Omicron variant more resistant to Vaccines, transmits faster but causes less severe Covid, major South African study concludes

Washington Post via MSN ^ | 12/16/2021 | Lesley Wroughton

[SeekAndFind]

BUT, BUT, BUT....

He cautioned, however, that it was still in the early days and hospital admissions could rise sharply as the variant evolves.

[JennysCool]

Sounds very flu-like.

By the way, anyone heard about that “flu” thing lately? Seems like it’s just flat-out disappeared over the past couple of years or so.

Modern medicine, I guess.

[SeekAndFind]

For those pinning their hope on the BOOSTER SHOTS....

Read this article:

‘Striking’ vaccine resistance in Omicron variant: Columbia University

[EXCERPT]

A new study out of Columbia University says the Omicron variant is “markedly resistant” to vaccines and boosters might not do much to help , spelling bad news for the country as Omicron spreads and COVID-19 cases rise nationally.

“A striking feature of this variant is the large number of spike mutations that pose a threat to the efficacy of current COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapies,” according to the study authored by more than 20 scientists at Columbia and the University of Hong Kong.

......

The report said the booster shots prevent some of the neutralization, but the variant “may still pose a risk” for those with their third shot.

“Even a third booster shot may not adequately protect against Omicron infection,” the study said, adding it’s still smart to get a booster.

[Sacajaweau]

Covid has been blasting through the vaccinated like a hot knife through butter...Fortunately, Omicron showed up...to take the blame for new restrictions.

[know.your.why]

Please circulate this info-graphic:

[LibWhacker]

[Peter ODonnell]

Omicron variant, a.k.a. the common cold, was said to be a milder version of what you didn’t get in the last three waves.

[gitmo]

I asked my doctor for a flu test early this year. He said the labs won’t do flu tests. Only COVID tests. (He’s very critical of the politics in medicine)

[rainee]

My son just came down with stomach flu & obviously kept him home from
school, only lasted 24 hours or so.
The school nurse called to ask how he was feeling, exact symptoms..before I answered her ?, I asked if anyone at school had become infected with COVID, she said no & we would obviously be informed immediately if that was the case.
I then asked if this stomach flu was going around at school, she said yes.
She then had no answer on why parents weren’t informed about flu outbreak, especially when kids all masked up..
No answer, she nervously laughed & quickly ended the conversation
It was strange..

[roving]

Rise as sharply when this first hit? I mean, wow. They were sooo swamped.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Who’s the dumbass who decided that allowing the infected to come to America from Sud Afrika was a good idea. As though America really needed another Covid Flavor of the Week here. Dumbass democrats and their “refugees.” Idiots.

[jmcenanly]

No vaccine, spreads rapidly, but mostly harmless. They’re describing the common cold.

[BeauBo]

Glenda Gray, president of the South African Medical Research Council, said… “We don’t think it’s a question of virulence, but more a question of exposure to vaccination and prior infection, so we would be cautious to try and interpret that this is a less virulent strain“

I think both are occurring, some lower virulence and some mitigation from prior infections and vaccination.

But they do seem to be backing off a bit, from how mild they described it early on, when they were stinging from the sudden travel bans imposed on South Africa.

I think they got about 1/3 of the hospitalization rates of earlier waves, and for shorter durations.

Now that Omicron has been dominant for a few weeks there, it is possible that their current COVID deaths may be Omicron deaths.

[norwaypinesavage]

Is Omicron “more resistant” to the vaccines, or are the vaccines “more conducive” to acquiring the disease. It’s an important distinction. The data are not in yet on the answer, but the possibility is certainly real that being vaccinated makes one more likely to get the disease than one who is not vaccinated. This certainly needs to be studied and revealed to the population. Somehow, I suspect that neither will happen quickly.

It also may be true that the answer is that this effect is beneficial. If Omicron is a much less deadly variant, and acquiring it makes one more immune to subsequent variants this could possibly lead to herd immunity in us ignorant herds, and maybe even the ignorant hoards running the government.

[Sicon]

Omicron variant transmits faster, but causes less severe COVID common cold.

[BobL]

I will read what South Africa says about the virus as their medical system has survived well from Apartheid and is FAR LESS CORRUPT than our own.

Bottom line is that few patients are showing up in hospitals and likely nothing different than a typical flu season.

[dangerdoc]

High flu rates in New Mexico.

[dforest]

I did hear there is one reported flu case now. Funny how it has envolved in to not spreading much, isn’t it?

[dangerdoc]

Their COVID death rates dropped off a cliff weeks ago and have remained in the low double digits. With rates still going up and such low deaths it’s hard to tell if the are dying with or from omicron, especially with reports of most hospitalizations being for other conditions and omicron being found incidentally.

[BeauBo]

“Their (South Africa) COVID death rates dropped off a cliff weeks ago and have remained in the low double digits.”

Their death rates dropped before Omicron. The effect of a new variant on Death rates would normally be expected to lag changes in case numbers, by 3-4 weeks.

Although detected on 24 Nov, Omicron cases did not pop until around 1 December.

https://ftp.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/south-africa/