Omicron subvariant - what do we know so far?

BowlofRamen · 2022-01-28T14:22:55+00:00

Just that really. I can't find much info, but noticed there seems to be a little more concern now or is this simply because the media love a good "possible doomsday variant" headline? TIA

Mindymomo · 28/01/2022 14:52

Only that vaccines seem to work equally as well.

GirlInACountrySong · 28/01/2022 15:00

I don't think it's much of a concern

LilyPond2 · 28/01/2022 22:00

If you search for the latest YouTube video from Prof Tim Spector of the Zoe Covid study app, he talks about it a bit. He didn't suggest we're all doomed, but IIRC he did say it's even more infectious than the first Omicron and is playing a role in the up tick in cases.

altmember · 28/01/2022 22:43

The most concerning thing to me is that Tim Spector suggested that even if you've had the 1st type of omicron (ba1), you can still get reinfected with ba2. I'm not sure where he's got that from, or how well the science backs that up. It was bad enough when Omicron emerged and people got reinfected with that one, but if that's going to keep happening were going to be in a right pickle.

IcedPurple · 28/01/2022 22:49

@altmember

The most concerning thing to me is that Tim Spector suggested that even if you've had the 1st type of omicron (ba1), you can still get reinfected with ba2. I'm not sure where he's got that from, or how well the science backs that up. It was bad enough when Omicron emerged and people got reinfected with that one, but if that's going to keep happening were going to be in a right pickle.

But how much of a 'pickle' are we really in if the symptoms are (usually) mild and the vaccines work? As it appears they do?

HesterShaw1 · 28/01/2022 22:57

When did the word "uptick" replace "increase"?

Asking for a friend.

UnicornsReal · 28/01/2022 23:02

@HesterShaw1

When did the word "uptick" replace "increase"?

Asking for a friend.

Too true

Wnkingawalrus · 28/01/2022 23:07

@altmember

The most concerning thing to me is that Tim Spector suggested that even if you've had the 1st type of omicron (ba1), you can still get reinfected with ba2. I'm not sure where he's got that from, or how well the science backs that up. It was bad enough when Omicron emerged and people got reinfected with that one, but if that's going to keep happening were going to be in a right pickle.

Isn’t that exactly the same as the common cold?

2022sucksalready · 28/01/2022 23:08

@HesterShaw1

When did the word "uptick" replace "increase"?

Asking for a friend.

Increase is something obviously increasing, an uptick is an increase in something that was previously declining, so looks like the upwards part of a tick. So, numbers seemed to be reducing covid-wise, now suddenly not. Going down….tick back up.

Flaxmeadow · 28/01/2022 23:11

But how much of a 'pickle' are we really in if the symptoms are (usually) mild and the vaccines work? As it appears they do?

Not so sure it's a good idea to be repeatedly infected with a brand new virus, especially when we don't know the long term consequences of it.

Flaxmeadow · 28/01/2022 23:21

altmember
The most concerning thing to me is that Tim Spector suggested that even if you've had the 1st type of omicron (ba1), you can still get reinfected with ba2. I'm not sure where he's got that from, or how well the science backs that up.

There was this

www.prevention.com/health/a38758270/omicron-reinfection-covid/
From the link
"Can you get Omicron twice?"
“Yes, you can get Omicron twice,” says Stanley Weiss, M.D., professor at the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the Department of Epidemiology at the Rutgers School of Public Health. He cites a recent lecture he attended from a virologist in South Africa, where Omicron first emerged, who said that doctors in the country had seen several people who had Omicron reinfections

NAndJIsStayingAtHome · 28/01/2022 23:27

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altmember · 29/01/2022 00:06

But how much of a 'pickle' are we really in if the symptoms are (usually) mild and the vaccines work? As it appears they do?

Because mild symptoms is meant in the medical sense - i.e. it doesn't hospitalise you. Just because it isn't killing as many people as previous variants doesn't mean there is no price to pay. Imagine a really bad hangover, but that goes on for a week or two. If it puts people on sick leave for 2 weeks at at time, over and over, several times a year, then yes, we're going to be in a pickle.

I'm currently on day 18 of self isolation (my kids caught it first, and then I came down with it a week later), I'm still testing positive on my day 10, feel lousy, and so far it seems to be getting worse rather than better. I'm fit, healthy, strong immune system (rarely get colds, never had flu), relatively young, and triple vaccinated. This is what is classed as a mild infection. It's not uncommon, although thankfully for most people it doesn't seem to linger quite as long as I've had it.

My partner currently has it as well (not caught it from me as we've not seen each other in a month, due to self isolating). It's absolutely floored her by the sound of it, just hope she can shake it off quicker than I am.

I also know people who've had it worse - a friend's son (age 12) caught delta last September and he literally slept for 3 weeks, missed over a month of school. My own kids were asymptomatic or mild illness, but one of them was too ill to get out of bed for 4 days, and couldn't eat a thing during that time either.

It's random who gets a bad (but still mild) case of it. Hopefully our immune systems will begin to learn to deal with it better the more times we have it. But there are people on here who are having covid for their 2nd and 3rd times, and saying omicron has hit them harder.

In the meantime, we've got more people off sick than anyone living can remember. One of my kid's teachers has just had it for the 2nd time in 6 weeks. Not doing their pupils education much good, especially if that becomes the norm every winter. It's got to be having a negative social and economic impact at every level.

ClariceQuiff · 29/01/2022 00:56

1) BA.2 (New Omicron) is more infectious than BA.1 (Old Omicron). Of course. To what extent, we don't know yet.

Just curious to know if there's a limit to how infectious a virus can be. What would the maximum level of infectiousness look like?

ForFe · 29/01/2022 07:46

@ClariceQuiff

1) BA.2 (New Omicron) is more infectious than BA.1 (Old Omicron). Of course. To what extent, we don't know yet.

Just curious to know if there's a limit to how infectious a virus can be. What would the maximum level of infectiousness look like?

This is a really good question. Does anyone know what the answer is please?

UnmentionedElephantDildo · 29/01/2022 08:01

But how much of a 'pickle' are we really in if the symptoms are (usually) mild and the vaccines work? As it appears they do?

Who knows? But remember that 'mild' is not a synonym for 'trivial' - it covers everything that does not require hospital treatment, and that can include being really quite rough indeed.

It's all down to pressure in hospitals - if the number of cases requiring admission means hospitals fill, then that's obviously a problem (no space for anyone else). But also if cases are high enough that a good proportion of people needing to attend for any reason have covid, then there is also a major problem in infection control within the hospital. We need clean/green areas in hospital - unless you want to kiss goodbye to things like safe cancer care, trauma care, cardiac etc etc, so managing infected/infectious people within the hospital is going to be a capacity-limiting issue (eg you can't just send an infectious person for a scan when you're also doing monitoring scans for those on chemo that day, or will it be vice verse and the cancer patient doesn't get their scan (because they're CEV and therefore bound to die shortly anyhow - an view which I don't share, but I see posted often enough)

UnmentionedElephantDildo · 29/01/2022 08:03

Just curious to know if there's a limit to how infectious a virus can be. What would the maximum level of infectiousness look like?

Measles

Smallpox has an R0 of 3 - similar to original covid
Polio - 4-6
Mumps - 10-12
Chickenpox - 10-12
Pertussis - 15-17
Measles - 16-18

bobbie42 · 29/01/2022 08:18

@ClariceQuiff

1) BA.2 (New Omicron) is more infectious than BA.1 (Old Omicron). Of course. To what extent, we don't know yet.

Just curious to know if there's a limit to how infectious a virus can be. What would the maximum level of infectiousness look like?

Measles is perhaps the most infectious virus we know of.

CDC says...

Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected.

Infected people can spread measles to others from four days before through four days after the rash appears.

Measles virus can live for up to two hours in an airspace after an infected person leaves an area.

www.cdc.gov/measles/transmission.html

Flaxmeadow · 03/02/2022 12:42

There is also BA.1.1 sub variant

Study Finds BA1.1. Rapidly Spreading to Overtake BA.2

www.hindustantimes.com/cities/pune-news/omicron-variant-study-finds-ba-1-1-rapidly-spreading-to-overtake-ba-2-101643732627250.html
Dr Ameet Dravid, internal medicine specialist who led the team at Noble hospital while undertaking the study, said, “To understand in simpler terms, Omicron is the parent while BA 1 and BA 2 are the daughters and BA 1.1 is the daughter of BA 1. While all are from the Omicron variant family, they have specific mutations which may differ in their behaviour."

EvilPea · 03/02/2022 12:48

I’ve got one in the family with long covid.
One the original variant. They are fucked. There’s scarring on lungs, get out of breath just walking round a shop. They are a young healthy non smoker.

The second in the family caught omicron early on, so far they are still really run down catching any sniffle going and really struggling with any cold or cough they get.

I can’t imagine either will fair very well with any variant. This is anecdotal obviously, but I’d imagine there’s thousands in the country in the same position.