BBC: China pneumonia outbreak: COVID-19 Global Pandemic

[zCommander]

15 minutes ago, CousinsCowgirl84 said:

I don’t get being in a panic. If you are vaxed you are good. A runny nose and a scratchy throat…

 

Yup. Came down with the sniffles and a sore/strep throat. Took my garlic pills and my black elderberry gummies and some Advil. I was back to normal and 100% health in 2.5 days. 

 

[skinsmarydu]

Like  some others, I don't have to work, it's more about getting the last year of my life back. 

[mojo]

1 hour ago, skinsmarydu said:

Like  some others, I don't have to work, it's more about getting the last year of my life back. 

I agree: Just think; the CDC knowingly sent out tests kits at the beginning of this pandemic with a failure rate of over 33%. How many lives and businesses were altered due to nothing?

https://www.npr.org/2020/11/06/929078678/cdc-report-officials-knew-coronavirus-test-was-flawed-but-released-it-anyway

 

 

[Elessar78]

3 hours ago, skinsmarydu said:

Two more people left work tonight feeling symptoms.  

We're kind of in a walkout now until the building gets professionally cleaned because we don't know where it came from & until the stupid unvaxxed idiots can stay quarantined long enough.  I'm pushing for the full 10 days. 

****in idiots. 

Professionally cleaned? Did I miss something? This is airborne, not really a surface transfer thing. Tell the owner to get some high quality air purifiers and open the doors (if possible).

[Larry]

8 hours ago, skinsmarydu said:

Two more people left work tonight feeling symptoms.  

We're kind of in a walkout now until the building gets professionally cleaned because we don't know where it came from & until the stupid unvaxxed idiots can stay quarantined long enough.  I'm pushing for the full 10 days. 

****in idiots. 

And let me guess. The same unvaxed idiots who knowingly caused this, have now switched excuses to "Now I don't need to get vaccinated, because I've already had it".

 
 

4 hours ago, Elessar78 said:

Professionally cleaned? Did I miss something? This is airborne, not really a surface transfer thing. Tell the owner to get some high quality air purifiers and open the doors (if possible).

Actually, I think it spreads by the fecal-oral route. 
 

It's spread by assholes. 

Edited December 30, 2021 by Larry

[skinsmarydu]

1 minute ago, Larry said:

And let me guess. The same unvaxed idiots who knowingly caused this, have now switched excuses to "Now I don't need to get vaccinated, because I've already had it".

The one living in a hotel was saying all day Tuesday "I'm really scared."  She kept going on about chips in the vaccine.  Loudly, everyone in the dining room could hear her.

It took everything I had to keep from screaming, "You're a ****ing moron scared of microchips, but the one in your phone is ACTUALLY DOING that thing you're so scared of!"

 

 

[China]

So I just took my cat the the vet.  For the last year and a half they have been doing curbside drop-off and pick-up with nobody allowed inside.  Today, with the omicron variant spreading like wildfire they saw fit to open up and have people come inside.  Makes no sense.

[TradeTheBeal!]

Sore throat and body aches mostly gone this morning.  Still have some fatigue and mild nasal congestion.
 

Moderna triple-boost seems to be doing the damn thing!

[China]

 

[Sticksboi05]

12 hours ago, purbeast said:

Welp I tested positive tonight.  Took an AG and PCR test and AG results were positive.  I get the PCR results tomorrow and expect the same.  We're going to try and get AG tests for the rest of my fam tomorrow but it's going to be tough as **** because all of this crap is a huge cluster**** trying to get tested right now.

 

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, and this is exactly why we're behind the virus (to be fair there's many reasons), testing speed and accessibility is not enough to keep up. It's why the 500 million tests could not come sooner - I hope rather than just releasing them the Biden admin does a big press conference walking through how to most effectively use rapid tests so people are taking them just moments before events, and using multiple over days.

 

The symptom onset you mention aligns with the general kinetics of COVID-19, you go from a viral load of 1000 ---> 100 billion in a matter of a day and then after another 1-3 days go right back down. Very fast kinetics.

[China]

Omicron infection appears to protect against Covid delta variant and could displace it, South Africa study finds

 

People infected with the heavily mutated omicron variant of Covid-19 may have increased immune protection against delta, a new study says.

 

As a consequence, omicron could displace delta, according to the small study published by South African scientists this week.

 

The findings could have significant implications for nations such as the United States where omicron infections are rapidly increasing but the delta variant, which has caused an increase in hospitalizations, is still widespread.

 

“These results are consistent with Omicron displacing the Delta variant, since it can elicit immunity which neutralizes Delta making re-infection with Delta less likely,” the team of scientists, led by Khadija Khan at the Africa Health Research Institute, wrote in their findings.

 

If omicron displaces delta and proves more mild than past variants, “the incidence of Covid-19 severe disease would be reduced and the infection may shift to become less disruptive to individuals and society,” according to the scientists’ findings.

 

Omicron was first identified by South Africa and Botswana in November.

 

The study has not yet been peer-reviewed. Researchers have been publishing their findings before they are evaluated by other experts in the field due to the urgent nature of the pandemic.

The study followed 13 people, 11 of whom had been infected with the omicron variant. Seven of the participants were vaccinated: three people who received two doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine and four who received the Johnson & Johnson shot.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

13 is a pretty small sample size.

[purbeast]

8 minutes ago, Sticksboi05 said:

 

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, and this is exactly why we're behind the virus (to be fair there's many reasons), testing speed and accessibility is not enough to keep up. It's why the 500 million tests could not come sooner - I hope rather than just releasing them the Biden admin does a big press conference walking through how to most effectively use rapid tests so people are taking them just moments before events, and using multiple over days.

 

The symptom onset you mention aligns with the general kinetics of COVID-19, you go from a viral load of 1000 ---> 100 billion in a matter of a day and then after another 1-3 days go right back down. Very fast kinetics.

One problem is the at home tests don't detect the omicron variant as well, at least not yet.

 

I took 2 at home tests.  

 

I started feeling scratchy throat on Xmas at night time.  Then the next day I had a sore throat and cold symptoms so I took a test at noon and it was negative.

 

Next day I took another one around 2pm and it was negative, but that was after I had found out my sister tested positive that same day.

 

Then after wasting so much time on Tuesday and Wednesday driving around trying to get a real test, I finally got one last night and it was positive.

 

I'm honestly not even sure how to solve this problem trying to get tested at clinics.  I mean the one I went to only had 10 walkins available at 3pm.  I still didn't even get my test taken until like 5pm, and they close at 5pm.  They also had appointments in between the walkins.  So like even if they had 20 walkins, they wouldn't have had the man power to administer them.

 

We went to a clinic this morning at 7:50am, that opens at 8am, for my wife and kids to get in line to get tested.  We were like ~20 in line at that time.  She registered the 3 of them and we're at home waiting for htem to call us back to go in.  We are like 5 minutes away and are supposed to be in the parking lot waiting, but this is the place that called me back on Tuesday, 4 hours after I registered.  We're not waiting in a car for 4 hours with a 16 month old and 6 year old.

40 minutes ago, China said:

 

I am so happy I could contribute!

Edited December 30, 2021 by purbeast

[Sticksboi05]

8 minutes ago, purbeast said:

One problem is the at home tests don't detect the omicron variant as well, at least not yet.

 

I took 2 at home tests.  

 

I started feeling scratchy throat on Xmas at night time.  Then the next day I had a sore throat and cold symptoms so I took a test at noon and it was negative.

 

Next day I took another one around 2pm and it was negative, but that was after I had found out my sister tested positive that same day.

 

Then after wasting so much time on Tuesday and Wednesday driving around trying to get a real test, I finally got one last night and it was positive.

 

 

At-home tests from all the major manufacturers can detect Omicron as they detect the N protein rather than the highly mutated spike protein. The issue is Omicron seems to replicate so much more quickly in the throat and thus you are contagious faster than previous variants before nasal replication is high enough for detection. But they will all detect it at some point.

 

Some people are now recommending taking a throat + nasal swab now for at home tests. It's not FDA authorized as it may lead to a little bit more false positives but regardless, better safe than sorry.

[purbeast]

6 minutes ago, Sticksboi05 said:

 

At-home tests from all the major manufacturers can detect Omicron as they detect the N protein rather than the highly mutated spike protein. The issue is Omicron seems to replicate so much more quickly in the throat and thus you are contagious faster than previous variants before nasal replication is high enough for detection. But they will all detect it at some point.

 

Some people are now recommending taking a throat + nasal swab now for at home tests. It's not FDA authorized as it may lead to a little bit more false positives but regardless, better safe than sorry.

Never said they couldn't detect them.  I said they don't detect them as well.

 

It's straight from the FDA.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/29/health/fda-antigen-test-sensitivity/index.html

[skinsmarydu]

I've never even needed a test.  Never. 

I'm just staying home. 

[Sticksboi05]

6 minutes ago, purbeast said:

Never said they couldn't detect them.  I said they don't detect them as well.

 

It's straight from the FDA.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/29/health/fda-antigen-test-sensitivity/index.html

 

I'm agreeing with you!

 

It's the issue of how much faster Omicron replicates in the throat so by the time it does the same in the nose, it leaves a gap where rapid tests could miss contagiousness.

[tshile]

25 minutes ago, purbeast said:

One problem is the at home tests don't detect the omicron variant as well, at least not yet.

 

I took 2 at home tests.  

 

I started feeling scratchy throat on Xmas at night time.  Then the next day I had a sore throat and cold symptoms so I took a test at noon and it was negative.

 

Next day I took another one around 2pm and it was negative, but that was after I had found out my sister tested positive that same day.

 

Then after wasting so much time on Tuesday and Wednesday driving around trying to get a real test, I finally got one last night and it was positive.

well. The home test kits are sensitive to being used correctly. Which includes being used at the correct times. Your story is familiar - lots of people are reporting the same experience with home test kits. 
 

and everyone else is going through the same issue with testing centers. 
 

[purbeast]

Yeah and people at home, myself included, probably aren't swabbing as well as the people at the clinics.  

[tshile]

9 minutes ago, purbeast said:

Yeah and people at home, myself included, probably aren't swabbing as well as the people at the clinics.  

Exactly. That’s what I mean with being used correctly. 
 

it’s amusing watching people rip through home test kits. Maybe instead of taking one every 3 hours you just follow the directions? 🤷‍♂️ It’s great how everyone thinks they know better, all the time. Everyone thinks the directions are just a general advisement, and whatever it is theyve decided in their head is better. 

 

I’ve also found the anger amusing. Don’t get me wrong - it’s one thing to just comment about what’s going on. But some people are quite angry. And it’s like… hold on, what did you expect? This was warned about. Who exactly is surprised about the current situation? It can’t possibly be anyone who’s been paying even a bit of attention…

 

I’m also finding the general belly aching amusing. Whether it’s about having to shut down offices, being short staffed, etc.

 

we’re coming up on the start of year 3 of this people. get your heads out of your asses. You didn’t plan for the inevitable. You have made zero changes in how anything is done. Now your move is to complain that  the problem you were told about and did nothing about, is here? Lol ok. 
 

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by tshile

[abdcskins]

These are the times where I am glad I am a hermit who mostly stays at home with my dog watching sports (although I did go to Vegas last week with some Chinese chick...that was fun). Even though I am vaxxed I would prefer not to ever catch it.

 

Has anyone in the world named their newborn child Covid yet? I would actually chuckle if that happened - although that would be kind of cruel to the kid.

 

[zCommander]

48 minutes ago, skinsmarydu said:

I've never even needed a test.  Never. 

I'm just staying home. 

 

I have been working since the height of the pandemic. I only stayed most of the days during the lockdown in the beginning. I was cleaning my hands constantly and had a rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle in all my cars. So far so good. I even did a major network upgrade at the bar/restaurant I frequent not too long ago. I am a clean freak so always keep my hands clean and nose and mouth covered. 

 

I see people/employees using their cell phones and then touching other things and then cell phone again. I would always hand sanitize before touching my cell. It might seem strange to some but it is working for me.

 

I have the vaxx but never let me guard down because I had the vaxx like some did and got infected. This is probably the reason why this virus is not going anywhere. The non-vax are infecting the vaxx and the non-vaxx and the vaxx are spreading it again to others as well. It's not going to just die one day. Too many people on this planet and it is like having a huge petri dish in a bio lab. 

 

The government and the mis-information has played a major role in this pandemic that could have been easily contained when it first started. Now it is a huge wild fire and it will take a long time to put it out if even possible now. 

 

I have a feeling it might take 5+ years the way new mutations are coming out. We are already in year 3 now.

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by zskins

[tshile]

Unless something changes this isn’t going away. Best we can hope for is it mutates into something like flu/cold and becomes part of the recurring flue/cold(/covid) season, and the annual death count plummets to something like the flu. 
 

There isn’t any other option when 30-40% of the country thinks some combination of:

-it’s a hoax

-I won’t wear a mask

-I won’t social distance

-I won’t get vaccinated

 

we couldn’t even get majority of people to set their dumb bull**** aside to create a coherent, agreed upon policy on what we should do with children and schools. 
 

as a society we cannot set our bull**** aside to at least protect young children who have no say in anything - and are 100% dependent on adults to look after their well-being. 
 

nope. We went straight to using them as political pawns. 
 

so no. This isn’t going anywhere. 
 

Masks in schools:covid::sandy hook:gun control

 

when people show you they don’t even care about children lives, the game is over. 

 

just try to live as healthy a life you can. Get your vaccines. Figure out your risk tolerance and act accordingly - which includes accepting the consequences. Figure out how to keep yourself mentally happy with this new world we live in. 
 

And certainly don’t be one of these people paralyzed by this new reality - unable to adapt and move forward because you’re stuck in this dumb mindset of waiting this out…

[China]

7 minutes ago, tshile said:

 

as a society we cannot set our bull**** aside to at least protect young children who have no say in anything - and are 100% dependent on adults to look after their well-being. 
 

 

 

This is nothing new.  Ref:  See Sandy Hook and gun control.

[China]

Despite omicron, Covid-19 will become endemic. Here’s how.

 

With omicron rates soaring, you may find yourself despairingly asking when — or even if — this pandemic is ever going to end.

 

The good news is that it will end. Experts agree on that. We’re not going to totally eradicate Covid-19, but we will see it move out of the pandemic phase and into the endemic phase.

Endemicity means the virus will keep circulating in parts of the global population for years, but its prevalence and impact will come down to relatively manageable levels, so it ends up more like the flu than a world-stopping disease.

 

For an infectious disease to be classed in the endemic phase, the rate of infections has to more or less stabilize across years, rather than showing big, unexpected spikes as Covid-19 has been doing. “A disease is endemic if the reproductive number is stably at one,” Boston University epidemiologist Eleanor Murray explained. “That means one infected person, on average, infects one other person.”

 

We’re nowhere near that right now. The highly contagious omicron variant means each infected person is infecting more than one other person, with the result that cases are exploding across the globe. Nobody can look at the following chart and reasonably conclude that we’re in endemic territory.

 

 

Here’s one big question you’d probably like the answer to: Does omicron push endemicity farther off into the future? Or could it actually speed up our path to endemicity by infecting so much of the population so swiftly that we more quickly develop a layer of natural immunity?

 

“That is really the million-dollar question,” Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, told me. “It’s really hard to say right now.”

 

That’s partly because endemicity isn’t just about getting the virus’s reproductive number down to one. That’s the bare minimum for earning the endemic classification, but there are other factors that come into play, too: What’s the rate of hospitalizations and deaths? Is the health care system overburdened to the point that there’s a precipitous space or staffing shortage? Are there treatments available to reduce how many people are getting seriously ill?

 

In general, a virus becomes endemic when we (health experts, governmental bodies, and the public) collectively decide that we’re okay with accepting the level of impact the virus has — that in other words, it no longer constitutes an active crisis.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[TradeTheBeal!]