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Covid 19 Thread: [no bitching about masks of Fauci edition]

Jaysen

Banned

Wont get the vaccine, will drink chlorine dioxide.
 

chromhound

Gold Member

Wont get the vaccine, will drink chlorine dioxide.
damn they still doing some dumb shit lol
 

FunkMiller

Member
The basic question is what percentage of Omicron cases lead to hospitalisation and deaths, in various groups (vaccinated, non-vaccinated, per age group). The data for this is already being collected and I think is fairly well understood. We just need to wait until we have enough of it to draw meaningful conclusions.

I think we're (optimistically) at a point in the UK where some relatively concrete assumptions can start to be drawn over omicron's severity in terms of deaths and hospitalisations.

Omicron first started spreading in the UK at the beginning of December, and has been dominant for over ten days, with rapidly rising case figures. This is a reasonable period of time to start interrogating the data, and what we see is:

Increase in seven day average cases of 63%
Increase in seven day average deaths of 0.9%
Increase in seven day hospitalisations of 2.2%
Increase in seven day amount of tests conducted of 24%

So, cases markedly up, tests administered also significantly up, deaths and hospitalisations level.

This all tends to suggest an obvious decoupling of cases from serious illness and death to a massive degree. Far more than even with Delta - and that was extremely significant in and of itself.

Now, we could start to see a marked increase in deaths and hospitalisations from this point onward, but should there be no significant change, then no further restrictions will be necessary to deal with omicron.
 
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tommolb

Member
I think we're (optimistically) at a point in the UK where some relatively concrete assumptions can start to be drawn over omicron's severity in terms of deaths and hospitalisations.

Omicron first started spreading in the UK at the beginning of December, and has been dominant for over ten days, with rapidly rising case figures. This is a reasonable period of time to start interrogating the data, and what we see is:

Increase in seven day average cases of 63%
Increase in seven day average deaths of 0.9%
Increase in seven day hospitalisations of 2.2%
Increase in seven day amount of tests conducted of 24%

So, cases markedly up, tests administered also significantly up, deaths and hospitalisations level.

This all tends to suggest an obvious decoupling of cases from serious illness and death to a massive degree. Far more than even with Delta - and that was extremely significant in and of itself.

Now, we could start to see a marked increase in deaths and hospitalisations from this point onward, but should there be no significant change, then no further restrictions will be necessary to deal with omicron.
Sadly it's still too early to draw concrete assumptions about hospitalisations - takes a week (ish) to be come ill, takes 2 weeks (ish) to become ill enough to seek medical assistance. We're 3 weeks from when this variant was spotted in the UK, let alone from when it started to take off in a big way. If we don't see hospitalisations start to track up from just after Christmas then maybe we can collectively breath a sigh of relief and become optimistic about these things.

This article outlines this way better than I ever could; https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/21/omicron-spreading-milder-virus
 

FunkMiller

Member
Sadly it's still too early to draw concrete assumptions about hospitalisations - takes a week (ish) to be come ill, takes 2 weeks (ish) to become ill enough to seek medical assistance. We're 3 weeks from when this variant was spotted in the UK, let alone from when it started to take off in a big way. If we don't see hospitalisations start to track up from just after Christmas then maybe we can collectively breath a sigh of relief and become optimistic about these things.

This article outlines this way better than I ever could; https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/21/omicron-spreading-milder-virus

If you study the data from the first wave, it shows that higher hospitalisations and deaths were occurring by this point in the timeline.

Yes, we still have to wait a while longer for absolute proof, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic at this stage.
 

tommolb

Member
If you study the data from the first wave, it shows that higher hospitalisations and deaths were occurring by this point in the timeline.

Yes, we still have to wait a while longer for absolute proof, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic at this stage.
By first wave are you speaking of original Wuhan strain? 'cos it depends on when you consider the start point. Evidence points to Covid getting to Europe before the end of 2019 (one source : https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10260-021-00568-4 ) , so if you're assume the first wave began in Feb 2020 then that might not be the valid start point to choose to compare then and now.

Either way, the next two or three weeks will tell for certain. I'm saving my optimism for early Jan when things should be clearer as to whether hospital admissions are tracking up in a way that will cause the NHS serious problems and whether death rates follow upwards as well. Fingers crossed your optimism is warranted!
 

12Goblins

Lil’ Gobbie
France is changing the sanitary pass to vaccine pass, you cannot get tests anymore in order to do it. Minister of Health has said it’s a hidden obligation to vaccinate but much more useful than imposing a mandate and then catching people on the streets. I agree with him.
god dam.
 

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
Interesting discussion that this is, I think we're kinda getting stuck in the semantic weeds.

I guess my point is essentially the razor again: More complication results in more potential for distortion, hence asking the most atomic question results in the most stable, foundational "truths".

Personally speaking this is how I make judgement calls, especially understanding that statistics are mostly meaningless on an individual basis. 99.9% efficacy isn't much of a comfort if you happen to be in the .1 cohort after all!

I prefer observation to extrapolation is all. And the consequence of that is I prefer to try and maintain a positive outlook when at the end of the day I know this so much is entirely out of my control. I can control my own mind though.
Is this a response to my post, F FireFly 's post, or both? I'm not sure.
 

Go_Ly_Dow

Member
UK, record cases for weeks now but no pre-xmas restrictions and none confirmed for post-xmas.

Omicron running wild, but deaths and hospitalisations remaining steady and within manageable levels so far for the health system.
 

Chittagong

Gold Member

first known US death is unvaccinated person that has previously had covid. cautionary tale...

I am trying to make sense

Ostensibly the amount of infections in USA is massive in the winter, Omicron or not. Omicron now makes 73% of US infections now, so it must have some time to get there.

And now we have the first Omicron death, a person with pre-existing conditions.

Right?
 
If Europe locks down, and some countries have already started to, the US is next.
First one is a big if. And secondly the USA will never lockdown again for the duration of this pandemic. For better or worse. You can be as sure of that as you can be the earth will do a revolution around the sun. It's just not happening. You can give up on this doom and gloom right now.
 
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First one is a big if. And secondly the USA will never lockdown again for the duration of this pandemic. For better or worse. You can be as sure of that as you can be the earth will do a revolution around the sun. It's just not happening. You can give up on this doom and gloom right now.

I want nothing to do with another lockdown and thankfully here in Fla it won't happen. However, certain politicians are itching to get right back to it and they'll feel justified if it starts happening in other countries.
 

RoboFu

One of the green rats

first known US death is unvaccinated person that has previously had covid. cautionary tale...
And other underlying conditions and was unvaccinated.

i am vaccinated with a booster shot and I caught Covid from my kids who caught it at school with strict mask and distancing.

Here are the only truths so far..

Mask mandates and social distancing do not work as well as believed but are a good political tool now.

vaccines will reduce symptoms and deaths

everyone will get covid at some point.
 
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Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
And other underlying conditions and was unvaccinated.

i vaccinated with a booster shot and I caught Covid from my kids who caught it at school with strict mask and distancing.

Here are the only truths so far..

Mask mandates and social distancing do not work as well as believed but are a good political tool now.

vaccines will reduce symptoms and deaths

everyone will get covid at some point.
Your personal anecdote does not invalidate research and data.

Mask wearing and social distancing works to help lower infections, as they are traditionally tried and true non-pharmaceutical interventions.

Vaccines will reduce infections, severe illness, and death.

Everyone will be exposed to SARSCOV2 at some point, and depending on how long this pandemic plays out, everyone might get infected at some point.
 
That doesn't prove anything. "Among adults" is not the same as everyone. Waning vaccine efficacy over time and uptake of boosters is another key variable. International contact with other countries is another one.
You can't vaccinate the 3% of children below 5 years.

It makes no sense to vaccinate the 5% children between 5 and 12 years.

(also note that in the US, the minor population is way higher, so naturally they have a lower vaccination rate among total population)

So it makes no sense to aim for 95% vaccination among total population as any realistic goal. Of course government will, so it's impossible to reach and they can keep measures in place for longer and blame the low vaccination rate as the reason


And the last part of your post is exactly the issue.
100% vaccination rate, 100% vaccine efficacy, lasts a life time, virus does not mutate.

That's how you can easily eradicate a disease. But non of that is true for covid. And unlike the vaccination rate non of the other needed factors are even close.
You don't need to be an epidemiologist to know that.
 
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And other underlying conditions and was unvaccinated.

i am vaccinated with a booster shot and I caught Covid from my kids who caught it at school with strict mask and distancing.

Here are the only truths so far..

Mask mandates and social distancing do not work as well as believed but are a good political tool now.

vaccines will reduce symptoms and deaths

everyone will get covid at some point.
Meh. Last one ain't true.

Out of curiosity what were you vaccine with and booster with?
 
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Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
He's got some strong points, backed up by good reasons.


Each day more people have waned their protection from vaccines compared with the number of those getting their 1st shot, so that we are actually losing ground, an effective vaccine protection far short of 61% of the population now. And we’ve already learned that prior Covid alone (without any vaccination) is insufficient to defend against Omicron, as manifest by the first death in the United States in a man in his 50s with a previous infection.

Look at how poorly we are positioned for a new, major surge in cases, not just alarming rates in Wisconsin and parts of the Northeast, but greater than 300 per 100,000 people in a large portion of the country. There are already health systems that are overrun in the midst of the second Delta surge, and now with Omicron becoming dominant, well over 95% of new cases in large cities like New York and Houston, we’ll see more of this situation arise.

  1. Booster shots at 4 months after the 2nd dose, not 6 months. The data are overwhelming and many countries have already switched to 3 months.
  2. Redefine “fully vaccinated” as 3 shots, unless it is after J&J for which we do not have data for a 3rd shot, or Prior Covid with uncertainty as to whether more than 1 or 2 shots is necessary.
  3. No airplane passengers who are not fully vaccinated, or having medical documentation for why that is not the case, such as the policy in Canada and many other countries. The federal government should have authority for any interstate transportation.
  4. 500 million free rapid tests by request sometime in January is totally inadequate. We need several billion of these, and have needed them for over a year to help prevent spread, as validated and relied upon in many countries throughout the world.
  5. Distribute KN95 masks to all households.
  6. Rapidly scale the production of the anti-Covid pill Paxlovid, which is about to get FDA emergency authorization and the topic of my last post here.
  7. Fix the data mess. The CDC is apparently unable to track hospitalizations and deaths by vaccine status, timing, age of the patient and their relevant co-existing medical conditions. Secretary Xavier Becerra of HHS hasn’t yet shown up for the pandemic but has authority to mandate such data collection across the country. We are trying to determine the clinical severity of Omicron but have no ability to track the data here!
 

RoboFu

One of the green rats
Meh. Last one ain't true.

Out of curiosity what were you vaccine with and booster with?
pfizer

And yeah it’s not going away. It’s already crossed into wildlife. Our cases where like a moderate with side effect of losing all taste and smell for a time.

but yeah it’s going to be lumped in under the flu umbrella whenever politicians think it’s no longer useful. That could be years though.
 
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Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
You can't vaccinate the 3% of children below 5 years.
Why not? You totally can do it once you figure out the optimal safe and effective dose. We do it for a bunch of other diseases, so we can do it for this one too.
It makes no sense to vaccinate the 5% children between 5 and 12 years.
Why not? It makes a lot of sense. We do it for a bunch of other diseases, so we can do it for this one too.
(also note that in the US, the minor population is way higher, so naturally they have a lower vaccination rate among total population)

So it makes no sense to aim for 95% vaccination among total population as any realistic goal. Of course government will, so it's impossible to reach and they can keep measures in place for longer and blame the low vaccination rate as the reason
You say it makes no sense, but you don't give a reason. There is a strong case to be made for vaccinating children under 12 with a safe and effective vaccine because it helps to cut down on transmission of the virus and reduces the overall amount of circulating virus in the wild.

And the last part of your post is exactly the issue.
100% vaccination rate, 100% vaccine efficacy, lasts a life time, virus does not mutate.

That's how you can easily eradicate a disease. But non of that is true for covid. And unlike the vaccination rate non of the other needed factors are even close.
You don't need to be an epidemiologist to know that.
You're obviously not one, since a lot of actual epidemiologists are recommending higher rates of vaccination to get us out of this pandemic.
 
Why not? You totally can do it once you figure out the optimal safe and effective dose. We do it for a bunch of other diseases, so we can do it for this one too.

Why not? It makes a lot of sense. We do it for a bunch of other diseases, so we can do it for this one too.

You say it makes no sense, but you don't give a reason. There is a strong case to be made for vaccinating children under 12 with a safe and effective vaccine because it helps to cut down on transmission of the virus and reduces the overall amount of circulating virus in the wild.


You're obviously not one, since a lot of actual epidemiologists are recommending higher rates of vaccination to get us out of this pandemic.

Yeah we do it for other disease that are high risk factors for the health and development of the child and where the vaccination stops infections and the spread of the virus.

Neither is the case for covid and the covid vaccines.
They're not effective and something being save isn't at all a good enough reason to do stuff to childen with no benefit.


There are no approved vaccines for infants and children below 4 years old. That's why you can't vaccinate them. Unless you want to enroll them in clinical trials as a parent. But guess what. Those are very limited in numbers and regionality.



But I'm not sure if you even serious here and not only trolling with your "safe and effective" rhetorical question.
 

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
Yeah we do it for other disease that are high risk factors for the health and development of the child and where the vaccination stops infections and the spread of the virus.

Neither is the case for covid and the covid vaccines.
Not true. COVID19, just like any other disease can carry complications and risks, even in children. Children have a smaller risk profile than adults, but that doesn't mean it's zero. Children are also a reservoir for the virus that can serve as a way to multiply and transmit the virus to others.

They're not effective and something being save isn't at all a good enough reason to do stuff to childen with no benefit.
Yes they are effective, and yes there is a benefit. Familiarize yourself with the latest research.

There are no approved vaccines for infants and children below 4 years old. That's why you can't vaccinate them. Unless you want to enroll them in clinical trials as a parent. But guess what. Those are very limited in numbers and regionality.
Not yet, but trials are underway, and I hope they are successfully completed sooner than later. Until then, other non-pharmaceutical interventions must be implemented, and it also means that it's even more important to get as many other people age 4+ to get vaccinated so that they can serve as a shield around the babies.

But I'm not sure if you even serious here and not only trolling with your "safe and effective" rhetorical question.
Of course I'm serious. If you think facts aren't true, that's an issue with you, not me.
 

Nobody_Important

“Aww, it’s so...average,” she said to him in a cold brick of passion

Wont get the vaccine, will drink chlorine dioxide.
Sounds like a problem that will fix itself.


Darwin was a prophet I guess.
 

VAVA Mk2

Member

Wont get the vaccine, will drink chlorine dioxide.
Good let them. Get their shitty low-IQ, paranoid genes out of the gene pool.
 

Malakhov

Banned
76% of the cases in the last week are fully vaccinated in QC.
3586 out of 5043 were fully vaccinated, 26% were not or didnt have two doses.

Food for thoughts
 
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Croatoan

They/Them A-10 Warthog
Is sinnergy a troll or the worlds biggest doomer? Its almost comical how negative Sinnergy is... worry for you mental health my person!
 

sinnergy

Member
Is sinnergy a troll or the worlds biggest doomer? Its almost comical how negative Sinnergy is... worry for you mental health my person!
I am just realistic , why would you keep your hope up? All data is not clear and I see stuff before other people , it’s my sixth sense, intuition. I am often right . I have a good life even with all the BS going on. Changed jobs in Covid times, Have my own side job, remodeled my house, i am a do-er, but We follow the rules, we do self tests , enjoying what is here , but following the rules tight , I like to help clear this virus , it needs humans to spread . Or animals .
 
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sinnergy

Member
UK, record cases for weeks now but no pre-xmas restrictions and none confirmed for post-xmas.

Omicron running wild, but deaths and hospitalisations remaining steady and within manageable levels so far for the health system.
It’s at the price the governments wants to take , if it’s in your family or in Boris Johnson ‘s he would make different decisions. In the end it’s not about numbers , numbers are easy abstract, it’s about humans , human life is not easily replaced.
 
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Rentahamster

Rodent Whores

Japan doesn't have to because the majority of Japanese citizens have a strong sense of social responsibility to their community and trust in their institutions. Social pressure is also very high to conform, so many are persuaded to follow the majority without being explicitly told to.

The biggest difference here is culture, not policy. You could enact every policy that Japan has, but it wouldn't have the same effect due to the individualist, belligerent aspects of American culture.
 

sinnergy

Member
Japan doesn't have to because the majority of Japanese citizens have a strong sense of social responsibility to their community and trust in their institutions. Social pressure is also very high to conform, so many are persuaded to follow the majority without being explicitly told to.

The biggest difference here is culture, not policy. You could enact every policy that Japan has, but it wouldn't have the same effect due to the individualist, belligerent aspects of American culture.
Not America alone .. western culture , it’s not doing us any favors when battling a virus .
 

betrayal

Banned
You don’t know , because of population and how close they live, age etc .. but whatever. Maybe it turns out okay 🤷‍♂️

We know a lot by now. Omicron is more infectious, but the disease is milder (thanks to immunisation through vaccination or a past infection).

Denmark published numbers. 0.6% of those affected by Omicron have to be admitted to hospital. With Delta it is 1.5%.


The only thing we don't know is why omicron waves seem to peak quite quickly. This was the case in South Africa and the figures in London also indicate that the peak has already been reached.

5tcD2lb.jpg






Something similar like Denmark/SA (high case numbers, low number of hospitalizations) etc. can be seen in the UK btw (December 2021):

zRjIqKv.jpg
WYXRTWH.jpg




There is now also more than one study on the fact that Omicron is significantly worse at replicating in human lungs.





And here again are the latest figures from the provinces of South Africa where the trend in ICU admissions and ventilations is illustrated and compared to previous waves.

nH961Rv.png
8TQBNjD.png



I am very sure that the pandemic will end in 2022. There will be a combined vaccine in 2022 that protects against flu and current coronaviruses. Novavax will be the leader (NanoFlu) and other manufacturers will follow.

Mark my words.
 
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