Posted on 12/11/2021 6:36:05 PM PST by Trillian
AUSTRALIA has reported a new version of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, dubbed 'Omicron Like', just weeks after the new strain was first discovered in South Africa.
A South African man who tested positive for the variant was found to have a genetically different version of virus strain. He is currently isolating at a quarantine hotel in Brisbane.
Yvette D'Ath, Queensland's health minister, confirmed the case meant that Omicron now has two lineages classified by the international committee.
The new sister of the variant does not have one of the genes that are used to identify the Omicron strain, the World Health Organisation says.
This means the shortcut for locating it may not be able to be used.
Peter Aitken, Queensland's acting chief health officer, said that the sub-lineage did not appear to have the S-gene dropout - the genetic marker used to distinguish Omicron from other variants of the virus.
He added: "It has enough genes to be classified as Omicron, but we don't know enough about it for what that means as far as clinical severity, vaccine effectiveness.
"What we do know is that Omicron is more infectious and more transmissible."
Peter Collignon, microbiologist at the Australian National University, told the Guardian: “It is mainly at the moment an issue about the technicalities on how they are picked up.
“If the genes have been deleted, and there’s another lineage where the gene hasn’t been deleted, you may not think it is Omicron when in fact it is.”
The Babylon Bee could do something with this story.
Yawn.
The Babylon Bee could be the source for this story.
“It is so dangerous we can hardly detect its existence!!!”
Omfg
Tired of the fearporn yet folks?
Or are you just eating it up like a hungry little covid karen?
a sister?
What about a 1st cousin twice removed strain?
More boosters!! More boosters!!
This seems to be the first time I’m actually reading about genes in this virus...
Seriously, though, for a country who, unlike the U.S., can completely control who enters and leaves the country, you would think they would have no problems with COVID - period.
Instead, they act like they can't get a handle on this.
Who’s panicking? ???
This is getting silly.
Son of Omicron
Bride of omicron
I was a Teenage Omicron
Revenge of Omicron
Night of the Living Omicron
Because it really doesn't exist. "Can't find it? See, that's proof it is there."
Bottom line on this story . . . it has to do with PCR’s method of detecting covid in general. One of the S genes no longer (vs weeks ago in original Omicron) points at Omicron during the PCR’s test. This means the usual dna sequencing will have to be done to identify variant, same as was done with Delta.
For God knows what reason, all these articles are being written about severity and transmissibility and they end with “it is too soon to make judgements about severity. There is only 1 Omicron patient in the US hospitalized out of about 45.
The reason this is “too soon” and invalid is the 45 patients are young. Young people from day 1 have not had major problems with corona. Older people are not insane. They are taking measures to avoid it. Result of this is there is no data on old folks.
A recent South Africa report said 80% of their hospital patients were under age 50. Then they said symptoms were mild. Well, JESUS, OF COURSE THEY ARE. Nobody vulnerable to death is infected yet.
Omicron 2, Electric Boogaloo.
Coronavirus PING! and also to folks Down Under.
Yvette D’Ath, Queensland’s health minister
D’Ath is clearly an abbreviation with the “e” replaced by an apostrophe.
Reminds me of a certain Dr. Michael D. Butcher and his surgery scheduler, Liz Dethrow...
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