What IS the fuss about omicron?

[GingerHouse]

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?

40 A&E staff at one hospital isolating due to outbreak of Covid infection

news.stv.tv/west-central/around-40-ae-staff-isolating-after-omicron-outbreak-at-christmas-party

@Whattochoosenow

So then *@ChequerBoard* if it’s the mild disease with cold like symptoms, maybe it’s time to treat it as such without all the isolation which is crippling our nation.

Because mild disease still causes illness. Is there an agreed definition of what "mild" means in this case. It may mean the sniffles, but equally it may mean 'less likely to result in death'.

The more people infected, the higher the number of serious illness. The less people infection, the lower the number of serious illness. That's maths.

@ChequerBoard, "[...] the incredibly infectious Omicron variant is now inside the walls of at least one hospital. That means staff will catch it and patients will catch it."

Probably true.

But also not much can be done about it.

If the community it is now circulating is actually the hospitals, then asking the gen pop to stay home won't do much —all those affected are already key workers.

We may simply have to accept that, if you are going into hostpital for reasons other than Covid, that you'll anyway catch Covid in there. But that's not different to the situation for Delta.

It might even be better if Om is less severe than Delta. Depends how it affects those that are already ill.

@Whattochoosenow

So then *@ChequerBoard* if it’s the mild disease with cold like symptoms, maybe it’s time to treat it as such without all the isolation which is crippling our nation.

A) people who are ill even if an (as yet unproven) infection of Covid cannot work. Stop with the 'cold' nonsense, even if a mild strain it is not a cold. Long term complications are an as yet unquantified problem but There are many people dealing with life changing health issues post Covid recovery, and not just long Covid.

B) You are suggesting that we leave Covid to continually run rife through hospitals killing off those with 'underlying conditions' like asthma, strikes, heart attacks etc?

Really?

Another country's take on it :
"Only 30% of hospitalizations in recent weeks serious, about half the rate of previous waves; just 3% of patients die, unlike 20% in earlier outbreaks; meanwhile UK predictions dire"

www.timesofisrael.com/south-african-doctors-see-early-signs-omicron-variant-is-milder-than-delta/

If I go out right now, I can bet my house there'll be people in the main groups affected driving about and walking about. Fact.
If you are in those groups, for the love of god stay in or limit your journeys.

So 40 per cent of the population should accept house arrest for the foreseeable future? Because that's the proportion of the population who have some sort of chronic condition.

Boomers are a bloody liability, ARROGANT AND RUDE.
STAY IN.

HOW DARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU? I hope you would not say such things about a racial or national minority, or at least would realize that many people would object to it. It's just as bad to spew hatred against people according to WHEN they were born as WHERE they born. (And yes, I feel the same about those who attack 'Millennial snowflakes'.)

I think we also need to have a pragmatic understanding that during a pandemic and in normal life people are going to DIE. We cannot live forever, we cannot and should not allow the burden of old age or illness to crush society.

So you hate all people who are older or in less-than perfect health and think it's OK if we all die? We're all useless eaters, wonder who else thought that? Wonder if you'll feel the same way when YOU are approaching old age, or if YOU develop a chronic condition.

I am actually against further lockdowns (unless something very unexpected happens); fear that they could have fatal consequences themselves; and don't think that lockdowns, as distinct from milder and more specific restrictions are likely to happen. I support pushing and developing vaccines in the short term, and better funding of healthcare and social care in the long term, which would reduce the danger of NHS collapse if there are epidemics/pandemics, as well as being desirable in themselves. But nothing makes me more furious than cruelty and harshness to people with disabilities or health issues.

Underlying health conditions that show potential evidence of being a risk factor for covid: (updated October 2021)

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/underlyingconditions.html

Depression
Asthma

In September 2021, children with autism were added to the 'clinically vulnerable' group, and advised by the JCVI to have additional vaccinations than their peers. One in 100 children have a diagnosis of an ASD. They are statistically more likely to have an 'unfavourable outcome' to covid infection.

But, well, they were likely to die soon anyway, weren't they?

"Stay in if you want to live" - Jesus Christ thank god the majority of people do not think like this. The people at Incredibly busy Christmas market I was at yesterday certainly didn't seem to be.

A know a lot of people who have had covid, myself included, most had mild cases and I know of one person who was hospitalised pre vaccine. I know of no one with "long covid". I do know however of friends and family losing businesses and jobs - and an incredible rise in mental health and addiction issues due to lockdown and uncertainty.

[quote kittensinthekitchen]40 A&E staff at one hospital isolating due to outbreak of Covid infection

news.stv.tv/west-central/around-40-ae-staff-isolating-after-omicron-outbreak-at-christmas-party[/quote]
Linked to an NHS Christmas party. I think that out trumps Boris's party

Linked to an NHS Christmas party. I think that out trumps Boris's party

@howdiditcometothis666

Of course, not breaking laws is way worse than breaking laws. Obviously 🙄

From the previous link, the experience of SA is that deaths are far fewer and that even those this underlying health issues are recovering at home without intervention.
The increased isolation we’ve introduced is going to cripple the NHS, not omicron.

**That’s not how vaccines work.

I got infected as one of those worthless people with underlying conditions (see above) and got very poorly but it prevented severe disease (as would have been very likely pre vax).

Vaccines offer a degree of protection against symptomatic disease and severe disease.

With variants that degree can be lower.

Those who refuse vaccines add to development of vaccine resistant variants as do countries that let it hugely spread and mutate. Poster earlier is right that the deniers keep making all of this worse**

@Tahaniisfine

I agree with this though, my whole point is that vaccinated people and those that have had their boosters etc…. shouldn’t be locked down. It should be those that don’t get vaccinated that should have to stay in, not everyone else!

I've heard that there is another presser today ?
Anyone know anything ?

Like PP have said I suspect it will be increased staff shortages due to unnecessary isolation that will cause issues as opposed to actual omicron. I do understand the potential worry for omicron and i think we should proceed with caution but if it does transpire to be as mild as a cold (for the very vast majority) can we really justify isolations for close contacts or even actual cases if they feel OK to work? Bear in mind for years healthcare workers have been expected to work with seasonal colds/flus. Of course if it does turn out to be more virulent then that's a very different story and more measures would absolutely need to be put in place, but I'm not sure this will be the case

For the record I run a half marathon 3-4 times per week, don't drink or smoke and I do not have depression. Basically, I look after and take responsibility for my health and well-being.

@Hrpuffnstuff1

For the record is that a suggestion that those with depression have caused it themselves by just not looking after and taking responsibility?

@Wizzbangfizz

"Stay in if you want to live" - Jesus Christ thank god the majority of people do not think like this. The people at Incredibly busy Christmas market I was at yesterday certainly didn't seem to be.

A know a lot of people who have had covid, myself included, most had mild cases and I know of one person who was hospitalised pre vaccine. I know of no one with "long covid". I do know however of friends and family losing businesses and jobs - and an incredible rise in mental health and addiction issues due to lockdown and uncertainty.

That's obviously a message to those that wish to restrict everybody's movement because they cannot and will not carry out any personal risk assessment.

I know all about business, I've lost well over a quarter of a million pounds worth of income since this all started. I'm now in debt.

@Hrpuffnstuff1 - don’t try to dress up your meaning. Your views are perfectly clear for all to see.

There’s a word that I very rarely use, but it’s very applicable to you.

This is a pandemic, stay in and limit any journeys.
Why is that such a complicated instruction to follow?
What's so hateful and cruel about that!

So everyone should limit their journeys, then! Your post came across as that elderly and in any way vulnerable people should stay in so as not to inconvenience others who might seem less vulnerable (though anyone can be vulnerable). I apologize if I misinterpreted a general instruction as a rejection of anyone in less than perfect health; but it did sound like that.

Nothing about hate, or killing people off, you're contradicting yourself, you mention minorities on the one hand yet on the other the boomers are not a minority. Fallacious comparison.

Yes, the boomers are a minority, if a large one.

It is not possible to build a health care system that can cope with a pandemic nor is it possible to stave off all health conditions and old age, science, or no science it's a fact.

It's possible to build a healthcare system that can cope better with a pandemic, or other crises, if people are willing to put in the resources. One of the biggest current problems with our system is that there has been such an emphasis on so-called 'efficiency' which basically doing things as cheaply and with as few staff as as possible, which means a lack of resources to deal with crises.

Your just proving my point about boomers.
Rude and arrogant.

Where did I say that I was a Boomer? I was speaking as someone who has had a chronic health condition since the age of 5, nowadays mostly well-controlled. I'm actually healthier at my age than I was in my youth.

And I'll admit to rudeness to you, but not to arrogance. I have been treated as an inferior by too many people, especially when younger, because of not being as healthy as young people are supposed to me; and some of the time I've felt as though I was prostrate before the world imploring its forgiveness for being 'different'; but every now and them a remark goes far enough to make me angry, and yours did.

For the record I run a half marathon 3-4 times per week, don't drink or smoke and I do not have depression. Basically, I look after and take responsibility for my health and well-being.

So you're implying that anyone who isn't quite as healthy as you must be failing to take responsibility for their health? And that includes people with depression? And you equate having depression with bad health habits such as smoking? Wow. If THAT isn't rude and arrogant, I don't know what is!

Has China got this new variant?
It's gone a bit quite about them lately ?

@Hrpuffnstuff1 I am CEV. I run marathons (albeit more painfully now), look after myself and don't smoke , drink rarely. I also did those things before I was hit with a chronic health condition. I am also not a boomer. Where does that leave me in your judgemental estimation?

@Hrpuffnstuff1

Do you want to come back and clarify what you meant about looking after your health vs other people? I'm sure you didn't intend to be so offensive so would think you'd take the opportunity to clear that up...

I found this slide detailing current preliminary data from S Africa informative.

And this following slide