Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Tamas]

BBC News - Covid: South Africa 'punished' for detecting new Omicron variant
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-59442129

Got to say I have sympathy with SA here.
Seems unlikely to me two variants would develop there. More they're just uncovering the tip of what brews elsewhere in Africa.

Fair point but what other choice the rest of the world have? Take the new variant on the chin just to play nice?

If there is a new doom variant in South Africa it seems really dumb to think that there is an option other than taking it on the chin.

Sort of, but the idea in England, I think, is to delay the omicron-explosion past Christmas. If that can be done by requiring masks again, I think that makes sense. I don't think we will end up with a proper lockdown again, and unless omicron is proved to be drastically more lethal I would not agree with a lockdown either.

[Sheilbh]

Sort of, but the idea in England, I think, is to delay the omicron-explosion past Christmas. If that can be done by requiring masks again, I think that makes sense. I don't think we will end up with a proper lockdown again, and unless omicron is proved to be drastically more lethal I would not agree with a lockdown either.

Yeah I think they want to just slow it down while studies are down and so they can ramp up booster shots - which I think is probably the right approach.

I also find the mask debate in this country baffling, because there's just so many people either doing the mask over the mouth but not the nose thing or they're wearing cloth masks instead of any of the useful ones. I almost feel like we'd be better having a large national debate over how to wear masks and what masks are effective But re-imposing the mandate in certain sections is pretty low cost so makes sense as a slowing it down measure.

Also it'll be interesting to see how this variant does in settings with relatively high prevalence plus delta. It out-competed delta in South Africa but they have very low case rates right now so if delta just kept declining while there was also an outbreak of omicron, from the sampling it would look like omicron was doing that but I'm not sure it's clear yet.

[Syt]

German president said everyone should show some responsibility and reduce contacts voluntarily to help fight the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, in Cologne:

[Sheilbh]

Re shambles on the booster front.

Just been visiting my parents for a few days and my dad who is in this 80s has not had his booster shot yet (in fairness they apparently keep offering it to him it's just none of the times/places are convenient) and my mum who has followed covid reasonably closely had no idea that it was really important to get the booster/third dose. She'd thought it was sort of a nice to have not that - especially for the vulnerable - it's essential because effectiveness wanes.

They need a massive public health comms campaign that the thrid dose is as important as one and two

Edit: Unrelated but if we're retiring certain letters as names for variants I really think we should not have an "omega variant" because it sounds too ominous

[Duque de Bragança]

If the letter xi transliteration triggers people, there is always ksi. 

[Sheilbh]

Very early but couple of possibly positive things about omicron - doctor in South Africa who has identified lots of cases have said that they are overall generally very mild. Similarly the tests done on that flight that landed in Amsterdam showed 60 out of 600 people had it which is a far higher prevalence than expected, but there's been no spike in hospitalisations or deaths in South Africa.

So it could be a very competitive strain but unlike delta or alpha no worse in terms of severity - potentially it could even be milder.

Far too soon to know, but interesting.

[Tamas]

Very early but couple of possibly positive things about omicron - doctor in South Africa who has identified lots of cases have said that they are overall generally very mild. Similarly the tests done on that flight that landed in Amsterdam showed 60 out of 600 people had it which is a far higher prevalence than expected, but there's been no spike in hospitalisations or deaths in South Africa.

So it could be a very competitive strain but unlike delta or alpha no worse in terms of severity - potentially it could even be milder.

Far too soon to know, but interesting.

Yeah let's hope. This might be even the end of the severe phase of the pandemic if we are lucky enough. If this is a very contagious but mild version of the virus and it ends up competing delta largely out of existence, that would be pretty great I'd think.

[Admiral Yi]

The communication over here about boosters has been a little fuzzy as well.  Fortunately the one message they've been able to get across with crystal clarity is that mongers is a bastard for getting his before those poor third worlders have had their chance.

[Admiral Yi]

Will bastard go the way of retard/tard?

[Sheilbh]

Will bastard go the way of retard/tard?

No

I think it is still ethically dubious but has been less so since the Israeli data on waning effectiveness. But it is ever more essential for rich countries to meet their commitments to getting the world vaccinated to stop nasty new variants emerging in the unvaccinated areas.

[jimmy olsen]

Boosters seem to be ridiculously effective so far, so I can't wait to get one.

[Sheilbh]

On the one hand, as Larch says, Australian politics has a reactionary and brutish streak - like Britain without the pretend of civility. On the other hand you only get this in Australia

The chief minister, Michael Gunner, blamed it on "tinfoil hat wearing tossers, sitting in their parents' basements in Florida".

It's from a pretty disgraceful story that's seen Amnesty International Australia and Aboriginal groups uniting in condemning Amnesty International UK for releasing false information. They added a headline to AIAus statement saying the Australian Defence Forces must not "inflict trauma" on aboriginal communities which rather distorted the meaning and was away from the AIAus statement - it then got picked up online as ADF troops forcing Aboriginal communities into being vaccinated, which spread all over the internet:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/26/amnesty-uk-accused-of-spreading-false-information-about-northern-territory-covid-outbreak?CMP=twt_b-gdnnews&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1637883818-2

[Admiral Yi]

Dude knows a lot about Florida.

[Tamas]

Based on news coming in this variant seems to be present pretty much everywhere already.

[jimmy olsen]

Dude knows a lot about Florida.

Immediately what I though. He knows Florida