Nine Omicron BA.2 sub-variant cases in Thailand to date, first case found on January 2

[Capella]

2 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

Right.  That's why the entire world is shut down.  Airlines canceling flights, food deliveries can't be made, etc.  Hardly mild.  And nothing to do with the media.

Lots of places are opening up, actually, and accepting that Omicron is unstoppable, mild and something we have to live with.

 

Some people want covid to go on forever, for their own reasons.

[Jeffr2]

29 minutes ago, Capella said:

Lots of places are opening up, actually, and accepting that Omicron is both unstoppable, mild and something we have to live with.

 

Some people want covid to go on forever, for their own reasons.

True!  Thanks to the majority who've been vaccinated.  It sure is possible.  But even then, many are out sick causing massive disruptions in the supply chains.

 

I have never heard of anyone who wants covid to go on forever. Bizarre statement.

[Bkk Brian]

Thankfully most countries are not seeing this level of deaths due to Omicron:

 

US Covid deaths are now averaging 2,400 per day. 3,000 more lost souls were reported today. The death toll is still rising sharply during the Omicron wave Nearly all these fatalities were preventable @KBAndersen's piece @TheAtlantic provides key insights https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/human-sacrifice-ritual-mass-vaccination/621355/

 

[Jeffr2]

Yeah, as most of us know, hospitalizations lag the initial outbreak, and deaths lag that.  3,000 is a lot of people without loved ones.  Incredible emotional devastation.

[Capella]

20 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

True!  Thanks to the majority who've been vaccinated.  It sure is possible.  But even then, many are out sick causing massive disruptions in the supply chains.

 

I have never heard of anyone who wants covid to go on forever. Bizarre statement.

Right, supply chain disruption is a problem everywhere. Omicron is over quite quickly though - its incubation period and the illness itself are much shorter than prior variants, just three days each in my case. Things will improve very soon.

 

I know it sounds counterintuitive that people would want to perpetuate covid, but some do. It's an easy story for journalists to write about, and a certain type of politician enjoys the power of controlling people's lives. Easy to understand, I think. 

 

Anyway, the narrative seems to be changing from one of fear to one of getting on with life, which is encouraging after two very difficult years. 

[micmichd]

3 hours ago, Yme said:

The answer is fairly meaningless to most people. The significance of the spike deletion at the 69-70 position means that it is harder to identify BA.2 versus Delta, Kapa or other variants without doing whole genome sequencing. BA.1 exhibits S gene target failure (SGTF) making it easy to identify from other variants without having to do whole genome sequencing. Interestingly (worryingly), if it sweeps again BA.2 will be a five-in-a-row run of the virus switching SGTF on and off in successive sweeps. 

The main changes to BA.2. that *could* make it more transmissible or *could* cause it to have greater antibody avoiding properties are located elsewhere. The answer to both of these questions is as yet unknown.

However, in Germany BA.2 is growing at up to 20 per cent faster than new BA.1 cases and globally BA.2 is rapidly becoming the dominant strain. This will add more work for pathology labs in having to sequence each infection to identify the strain/ variant. 

In Denmark BA.2. represents some 65 per cent of all new cases. 
 

The latest modelling shows that BA.2. is spreading between 90 and 120 per cent faster than BA.1. Additionally virus researcher & chief physician of Denmark ’s CDC @SSI_dk says you can get reinfected with BA.2 sub-variant after being infected with Omicron BA.1.

 

I wouldn't compare cold Germany with warm Thailand. 

[Capella]

12 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

Yeah, as most of us know, hospitalizations lag the initial outbreak, and deaths lag that.  3,000 is a lot of people without loved ones.  Incredible emotional devastation.

Take sensible precautions like getting vaccinated and practicing good hygiene, but try not to worry too much even if you do catch it.

 

Where I am, a quarter of the population has had it in the past few weeks, but hospitalisations are very rare indeed, and are quite manageable. All the people I know who have had it, including me, needed nothing more than paracetamol and throat lozenges. Omicron is mild, and thanks to its extreme transmissibiliy it's displaced the nastier variants that preceded it.

[Jeffr2]

9 minutes ago, Capella said:

Right, supply chain disruption is a problem everywhere. Omicron is over quite quickly though - its incubation period and the illness itself are much shorter than prior variants, just three days each in my case. Things will improve very soon.

 

I know it sounds counterintuitive that people would want to perpetuate covid, but some do. It's an easy story for journalists to write about, and a certain type of politician enjoys the power of controlling people's lives. Easy to understand, I think. 

 

Anyway, the narrative seems to be changing from one of fear to one of getting on with life, which is encouraging after two very difficult years. 

I've never seen an article saying anyone wanted the pandemic to extend.  Never.  You'll have to put one up here to prove this.

 

Some 10MM++ dead so far.  Yeah, that's something to fear.

[Bkk Brian]

3 minutes ago, Capella said:

Where I am, a quarter of the population has had it in the past few weeks, but hospitalisations are very rare indeed, and are quite manageable. All the people I know who have had it, including me, needed nothing more than paracetamol and throat lozenges. It's mild.

Where are you that a full blown Omicron wave is happening but hospitalizations are rare?

 

If you said ICU and deaths are not going up significantly that I can believe but wherever I've looked in the stats all actual hospitalizations have gone up even to levels over the delta wave due to the sheer number of people being infected.

[Capella]

1 minute ago, Jeffr2 said:

I've never seen an article saying anyone wanted the pandemic to extend.  Never.  You'll have to put one up here to prove this.

 

Some 10MM++ dead so far.  Yeah, that's something to fear.

Try not to worry about Omicron, and enjoy your life. You've got very little chance of falling seriously ill with it.

[Jeffr2]

9 minutes ago, Capella said:

Take sensible precautions like getting vaccinated and practicing good hygiene, but try not to worry too much even if you do catch it.

 

Where I am, a quarter of the population has had it in the past few weeks, but hospitalisations are very rare indeed, and are quite manageable. All the people I know who have had it, including me, needed nothing more than paracetamol and throat lozenges. It's mild.

My approach exactly.  I'm boosted, so not worried much.  Don't go to bars and now mask up in crowded spaces with N95 masks.  Gotta keep on living!  I've done all I can.

[Capella]

2 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Where are you that a full blown Omicron wave is happening but hospitalizations are rare?

 

If you said ICU and deaths are not going up significantly that I can believe but wherever I've looked in the stats all actual hospitalizations have gone up even to levels over the delta wave due to the sheer number of people being infected.

In NSW, Australia. Hospitalisations have certainly gone up, but the system is not being overwhelmed and we're in the worst of it. There were 100,000+ cases per day for a while statewide, 195,000 active cases now. ICU cases are 175 (capacity 1,000), 25 ventilated. Now, we're past the worst of it, with infection rates falling. 

[Capella]

8 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

My approach exactly.  I'm boosted, so not worried much.  Don't go to bars and now mask up in crowded spaces with N95 masks.  Gotta keep on living!  I've done all I can.

I was booked in for the booster but had the disease instead, so giving my body a bit of time to recover. The CDC recently announced that a double vaccine plus having the disease gives a very good immune response. 

[Saanim]

37 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

I have never heard of anyone who wants covid to go on forever.

I assume you are listening also to people in the industry that makes good profit out of it.  (ever heard of a well running business that wants their market be finished?) 

[flyfrog]

Who cares, stop announcing more panic, nobody dies so leave it and live your life

[Bkk Brian]

4 minutes ago, Capella said:

In NSW, Australia. Hospitalisations have certainly gone up, but the system is not being overwhelmed and we're in the worst of it. There were 100,000+ cases per day for a while statewide, 195,000 active cases now. ICU cases are 175 (capacity 1,000), 25 ventilated. Now, we're past the worst of it, with infection rates falling. 

Right that's why I responded because you said "hospitalisations are very rare indeed" and in actual fact that is not the case as they've only just had a drop in numbers.

[Capella]

9 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Right that's why I responded because you said "hospitalisations are very rare indeed" and in actual fact that is not the case as they've only just had a drop in numbers.

Compared to the number of people catching it, hospitalisations are indeed rare. ICU cases are extremely rare 175 out of 195,000 cases. Of course, your chance of ending up there depends on your general health and age. I'm late fifties, asthmatic but physically fit.

[Bkk Brian]

3 minutes ago, Capella said:

Compared to the number of people catching it, hospitalisations are indeed rare. ICU cases are extremely rare 150 out of 125,000 cases.. Of course, your chance of ending up there depends on your general health and age. I'm late fifties, asthmatic but physically fit.

Relative to infections they are less than delta however as I stated when you have the sheer numbers getting infected then hospitals admissions rise quickly with those needing a little more than paracetamol and a throat lozenges. The burden on ICU however seems to remain low which is good news.

[Capella]

2 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Relative to infections they are less than delta however as I stated when you have the sheer numbers getting infected then hospitals admissions rise quickly with those needing a little more than paracetamol and a throat lozenges. The burden on ICU however seems to remain low which is good news.

Right. Out of those 195,000 active cases, there are 2,174 hospitalisations. Total hospital bed capacity in public hospitals only is 21,000.

[Bkk Brian]

5 minutes ago, Capella said:

Right. Out of those 195,000 active cases, there are 2,174 hospitalisations. Total hospital bed capacity in public hospitals only is 21,000.

Yes its gotten better since early Jan

 

Covid patients occupy one in three ICU beds in NSW as nurse shortages soar

One-fifth of nurses absent in high dependency unit of major hospital due to Covid as 4,941 healthcare workers in isolation across NSW

 

Almost all 12,500 hospital beds in NSW could be full during Omicron peak in worst-case scenario

[DavisH]

4 hours ago, sirineou said:

When I read the OP I thought of the same thing. 'What!! no spice deletion at the 60-70 position? we are scr*wed now" . 

It just means it doens't have the s-gene dropout like the original omicron. Either way, it's just a variant of interest at the moment. I suspect as time goes on the virus will weaken but become more transmissible. That's how they evolve. 

[Capella]

8 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Yes its gotten better since early Jan

 

Covid patients occupy one in three ICU beds in NSW as nurse shortages soar

One-fifth of nurses absent in high dependency unit of major hospital due to Covid as 4,941 healthcare workers in isolation across NSW

 

Almost all 12,500 hospital beds in NSW could be full during Omicron peak in worst-case scenario

Right, there were various prophesies of doom. They got around the shortage of nurses by exempting them from self isolation as close contacts. Isolation periods for everyone, even those who had the disease, were also halved to 7 days. 

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/business/nsw-rules/exemption-guidance

[Bkk Brian]

1 minute ago, Capella said:

Right, there were various prophesies of doom. They got around the shortage of nurses by exempting them from self isolation as close contacts. Isolation periods for everyone, even those wh had the disease, were also halved to 7 days. 

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/business/nsw-rules/exemption-guidance

Prophesies of doom or planning for worst case scenarios, there's two way to look at that. I prefer to have good planning in place. Unfortunately in other countries those Prophesies are worse than thought, such as the US.

[Capella]

1 minute ago, Bkk Brian said:

Prophesies of doom or planning for worst case scenarios, there's two way to look at that. I prefer to have good planning in place. Unfortunately in other countries those Prophesies are worse than thought, such as the US.

There's a dividing line between sensible planning with a margin of error, and outright panic, I do agree.

[Bkk Brian]

Just now, Capella said:

There's a dividing line between sensible planning with a margin of error, and outright panic, I do agree.

Who panicked? 

[Capella]

3 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Who panicked? 

Let's not go there ????. Enjoy your day and take care of yourself. 

[Bkk Brian]

1 minute ago, Capella said:

Let's not go there ????. Enjoy your day and take care of yourself. 

Yes agree, its easy to insinuate that there was panic not so easy to back it up.

[Capella]

Just now, Bkk Brian said:

Yes agree, its easy to insinuate that there was panic not so easy to back it up.

I really don't have time to debate it with you, and it's a bit off topic anyway, sorry. 

[Bkk Brian]

2 minutes ago, Capella said:

I really don't have time to debate it with you, and it's a bit off topic anyway, sorry. 

Ok no problem you were the one that brought it up

[GroveHillWanderer]

6 hours ago, Millcx said:

5555555 The world states con-Icrom is worst spreading variant but not overly harmful … And Thailand has 9 cases … Normal Breakfast spluttering joke … Corflakes everywhere 555555

I think you're a little confused. This story isn't about 9 cases of the Omicron variant, it's about how, by using whole genome analysis, they have been able to detect 9 cases of a new sub-variant of Omicron called BA.2.

 

As stated in the ThailandTV article below, "From Jan 11 to 17, Omicron was found in [...] 80% of local cases"

 

https://thailandtv.news/thailand-declares-omicron-only-by-months-end-emphasis-on-necessity-of-third-dose-while-a-third-of-cambodians-have-received-it/

 

So there are literally thousands of Omicron cases every single day, in Thailand.