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?

@FreeBritnee I think OP is being a sarky so and so

[quote tomwombsgans]@FreeBritnee I think OP is being a sarky so and so[/quote]
I read it more as that thing people do to be polite... like when you ask something in a training course and get a long rambling answer that doesn't actually help, but you want them to shut up so just nod vigorously and thank them several times

@bagofconkers

Too early to know. It has worrying mutations that could mean vaccine / prior infection would be less of a defense. BUT we don't yet know how transmissible it is - if it's less transmissible than other variants then it will not be able to take hold.

It's a bit more complicated than that. If it is more transmissible than other variants once you have taken into account the effect of immunity from vaccination/infection on the transmissibility of those other variants, it could become dominant.

I wouldn't worry too much, OP. Like the article said, it might be unstable due to all the mutations, not very good at infecting people because the spike protein is so different (it's the spike protein that binds to the ACE2 receptors to be able to infect cells). It might be outcompeted and go extinct. If it becomes dominant, the vaccine can be changed.

At the moment it's just the media reporting, although, I think the WHO and scientists will be keeping a close eye on it. We've gone from ten known cases this morning, and now it's thought that it's responsible for 90% of cases in a Province in South Africa where they've seen increased cases in the last day or so.

It was reported the government planned for a variant that escapes the vaccine a while ago. We do know a lot more about prevention and hopefully the scientists can adapt present vaccines quickly. Just hoping we do the sensible thing and close our borders to some countries if there's serious concern - the more time we can buy ourselves the better.

I read it more as that thing people do to be polite... like when you ask something in a training course and get a long rambling answer that doesn't actually help, but you want them to shut up so just nod vigorously and thank them several times

This speaks to my soul @JesusInTheCabbageVan

Was genuinely saying thank you …

Bookmarking as I’m interested too!

OP, Prof Christina Pagel (iSage) has a good thread about this new variant on Twitter.

It was only spotted two days ago and WHO are discussing it tomorrow. I think scientists are pretty worried.

@ollyollyoxenfree

I read it more as that thing people do to be polite... like when you ask something in a training course and get a long rambling answer that doesn't actually help, but you want them to shut up so just nod vigorously and thank them several times

This speaks to my soul @JesusInTheCabbageVan

I assumed the same lol

We'll know if/when it's considered serious when WHO start calling it 'Epsilon'.

Like Delta. Started as the 'Indian' variant, then it's official variant name, 'B.1.617.2' - then relabeled Delta.

I believe it has been agreed that important variants should not carry country/location names to avoid weird xenophobia/racism.

We better have run out of variants by the time we get to Omega, or I'll be mega pissed off.

What action should be taken? People went (rightly or wrongly) insane when travel to/from India was not stopped immediately when the Delta variant came to light. Should we take pre-emptive action and batten down the hatches?

The Ebola outbreak a few years ago was contained, and this new variant sounds serious enough to warrant serious action.

Oh no - just saw on the Facts and Figures thread that the Botswana variant is now the dominant strain in SA, so probably already spreading worldwide

Fingers crossed for a christmas lockdown

@HelplesslyHoping

Fingers crossed for a christmas lockdown

What

I had two thoughts:

a) new variants are bound to come trotting along
b) the earlier Angola variation also looked really nasty, but never took hold (only handful of cases in two counties, connected by direct travellers)

So I don't take it as read that a new variant, even ones like Angola or Botswans, both hailed as 'most mutated, most likely to escape vaccine' are necessarily going to spread, but if it does at least travel restrictions (where they still exist) might slow it down a bit.

Excellent work by the scientists in spotting this so early. Also for every country that keeps testing regimes in place (without which early detection is impossible)

The Ebola outbreak a few years ago was contained, and this new variant sounds serious enough to warrant serious action

Ebola is way easier to contain - the patient is not infectious before the onset of symptoms

And they usually die rather than breathing it around the local Tesco

What a load of shite.

@HelplesslyHoping

Fingers crossed for a christmas lockdown

For who?

@DottyHarmer

Oh no - just saw on the Facts and Figures thread that the Botswana variant is now the dominant strain in SA, so probably already spreading worldwide

Source - I have found that there are six cases in SA of 10 total.

Now, these will be detected cases, and there will certainly be more to this iceberg. But it's a heck of a long way from being able to cpfairlymcharacterise it as a dominant strain.

Remember, we've been here before with Angola, and that just did not take hold. It's not inevitable that it will come to be dominant (though of course, over time, that cannot be ruled out)

m.youtube.com/watch?v=IkK_PxeoQ2g

I suppose an emergency meeting of the WHO tomorrow is ringing loud alarm bells. Other variants have been dismissed but this one seems to be getting virologists a bit hot under the collar.

It's the Nu Variant!

I don't think they're saying it's the dominant strain in South Africa, just in one province.