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Original poster

What IS the fuss about omicron?

558 replies

GingerHouse · 10/12/2021 19:47

In all seriousness, data shows that not a single person has died from omicron and that’s in countries that have low vaccine uptake too.

The virus is going to mutate all the time and as things are showing this variant is very contagious and the vaccine doesn’t work as well against it, but it’s mild to almost everybody.

I feel like this is mass panic and for what reason?! I understand wearing a mask where applicable to help reduce the spread but I just don’t get it! Is this going to happen every winter forevermore?

OP posts:
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MarshaBradyo · 10/12/2021 20:39

It’s the hospitalisation rate again - if high

The decision would be so we limit that or have a bigger issue with healthcare

jimmyhill · 10/12/2021 20:40

No omicron deaths? And yet excess deaths in South Africa have doubled since the new variant arrived there.

Pull the other one

Happyhappyday · 10/12/2021 20:40

OP it takes 8+ years to train more drs, less but still years to train nurses, decades to build more hospitals and there is no money. Medical staff are leaving the professions because of how stressful it has been and frankly how rubbish the NHS pay and expectations are to other countries.

Now think Boris has bungled it massively but how do you propose the government “plan for it?”

Original poster
GingerHouse · 10/12/2021 20:41

@Chloemol

How is my post stupid?!

  1. people with cancer, hip replacements etc have always existed before covid.

  2. For many people, especially in the vaccinated this variant is a ‘cold.’ And I’m not saying it’s right, but before covid many people would go into work, school with a common cold. If this should change business’ will have to learn to accommodate this.

  3. I actually get this point, but again, viruses are passed around schools every single winter. If there wasn’t the panic about omicron the threat of this wouldn’t even be valid?

  4. exactly my point, if you are jabbed and still getting infected and passing it around what can you do?!

OP posts:
MrsSkylerWhite · 10/12/2021 20:42

It’s the unknown.

All signs from SA are positive, seems to be milder than delta.

DontWantTheRivalry · 10/12/2021 20:44

How else would they keep everyone scared and easy to control?

Exactly.

It’s a strange coincidence isn’t it how only the booster can save people from Omicron…..

milly74 · 10/12/2021 20:44

SAGE and their distinctly dodgy modelling fuelling panic
for those who are frothing to reimpose restrictions a true gift from the gods

manolantern · 10/12/2021 20:46

Here is the thread about the vaccine effectiveness study:

twitter.com/freja_kirsebom/status/1469350543172771852

Chloemol · 10/12/2021 20:46

@MaxNormal

Chloemol you could possibly have made the same points without being rude. The endless hostility is so incredibly tedious and I'm really not sure what anyone hopes to achieve by it.
It’s frustrating to see so many posts that simply show people are incapable of thinking bigger picture rather than me, me mr

If that’s rude then so be it

Gingernaut · 10/12/2021 20:47

It's ultra contagious

It's dodging the vaccines - although they do still prevent serious illness, the vaccines aren't preventing infections

It may be relatively mild now, but if there's another variation, then it could become

Ultra contagious
Dodging the vaccines
Deadly as fuck - with or without vaccines.

Omicron is a reminder that this could go very wrong, very fast.

Wrongkindofovercoat · 10/12/2021 20:47

Could Omicron mutate into a worse variant ?

titchy · 10/12/2021 20:47

For many people, especially in the vaccinated this variant is a ‘cold.’ And I’m not saying it’s right, but before covid many people would go into work, school with a common cold. If this should change business’ will have to learn to accommodate this.

You muppet we don't care about those who get it no worse than a cold. If everyone got it and it was no worse than cold for ALL it wouldn't be a problem. The problem is the 1% ish for whom it isn't just a cold. They take up hospital beds.

JaninaDuszejko · 10/12/2021 20:49

Yeah it's almost as if viruses tend to mutate and spread more in winter isn't it?

Is it winter in South Africa?

TheKeatingFive · 10/12/2021 20:50

And how exactly are you going to increase capacity in hospitals that are already creaking at the seams?

We're 20 months in and billions of pounds already spent on periodically shutting the country down. Some improvement on healthcare could have been achieved in that timeline and with that level of resource.

ChequerBoard · 10/12/2021 20:50

@MaxNormal

Chloemol you could possibly have made the same points without being rude. The endless hostility is so incredibly tedious and I'm really not sure what anyone hopes to achieve by it.

@choemol was not in any way rude. She is totally and utterly right.

Why do people still think that healthcare professionals grow on trees? They are a very scarce resource in this country and we need to start treating with more respect.

heldinadream · 10/12/2021 20:50

Ok forget about it being omicron or covid for a moment and imagine this - if 50% - for instance - of the UK all got ill at once, ill enough to take a couple of days off work, what would happen?
Half of all of this not functioning - transport, hospitals, police, government, schools, shops, banks etc etc. So even a very mild illness, if it hits enough people with enough force all at once has the potential to cause utter utter chaos and societal breakdown. Remember it's not that half the hospitals would close and the other half would be fine it's that half staff of all the hospitals at every level are off which is enough to shut every hospital down because you can't run anything below a certain staffing level.
A million cases predicted in a week. That's a terrifying rate of growth and so many people now not taking much notice.

Death is NOT the only bad consequence of widespread illness!

milly74 · 10/12/2021 20:51

@Wrongkindofovercoat

Could Omicron mutate into a worse variant ?
well that's what we will get told as justification to lock us up again.
Chloemol · 10/12/2021 20:51

[quote GingerHouse]@Chloemol

How is my post stupid?!

  1. people with cancer, hip replacements etc have always existed before covid.

  2. For many people, especially in the vaccinated this variant is a ‘cold.’ And I’m not saying it’s right, but before covid many people would go into work, school with a common cold. If this should change business’ will have to learn to accommodate this.

  3. I actually get this point, but again, viruses are passed around schools every single winter. If there wasn’t the panic about omicron the threat of this wouldn’t even be valid?

  4. exactly my point, if you are jabbed and still getting infected and passing it around what can you do?![/quote]
    1, I agree however because of covid many more have been delayed treatment, and this will continue, and get worse, if we let a highly transmissible variant rip through the population.

  1. And for many it’s not a cold, and they require medical help, but hey you don’t worry about the CEV, CV, those who will get it badly
  1. You obviously don’t understand that this is a highly transmissible virus, that will cause issues as I already stated. ‘Normal’ viruses passed round each year don’t cause this issue

4 follow the bloody rules to reduce transmission

ListenLinda · 10/12/2021 20:51

@JaninaDuszejko no, it isn’t.

milly74 · 10/12/2021 20:52

@TheKeatingFive

And how exactly are you going to increase capacity in hospitals that are already creaking at the seams?

We're 20 months in and billions of pounds already spent on periodically shutting the country down. Some improvement on healthcare could have been achieved in that timeline and with that level of resource.

this is very true GPs refusal to see patients is a factor, desperate people flocking to hospitals for medical help
SayAaa · 10/12/2021 20:52

The fuss? Could it be to detract from Partygate/the flat renovation scandal, by any chance?

MarshaBradyo · 10/12/2021 20:55

@SayAaa

The fuss? Could it be to detract from Partygate/the flat renovation scandal, by any chance?
It would be good if it was I’d prefer that to more restrictions
x2boys · 10/12/2021 20:55

Well if you actually watch the news the Omicron varient is spreading ridiculously fast and ,they don't actually have the data yet to see how this is going to affect hospital admissions and or death even though it maybe a milder varient ,so many more people being infected could lead to more people becoming Ill etc they just don't know yet .

UnmentionedElephantDildo · 10/12/2021 20:55

You muppet we don't care about those who get it no worse than a cold. If everyone got it and it was no worse than cold for ALL it wouldn't be a problem. The problem is the 1% ish for whom it isn't just a cold. They take up hospital beds

Exactly.

And a 1% hospitalisation rate would mean it had half the impact of previous variants (it fell from about 9% to 2% with a vaccination which gave over 70% effective in a growing proportion of the population)

With a doubling every three days, a halving of the hospitalisation rate gives us 3 days grace.

Remember under 40% of the population is triple vaccinated (the jabs needed for over 70% protection against moderate/severe disease - ie the levels which mean hospital admission - double vax is down to about 30%)

Lazypuppy · 10/12/2021 20:57

OP i have no idea. They seem to be panicking about case numbers when like you say people aren't getting very sick from it. More people are dying of cancer and other things every day, but no one knows those numbers because they aren't reported every bloody day.

They've done plan b to try and detract from the xmas party scandal. Its about control now