COVID vaccinations! Have you gotten yours?

[Sheilbh]

Reports are mixed - reports from Denmark indicate that the hospitalization rate is a bit lower (but not massively so) for omicron, but that the vaccine is much less effective in preventing spread: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/18/omicron-variant-denmark/

I believe that was quite a small sample and already out of date - the latest figures in Denmark look more promising. The figures on hospitalisation last week showed that it was very marginally less mild than delta, but the latest is that it looks like the hospitalisation rate is about a third of delta. It's so early that a few days makes a big difference in terms of the figures so at the minute I think most things need to be handled with care.

There's lots of indicators that it's milder and at least two theories for why that is (that it replicates and lives in the bronchus not the lungs and it is vastly less able to join cells, which causes tissue damage, than other variants). There's not enough evidence to be conclusive about it, it's not fully clear why (if it is milder) and it's not clear how much of that is due to something innate in omicron v the effect of existing immunity from previous infections (especially beta in South Africa) or vaccines. But from what I've seen most of the information seems to point in the direction of it being milder.

The probem is it's so early - there's a lot about South Africa that makes people think it might be unique so the data from Denmark and the UK as the most far along European countries (so no beta wave) will let us know more. They've both got pretty good vaccination rates, lots of monitoring and sequencing capacity (I belive per capita they do more sequencing than anywhere else in the world) so they'll tell us a lot.

But obviously milder might not be mild and it might be outweighed by how much more transmissible it is (and it's not just the vaccine - there are more reports of re-infections from people who've even been previously infected), and if it's as much more transmissible than it looks it will find the unvaccinated quickly.

[Jacob]

Oh that's good to hear, thanks

[celedhring]

The father of my sister-in-law is in the ICU. He already had his booster 

He's in his 70s. Fingers crossed.

[Josephus]

The father of my sister-in-law is in the ICU. He already had his booster 

He's in his 70s. Fingers crossed.

Sorry to hear that..... Hope he recovers soon.

FWIW, I mentioned a while ago, my brother, who is 50, was in ICU with COVID a while back. He has made a pretty good recovery. He still requires supplemental oxygen now and then but he's far better than we thought he'd be by Christmas.

[Syt]

So I noticed today that the only person in our office who's not vaccinated is also the one who has little plastic jars in the corners of her office labeled "Mineral Mix against Electro-Magnetic Radiation".

[The Brain]

So I noticed today that the only person in our office who's not vaccinated is also the one who has little plastic jars in the corners of her office labeled "Mineral Mix against Electro-Magnetic Radiation".

If you ask nicely maybe the person will direct you to some 45 min YT videos that explain the science behind it.

[mongers]

The father of my sister-in-law is in the ICU. He already had his booster 

He's in his 70s. Fingers crossed.

Sorry to hear that..... Hope he recovers soon.

FWIW, I mentioned a while ago, my brother, who is 50, was in ICU with COVID a while back. He has made a pretty good recovery. He still requires supplemental oxygen now and then but he's far better than we thought he'd be by Christmas.

Good to hear, Jos. what an excellent Xmas 'present' for the family to have, as I guess you guys were pretty worried at one stage.

[Sheilbh]

Christmas cancelled again

My dad's just tested positive (no symptoms - although this is on the basis that my mum says he's not got a new cough just the same cough he always has ). He's boosted so hopefully it'll all be fine.

My mum insists she's not tested positive yet and the faint line means negative - which I'm certain is wrong and I've told her that.

So delaying it into the New Year (hopefully)

[Sheilbh]

The father of my sister-in-law is in the ICU. He already had his booster 

He's in his 70s. Fingers crossed.

Oh sorry to hear - hope he gets better soon.

[Tamas]

Best wishes Celed and Sheilbh.

Sheilbh, the lateral flow test instruction is very explicit on even a faint line to be considered positive. :p

[Grey Fox]

Do you guys have other tests than Lateral flow? Using the full name makes me thing that yes but you don't seem to ever mention them.

[Tamas]

Do you guys have other tests than Lateral flow? Using the full name makes me thing that yes but you don't seem to ever mention them.

If you tested positive or got in contact with a confirmed case you are supposed to take a PCR test.

[Sheilbh]

Or have symptoms.

I do a lot of lateral flow tests, especially when we were back in the office just to be on the safe side and not spread it everywhere.

[The Larch]

I've only heard British people talk about that kind of tests, I actually have no idea what they entail. A quick online search only shows British sites talking about them.

Over here it's only PCR or antigens.

[garbon]

Lateral flow is antigen