Coronavirus Sars-CoV-2/Covid-19 Megathread

[Admiral Yi]

What's the over/under on variants mongers?

[Jacob]

What's the over/under on variants mongers?

I expect the probability is very very low - mongers is pretty unique.

[mongers]

What's the over/under on variants mongers?

I expect the probability is very very low - mongers is pretty unique.

[Duque de Bragança]

The new variant has its letter: Omicron.

It's also 86% off at GOG at the moment: https://www.gog.com/game/omikron_the_nomad_soul

Well we're more than halfway through the Greek alphabet with this, what happens went they name the 24th variant?

Were next after that? or are they holding back Omega for a special status?

There is always the Digamma and Qoppa, from other Greek, non-Ionian alphabets, such as the Cumaean Greek (Magna Græcia/South Italy) from Eubœa
.

[mongers]

The new variant has its letter: Omicron.

It's also 86% off at GOG at the moment: https://www.gog.com/game/omikron_the_nomad_soul

Well we're more than halfway through the Greek alphabet with this, what happens went they name the 24th variant?

Were next after that? or are they holding back Omega for a special status?

There is always the Digamma and Qoppa, from other Greek, non-Ionian alphabets, such as the Cumaean Greek (Magna Græcia/South Italy) from Eubœa
.

Good to know, but Duque I think we should then go to naming them after galaxies. 

[Tamas]

PCR test negative, so probably was not super-spreading during my outing.

Then again, I was surprised that I had to do the test to myself without supervision. I think I did ok but come on.

[Josquius]

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.

[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?

[garbon]

So UK getting a little more serious on anti-Covid measures. Masks and PCR tests on day 2 for all incoming travel.

[Sheilbh]

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

Yeah agreed - this happened when Alpha was detected in the UK and that was the right decision.

One of the lessons we should have learned by now from East Asia (plus Australia/NZ/Iceland) is that tight border controls and quarantining works.

Well we're more than halfway through the Greek alphabet with this, what happens went they name the 24th variant?

Also the WHO have confirmed they won't be using "nu" or "xi" for variant names. "Nu" because it just sounds like the "new variant" and "xi" to avoid "regional stigmatisation"

So UK getting a little more serious on anti-Covid measures. Masks and PCR tests on day 2 for all incoming travel.

Plus self isolation until you get the PCR results I think.

But that's England. Wales and Scotland kept the mask mandates and introduced some form of vaccine passports (it didn't appear to make much difference in infection rates compared to England though). I think their health ministers (and Northern Ireland) have flagged that there maybe other measures they take.

[Eddie Teach]

They're all Xi.

[alfred russel]

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.

[alfred russel]

What is the future we envision if the travel bans somehow work? Isolating Africa while dangerous diseases run through the population there, on a permanent basis until we either find a cure or an effective vaccine (I think the current vaccines are effective but apparently experts/politicians disagree if we are going to ban travel)? Seems kinda dystopian.

[Josquius]

So...doom variant spotted in the UK and Switzerland instantly mandates tight controls on travel.
Cue gf panic and that this means Christmas is cancelled.

[Threviel]

Went on a minor trip to Germany this Monday. It's really a different world, being forced to wear a mask and at the same time see that almost everyone I looked at either had it on wrong or handled it wrong. Really pleased to be living in a sensible country and not be forced to do that retarded crap every day.

Hopefully in the end we'll learn how to use masks so that they can be used as a tool to stop diseases rather than the lackadaisical way they seem to be used now.