Omicron variant

Carol Jackson2 said:Claiming healthy, unvaccinated people are literally the primary source of mutations is wrong. Vaccinated people transmit the virus too; they just spread it less, which reduces the overall chance for mutation. Mutation happens through transmission.

Vaccinated immunocompromised people struggle because their antibody levels drop off quickly.

That is fundamentally incorrect. A virus mutates during the replication process inside the host organism. Mutation happens because errors occur while the virus is copying itself.

Transmission is merely the selection process for existing mutations. The variant that happens to be more dangerous—the one that can infect a new host more easily—is the one that will become dominant.

Linda Harris59 said:That is fundamentally incorrect. A virus mutates during the replication process inside the host organism. Mutation happens because errors occur while the virus is copying itself.

Transmission is merely the selection process for existing mutations. The variant that happens to be more dangerous—the one that can infect a new host more easily—is the one that will become dominant.

Claiming it doesn't mutate in vaccinated people is just plain wrong.

Carol Jackson2 said:Claiming it doesn't mutate in vaccinated people is just plain wrong.

I never said that.

Let me be perfectly clear about what I actually wrote: the virus has a much higher potential for mutation and poses a greater threat to the community when it takes hold in an organism with a weakened immune system and no existing antibodies.

In vaccinated individuals, there is a significantly lower probability of mutation occurring. It's basic math—there is less virus present and it stays in the system for a much shorter window of time.

Linda Harris59 said:I never said that.

Let me be perfectly clear about what I actually wrote: the virus has a much higher potential for mutation and poses a greater threat to the community when it takes hold in an organism with a weakened immune system and no existing antibodies.

In vaccinated individuals, there is a significantly lower probability of mutation occurring. It's basic math—there is less virus present and it stays in the system for a much shorter window of time.

But it still happens. Your previous post made it sound like you were claiming there's zero chance of mutation in vaccinated people.

Linda Lee4 said:States are rolling out new restrictions because hospitalization rates are spiking despite high vaccination numbers, yet you're sitting there hoping that a vaccine designed for the Alpha strain can somehow pull its weight against Delta, let alone this new variant? That is some top-tier optimism right there.🤣

Just keep hoping; I have zero doubts that my recently acquired natural immunity will handle this strain just fine, assuming it even manages to spread rapidly enough to matter...

It reminds me of how things work with the flu—how different strains emerge and how natural immunity steps up to fight off a version of the virus we haven't encountered before... 🕺
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/viruses/change.htm

Carol Jackson2 said:But it still happens. Your previous post made it sound like you were claiming there's zero chance of mutation in vaccinated people.

Of course they occur—it’s just happening at a lower frequency.

Linda Lee4 said:States are rolling out new restrictions because hospitalization rates are spiking despite high vaccination numbers, yet you're sitting there hoping that a vaccine designed for the Alpha strain can somehow pull its weight against Delta, let alone this new variant? That is some top-tier optimism right there.🤣

Just keep hoping; I have zero doubts that my recently acquired natural immunity will handle this strain just fine, assuming it even manages to spread rapidly enough to matter...

I truly hope you're right.

The grim reality, however, is that this new variant emerged from regions with low vaccination rates, and it’s already proving to be capable of spreading among those who rely solely on natural immunity.

Gerald Chavez7 said:It’s spreading pretty fast in Yosemite (according to preliminary reports, though we might see in a few days if it’s just a fluke) among a very experienced population. At least 70% of people in Yosemite have already dealt with previous variants, so we aren't exactly looking at an "immunologically naive" or "green" population here.

Interesting. I met someone today who caught COVID three separate times. Every single time was asymptomatic—they only found out because they had to get tested before a flight.

According to reports from Sputnik, Angelique Coetzee, the chairwoman of the American Medical Association, noted that the new Omicron variant tends to cause "mild disease without prominent symptoms."

"It shows up as a mild illness, mostly just muscle aches and feeling wiped out for a day or two," Coetzee told the news agency. "So far, we've seen that those who catch it aren't losing their sense of taste or smell. You might get a minor cough, but there aren't any major symptoms. Some people are just managing everything from home right now."

The official also mentioned that hospitals aren't getting overwhelmed by this specific strain yet. She pointed out that while the variant shouldn't impact those who are fully vaccinated, things "might be different" for anyone who hasn't been vaccinated.

https://www.republicworld.com/world-...-symptoms.html

Omicron just proves this virus is always two steps ahead of us... honestly, this whole madness feels like it's never going to end...

May God help us all through this...

Matthew Rodriguez9 said:Omicron just proves this virus is always two steps ahead of us... honestly, this whole madness feels like it's never going to end...

May God help us all through this...

jadetinker85 said:Interesting. I met someone today who caught COVID three separate times. Every single time was asymptomatic—they only found out because they had to get tested before a flight.

Roughly 20-25% of the population possesses a naturally built-in immunity to this constantly shifting, mutating virus.

May God help us 🤷

And perhaps we could do a bit of helping ourselves by simply avoiding large crowds.

Though, considering how invasive our species tends to be, one shouldn't be surprised when nature responds with a new virus—one far more devastating than this one.

My personal theory:
This virus is going to spread like wildfire, but it won't leave much of a mark... it’ll likely end up being completely harmless.

From what I've been reading, most people who actually tested positive didn't even realize they were carrying it, so we really need to wait and see what the long-term fallout looks like... there are all these mutations happening, and maybe everyone just ends up catching it without any actual symptoms, leading us straight toward some kind of collective immunity.
Could this be an evolutionary dead end? A virus with zero staying power that essentially commits suicide by spreading too fast, or perhaps it just paves the way for a more potent version to take its place...

Maybe we should just encourage it to spread through the States?

Link?

We can't even determine who possesses a natural immunity to COVID, let alone predict how someone will react to the vaccine, before the fact.

Sam Wright21 said:Link?

We can't even determine who possesses a natural immunity to COVID, let alone predict how someone will react to the vaccine, before the fact.

Honestly, people are walking around right in the middle of an Omicron wave, yet you hardly see anyone actually showing symptoms or dealing with any real issues.
Every single person I know who got the shot but then caught the Mississippi Delta strain was back on their feet after just a week of sick leave...

It leads one to wonder if the vaccine is somehow ten times more effective against Omicron, or if we're simply dealing with a much weaker variant altogether...

I suspect the situation remains largely the same for those who haven't been vaccinated, though one can never be entirely certain...

https://twitter.com/BWGovernment/sta...-vaccinated%2F

Omicron just popped up on the radar, but our experts over on the forums are already claiming it’s totally harmless...

Wishful thinking.

Matthew Rodriguez9 said:Omicron just popped up on the radar, but our experts over on the forums are already claiming it’s totally harmless...

https://www.worldometers.info/corona...%20Worldometer

In Botswana, they happened to identify four asymptomatic individuals who caught a flight headed straight for England. And let's be realistic, only about 0.0001% of the population from Botswana ever makes that trek to Heathrow...

The assumption here—if you can call it that—is that those four people might have exposed perhaps 2,000 to 3,000 Americans traveling from Botswana who are positive for Omicron but aren't showing any of those classic COVID symptoms...

Right now, we're seeing 257 new cases daily in Botswana. According to data coming out of South Africa, Omicron spreads ten times faster than Delta...

If those four individuals infected even 500 or 600 people, where exactly are all those people hiding in the official statistics? They aren't there...

So, essentially, there is absolutely no proof yet that Omicron behaves like the standard coronavirus—meaning it might seem "harmless" for the moment—but I suppose we might have to sit around and wait several more weeks to see what the actual results look like...

@Matthew Rodriguez9, you can't just play guessing games when it comes to medicine; you really need to know exactly what kind of risk you're looking at before you make a move...

Matthew Rodriguez9 said:@Matthew Rodriguez9, you can't just play guessing games when it comes to medicine; you really need to know exactly what kind of risk you're looking at before you make a move...

As things stand today, there is zero evidence suggesting Omicron triggers the standard symptoms we're used to, and current data implies it might actually be harmless for the moment. Of course, that could all shift within a week or two...

The situation involving those four Botswanans was identified because Americans mandated very specific testing protocols and strict requirements for anyone traveling to New York City, with all the data being transmitted instantly... It is a very real possibility that Omicron is spreading rapidly in Botswana. We really just have to wait and see what unfolds over the next fortnight.

If it turns out to be truly benign, then it would be a massive stroke of luck—we could let it run its course and essentially wipe out all the other variants once and for all...

Matthew Rodriguez9 said:Omicron just popped up on the radar, but our experts over on the forums are already claiming it’s totally harmless...

I gotta press 👍👍👍
three times.