New Covid variant *title edited by MNHQ at OP's request*

[Wingingthis]

Can anyone talk some sense about how dangerous this is or is it just the media over exaggerating?

@EileenGC: I searched for the name of the patient, it brings up details of a Hong Kong based microbiologist/government advisor

www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/section/4/177429/Covid-19-will-become-as-common-as-flu:-Yuen-Kwok-yung

And no English language source names him: given how much scaremongering goes round, I am (I believe rightly) wary of unsubstantiated news stories

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/11/26/new-covid-variant-less-worrying-delta-says-prof-chris-whitty/

The delta variant is of greater concern to the UK than the new Covid mutation, England's chief medical officer has said amid rising international fears about the omicron strain.

Prof Chris Whitty said ministers were right to take "precautionary" border measures to slow the arrival of the new variant into Britain.

Prof Whitty said he was more concerned about the risks posed by existing variants, describing the delta epidemic as "undoubtedly the principal thing we need to concern ourselves with between now and Christmas".

He told a Local Government Association panel discussion: "We've always known that new variants would crop up from time to time … but there's an awful lot we don't know and I think it's probably not terribly helpful to speculate."

Absolutely @doubledoors

@DespairingHomeowner

I searched for the news story in mandarin and I found it on the HK Yahoo news: it also states that patient infected with the new variant was of Indian nationality.
www.google.com/amp/s/hk.news.yahoo.com/amphtml/%25E8%2587%25AA%25E7%25A7%2581%25E5%258F%25A3%25E7%25BD%25A9-%25E5%25AF%258C%25E8%25B1%25AA%25E6%25A9%259F%25E5%25A0%25B4%25E9%2585%2592%25E5%25BA%2597%25E6%2596%25B0%25E5%2586%25A0%25E7%2597%2585%25E6%25AF%2592%25E5%2582%25B3%25E6%2592%25AD-%25E7%259A%2586%25E5%259B%25A0%25E6%25B0%25A3%25E9%2596%25A5%25E5%258F%25A3%25E7%25BD%25A9-043348183.html

香港大學微生物學系講座教授袁國勇日前到場視察，他相信其中一間房間的印度籍男子為源頭病人，傳播原因是當他打開酒店房門時，他有一半時間並無戴上口罩，即使有戴口罩，他戴的是氣閥口罩。

他解釋，這款口罩可稱為「自私口罩」。口罩上附有「呼氣閥」，其實為單向排氣口，佩戴者雖然可更方便呼吸，而吸入時空氣有過濾，但呼出空氣時卻不會被過濾，變相不能阻止病毒噴出。港大感染及傳染病中心總監何栢良今早（23日）出席商台訪問時則表示，建議政府修例禁止檢疫人士使用氣閥口罩，更進一步的話，則擴展至所有要規限使用「安心出行」地方都不容許佩戴氣閥口罩。

消息來源：綜合本地傳

I dont think they are alluding to anything and I think that is the point they just dont know. And that is what I think all the freaking out is about - the fact simply dont know.

Friends came back from South Africa though after half term and the mask wearing there is strict - even outside, they wear them on beaches and they even wore them zip lining.

Since Pfizer and Merck antivirals were mentioned, I believe the first is up and running already, but isn't Merck still going through the testing process?

@onlychildhamster: thanks for this info

@Quartz2208

I dont think they are alluding to anything and I think that is the point they just dont know. And that is what I think all the freaking out is about - the fact simply dont know.

Friends came back from South Africa though after half term and the mask wearing there is strict - even outside, they wear them on beaches and they even wore them zip lining.

Surely they must know enough about it’s potential to force them into action when only a few days ago it was ‘we’re still firmly in Plan A’ despite 40k daily cases.

It does not sound good.

www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/26/vaccine-resistant-what-scientists-know-new-covid-variant

Although on the plus side, deaths in Botswana seem very low? Could just be that deaths are a fortnight behind cases though.

Quite informative technical thread here:

twitter.com/trvrb/status/1464353224417325066

The new Variant has a name - Omicron!

@manolantern that is helpful, thank you.

Moderna will have new omicron vaccine ready for testing in 60 to 90 days.

All the headline articles about how long it’ll take to create a tweaked vaccine doesn’t fill me with confidence about this new variant turning out to be nothing … 😫

www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/how-scientists-detect-new-covid-19-variants/?fbclid=IwAR2kKVQVSsHaILhFl8xdUb5XdV5wXlLgQTwidwFqiZs6ZBKY0Brm5ySfE_8

Was this variant around in July?

Yes which is why they have shut the borders.

I suspect though @Thewiseoneincognito that given that as I said South Africa mask policy is currently incredibly strict (as I said in public places including outside) it’s effectiveness in bringing it in may not be that high and going further when there isn’t any need at the more would cause more harm
Looking at it the risk of re infection is much higher and like Beta and Manuas in Brazil it escapes natural immunity. Currently though they have no idea as to whether it would out perform Delta (very little Delta around) or what vaccines (especially 3) plus high natural immunity would do.
So a closing of the borders and collecting data approach whilst tweaking vaccines makes sense. Potentially all plan c would do is lower Delta which may not be what we want

Because the other factor is that the infections appear mild, the Hong Kong and Botswana travel cases are asymptomatic and so far the heart of Joburg there are few hospitalisations even in the unvaccinated

Closing the borders now was the right decision. Starting work to gain data is the right decision for me. Allowing the public to make their own decisions again is right but not jumping into anything else for the next 2-3 weeks is also for me right

@Howunusualisthis

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/how-scientists-detect-new-covid-19-variants/?fbclid=IwAR2kKVQVSsHaILhFl8xdUb5XdV5wXlLgQTwidwFqiZs6ZBKY0Brm5ySfE_8

Was this variant around in July?

No, that's been debunked on another thread. The article was written in July (minus the bit about the new variant) and then updated more recently, but the date wasn't changed.

@Thewiseoneincognito

Even if this is only half as bad as they’re alluding to then the government must immediately implement our plan B and prepare a Plan C. It’s Black Friday weekend and the stores are jam packed full of people without face masks on, almost like we’ve put down the Welcome mat for Omicrom to start to work it’s way through the population.

The game has changed now, we need to get serious in order to prevent the potential disaster of this variant. Act now before it’s too late and we’re back in lockdown waiting for vaccine tweaks to be redistributed to us all.

Just no.

We should not be putting plan b into action immediately on the basis of this. If for no other reason than its utterly fucking pointless and will do other indirect harm.

By all mean PLAN but actually put things into context rather than being ridiculous about it.

Public patience is already wafer thin. A 'false alarm' could do more harm than good - and we may have another variant which is a real issue in the future even if this one isn't so we need to know what the actual science is first.

There isn't a way to stop this if it is an issue. Not at this point in the pandemic. We've done as much as possible and have new vaccines in progress.

@Wingingthis

All the headline articles about how long it’ll take to create a tweaked vaccine doesn’t fill me with confidence about this new variant turning out to be nothing … 😫

Except this is what theyve done for every variant of concern... They just have found they have not needed to roll out new vaccines because the existing ones were holding up well enough anyway.

If being told that they are 'on it' worries you, you really need to be aware and think of the alternative of them sitting on their hands. And realise its not unique to this variant.

@theDudesmummy
Any more news on your daughter?

Guardian reporting younger people are being admitted to hospital in SA www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/nov/27/covid-news-live-omicron-variant-spreads-to-europe-countries-rush-to-impose-travel-bans-on-southern-africa?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with:block-61a1e2d18f084e4dfa569e89#block-61a1e2d18f084e4dfa569e89

Seems to contradict yesterday's Telegraph article shared above, but I guess it is a very new, live situation and we don't know much yet.

@ColouringPencils 'good' news is they aren't fully vaccinated

@ColouringPencils

Guardian reporting younger people are being admitted to hospital in SA www.theguardian.com/world/live/2021/nov/27/covid-news-live-omicron-variant-spreads-to-europe-countries-rush-to-impose-travel-bans-on-southern-africa?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with:block-61a1e2d18f084e4dfa569e89#block-61a1e2d18f084e4dfa569e89

Seems to contradict yesterday's Telegraph article shared above, but I guess it is a very new, live situation and we don't know much yet.

Can they confirm it was Omicron variant? The article says the vast majority of young people were unvaccinated which shows the vaccine is working still if it is the Omicron variant

Calum Semple v reassuring earlier . Said probably new variant means booster protects 85pc rather than 95pc. Makes booster v important and longer we delay it coming more people get booster.