If omicron symptoms are so mild

[Mistletoeandwhineing]

To not understand what the panic is about?

Have been watching regular updates from Dr John Campbell, very level headed and knowledgeable. Current evidence seems to be looking very positive. I realise we need to wait a little longer to be sure, but overall it’s looking to be very mild and possibly actually a good thing for immunity. Or am I wrong?
Feel like I’m living in a parallel universe

@BoredZelda Sorry, I was referring to another poster, I tagged both you and another to reply to comments

@Sunshinegirl82 I think we need to be clear when we talk about "protection" derived from vaccines whether we are talking about protection from symptomatic infection or protection from severe illness and death. The two are being conflated and misinterpreted.

From infection to end result, be that death / severe or mild symptoms, takes time. By the time those people first infected by omicron reach the conclusion of their disease there will be a million cases in this country.
So research has been done on blood plasma to give us an idea about immunity or vaccine evasion. Compare the results to those for alpha and delta and you have a best guess.

This is MN statistics are abused quite frequently.

@GreenFingersWouldBeHandy As I explained, I have long covid and as a result of my experiences at its worst back in May 2020, I have high anxiety and diagnosed Ptsd. I occasionally dip into info about covid but generally try not to engage at all, I’ve just been trying to get better and cope with life with my toddler.
I’m not *Daft at all, but thank you for your kindness!
This is a normal discussion with many different, helpful and interesting comments from posters, which I appreciate as it does help to understand things better. There is absolutely no need for nasty comments that make others feel down.

If you have long COVID (nice drip feed there) you should have a better understanding of how this impacts yourself, other people and the NHS in general.

I don't think any comments I've made have been nasty, I'M just a bit surprised that you don't seem to get the potential death threat from COVID...

I'm quite surprised you have long covid for over a year, and said what you have said in OP. It's not just severe illness and death that's worrying about covid, long covid too. And if many people are infected, there will be many people left with long covid. Doesn't that worry you at all?

@StrangerThanSpring

The government has said repeatedly that people need to put aside the idea that this is a milder variant. It has also confirmed that Omicron is producing hospitalizations.

Yes, there are a lot of anecdotes about how last week I had a bit of a runny nose and sore throat and was fine after 2 days, but unless you have had omicron confirmed, it doesn't really mean anything. It's not helpful to just decide that you had it and it was no big deal when you don't actually know you've had it.

Possibly. But rather a close coincidence that I spent time at a party on Saturday 20 November (where several cases have subsequently originated) talking to a guest who had returned that week from South Africa.

I don't think there's any denial about the cases being mild for the most part. The issue I think is one of timing and communication....

Realistically yes, it makes sense to try and stop everybody getting it all at once, thus slowing the spread somewhat. So even though the cases are more likely to be milder, the effect of a huge swathe of people getting sick is one to limit if possible.

The issue is they couldn't say it that bluntly.

The day after the Xmas party videos, when public trust is at an all time low, if they had said "..it's probably a mild disease but we need to just slow it down a bit, so please put a mask on and take more tests", pretty much nobody would have listened....

IMO this is why there's barely any major media talk of the SA real data, and more about the "worst case" and 100,000s of deaths etc etc, it's an exercise in scaring people into compliance, even when the Plan B restrictions are justified.

I don't think there's going to be a huge increase in deaths, partly because increased booster jabs will have an impact, but also because Omicron doesn't look to be as severe.

@rainrainraincamedowndowndown I haven’t said I don’t believe it’s a threat 🤷🏻‍♀️I wrote saying what the doctor/nurse had said. I’m
*Very scared, as I’ve previously said!

@GreenFingersWouldBeHandy If?? You’re questioning if I’m lying are you? No drip feed, I said this in the initial comments, not that I had to, I was merely debating something, not being deliberately nasty. Well done you for making someone feel crap, you must enjoy doing that. Try to find something in your life to be happy about, it may make you a better person. Good luck.
Reporting.

Its doubling every 1.6 days now. Its worse than in south africa as we vaccinated with AZ and they didnt due to lack of testing in their demographic..so even 2% severe out of 48k cases will put a huge strain on hospitals already running at 96-98% capacity with skeletal staffing

If 0.5% of omicron cases need hospitalisation then to avoid 5000 covid admissions a day "stringent National measures" are required in the next few days:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/10/stringent-uk-covid-measures-needed-within-a-week-leak-reveals

@cocodomingo

Its doubling every 1.6 days now. Its worse than in south africa as we vaccinated with AZ and they didnt due to lack of testing in their demographic..so even 2% severe out of 48k cases will put a huge strain on hospitals already running at 96-98% capacity with skeletal staffing

AZ was stopped giving out though to the under 40s and the last doses were around the time I had my first (for first doses) in May and I have had my booster. The proportion of 2 dose AZ who havent been able to get a booster should be significantly lower compared with the vaccinations in South Africa. In theory it should just be those who were jabbed early who were under 40 (hopefully now booked) or those between 40-50. Anyone over 50 surely has had a chance to be boostered.

BBC international news was confirming last night that SA reports that Omicron is in fact milder and although their age demographic is younger, the proportion of vaccinated is far lower than the U.K. The variant appears to be burning itself out. But, because it doesn’t suit the narrative, I can’t find it anywhere on the U.K. BBC site.

Those anxious should also read this. This exactly bears out my experience as I was also at a ‘superspreader’ event.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10304613/Omicron-cause-mild-symptoms-ja

Omicron is being used to divert from the Govts own troubles.

No one cared when Ambulances were queueing outside AE depts for hours on end or AE waits in double digits.

We' ve been having over a 1000 deaths per week from Delta, no one gave a shiney xxxx about that.

Sadly I wouldn't necessarily fully trust figures for SA as their excess deaths have been rising of late.
I do hope it is mild though.

@Alexander2001

Omicron is being used to divert from the Govts own troubles.

No one cared when Ambulances were queueing outside AE depts for hours on end or AE waits in double digits.

We' ve been having over a 1000 deaths per week from Delta, no one gave a shiney xxxx about that.

This is what is so confusing about this new variant.

That's what is worring, the timing couldn't be better for boris.

I don’t to ink Omicron is being used by government to distract. What about other governments and nations? Are they trying to deflect attention from Boris too?

Delta and Omicron are different variants obviously so the vaccine does not protect from the latter to the same degree. That’s why this is a cause for concern. Why can’t peace grasp that?

People or peace

Not peace

@DrManhattan pretty nice of the South Africans to announce a new varient to prop up his career. And for WHO to label it a varient of concern. And for the rest of the world to play along. I guess going to Eton does give you amazing contacts .

@Porcupineintherough lol

@Alexander2001 I suppose they didn't, but surely the difference is that the level of data available? One thing that has not been invented to date is the pressure on the NHS, which is real.

"Again that's sensationalist reporting from the media"

Based on science though. Do you have any evidence to the contrary?