Coronavirus 4 - Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

[stui magpie]

^ why do you not have the same concerns over the possible mutations of the influenza virus or any other virus? They all have the chance of mutating to something sinister with unknown severity.

As I said, it tends to work the other way. The Spanish Flu which killed millions back in 1918 is still with us now, known as the H1N1 variant.

Viruses mutate to aid spread, not to more quickly kill the host as that inhibits spread.

[What'sinaname]

^ why do you not have the same concerns over the possible mutations of the influenza virus or any other virus? They all have the chance of mutating to something sinister with unknown severity.

As I said, it tends to work the other way. The Spanish Flu which killed millions back in 1918 is still with us now, known as the H1N1 variant.

Viruses mutate to aid spread, not to more quickly kill the host as that inhibits spread.

I agree with you. In the time it took me to post, others had posted, so my ^ was meant for PTID. I've fixed my post.

[Dave The Man]

World Health Organization saying we might be in Real Trouble with the Omicron Variant

https://twitter.com/BlakeJohnson/status ... MQRpg&s=19

[nomadjack]

^ why do you not have the same concerns over the possible mutations of the influenza virus or any other virus? They all have the chance of mutating to something sinister with unknown severity.

As I said, it tends to work the other way. The Spanish Flu which killed millions back in 1918 is still with us now, known as the H1N1 variant.

Viruses mutate to aid spread, not to more quickly kill the host as that inhibits spread.

That's often the case Stui but not always, particularly with RNA viruses. The original strain of Spanish flu actually mutated to become more virulent in subsequent waves. That's why public health officials exercise caution and the insurance policies ptd mentioned are important. It might well be the case that omicron is less virulent but there's no guarantee that will remain the case and there is a lot at stake (understatement).

[pietillidie]

^ why do you not have the same concerns over the possible mutations of the influenza virus or any other virus? They all have the chance of mutating to something sinister with unknown severity.

As I said, it tends to work the other way. The Spanish Flu which killed millions back in 1918 is still with us now, known as the H1N1 variant.

Viruses mutate to aid spread, not to more quickly kill the host as that inhibits spread.

I agree with you. In the time it took me to post, others had posted, so my ^ was meant for PTID. I've fixed my post.

See my reply. You're right, but timing is the key. We don't know where we are at in that arc, therefore the risk keeps resetting. Three 'good' variants in a row should do it, but even two will see things change dramatically.

But you've misread the room on the flu. See my comment on that - you're actually making the flu seem worse, not Covid seem better.

It's likely going to be a tough run through to the middle of next year both on the virus front and on the supply chain/inflation front. The hope is that if people stay moderately sober in the interim things will be more stable by then. That's not too long to hold tight, all considering.

[pietillidie]

^And just to drive home the point that we can't let up until we safely know where we are in the evolution of the virus, just this morning on the BBC:

The head of the UK Health Security Agency says the doubling time of the variant is now under two days in most of the UK

That alone is powerful maths, so even if the virus is less sinister it can still overwhelm the system, including supply chains (in turn putting further pressure on inflation numbers, making markets nervous):

Omicron is “probably the most significant threat since the start of the pandemic”, according to Dr Jenny Harries, the head of the UK Health Security Agency.

The concern within government is that a huge surge in cases could overwhelm the NHS.

There have been suggestions the virus cases milder illness. That is certainly logical as reinfection and infections post-vaccination tend to be less serious.

But even if severity is halved, the total number of people needing hospital care will increase if infections more than double.

There is huge uncertainty over how many admissions there will be. Modelling has suggested the peak could be around half what was seen last winter or approaching double.

But even if the Omicron wave does not overwhelm the NHS there is still a wider threat to society as mass illness and isolation could disrupt supply chains and essential services.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-59664383

New York Times just now:

Early evidence about the variant has only begun to emerge, and it remains unclear how often infections with Omicron lead to hospitalizations or deaths. The variant seems able to partly dodge the body’s immune defenses, but scientists have not yet determined to what degree vaccination and prior infection may safeguard individuals from severe disease.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/12/15 ... n-vaccines

[pietillidie]

[Pies4shaw]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-16/ ... /100704222

So, with some Omicron in the mix, the UK just increased the number of new cases by 20,000 over the number reported the previous day and broke its all-time daily record for new cases by about 10,000.

[nomadjack]

NSW removes more restrictions and releases the unvaccinated back into society.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-15/ ... /100685704

Victoria also releasing the unvaccinated back into society but still keeping mask rules because Dans a liar.

So are you suggesting we should have got rid of masks as originally intended despite the emergence of Omicron or that it's emergence should have been forseen?

[David]

[stui magpie]

^ why do you not have the same concerns over the possible mutations of the influenza virus or any other virus? They all have the chance of mutating to something sinister with unknown severity.

As I said, it tends to work the other way. The Spanish Flu which killed millions back in 1918 is still with us now, known as the H1N1 variant.

Viruses mutate to aid spread, not to more quickly kill the host as that inhibits spread.

That's often the case Stui but not always, particularly with RNA viruses. The original strain of Spanish flu actually mutated to become more virulent in subsequent waves. That's why public health officials exercise caution and the insurance policies ptd mentioned are important. It might well be the case that omicron is less virulent but there's no guarantee that will remain the case and there is a lot at stake (understatement).

I agree, we need more time. The only thing we can say for sure is that it seems more infectious, it's already become the dominant strain in Sth Africa, soon to be in the UK and case numbers are doubling every 2 days which is fkn quick. (Rice on the chessboard scenario)

Vaccination seems to provide less protection against catching it but we don't have enough data across different demographics to give clear detail on how virulent it is.

[Pies4shaw]

[think positive]

[think positive]

NSW removes more restrictions and releases the unvaccinated back into society.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-15/ ... /100685704

Victoria also releasing the unvaccinated back into society but still keeping mask rules because Dans a liar.

So are you suggesting we should have got rid of masks as originally intended despite the emergence of Omicron or that it's emergence should have been forseen?

he means he doesnt care, he just wants to live life like he used to 2 years ago!

[stui magpie]