Omicron variant

Matthew Rodriguez9 said:It’s not really about what you want, is it?

Everything is going to happen exactly how drag Bog intended it to go down. All you can really do is roll with it or fight it.

If you just embrace it, you might actually find some peace in the middle of the chaos, but if you resist, you're just setting yourself up for a lifetime of misery and frustration.

The call is yours to make.

Just kidding a little bit... I'm definitely not one of those depressed types...

But seriously though, these new strains are popping up everywhere like mushrooms after a heavy rain... it's almost like someone just hits a button and triggers instant global panic...

There is just so much weirdness happening here that doesn't make any sense...

Do you ever feel like the world never actually went back to normal after 9/11? Because honestly, I don't think it did. And looking at everything happening right now, I don't think it’s ever going to. It’s just a matter of figuring out how much our daily lives are going to be permanently altered from here on out. This whole era feels like it's dragging on forever, and frankly, it feels like science has completely dropped the ball across the board lately. I can't help but worry about what kind of mess this is all going to leave behind for us.

neonpuma30 said:I have zero doubt the local alarmists will find any excuse to scream apocalypse—blaming the government and even the NFL—just so they can squeeze out some extra tax money... ☕

Just like everyone else, those panic-prone folks who are terrified a little shot might cause a blood clot, so they immediately claim Omicron is just some herbal tea combo just to dodge the needle.👍 Has Lauck checked in yet?🙄

Linda Harris59 said:What on earth does that have to do with my explanation regarding mutations?

If you honestly think there is a connection, then please, enlighten me.

It’s about intelligence. You clearly lack it if you can't connect two pieces of data.

I explained that the virus enters the cell via the ACE2 receptor.

That receptor varies between Asian, African, and European populations... I gave you a chart, so Wand can analyze the numbers for you. 😁

It's obviously too complicated for you. Why isn't anyone debating this in public? 🤦

Studies have found that SARS-CoV-specific monoclonal antibodies and recombinant ACE2-Ig can potently neutralize SARS-CoV-2, and a hexapeptide of the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein binds to ACE2, thus blocking SARS-CoV entry

Clearly there are other ways to stop the virus, but they chose vaccines.

Question: Aren't you embarrassed by not grasping the basics? What part didn't you get—that the ACE2 receptor itself also mutates like the virus? Or will vaccines cause mutations in that ACE2 receptor and give us COVID-25?

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What if it turns out, say, Asians have a different ACE2 receptor that prevents the virus from entering cells? Could someone then violate the Constitution or the UN Charter by forcing movement restrictions without vaccination?

neonpuma30 said:Just like everyone else, those panic-prone folks who are terrified a little shot might cause a blood clot, so they immediately claim Omicron is just some herbal tea combo just to dodge the needle.👍 Has Lauck checked in yet?🙄

Look, I couldn't care less about the vaccine because, based on all my health metrics, it’s completely unnecessary for me—a fact backed up by the FBI's own data regarding mortality rates across different age groups. And you know what else solidified my stance? After eighteen months of watching this unfold and having recently gone through my own bout with coronary issues...

Got any other brilliant questions for me? ☕

neonpuma30 said:Just like everyone else, those panic-prone folks who are terrified a little shot might cause a blood clot, so they immediately claim Omicron is just some herbal tea combo just to dodge the needle.👍 Has Lauck checked in yet?🙄

It wasn't Lauc, it was the folks who called him out. Are you saying they're just panic-mongers who don't have a clue either?

It’s pretty wild how much we still don't know about certain diseases. I was just reading about how some illnesses can actually be triggered by things in our environment that we barely notice. It makes you think twice about what's going on around us. Just one of those things that stays on your mind.

Michelle Bennett5 said:I was just laying out the mechanism here. We could go down a rabbit hole debating the actual numbers and all the different variables involved, if you really want to go there.

Is it more about how long mutations take (cycles) or the sheer force of selection
in a host? All these variants are basically fighting a war to claim cells. In an unvaccinated person, a super mutation doesn't actually have much of a comparative edge; usually, some mid-level strain just crowds everything else out.
But in someone who's vaccinated? A super mutation could have a decisive advantage.

Just because something is unlikely doesn't mean it's impossible.

If the entire population were 100% vaccinated, sure, there wouldn't be a virus. But in a partially vaccinated society, there's always going to be a "reservoir."

Look, Boldano, you’re missing the point entirely. You are conflating two completely different issues here.

Duration. Mutation is fundamentally a numbers game when it comes to quantity. It’s quite simple, really: if the host's immune system is compromised or poorly defended, the virus is allowed to replicate much more aggressively and for a significantly longer duration. This prolonged period of unchecked replication creates a massive surge in the total viral load, and from a purely statistical standpoint, that higher volume inevitably leads to a greater number of mutations. It's basic biological math.

"We need much more rigorous selection processes. "In the host"—you could certainly frame it that way. At the end of the day, we’re looking at a simple matter of survival of the fittest: the mutation that proves most adept at evading the immune system is the one that eventually takes the lead. This isn't some debate about whether someone is vaccinated or not; the biological mechanism remains identical across both groups. Evolution doesn't care about our politics or our medical choices. It follows a strict, unyielding principle: those mutations that are better adapted to survive will always prevail. Plain and simple, the virus evolves.

The situation we’re seeing in Japan is actually quite a fascinating case study. You have a highly fractured landscape where one specific delta variant became so overwhelmingly dominant that it effectively crowded out every other strain. But here’s the kicker: it mutated so aggressively to maintain that dominance that it ultimately engineered its own downfall. It essentially optimized itself right into a corner. In an unfragmented population, you don't see this kind of singular, suffocating dominance from one mutation, which means there's always a diverse pool of variants left to survive and carry on. On the flip side, when we use vaccines to heavily favor one specific mutation, we end up creating a scenario where that strain looks like it's actively sabotaging its own survival by driving the evolution toward something else entirely. It's a strange, self-defeating cycle.

If we continue down this path of aggressively vaccinating against and essentially playing favorites with one specific mutation, we might witness a scenario no one actually predicted: the virus effectively committing suicide.

Linda Lee4 said:Are you kidding me with this "anti-masker" talk for an aerosolized virus? Next time you step outside, take a look at what people are actually doing. You see these improvised rags that leak from every side or medical masks worn dangling under the nose for weeks on end... it's all about the appearance of compliance, while the moment someone actually forgets their mask, the police tackle them to the ground. 🤦

The mask is simple: it's basically an advertisement for the pandemic.

The blame lies squarely with the government, which failed to implement even a shred of meaningful control.
People were wearing masks more for fashion than for actual protection.
It’s a combination of poor hygiene, sheer arrogance, and endless whining about personal liberty and this imaginary pandemic.
Everyone knows exactly what a medical mask is and the correct way to wear one.
Use one per day, don't touch the outer surface, and toss it straight into the trash.
But who is there to explain this logic to when you have drunks wandering into a corner bodega to line up their beers outside? Naturally, they won't be wearing masks, and they'll be spitting everywhere.
All while Beros stands there lecturing us about regulations that absolutely nobody is actually following.

Thomas Cook said:Looks like someone finally did some reading and put it into English. ☕

South African doctors say: OMICRON DOESN'T CAUSE SEVERE ILLNESS

It doesn't cause issues for young Africans who have already recovered. But the real question is whether it will hit older Europeans hard.

Not to mention that every race and genetic makeup deals with specific diseases differently. One group handles something perfectly fine while another struggles.

Those young Africans over there have built up immunity to everything. You really think young people—not even mentioning the elderly Americans—are just as hardened? I wouldn't bet on it.

John Ross7 said:Do you ever feel like the world never actually went back to normal after 9/11? Because honestly, I don't think it did. And looking at everything happening right now, I don't think it’s ever going to. It’s just a matter of figuring out how much our daily lives are going to be permanently altered from here on out. This whole era feels like it's dragging on forever, and frankly, it feels like science has completely dropped the ball across the board lately. I can't help but worry about what kind of mess this is all going to leave behind for us.

No, the world is actually worse. Extremism is up and the number of senseless conflicts has only increased. Of course, the people who live for reality TV wouldn't understand that. They’ll finally grasp the fallout from the situation in Afghanistan once they see the oil and gas pipelines starting to shut down across Europe.

THE WORLD IS ONE BIG BOWL, and it's a complete delusion to think we aren't affected by what happens on another continent—especially with modern travel and pandemics. You used to spend your whole life in one small town without even worrying about catching an African disease. Not anymore.

Sarah Ross21 said:No, the world is actually worse. Extremism is up and the number of senseless conflicts has only increased. Of course, the people who live for reality TV wouldn't understand that. They’ll finally grasp the fallout from the situation in Afghanistan once they see the oil and gas pipelines starting to shut down across Europe.

THE WORLD IS ONE BIG BOWL, and it's a complete delusion to think we aren't affected by what happens on another continent—especially with modern travel and pandemics. You used to spend your whole life in one small town without even worrying about catching an African disease. Not anymore.

That is exactly it. Things have been heading downhill for a long time now; this whole pandemic just acted like a massive accelerator for everything that was already broken, and now we're left wondering where this is all headed. It's a rough time to be alive. At some point, a total "reset" is going to have to happen—it's just a matter of how. If you ask me? I don't think we're ever going to get rid of this mess.

Thomas Cook said:It wasn't Lauc, it was the folks who called him out. Are you saying they're just panic-mongers who don't have a clue either?

It’s pretty wild how much we still don't know about certain diseases. I was just reading about how some illnesses can actually be triggered by things in our environment that we barely notice. It makes you think twice about what's going on around us. Just one of those things that stays on your mind.

I am not buying any of their stories.
That is exactly how the whole COVID mess started... a little bit of this, a little bit of that, until suddenly the whole world was being ravaged.
It's a hundred and one different versions of the truth.
And half of them don't even make sense!
Then you sit there listening to one group, then another, and everyone thinks they're such an expert.
Even the doctors—supposedly these top-tier specialists—are just talking in circles. One side says we shouldn't have vaccinated the population during a pandemic, the other says we didn't vaccinate enough, and meanwhile, the sickness just keeps ripping through and killing whoever it wants.
My husband is on vacation, and he’s already having to cut it short because two people in the house are sick.
Then there’s my boss, who had COVID last year in November and took three doses of the vaccine.
He hasn't even done a test yet, he's waiting on the PCR results, but he's been sitting there with a 102-degree fever for three days straight.
I just hope it isn't the flu... honestly, it's terrifying.
I told my husband, who got his shot and moved past it, that he might as well strap five masks to his face at this point.

Miro Bulj tells Stanković he’s worried about catching whatever he’s carrying. Brilliant. 🙂 We really should give people like them more airtime, shouldn't we? Just for a few more hours.

Sarah Ross21, based on what you're saying, it sounds like we should all just go into the funeral business...those guys are definitely going to be the ones making the real money...

Sarah Ross21 said:It doesn't cause issues for young Africans who have already recovered. But the real question is whether it will hit older Europeans hard.

Not to mention that every race and genetic makeup deals with specific diseases differently. One group handles something perfectly fine while another struggles.

Those young Africans over there have built up immunity to everything. You really think young people—not even mentioning the elderly Americans—are just as hardened? I wouldn't bet on it.

Life expectancy in South Africa is much lower than in the US, sitting at around 64. Honestly, South Africa actually has decent healthcare considering it's an African nation.
This whole "immunity" thing is mostly just talk; they simply prefer having large families. In reality, their health isn't better than ours.
The US has about 1.6 children per woman, while South Africa is at 2.38.

As for Omicron, it’s clearly been around there for a while now. Hospitalization rates haven't spiked compared to before, so if this strain really is as contagious as everyone claims, we'll find out pretty quickly what we're actually dealing with.

Linda Harris59 said:Look, Boldano, you’re missing the point entirely. You are conflating two completely different issues here.

Duration. Mutation is fundamentally a numbers game when it comes to quantity. It’s quite simple, really: if the host's immune system is compromised or poorly defended, the virus is allowed to replicate much more aggressively and for a significantly longer duration. This prolonged period of unchecked replication creates a massive surge in the total viral load, and from a purely statistical standpoint, that higher volume inevitably leads to a greater number of mutations. It's basic biological math.

"We need much more rigorous selection processes. "In the host"—you could certainly frame it that way. At the end of the day, we’re looking at a simple matter of survival of the fittest: the mutation that proves most adept at evading the immune system is the one that eventually takes the lead. This isn't some debate about whether someone is vaccinated or not; the biological mechanism remains identical across both groups. Evolution doesn't care about our politics or our medical choices. It follows a strict, unyielding principle: those mutations that are better adapted to survive will always prevail. Plain and simple, the virus evolves.

The situation we’re seeing in Japan is actually quite a fascinating case study. You have a highly fractured landscape where one specific delta variant became so overwhelmingly dominant that it effectively crowded out every other strain. But here’s the kicker: it mutated so aggressively to maintain that dominance that it ultimately engineered its own downfall. It essentially optimized itself right into a corner. In an unfragmented population, you don't see this kind of singular, suffocating dominance from one mutation, which means there's always a diverse pool of variants left to survive and carry on. On the flip side, when we use vaccines to heavily favor one specific mutation, we end up creating a scenario where that strain looks like it's actively sabotaging its own survival by driving the evolution toward something else entirely. It's a strange, self-defeating cycle.

If we continue down this path of aggressively vaccinating against and essentially playing favorites with one specific mutation, we might witness a scenario no one actually predicted: the virus effectively committing suicide.

A third dose for modern, wealthy societies, while the African continent gets zero or insufficient doses. Here we see the result of unfair vaccine logistics. Great job, civilization.

Doctors in South Africa are reporting that the Omicron variant doesn't seem to be causing more severe symptoms; https://kamenjar.com/juznoafricki-li...sliku-bolesti/

Yet, over in Europe, the panic has already started to set in...

Patients are complaining about headaches and feeling wiped out.

Basically, it feels like a massive hangover.

EVERYONE. GO. HOME. NOW.

Matthew Rodriguez9 said:Sarah Ross21, based on what you're saying, it sounds like we should all just go into the funeral business...those guys are definitely going to be the ones making the real money...

Absolutely. Business is booming for them. It used to be they were fighting outside hospitals just to land a gig, but now they can barely keep up with the demand. They’re pulling Saturday shifts now—something they never did before—and people are waiting days just to get an appointment. Things have changed. Granted, they complain about the rising cost of supplies, especially high-quality wooden caskets and other essentials. But I'm certain they're still sitting pretty on the profits.

As for how much immunity African Americans have, I don't have the specific stats for every country. Not all nations are equally developed, and living standards vary wildly. But here's a fact: different races and genetics carry different health vulnerabilities. The most famous historical example is when Columbus arrived in the Americas. Massive numbers of indigenous people died from viruses brought by Europeans—viruses that didn't pose nearly as much of a threat to the Europeans themselves.

That's why I'm convinced this African variant will act completely differently in Europe, especially since the European strain is much older.

The argument about African Americans having more children is irrelevant to me. The reality is that many of those kids haven't been vaccinated against everything our kids have been immunized for—so some of them survive things without an issue. The weaker ones die off. What's the conclusion? The survivors are tougher. And those tougher individuals will likely handle something like coronavirus much better than some pampered, highly-vaccinated kid from Europe.

I’d bet anything that in six months we’ll be talking about the massive damage this African strain caused across Europe. Anyone want to bet a beer on it? You better be from Washington, D.C. 🙂

And I don't consider South Africa to be the same thing as Africa. When I say Africa, I mean everywhere else except South Africa. Just like Washington, D.C. isn't the whole USA. If you know what I mean.

Tremble said:So you think the vaccinated will survive while we won't?

Not necessarily. But let's just say the odds are better on our side. 🙂😁😁 And I like having better odds. Whether I'm betting or just living my life. It's common sense.

Though, given that subvariant coming out of Africa, I suspect my chances are dropping too. 🙂