Omicron variant

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.

Maybe his immune system is just built different, but they still managed to sniff the virus right out of his nose. It’s exactly what the CDC would say about people who are vaccinated.

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

It seems to me that the panic-mongers would much rather this be some lethal strain just so they can justify their own hysteria. We saw how Delta was less virulent than Alpha even though it spread faster, so we might see a similar pattern here. Eventually, the virus just weakens itself until it can barely survive...

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

It’s just so tiny (it's micron), so I really don't see how it could actually be dangerous...

fadedranger162 said:Maybe his immune system is just built different, but they still managed to sniff the virus right out of his nose. It’s exactly what the CDC would say about people who are vaccinated.

Maybe he was dealing with a CDC-level condition, like that guy being blamed as the "mastermind" who spread COVID like Santa Claus.🍿

Charles Howard74 said:About 24% of the population in South Africa has been vaccinated, and according to one source, "allegedly" they tracked down the mastermind behind it all. This guy actually had HIV, so his immune system was basically non-existent. Then he caught COVID, and man, that virus tore through him like a wrecking ball in a glass factory. He just took that whole chaotic hacking style and started applying it to everyone else.

In London, you get about 700 passengers arriving daily from Africa.

fadedranger162 said:Maybe his immune system is just built different, but they still managed to sniff the virus right out of his nose. It’s exactly what the CDC would say about people who are vaccinated.

I wonder what should be done about him? Should he get vaccinated, or not?
What kind of measures should be applied to him?

wiredrider982 said:I wonder what should be done about him? Should he get vaccinated, or not?
What kind of measures should be applied to him?

First, track him down, then move him, then keep him isolated.😁

But what if the guy just wants to do things his own way?

Susan Jackson said:First, track him down, then move him, then keep him isolated.😁

But what if the guy just wants to do things his own way?

Fine, but I’m actually interested in what the medical experts and the CDC would recommend in cases like this. That's my only reason for asking, given how much of an inquisitorial crackdown we're seeing lately.
The guy is clearly healthy.

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.

So, here’s my take: mutations in vaccinated people are way more dangerous. In the unvaccinated, they just survive every single mutation the virus throws at them. So, if any truly nasty ones actually manage to break through, they’ll just get buried under a massive pile of harmless ones anyway. Makes sense, right? Or am I just talking to myself here?
So, here's the thing. Among the vaccinated, you're only going to see those super-mutations—the kind that can actually be carried by the vaccine itself. And genetically speaking? They’re a total bullseye.
So, here’s the logic people love to throw around: the more people you vaccinate, the higher the chance you're basically rolling the dice for some massive supermutation to pop up. Makes sense on paper, right? Or does it? I don't know. It's one of those "common sense" arguments that sounds deep until you actually sit with it for a second. Just a thought.

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.

Gerald Chavez7 said:Well, seeing as 0.4% of the population has died, I'd say that's a pretty solid indicator. Let me see if I can dig up the link where I read this...

Oof, that doesn't sound good. :/

For the alarmists out there...

New York City (CNN on Saturday) — The Delta variant of the coronavirus results in mild disease, lacking any major symptoms, according to the chairwoman of the American Medical Association, who spoke to CNN on Saturday.
"It’s mostly just mild illness where people deal with muscle aches and feeling run down for a day or two. From what we've seen, those who catch it aren't losing their sense of taste or smell. You might get a minor cough, but nothing major. Some of those infected are just managing everything from home right now," she noted.

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

What really gets me is hearing this from lauc, who actually calls himself a scientist.
He was way too quick to jump to conclusions, basically saying people are being paranoid for no reason just because this wave is finally winding down...

Linda Lee4 said:For the alarmists out there...

New York City (CNN on Saturday) — The Delta variant of the coronavirus results in mild disease, lacking any major symptoms, according to the chairwoman of the American Medical Association, who spoke to CNN on Saturday.
"It’s mostly just mild illness where people deal with muscle aches and feeling run down for a day or two. From what we've seen, those who catch it aren't losing their sense of taste or smell. You might get a minor cough, but nothing major. Some of those infected are just managing everything from home right now," she noted.

Actually, this makes it even more dangerous because it’ll spread way more easily this way. 😁

If we’re following any kind of logic here, some strain that's way more contagious or just better at flying under the radar—you know, milder symptoms or a longer incubation period—is going to take over in Africa. It's a fair assumption given how much younger the population is and how much time they spend outdoors. But hey, we'll see when it finally decides to come visit us old folks over in Europe.

Susan Jackson said:Maybe he was dealing with a CDC-level condition, like that guy being blamed as the "mastermind" who spread COVID like Santa Claus.🍿

We're totally screwed, and honestly, an unknown variant would be just our luck. 😁

wiredrider982 said:I wonder what should be done about him? Should he get vaccinated, or not?
What kind of measures should be applied to him?

Those kinds of questions are exactly what make people lose faith in vaccines. You've gotta ask for at least two doses and then get lost.🙂

fadedranger162 said:If we’re following any kind of logic here, some strain that's way more contagious or just better at flying under the radar—you know, milder symptoms or a longer incubation period—is going to take over in Africa. It's a fair assumption given how much younger the population is and how much time they spend outdoors. But hey, we'll see when it finally decides to come visit us old folks over in Europe.

We're totally screwed, and honestly, an unknown variant would be just our luck. 😁

Those kinds of questions are exactly what make people lose faith in vaccines. You've gotta ask for at least two doses and then get lost.🙂

Exactly. They should have saved that name for an American strain. We need to start making some noise about this.

COVID-19: New Omicron variant not a disaster, says US scientist

A scientist advising the government claims the Omicron variant isn't some kind of catastrophe and suggests certain people might be "massively exaggerating" the threat.
"It’s highly improbable that we'll see a full-blown pandemic restart within a population that's already vaccinated, similar to what happened last year."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59442141

I hate being the one to say this, but I was sounding the alarm on this over a year ago. Back then, people just looked at me like I was some hysterical nutcase. And look, I’m no genius, but I distinctly remember an epidemiologist saying the exact same thing on the news, and he completely vanished from public view after that. 🙂 I guess they didn't want to cause a panic. 🙂

It’s simple math. The virus managed to mutate and strengthen itself in Africa because that's where people aren't vaccinated.
The virus evolves way faster in unvaccinated populations than in those who are jabbed. This current situation is living proof.

And let's be real: we aren't going to get Africa vaccinated anytime soon. Even if we cook up a vaccine for this specific variant and the entire US manages to get everyone shot—which is a total Hollywood fantasy scenario—some turbo-variant will pop up in Africa in the meantime. It’s just a loop that keeps spinning until we all drop, or at least until Africa gets wiped out, assuming there are enough Americans left standing thanks to the vaccines.

That's the long and short of it. Any questions? 🙂

Anyway, I've hit a bit of a low lately, so I've decided to skip my flu shot. Honestly, who cares? Whatever happens, happens. 🙂 If both hits me at once, I'm toast. 🙂

Who exactly scared you this much?

So, I was listening to my esthetician today—a total hardline anti-vaxxer—actually making the case for getting vaccinated. Apparently, she lost a relative to it, and it was brutal. She ended up getting the shot this fall just so she could keep working, but honestly, part of me wanted to ask her to pull out her WHO vaccination card right then and there. 🙂

Then there’s my friend who considers herself "deeply religious." She avoids everyone, and if she even breathes the same air as someone suspicious, she rushes straight to get tested. Every single time, she reports back that she's negative, claiming God and her rosary are keeping her safe.
If she spends three minutes standing on a street corner with a mask on, she thinks she’s been exposed and needs an immediate test. Every time she clears it, she gets more convinced the whole thing is a hoax because she hasn't caught anything. Meanwhile, she’s out there standing near people on the sidewalk, masked up and six feet apart for five minutes at a time. It's living proof that her rosary is doing its job. 🙂

I really need to stop bringing this up. 🙂

Michelle Bennett5 said:So, here’s my take: mutations in vaccinated people are way more dangerous. In the unvaccinated, they just survive every single mutation the virus throws at them. So, if any truly nasty ones actually manage to break through, they’ll just get buried under a massive pile of harmless ones anyway. Makes sense, right? Or am I just talking to myself here?
So, here's the thing. Among the vaccinated, you're only going to see those super-mutations—the kind that can actually be carried by the vaccine itself. And genetically speaking? They’re a total bullseye.
So, here’s the logic people love to throw around: the more people you vaccinate, the higher the chance you're basically rolling the dice for some massive supermutation to pop up. Makes sense on paper, right? Or does it? I don't know. It's one of those "common sense" arguments that sounds deep until you actually sit with it for a second. Just a thought.

I have no idea where you're getting your data, but it's the exact opposite of everything I've read. That's not what the epidemiologists were saying, either. Unvaccinated people are much worse "breeding grounds" for mutations than those who are vaccinated. It's basic logic, isn't it? They just took some ingredient, whatever they want to call it!

That’s why they came up with that "do it for others" slogan. Except the logic is a bit too transparent for most people to actually buy.

Michelle Bennett5 said:So, here’s my take: mutations in vaccinated people are way more dangerous. In the unvaccinated, they just survive every single mutation the virus throws at them. So, if any truly nasty ones actually manage to break through, they’ll just get buried under a massive pile of harmless ones anyway. Makes sense, right? Or am I just talking to myself here?
So, here's the thing. Among the vaccinated, you're only going to see those super-mutations—the kind that can actually be carried by the vaccine itself. And genetically speaking? They’re a total bullseye.
So, here’s the logic people love to throw around: the more people you vaccinate, the higher the chance you're basically rolling the dice for some massive supermutation to pop up. Makes sense on paper, right? Or does it? I don't know. It's one of those "common sense" arguments that sounds deep until you actually sit with it for a second. Just a thought.

That is completely wrong. If you look at the data, the most dangerous mutations actually emerge from countries with very low vaccination rates. For instance, the Delta variant surfaced in India long before we even had a vaccine available.

It is true that a vaccine-resistant super-mutation could eventually become dominant in highly vaccinated nations like the USA. But the actual probability of a super-mutation developing within a vaccinated person is incredibly slim. Because there is a much smaller viral load and a shorter window of opportunity, antibodies strike the virus immediately, shutting down mass reproduction before it can mutate significantly.