Why the panic of Omicron is mild?

[WineGetsMeThroughIt]

All of this just seems utter bollocks. A handful of new cases of a variant that could potentially pose less of a threat than delta. Yet with delta we were basically told to keep calm and carry on. No masks, no isolating, children or C+ parents going to school, no social distancing or any rules really.

I'm seeing news reports now encouraging everyone to go get their booster jab and their flu jab to help protect against the new variant and flu this winter. But if you come in contact or test positive with Omicron even if you're fully vaccinated then you must isolate for 8 days. Then seeing other reports saying that Omicron is resistant to the vaccine, so the pharm companies are rushing out a new vaccine - so potentially everyone will be encouraged to get a 4th vaccine.

Meanwhile even though you're vaccinated you can still spread it and it's been said that the first positive case of Omicron to enter this country was via a fully vaxx'd person because that's the only way you can travel now. But the vaccines were the ticket of this pandemic they said. Obviously there are fewer ill people because of the vaccine, but there are also a lot of people experiencing worrying Ng side effects with them as well. What will the build up of all these vaccines be doing to us I wonder. Genuine question we may not know for years.

Im just getting so fed up with all this now. It's so depressing

Untill they come up with a vaccine that is once a year like flu vaccine am not getting any more. Be getting jabbed every couple off months at this rate.

@blackcurrantjam not sure you understand what is happening

A virus with a death rate of 5/7000, is fairly low? For comparison Spanish influenza was 50/1500. I'm assuming medical science has a lot to do with it, but the deadliness of the two IMO is almost incomparable

We don’t know enough yet to know that it’s mild, it has the potential to be extremely serious. The government utterly fucked up over delta and can’t afford politically to make the same mistake twice. And OP your anti-vaxxer agenda is showing. Nobody wants to live like this, it’s not being done for fun.

I think that part of the concern is the variation in spike protein. The current Omicron version may be mild but subsequent viruses with the same spike protein change may be worse. The thing is to stop it multiplying as the more times it multiplies, the more chance of the spike variation being attached to a more dangerous version.

@Cherrytart23

Untill they come up with a vaccine that is once a year like flu vaccine am not getting any more. Be getting jabbed every couple off months at this rate.

why?

No, we weren't. It surfaced in December, we had that massive spike in late December/early January, and were in lockdown for three months. We don't know if Omicron really will be mild, and we don't know if the vaccine will work against it. Being asked to go back to wearing masks again in limited circumstances and make sure we get our boosters is surely the minimum we should do by way of precautions.

Sorry, that was meant to refer to OP's statement that "with delta we were basically told to keep calm and carry on."

[quote julieca]@blackcurrantjam not sure you understand what is happening[/quote]
Why's that then. If it's considered endemic, which it will be, it'll have less panic attached to it.

@Cherrytart23

Untill they come up with a vaccine that is once a year like flu vaccine am not getting any more. Be getting jabbed every couple off months at this rate.

Come off it. We're being vaccinated once every 6 months currently, there is no reason to think that will change.

OP, that's not true that the only way of travelling is if you are fully vaxxed - it's fully vaxed or with a clear PCR/antigen taken within the last 24-72 hours (depending on country).

For once I think they’re getting it right! Masks on public transport and in shops to be cautious, no restrictions on freedoms, keeping an eye on it as we go.

Even if it is "mild", we could still potentially have a situation where large amounts of NHS staff are unwell at the same time, if their vaccines provide little or no protection. That could be terrible, even if the staff themselves all make a full recovery. It's not just about the impact on I ndividuals, it's the risk of large numbers suddenly being ill at the same time.

Personally I'm very happy to wear a mask and stay at home more if it helps other people get their urgent cancer operation.

I suggest people read the article in yesterday's Sunday Times written by a hospital doctor. She was saying that most of the people in Intensive Care and dying are the unvaccinated, and that nationally the rate for intensive care covid patients is running at 75% unvaccinated. Most of those are understandably bitterly regretting their decision not to have the vaccine.

People are still closing their eyes to the potential seriousness of Covid and assuming it couldn't happen to them. It's a daft assumption.

@Platax December/January was the Kent variant (alpha?) wasn't it? Delta appeared in Spring as we were coming out of lockdown.

I find it is surprising that people believe because you are vaccinated you cannot carry the virus. The vaccination only prevent getting really sick in no case it will fully protect you against getting it or carrying it, that is why it is important to respect the guideline of 2 metre apart and wearing a mask even if you are vaccinated.

@Hellotoallmyfans

To try and scare everyone into "behaving" so damages (ie hospital admissions) can be mitigated.

The scientist who discovered this variant has herself said, I believe, that it's a complete overreaction and cases/symptoms are very mild.

Plus it sells papers doesn't it?

This.

We don't know if it is mild yet according to the BBC news ,the very limited data we do have suggests the casess have been mild so far ,but we will know more in a few weeks I guess
They also are concerned about how affective the vaccines are against this new varient
Basically they just don't know yet .

[quote User12398712]@Platax December/January was the Kent variant (alpha?) wasn't it? Delta appeared in Spring as we were coming out of lockdown.[/quote]
Yes, the Delta one was the one Boris didn't want to do anything about because he wanted to go to India and get a trade deal.

Alpha was the reason for the January lockdown.

@Fallagain

No one knows if it will be mild or not is older or more vulnerable patients. Or in deed the general population as a whole as currently only a small number of people have had it. You also have to remember that when medics say mild they mean you won’t be hospitalised not you will feel fine and be able to carry out normal life tasks.

Hopefully it is milder that the Delta variant and then becomes the dominant variant.

This. They just don't know yet.

The 'mild' comment was from a doctor who then went on to say (which no-one is quoting) that she was worried it wouldn't be mild in older people. She mostly had fit, young male patients presenting with it. Covid has always been largely mild in that demographic.

They just don't know.

Remember how everyone was claiming Delta was mild and then it turned out to be a lot more severe? The only reason we weren't like India was because of the vaccines. Remember the news reports from there? The overwhelming of burial sites and dead bodies in the rivers?

If you wait until we know for sure it's milder, it's too late to act. If they're wrong about that, and there really isn't enough data yet to know either way, then you've missed your chance to prevent deaths.

I find it a bit concerning that a racing pulse (potentially suggesting heart problems) even in healthy young men and children is being cast as a 'mild' symptom. It's already known covid can cause heart problems, sometimes very serious ones, and over the long term.

Why not be precautionary for a few months just in case? It seems a small price to pay for the potential benefits.

@blackcurrantjam

Bring on endemic

Posters on here have been telling me that covid is endemic for six months.

Endemic at 100,000 deaths a year and kids/workforce constantly off with covid/long covid is not going to be any better than the current ebb and flow.

We seem to be ruled by hysteria these days. Partly media-induced, partly government. Hysteria about mild covid. Woke hysteria e.g.trans people demanding access to toilets (get a life).

But it seems to me - actual real problems (serious lack of housing, illegal migrants, sleaze, sewage release by private companies - little or zero effective action).

If double jabbed close contacts of someone who tests positive with suspected Omicron now have to self isolate, how do they know what strain that person has? What risk factors are meant by suspected? Any PCR result we've ever had just says positive or negative. Are they going to test and specify with all positive samples? Have I missed something?

If it really did turn out to be
a)more transmissable than Delta and
b)mild in everyone (not just the young men the SA doctor was talking about)
it would be the best news ever because if it wiped out all the nasty varients the epidemic would be over.
Mild in medical terms means not needing hospital.

Until they know I see no reason not to be cautious. Everyone would be screaming at the government for failing to act if they waited a few weeks until scientists had evaluated it.

@cptartapp

If double jabbed close contacts of someone who tests positive with suspected Omicron now have to self isolate, how do they know what strain that person has? What risk factors are meant by suspected? Any PCR result we've ever had just says positive or negative. Are they going to test and specify with all positive samples? Have I missed something?

Yes they are. I heard a radio interview with some guy in charge of a testing company. Essentially they have the ability, and already do, test for varients on every pcr. He said they would be able to get a positive and identify the varient on the same day.