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Omicron - COVID-19 Variant (B.1.1529) a "Variant of Concern" & BA.2 sub-variant, XE

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  • Emily
    replied
    Virologist, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Cell Proliferation Laboratory at the Institute of Molecular Biology named after V.A. Engelhardt, Pyotr Chumakov, in an interview with Ura.r... We are covering the agenda for you | Novye Izvestia


    Academician Pyotr Chumakov called the Omicron strain a live vaccine against coronavirus
    8 December, 11:37Society

    Virologist, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the Cell Proliferation Laboratory at the Institute of Molecular Biology named after V.A. Engelhardt, Pyotr Chumakov, in an interview with Ura.ru, called the new strain a "live vaccine".

    His words in an interview with radio Sputnik were explained by the leading specialist of the Vakcina.ru project, biophysicist Nelly Sosedova.

    She expressed the opinion that the virus mutates in a direction that allows it to coexist better with humans...

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  • Pathfinder
    replied
    Hat tip Tetano

    Laura Espenhain (https://www.eurosurveillance.org/search?value1=Laura+Espenhain&option1=author&noRedirect=true)1 https://www.eurosurveillance.org/images/jp/orcid.png (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0805-5199), Tjede Funk (https://www.eurosurveillance.org/search?value1=Tjede+Funk&option1=author&noRedirect=true)1,2


    Epidemiological characterisation of the first 785 SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant cases in Denmark, December 2021
    ...

    Characterisation of cases

    As per 9 December 2021, 785 cases of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron have been registered in Denmark. As there is a few days' lag from sampling to test result, the latest sampling date was 7 December. Daily case counts rose quickly (Figure 1), with daily increases of more than 40% from 4 December. In total, 143 (18%) have so far been confirmed by WGS. The age of cases ranged between 2 and 95 years (median: 32) and 433 (55%) were male (Table 2). Nine cases (1.2%) are or have been hospitalised, one case so far has received intensive care treatment and no cases have died. Cases were identified widespread across the country, but most were clustered in two main epicentres in the western part of Denmark and in the area of the Capital. A total of 599 (76%) cases were fully vaccinated and an additional 56 (7.1%) had received full vaccination plus a booster dose. Number and proportions of cases with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant (B.1.617.2 and sublineages) in the same period are also shown in Table 2 for reference.

    ...
    Conclusion

    We show a rapid increase and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Denmark, a European country with high testing capacity, high vaccination coverage and limited natural immunity through SARS-CoV-2 infection. The introduction and spread occurred despite an early and comprehensive public health response. Spread was catalysed by superspreading events and challenges further epidemic control. Information from the earlier travel-related cases, with no travel history to Africa, suggests that community transmission is more widespread than reported. The high proportion of fully vaccinated Omicron cases is a concern, the implications are still being described. It is too early to draw conclusions on the severity of Omicron compared to previous SARS-CoV-2 variants, analyses on this are ongoing.

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  • Pathfinder
    replied
    LATEST CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-19 IN SOUTH AFRICA (16 DECEMBER 2021)
    ...
    THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
    The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 30.9% which is lower than yesterday (32.2%). The 7-day average is 28.1% today, which is higher than yesterday (28.0%).



    For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.

    ...
    https://www.nicd.ac.za/latest-confir...december-2021/

    Leave a comment:


  • gsgs
    replied
    it seems to peak already in Gauteng


    and i.e. in Tshwane : http://magictour.free.fr/tsh49.GIF

    hospitalisations are still going up, they should peak next week


    currently 3086 are in hospital in Gauteng with COVID, up from 1990 7 days ago.
    The peak in wave 2 was at 8792

    Leave a comment:


  • Emily
    replied
    Back in July 2021, many scientists had the ill-founded view that the C-19 pandemic was dying out and entering an endemic state. Based on my understanding of the interplay between the virus and the immune system, I knew that this was not going to be the case and reacted immediately to this misinterpretation (

    To all those who believe Omicron is signaling the transition of the pandemic into endemicity
    Geert Vanden Bossche

    Back in July 2021, many scientists had the ill-founded view that the C-19 pandemic was dying out and entering an endemic state. Based on my understanding of the interplay between the virus and the immune system, I knew that this was not going to be the case and reacted immediately to this misinterpretation (https://www.voiceforscienceandsolida...is-toning-down). Once again, many scientists find themselves with the belief that the emergence of the Omicron variant announces the end of the pandemic and the virus’ transition into endemicity. Their prediction is largely based upon the initial observation that Omicron seems to be causing rather mild disease symptoms which they interpret as being indicative of a virus that—although more infectious—is now becoming less virulent and, therefore, increasingly featuring endemic behavior. I am afraid that once again, I don’t agree—a pandemic can only be tamed by herd immunity. Given the high vaccine coverage rates in most industrialized countries, we have generated anything but herd immunity. I also have yet to hear any compelling evidence concerning significant mutations in the genes that determine SARS-CoV-2’s virulence. Perhaps we should think twice before making statements that are not supported by immunological evidence.‍..

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  • Emily
    commented on 's reply
    Delta must have missed the UK, then.

  • Emily
    commented on 's reply
    UK?
    The number of people with Omicron in UK hospitals according to Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has been revised down from 250 to ten.

    Project Fear: Number of UK Omicron Hospitalised Revised from 250 to 10

  • Pathfinder
    replied
    Stay Calm, Don’t Panic, Says South African Doctor

    December 15, 2021 12:16 PM
    Jamie Dettmer
    ...
    The head of the South African Medical Association says there is a major difference between the delta and omicron variants of the coronavirus and warns politicians against hyping the threat from the new strain.
    ...
    Coetzee told Britain’s Sky News that delta was heart-breaking and that her patients who contracted it were “extremely, extremely sick” and when opening the door to them “you just knew they were in trouble,” she explained.

    But nearly a month into the omicron wave in South Africa, she says she has not seen similar grim scenes and that her omicron patients are suffering much milder symptoms. Apart from one, who had HIV and other comorbidities, none have died.
    ...

    The head of the South African Medical Association says there is a major difference between the delta and omicron variants of the coronavirus and warns European politicians against hyping the threat from the new strain

    Leave a comment:


  • blacknail
    commented on 's reply
    I don't see it as "by chance". People in their 20's are exactly the demographic that has less accountability than older demographics and less supervision than younger demographics.

  • Pathfinder
    replied
    Scientists see a ‘really, really tough winter’ with Omicron

    Another major pandemic wave seems inevitable. The big question is how much severe disease it will bring

    14 DEC 20214:05 PMBYKAI KUPFERSCHMIDT
    ...
    Even if Omicron causes milder disease, as some scientists hope, the astronomical case projections mean the outlook is grim, warns Emma Hodcroft, a virologist at the University of Bern. “A lot of scientists thought Delta was already going to make this a really, really tough winter,” she says. “I’m not sure the message has gotten across to the people who make decisions, how much tougher Omicron is going to make this.”

    ...Harvard University epidemiologist William Hanage says the question of severity is still impossible to answer. ...By chance, many of the early cases in South Africa happened to be in younger people, who are less likely to develop severe disease. And even if the variant turns out to be inherently milder, the volume of cases will likely overwhelm health systems. “A colleague put it really well in one of our little depressing Slack channels,” Hanage says: “There’s not much that can spread this fast and be benign to a society that’s already got full hospitals without it.”

    Scientists also worry Omicron—which represented a massive leap from known variants in genomic terms—may bring other, unpleasant evolutionary surprises. For instance, roughly one-tenth of Omicron genomes sequenced so far have an additional mutation in the spike protein called 346K that is predicted to make it even better at evading the immune system. “Omicron has most of the greatest hits for antibody escape already, so there aren’t a ton of additions that it could make, but 346K is one of them,” says Stephen Goldstein, a virologist at the University of Utah. “We have to keep an eye on it.”
    ...

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  • Pathfinder
    replied
    Omicron ‘probably the most significant threat’ since start of the pandemic, British health chief says

    PUBLISHED WED, DEC 15 20211:27 PM EST
    Matt Clinch

    LONDON — Jenny Harries, CEO of the U.K. Health Security Agency, has given a stark warning of the threat that the new heavily mutated Covid-19 omicron variant poses to the country.
    ...
    “I’m sure for example the numbers that we see on data over the next few days will be quite staggering compared to the rate of growth that we’ve seen in cases for previous variants,” she told a committee of British lawmakers on Wednesday.

    “The real potential risk here — and I would underline that because we are still learning a lot about the variant — is in relation to its severity, clinical severity, and therefore whether those cases turn into severe disease, hospitalizations and deaths. We’re still at too early stage for that. In fact, the world probably is still at too early stage to be clear,” she added.
    ...
    Harries also said Wednesday: “We don’t know what’s going to happen. But at the moment the indications are it could be as big or even bigger than the previous wave this time last year. So we’re preparing for that.”

    Leave a comment:


  • sharon sanders
    replied
    bump this

    Leave a comment:


  • gsgs
    commented on 's reply
    WHO becomes less and less competent.
    What is this based upon ? Are there any studies or is it just
    Tedros' personal opinion ?
    Who else says this ?

    Most competent seems to be UK, currently (?) UKHSA,nhs.uk,gov.uk,SAGE,NERVTAG,
    USA-CDC has lost some reputation recently too.
    Maybe rely on ECDC ? RKI ? Macron ? #Topol,Balloux,Ward,Ding,Malan,Chise,...

    So,vaccines, masks, distancing, ventilation, _and_ hand-hygiene

    But countries do work_from_home, lockdown, 2g , vaccine passports, travel restrictions,
    cancelling events, boosters.

  • Pathfinder
    replied
    World Health Organization (WHO)
    @WHO
    ·
    33m

    "77 countries have now reported cases of Omicron, and the reality is that Omicron is probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet. Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant"-
    @DrTedros
    #COVID19
    ...
    "We’re concerned that people are dismissing Omicron as mild.Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems"-
    @DrTedros
    ...
    "I need to be very clear: vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis.

    Countries can – and must – prevent the spread of Omicron with measures that work today"-
    @DrTedros
    #COVID19
    ...
    "It’s not vaccines instead of masks.

    It’s not vaccines instead of distancing.

    It’s not vaccines instead of ventilation or hand hygiene.

    Do it all.
    Do it consistently. Do it well"-
    @DrTedros
    #COVID19

    Leave a comment:


  • sharon sanders
    replied
    bump this

    Leave a comment:

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