Covid 19 variants

[MUBurrow]

Chalk it up to a failed pick up line

Worked for this guy...

[lawdog77]

Stealth omicron variant. At least the names are getting cooler

https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/01/25/stealth-omicron-sub-variant-found-in-santa-clara-county/?utm_email=74367572843174AE64F084CEF8&g2i_eui=DXnb0FExXdjV0PYVr3%2fI0%2fzz4E3F40VX&g2i_source=newsletter&lctg=74367572843174AE64F084CEF8&active=no&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.mercurynews.com%2f2022%2f01%2f25%2fstealth-omicron-sub-variant-found-in-santa-clara-county%2f&utm_campaign=bang-mult-nl-morning-report-nl&utm_content=manual

[Billy Hoyle]

looks like Denver and surrounding counties have decided it's time to move on from Omicron and masks and POV are no longer required:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7Q3XKz45kU

“Our modeling makes it very clear that lifting the face covering order now is safe,” said Bob McDonald, the executive director of Denver’s Department of Public Health and Environment. “Cases are going to continue to decline and what that says is that Omicron has run out of fuel within our community.”

“So beginning Friday, people will no longer be required under the public health order to wear masks or show proof of vaccination for entry into a business in Denver.”

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

looks like Denver and surrounding counties have decided it's time to move on from Omicron and masks and POV are no longer required:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7Q3XKz45kU

“Our modeling makes it very clear that lifting the face covering order now is safe,” said Bob McDonald, the executive director of Denver’s Department of Public Health and Environment. “Cases are going to continue to decline and what that says is that Omicron has run out of fuel within our community.”

“So beginning Friday, people will no longer be required under the public health order to wear masks or show proof of vaccination for entry into a business in Denver.”

Yep.  Numbers of new cases are significantly dropping.  Hospitals are still pretty full but my guess is those numbers will be falling off shortly too.

[rocket surgeon]

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/prior-covid-infection-more-protective-than-vaccination-during-delta-surge-us-2022-01-19/

Hmm, I remember a few of you saying this couldnt be the case a couple months back.  Remind me who is spreading misinformation?

  yes he did say this but i don't have the energy to go foraging...there is more and more info coming out that was at first canceled and now ok cuz the ny times and wapo give it their blessings.  i.e. the lockdowns did no good(johns hopkins), the lab leak from CHINA and i'm sure more to come

[JWags85]

Yep.  Numbers of new cases are significantly dropping.  Hospitals are still pretty full but my guess is those numbers will be falling off shortly too.

The very cautious countries in Europe dropping restrictions are honestly the most optimistic bellwethers for me

[jesmu84]

The very cautious countries in Europe dropping restrictions are honestly the most optimistic bellwethers for me

Their numbers, both vaccinated as well as positive cases/deaths, are far better than most of our population.

But it is a good sign

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Europe has been a few weeks ahead of the US with Omicron, but we are following right behind as predicted.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

  yes he did say this but i don't have the energy to go foraging...there is more and more info coming out that was at first canceled and now ok cuz the ny times and wapo give it their blessings.  i.e. the lockdowns did no good(johns hopkins), the lab leak from CHINA and i'm sure more to come

Yes, and the FBI was behind the January 6th insurrection.

[Lighthouse 84]

Yes, and the FBI was behind the January 6th insurrection.

You'll never pass up an opportunity to make a purely political comment that has nothing to do with the topic, hey?  No need to reply. It was a rhetorical question.
 
In actual Covid news, in Illinois, numbers are declining rapidly, both new cases (63.5% decline since January 12) and hospitalizations (47.6% in the last 2 weeks).

[TSmith34, Inc.]

You'll never pass up an opportunity to make a purely political comment that has nothing to do with the topic, hey?  No need to reply. It was a rhetorical question.
 
In actual Covid news, in Illinois, numbers are declining rapidly, both new cases (63.5% decline since January 12) and hospitalizations (47.6% in the last 2 weeks).

No, more a comment on roqqet's many conspiracy theories, the proof for all of which is being suppressed by "them".

[Hards Alumni]

  yes he did say this but i don't have the energy to go foraging...there is more and more info coming out that was at first canceled and now ok cuz the ny times and wapo give it their blessings.  i.e. the lockdowns did no good(johns hopkins), the lab leak from CHINA and i'm sure more to come

You always say this.  "more and more info coming soon" and then poof, it never comes.

[Skatastrophy]

It's wild how much harder the US got hit with deaths than Europe did over these Omicron waves. I wonder if the tail end of Delta getting mixed in with the beginning of Omicron is what go us.

[JWags85]

It's wild how much harder the US got hit with deaths than Europe did over these Omicron waves. I wonder if the tail end of Delta getting mixed in with the beginning of Omicron is what go us.

I think thats exactly what it is.  Obvious vaccination trends aside,  I don't think Omicron was killing as ruthlessly as Delta did.  Europe front running us on the COVID trends would likely speak more to it.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Om may have not been as deadly, but with it being so much more contagious it hit a lot more targets. Reported positive cases hit new highs and I would argue they were actually significantly higher due to all the home tests that weren't included in the totals.

Even with the lower lethality, many more positives resulted in a lot of deaths.

[forgetful]

It's wild how much harder the US got hit with deaths than Europe did over these Omicron waves. I wonder if the tail end of Delta getting mixed in with the beginning of Omicron is what go us.

I'm not certain that we go hit that much harder than Europe did as a function of total population.

Might be true in the UK, where they were absolutely devastated by earlier waves, and they might have simply run out of vulnerable unvaccinated parts of the country.

[Skatastrophy]

I'm not certain that we go hit that much harder than Europe did as a function of total population.

Might be true in the UK, where they were absolutely devastated by earlier waves, and they might have simply run out of vulnerable unvaccinated parts of the country.

I was thinking of this writeup from the NYT yesterday comparing the US's very high death rate vs other wealthy countries - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/02/01/science/covid-deaths-united-states.html

[forgetful]

I was thinking of this writeup from the NYT yesterday comparing the US's very high death rate vs other wealthy countries - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/02/01/science/covid-deaths-united-states.html

Got it, and thanks for that link and figure. I agree with the other sentiment then, that this is an artifact of Delta hitting here later...and much harder in terms of deaths.

Our Delta death wave and Omicron death wave overlap, this was not the case in Europe. So the way they present the data in that article is a bit misleading in terms of the effects of Omicron.

I don't think we were hit that much harder deaths wise from Omicron. I think we were hit much harder by Delta, due to a combination of really bad policies in some states and lower vaccination rates.

[MU82]

According to this Vax Tracker, we have only the 59th highest full-vaccination rate in the world. Also, 51st in doses per 100 people and 41st in additional dose (booster) usage.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html

A huge percentage of the country has refused to be vaccinated for political reasons and/or due to the spread of misinformation/conspiracy theories.

As study after study after study has shown, if you aren't vaccinated, you have a significantly higher chance of dying from Covid.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

Please proceed, anti-vaxxers.

[jesmu84]

https://twitter.com/TaisonBell/status/1490026180250120202?t=88S0bhZaJWPO57yxvHhT0A&s=19

[pbiflyer]

Please proceed, anti-vaxxers.

They are proceeding ……. to die.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/02/why-are-so-many-americans-still-dying-of-covid.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[TSmith34, Inc.]

They are proceeding ……. to die.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/02/why-are-so-many-americans-still-dying-of-covid.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab

The plan is working to perfection

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

Some interesting numbers....

In looking at US v. UK Covid data, the UK hit its omicron peak right after the first of the year with a seven day average of 182,000 cases.  Which to normalize for population, is 1 out of 368 people.

The US hit its peak about two weeks later at 806,000, or 1 out of every 408 people.  Not really a significant difference.

However, the US peak has fallen farther and faster than in the UK.  As of yesterday, the seven day average in the US is 129,000 or 1/2553 people.  In the UK they're seven day average is 64,000 or 1/1050 people.

Could this be a lack of testing in the US means we are undercounting?  Or is it because the UK is more crowded and overall less healthy?

[TSmith34, Inc.]

I assume there are undercounts wherever there is availability of home tests. I know during the last peak there were 4 positives amongst my friends and family that were of course never officially counted. Mutiple this by a few million times over, I imagine.