Topic: COVID-19:VERIFIED news sources, 0 politishit, 0 CONSPIRACY SHITE

[TSC]

China invokes lockdown in Xi’an ahead of the Winter Olympics.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-59743487

[jillcwhomever]

cheers Jill, I guess it's pot luck which ones you get then as the ones I have received from there are the nose and throat ones

I might have the same ones as yours then this time. The other ones I collected from work, maybe it's just essential workers who get the other ones.

[west_london_red]

Quick question

My mum has had a pcr come back positive this morning and my dad has done two lateral flows both positive too

I was with them both last night for a short while but I had covid the end of November what’s the deal with re-infection? Aren’t I immune for 3 months?

No, you can catch Omicron after you have had Delta although it tends to be less severe. You probably had Delta in November but there’s a good chance your parents have Omicron.

[redbyrdz]

Does the UK have a policy on incoming travellers who have been vaccinated with three different vaccine types? A friend of mine may need to go back to UK, but 1st dose was AZ, 2nd was Pfizer and booster was Moderna.

No, afaik the vaccines need to be approved in the UK, the combination is not important.

[rob1966]

I might have the same ones as yours then this time. The other ones I collected from work, maybe it's just essential workers who get the other ones.

My lad got given the nasal ones by his school, he's only just around his 90 days since he had covid, so I nicked them for me to use

[jillcwhomever]

My lad got given the nasal ones by his school, he's only just around his 90 days since he had covid, so I nicked them for me to use

That doesn't surprise me. 

[redbyrdz]

Not sure which report you're talking about, I haven't quoted from anything...?

It was a response to a post questioning why we wouldn't need annual vaccinations, and I suggested we would.

The Pfizer boss seems to agree with me:

Pfizer boss: Annual Covid jabs for years to come

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59488848?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

Think it might depend on the outcome of the "treat covid at home" pill. If it works, we have a good way of treating the majority of those who get medium-severity covid.

I'm going out o  a limb here, but I could see that there will only be a 4th booster for the extremely vulnerable (eg immunocompromised). For the rest of us, with Omicron being dominant, covid will become indestinguishable from a cold ("half of colds are covid"), and we we'll start treating it as such.

Think someome from the government recently also said they'd now stock up on antiviral meds - that is to treat the ones who get seriously ill. (As opposed to buying more vaccines).

[Linudden]

With the way omicron is going and the likely evolution of mutations from there it might be at a point where hardly even the immunocompromised will need a vaccine in a year or two. Flu seems to be a lot more resistant because it's a more stable virus than corona viruses are so the endgame is always going to be that the virus deflates itself and becomes another common cold. Already it seems like losing taste and smell is very rare with omicron for example.

It's still serious enough that millions of people will get it this winter and therefore hundreds of thousands in Europe alone will sadly lose their lives at least so long as Delta exists, but once resistance to omicron builds up the virus won't have many places to go. Delta will most likely be virtually extinct in spring because it can't keep up with the transmissibility of omicron in relative terms.

Either way, once the vaccines are adapted to omicron it's probably game over for covid as a deadly disease in general.

[[new username under construction]]

I'm going out o  a limb here, but I could see that there will only be a 4th booster for the extremely vulnerable (eg immunocompromised). For the rest of us, with Omicron being dominant, covid will become indestinguishable from a cold ("half of colds are covid"), and we we'll start treating it as such

I wonder if we'll all get a fourth but kind of a broad spectrum tweaked one like the US army apparently has developed? I would imagine at least over 50's getting a fourth of something or other

[rafathegaffa83]

No, afaik the vaccines need to be approved in the UK, the combination is not important.

Great. Thanks

[Linudden]

I wonder if we'll all get a fourth but kind of a broad spectrum tweaked one like the US army apparently has developed? I would imagine at least over 50's getting a fourth of something or other

I think everyone will be offered a fourth omicron-specific vaccine but at that point I don't see it being widely taken by people below the age of 40 due to the perceived lack of harm from a natural infection once Delta is extincted. It will be reduced to the annual flu shot to the point where the virus eventually becomes harmless enough that it becomes a 'nursing home jab'.

[filopastry]

I would think we wouldn't have needed a 4th dose this quickly but Omicron's immune evasion has caused problems for current vaccines.

If it evades most antibodies produced by current vaccines we need a lot more of them to help reduce symptomatic infection, it looks like protection against severe disease holds up better though even with existing vaccines.

[TepidT2O]

 Not sure what the future of vaccines is…

Do you bring in an omicron specific one? If you do, what happens if a new variant comes out of a similar lineage to delta? That vaccine might not be very good against it (omicron’s vaccine escape might mean a specific vaccine isn’t very effective against it).


So they’re are some tricky decisions to make.

I’m assuming our booster shots are still original vaccines recipes against the wild type virus, does anyone know different?

[[new username under construction]]

Not sure what the future of vaccines is…

Do you bring in an omicron specific one? If you do, what happens if a new variant comes out of a similar lineage to delta? That vaccine might not be very good against it (omicron’s vaccine escape might mean a specific vaccine isn’t very effective against it).


So they’re are some tricky decisions to make.

I’m assuming our booster shots are still original vaccines recipes against the wild type virus, does anyone know different?

There is only so much it can mutate as far as I am aware, I don't think they bothered with a tweak because they thought boosters would be fine (which they are) and have a crap ton of them. Just immunity to infection is dropping a bit faster than thought

[Linudden]

Not sure what the future of vaccines is…

Do you bring in an omicron specific one? If you do, what happens if a new variant comes out of a similar lineage to delta? That vaccine might not be very good against it (omicron’s vaccine escape might mean a specific vaccine isn’t very effective against it).

Isn't the geneology of omicron an evolution of delta? All cases in South Africa were of that type before omicron emerged after all. The window for the delta variant to develop something different is closing very quickly though as it gets piledrived by the omicron wave. Potentially a mutation that goes differently from delta could be more harmful than omicron but:

a) it's unlikely it's transmissible enough to outcompete it.
b) to be able to outcompete omicron while maintaining the lethality of delta is extremely unlikely.

Even so, delta is already much less harmful per capita of cases than the first variant although it can do larger damage due to it being highly transmissible. It's still quite evident that the mortality rate of covid infections are lower than it used to be. Especially considering how the unvaccinated at the ICU fare a lot better than people during the first wave on average. At least in Sweden.

[TepidT2O]

Isn't the geneology of omicron an evolution of delta? All cases in South Africa were of that type before omicron emerged after all. The window for the delta variant to develop something different is closing very quickly though as it gets piledrived by the omicron wave. Potentially a mutation that goes differently from delta could be more harmful than omicron but:

a) it's unlikely it's transmissible enough to outcompete it.
b) to be able to outcompete omicron while maintaining the lethality of delta is extremely unlikely.

Even so, delta is already much less harmful per capita of cases than the first variant although it can do larger damage due to it being highly transmissible. It's still quite evident that the mortality rate of covid infections are lower than it used to be. Especially considering how the unvaccinated at the ICU fare a lot better than people during the first wave on average. At least in Sweden.

Omicron was first identified there, that doesn’t mean it necessarily originated there. Also, it was Beta that was identified in SA previously

I’d like to see your data for those claims on delta.   As far as I was aware, it had more vaccine and immune escape that wild type and was more transmissible

[west_london_red]

Not sure what the future of vaccines is…

Do you bring in an omicron specific one? If you do, what happens if a new variant comes out of a similar lineage to delta? That vaccine might not be very good against it (omicron’s vaccine escape might mean a specific vaccine isn’t very effective against it).


So they’re are some tricky decisions to make.

I’m assuming our booster shots are still original vaccines recipes against the wild type virus, does anyone know different?

I said the same thing yesterday.

Unless all other variants are extinct you always run the risk of a new lineage appearing, but I guess one of the advantages of Omicron being so infectious is that it should out-compete the others, and if it is 90%+ of global cases say it’s probably a fair bet the next variant after Omicrom comes from Omicron?

Yes, all vaccines currently in mass production are based on the wild/Wuhan variant.

[TepidT2O]

I said the same thing yesterday.

Unless all other variants are extinct you always run the risk of a new lineage appearing, but I guess one of the advantages of Omicron being so infectious is that it should out-compete the others, and if it is 90%+ of global cases say it’s probably a fair bet the next variant after Omicrom comes from Omicron?

Yes, all vaccines currently in mass production are based on the wild/Wuhan variant.

Is omicron out competing delta though? We seem to have both in circulation independently right now

[djahern]

Isn't the geneology of omicron an evolution of delta? All cases in South Africa were of that type before omicron emerged after all. The window for the delta variant to develop something different is closing very quickly though as it gets piledrived by the omicron wave. Potentially a mutation that goes differently from delta could be more harmful than omicron but:

a) it's unlikely it's transmissible enough to outcompete it.
b) to be able to outcompete omicron while maintaining the lethality of delta is extremely unlikely.

Even so, delta is already much less harmful per capita of cases than the first variant although it can do larger damage due to it being highly transmissible. It's still quite evident that the mortality rate of covid infections are lower than it used to be. Especially considering how the unvaccinated at the ICU fare a lot better than people during the first wave on average. At least in Sweden.

Omicron isn’t a branch of delta. It branched off from alpha way before omicron was on the scene. It’s genealogy is more similar to alpha/beta than delta.

[west_london_red]

Is omicron out competing delta though? We seem to have both in circulation independently right now

Delta as a proportion of cases is falling compared to Omicron, but Delta is definitely still about.

[TepidT2O]

Delta as a proportion of cases is falling compared to Omicron, but Delta is definitely still about.

I thought it had stabilised (might have imagined that mind you)

[west_london_red]

I thought it had stabilised (might have imagined that mind you)

Trying to find a link but I read and hear so much on Covid I can’t even remember if I heard it or read it!

[classycarra]

Isn't the geneology of omicron an evolution of delta? All cases in South Africa were of that type before omicron emerged after all. The window for the delta variant to develop something different is closing very quickly though as it gets piledrived by the omicron wave. Potentially a mutation that goes differently from delta could be more harmful than omicron but:

a) it's unlikely it's transmissible enough to outcompete it.
b) to be able to outcompete omicron while maintaining the lethality of delta is extremely unlikely.

Even so, delta is already much less harmful per capita of cases than the first variant although it can do larger damage due to it being highly transmissible. It's still quite evident that the mortality rate of covid infections are lower than it used to be. Especially considering how the unvaccinated at the ICU fare a lot better than people during the first wave on average. At least in Sweden.

So many things incorrect in here, stated with absolute confidence and certainty. Didn't need to look left to see who wrote it.

Your stamina to maintain your hubris, after so many predictions and assertions (about so many topics) get shown up by people on here, is really quite something.

[WorldChampions]

Well one of my parents tested positive earlier, somehow they managed to avoid it up until now even though they've been on the front line seeing COVID positive patients etc from day one. Luckily they have had all three jabs but Merry Christmas! 😮‍💨

[didi shamone]

Delta as a proportion of cases is falling compared to Omicron, but Delta is definitely still about.

Boosters must be helping Omicron dominate as they're massively effective at slowing delta transmission and not so much Omicron.

Irish cases have taken a massive upswing now at a time when hospitalizations and Icu numbers have been dropping for about 6 weeks. Omicron is said to make up 82% of cases. Gonna be interesting to see at what point it leads to an uptick in serious illness. Hopefully not at all.  There's massive booster uptake among those who really need it with the bulk of cases among young people.

[Linudden]

So many things incorrect in here, stated with absolute confidence and certainty. Didn't need to look left to see who wrote it.

Your stamina to maintain your hubris, after so many predictions and assertions (about so many topics) get shown up by people on here, is really quite something.

While I disagree with everything you said, still merry Christmas classy

[RainbowFlick]

Not sure what the future of vaccines is…

Do you bring in an omicron specific one? If you do, what happens if a new variant comes out of a similar lineage to delta? That vaccine might not be very good against it (omicron’s vaccine escape might mean a specific vaccine isn’t very effective against it).

interested to see what is done going forward. i'm assuming it's possible for a future booster to 'cover' a multitude of strains, e.g. maybe delta and omicron and the 'original' wuhan strain? i get that with the flu vaccine they essentially predict the most likely strain so maybe that'll be where we end up?

[filopastry]

122,186 cases, I don't believe we are reporting numbers for the next 2 days now, these are probably the last "clean" numbers until early Jan

[Lee1-6Liv]

Noticed the patients being admitted to hospital has gone up a bit in the past few days, over a thousand two days in a row.

[classycarra]

While I disagree with everything you said, still merry Christmas classy

You too!

[Linudden]

You too!

Cheers and keep up your good work in the NHS

[SP]

122,186 cases, I don't believe we are reporting numbers for the next 2 days now, these are probably the last "clean" numbers until early Jan

The numbers for the next 2 days are being collated, but they will be released with the figures for the 27th on the 27th.

The cases by specimen date seem to show the testing is getting laggy. https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/cases?areaType=overview&areaName=United%20Kingdom

[classycarra]

Cheers and keep up your good work in the NHS

Thanks that's very generous, although I'm an epi not a health worker

Good luck with your studies and learning development (your academic area, and otherwise)

[TSC]

Noticed the patients being admitted to hospital has gone up a bit in the past few days, over a thousand two days in a row.

As per total numbers posted above by filopastry, although Omicron is spreading Delta still accounts for the majority of cases.  Hospitalisations and fatalities follow after the time lag.

[filopastry]

The numbers for the next 2 days are being collated, but they will be released with the figures for the 27th on the 27th.

The cases by specimen date seem to show the testing is getting laggy. https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/cases?areaType=overview&areaName=United%20Kingdom

I will be getting first hand testing of this myself, as I had to do a walk-in PCR myself yesterday morning at 0830 (my previous one had one of those annoying inconclusive results) so will see when I get my results through

[UntouchableLuis]

Vaccines continue to do a very good job. Shame everyone didn't get their jabs or we'd be seeing less than 50 deaths almost certainly.

[djahern]

Boosters must be helping Omicron dominate as they're massively effective at slowing delta transmission and not so much Omicron.

Irish cases have taken a massive upswing now at a time when hospitalizations and Icu numbers have been dropping for about 6 weeks. Omicron is said to make up 82% of cases. Gonna be interesting to see at what point it leads to an uptick in serious illness. Hopefully not at all.  There's massive booster uptake among those who really need it with the bulk of cases among young people.

Ireland reached the limit of their testing capacity a few days ago. They’re no longer identifying the majority of infections.

Think it will be a rough couple of weeks in Ireland and their hospitals, but hopefully it should pass quickly.

[TepidT2O]

Ireland reached the limit of their testing capacity a few days ago. They’re no longer identifying the majority of infections.

Think it will be a rough couple of weeks in Ireland and their hospitals, but hopefully it should pass quickly.

How do we know what their limit of testing is?  What is it in the U.K.?

[SP]

How do we know what their limit of testing is?  What is it in the U.K.?

From recent history about 1.5m tests per day.

[west_london_red]

Vaccines continue to do a very good job. Shame everyone didn't get their jabs or we'd be seeing less than 50 deaths almost certainly.

Your right, but considering initial estimates before the vaccines were available were suggesting 60-70% would get vaccinated we’re also not doing too bad either.