New Variant(s)

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by GordMay

The World Health Organization has been warning, repeatedly, for months on end, that if vaccine inequity continues, if we continue to have high income countries hoarding vaccines, such that entire continents are left with very limited access to vaccines, this will inevitably lead to a more powerful virus, [a potentially vaccine-resistant virus].

Less than 3.5 percent of people, across the continent of Africa, have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Approximately 41 percent of adults, in South Africa, have received at least one dose, while 35 percent are fully vaccinated, far above the continental average.

Banning [or restricting] travelers, from African countries, may be a short term [partial] solution the spread of the new Omicron [B.1.1.529] variant, but universal vaccination should be the longer term containment/mitigation strategy.

None of us are safe, until all of us are safe.

Yep. It's been said by several of use, several times over the last months.


COVAX is pathetically under-resourced, even if the situation has improved lately, and has only delivered about 500 million doses so far, a fraction of what is needed.



The Indian Serum Institute, fortunately, resued deliveries to COVAX. Western countries who are now dealing with oversupplies, are starting to donate more and more. But it's not nearly enough.

[N Coast Murray]

Now in UK, Germany, Italy...

Still too early to know what this variant is all about. Hopefully it has traded high transmissibility for low mortality.

[Nord Sal]

It's definitely preferable in the public arena to use letters from the Greek alphabet, Omicron in this case, to designate variants instead of using cryptic designations like "B.1.1.529."

I wonder if they skipped the Greek letter preceding Omicron?

[N Coast Murray]

Originally Posted by Nord Sal

...I wonder if they skipped the Greek letter preceding Omicron?

Apparently the last variant was named in August. Up next was supposed to be Nu (too easily confused with new) and Xi (too common of a name, so they say, but there's only one person I know with that name) so they jumped ahead to Omicron.

That's the story here:

https://globalnews.ca/news/8407763/c...bet-explainer/

[N Coast Murray]

Good interview in The Atlantic:

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/...e-know/620827/

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Do people actually look to boating web sites to get covid news for anything other than non-authoritative entertainment?



Happy Thanksgiving and dont worry about it.

That's a particularly negative statement!

There are some exceptional minds here on CF whose opinions and depth of research I have come to respect over the years

They have also researched deeper than I can about Covid and probably with better understanding.
So having them explain to me in layman's term or deeper is far more valuable than a Dr Fauci press releases

[aqfishing]

OMICRON = MORONIC

[Pelagic]

My South African tenants just flew to Africa for a 3 week holiday.....they will be anxious to know if they can return home.

Not much warning before other countries shut them down

Boatman posted this on another thread.... I hope it is true.

UK ‘panicking unnecessarily’ over Omicron, says doctor who discovered new variant

The Independent 28/11/2021 15:42

The doctor who first described the Omicron variant has said that Britain is “panicking unnecessarily”, saying that the cases she has encountered in South Africa are “extremely mild”.

Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Dr Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association, said she first encountered the variant in a man in his early 30s. She said he was experiencing tiredness and a mild headache, but none of the usual coronavirus symptoms.

She said: “What we are seeing clinically in South Africa, and remember I’m at the epicentre - that’s where I’m practising - it’s extremely mild. For us, that’s mild cases.”

Asked if the UK was “panicking unnecessarily”, she said: “I think you already have it there in your country and you’re not knowing it, and I would say, yes, at this stage I would say definitely.

“Two weeks from now maybe we will say something different.”

[N Coast Murray]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

...“Two weeks from now maybe we will say something different.”

Do we get a vote on this? I'll go for high transmissibility and low mortality rate

[laird]

Originally Posted by GordMay

The World Health Organization has been warning, repeatedly, for months on end, that if vaccine inequity continues, if we continue to have high income countries hoarding vaccines, such that entire continents are left with very limited access to vaccines, this will inevitably lead to a more powerful virus, [a potentially vaccine-resistant virus].

Less than 3.5 percent of people, across the continent of Africa, have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Approximately 41 percent of adults, in South Africa, have received at least one dose, while 35 percent are fully vaccinated, far above the continental average.

Banning [or restricting] travelers, from African countries, may be a short term [partial] solution the spread of the new Omicron [B.1.1.529] variant, but universal vaccination should be the longer term containment/mitigation strategy.

None of us are safe, until all of us are safe.

The problem with getting African countries to accept a vaccine program is very difficult ,a lot of Africans still believe in witch doctors etc ,other third world areas such as S.E.Asia have an active vaccine program with a lot less resistance

[N Coast Murray]

A local news story from South Africa:

https://www.keloland.com/news/nation...-south-africa/

[mabowers]

Originally Posted by N Coast Murray

Do we get a vote on this? I'll go for high transmissibility and low mortality rate

If it does turn out to be very high transmissibility & low virulence (pathogenicity), I am curious if effective immunity to other variants is acquired by infection with Omicron ?

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by laird

The problem with getting African countries to accept a vaccine program is very difficult ,a lot of Africans still believe in witch doctors etc ,other third world areas such as S.E.Asia have an active vaccine program with a lot less resistance

Exactly. Right now there is no shortage of vaccines in South Africa, just a shortage of people willing to take the vaccine across all racial groups.

[N Coast Murray]

No country is immune from being the birthplace of new variants, only the probability increases or decreases due to local circumstances.

All it takes is one immunocompromised person to get infected who stays sick and alive long enough for Covid's genetic roulette wheels to come up with a new winner.

There was a recent bump in Covid numbers across Western Canada compliments of a Delta subtype which originated in the mid-western United States:

https://globalnews.ca/news/8365316/s...estern-canada/

*Edit* Idaho is only 45% fully vaccinated:

https://www.beckershospitalreview.co...-march-15.html

[N Coast Murray]

Now in Canada, Denmark, Australia and the Netherlands.