when they reach their destination, and self-quarantine until they learn the results.

Students who have not tested negative for COVID within the past 48 hours are advised to get tested ASAP and stay in Ithaca, in their residences, and to ā€œseverely limitā€ their interactions with others until they get their COVID test results.

The campus is not on complete lockdown. Offices and labs will remain open, and student dining areas are still open ā€” although students are encouraged to grab their food and go back to their residences. But many facilities, including libraries, fitness centers and gyms, are closed.

In the meantime, visitors and guests are not allowed on campus, except for those picking up students for the winter break. And those visitors are urged to keep their masks on.

Finally, mandatory COVID testing will continue as normal for employees.

Cornell began trending on Twitter in the hours after news of the partial campus shutdown broke, sparking almost 13,000 tweets as of 5 p.m. ET.

ā€œWhile I want to provide reassurance that, to date, we have not seen severe illness in any of our infected students, we do have a role to play in reducing the spread of the disease in the broader community,ā€ Pollack wrote.

Cornellā€™s last full day of classes was Dec. 7, and final exams are scheduled through Dec. 18.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/c...ases-in-possible-omicron-outbreak-11639514565
 
Well,each to their own.
But I will never understand why a virus with a better than 99% recovery rate ever required any restrictions and why those who are double or triple vaccinated are still in favour of restrictions.
But those of us on both sides of this debate will never be persuaded by the opposite argument.
Anyway Wales has escaped apart from a few minor tweaks that donā€™t alter anything anything.
With the furlough scheme over lockdown and mass closures are simply not an option.
So from December 27th...
Wales..
Apart from closing nightclubs and bringing back one way systems ( which some places never got rid of and others never bothered with) we have escaped another lockdown.
It will surprise my sister a work from home order(purely advisory) has gone out as she hasnā€™t seen the office since March 2020!I donā€™t think it was ever actually rescinded either.And most offices are closed for a fortnight anyway.
So I can still go the rugby and unless I have missed something concert venues remain open so the ones I have in the book are safe and I can book for the hilarious Fascinating Aida.
But we are advised to ā€˜space out our socialisingā€™.
Whatever that means.

But our FM continues to live in cloud cuckoo land-telling the Assembly yesterday that half the country(as in UK) will fall ill with the Omnicron variant.
Which is nothing more than a mild cold.Scaremongering at its best.
And does anyone see the fact that if you scare thousands of people into coming forward for a test they would never otherwise have considered you will unearth loads of extra cases to justify extra restrictions?
Stop being sheep folks.


And great to see a capacity audience at the London International Horse Show last night.
Not everyone is buying into the Omnicron scare stories.
 
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AnnieA said:
Skimming various news sources this morning, looks like the Omnicron variant has the UK's Covid infection numbers at the highest since the pandemic, yet the death rate is decreasing. Still seeing a lot of 'could' overwhelm the UK hospital system but so far hospitalizations aren't living up to the hysteria. Hoping that stays the case.
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But the media are generally conveniently leaving out the hospitalisation rates as it doesnā€™t fit the agenda.
Glad someone else looks behind scary headlines.
 
Furryanimal said:
Well,each to their own.
But I will never understand why a virus with a better than 99% recovery rate ever required any restrictions and why those who are double or triple vaccinated are still in favour of restrictions.
But those of us on both sides of this debate will never be persuaded by the opposite argument.
Anyway Wales has escaped apart from a few minor tweaks that donā€™t alter anything anything.
With the furlough scheme over lockdown and mass closures are simply not an option.
So from December 27th...
Wales..
Apart from closing nightclubs and bringing back one way systems ( which some places never got rid of and others never bothered with) we have escaped another lockdown.
It will surprise my sister a work from home order(purely advisory) has gone out as she hasnā€™t seen the office since March 2020!I donā€™t think it was ever actually rescinded either.And most offices are closed for a fortnight anyway.
So I can still go the rugby and unless I have missed something concert venues remain open so the ones I have in the book are safe and I can book for the hilarious Fascinating Aida.
But we are advised to ā€˜space out our socialisingā€™.
Whatever that means.

But our FM continues to live in cloud cuckoo land-telling the Assembly yesterday that half the country(as in UK) will fall ill with the Omnicron variant.
Which is nothing more than a mild cold.Scaremongering at its best.
And does anyone see the fact that if you scare thousands of people into coming forward for a test they would never otherwise have considered you will unearth loads of extra cases to justify extra restrictions?
Stop being sheep folks.


And great to see a capacity audience at the London International Horse Show last night.
Not everyone is buying into the Omnicron scare stories.
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LOL - "Space out our socializing & wear masks." Like the politicians & chief doctors told us to do while they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, maskless.........until people started saying "Hey.....what about them?"
And "No indoor dining," unless you're the Governor, Mayor or Council Member. šŸ˜‚
 
Looking at the statistics for Scotland, the number of cases of Covid does seem to be shooting up .... BUT the percentage of those being tested and giving a positive result is not. If you test twice as many people , you will likely find twice as many cases. As of yesterday, both the number of Covid patients in hospital and the number deaths have been falling.

The deputy FM is suggesting that we should all take a test before we leave the house or go to meet someone outside our household!
 
Great news from South Africa this morning!

Bloomberg link: South Africa Hospitalization Rate Plunges in Omicron Wave


South Africa delivered some positive news on the omicron coronavirus variant on Friday, reporting a much lower rate of hospital admissions and signs that the wave of infections may be peaking.​
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Only 1.7% of identified Covid-19 cases were admitted to hospital in the second week of infections in the fourth wave, compared with 19% in the same week of the third delta-driven wave, South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla said at a press conference.​
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Our various "leaders" are struggling to find words to emphasise how bad this wave of infections is. In Scotland, it's a Tsunami.
Things may be clearer over the next few days, but the number of cases in Scotland is lower than yesterday's and the numbers in hospital continues to fall. The percentage of tests showing positive is slightly down. I'm taking reasonable precautions, but I increasingly feel that there is a great deal of scaremongering from government and "experts".
 
win231 said:
Really amusing how people are incapable of using simple logic. If lockdowns, masks & vaccines work, why do they keep reporting "Spikes, increased hospitalizations & deaths?
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Win, we know why. A toddler can figure it out..šŸ¤£šŸ¤£ Not trying to make light of it... but its beginning to be a bit much. People have done what was asked, masked, vaccines, boosters, etc..
 
I guess I've come over to the "dark side", but I have enough intelligence to discern between a lethal virus and one that is more like a cold. I still believe the Delta variant has the potential to be deadly, and it has killed many people. However, I think the Omicron variant is more like a severe cold, and although very transmissible, it is more mild. I haven't seen anything to the contrary. I personally believe the news has overplayed the Omicron variant to continue their story and create fear.

Don't get me wrong... I still acknowledge that over 800k people have died from Covid (most likely the original variant or Delta) and I have had all the vaccines and a boosters, but until someone proves that Omicron is significantly leading to the global death rate it seems to be another "fear tactic".
 

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