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A recent study from South Africa (currently in preprint) attempts to explain why the omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic caused less severe illness and death than prior waves of other variants. To complete the study, researchers compared the outcomes of 5,144 patients from the fourth wave, where omicron was prevalent, to the outcomes of 11,609 patients from prior waves. They looked at deaths, severe hospitalizations, and all hospitalizations in the 14 days after diagnosis for people aged 20 and older.The study controlled for vaccination, prior infection, comorbidities, age, and sex. The team concluded:In the Omicron-driven wave, severe COVID-19 outcomes...

In response to plummeting approval ratings, Democrats are now moving away from lockdown policies they previously vehemently advocated over fears about being wiped out politically.That’s according to a new report by Politico, which notes how, “Omicron is surging — and Democrats aren’t shutting things down this time.”“From New York to California, Democratic mayors and governors are fighting to keep schools and businesses open with an urgency they haven’t flexed before in the pandemic,” writes Lisa Kashinsky.That sea change likely has a lot to do with Republicans securing a November clean sweep of the House, as well as the offices of...

With an increase of more than 80% in new COVID cases over the past week and traces of Omicron found in the wastewater of 19 localities throughout Israel, there was no room for doubt on Monday that the new variant had hit the country. According to the estimates of some experts, including Weizmann Institute of Science computational biologist Prof. Eran Segal, the number of daily cases could increase from the current 1,800 to more than 10,000 within a few days. Even so, the authorities on Monday were also discussing easing up some of the strictest measures passed to fight Omicron,...

The South African government has lifted most restrictions in the country as officials declare the country “may have passed the peak of the fourth wave.”Restrictions are being removed “[b]ased on the trajectory of the pandemic, the levels of vaccination in the country and the available capacity within the health sector,” according to a government statement from Mondli Gungubele, South Africa’s minister in the presidency.“All indicators suggest the country may have passed the peak of the fourth wave at a national level,” the statement reads, citing a decrease in new cases and hospitalizations in most provinces.The country’s Department of Health reported...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will meet Monday with top advisers to determine if he will impose new restrictions in the UK amid a COVID-19 surge driven by the Omicron variant, according to reports. After pledging not imposing restrictions ahead of Christmas, Johnson will speak with Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance regarding hospitalizations and infection numbers to see if a post-holiday lockdown is warranted, The Sun reported Sunday.

President Joe Biden announced Friday he will lift travel restrictions on eight African countries on December 31, attributing the decision to the fact that restricting international travel will not greatly affect the Wuhan coronavirus Omicron variant’s spread in the United States. While Biden imposed the omicron-related travel restrictions in late November after criticizing former President Trump as racist for doing so in 2020, Biden will reportedly retract the flight restrictions nearly one month later.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) on Monday flagged the possibility of a series of harsh restrictions to be imposed on revelers heading to Times Square to welcome in the New Year. The crackdown threat follows an announcement last month from de Blasio that prohibited unvaccinated individuals from attending the annual mass public event. “Right now, it is on, fully vaccinated, outdoors of course,” de Blasio told ABC on Monday. “That’s the plan. And if we need to make any more modifications, we will decide that within the course of this week.” De Blasio is an avid supporter...

For a variant that came to light less than a month ago, the evidence for Omicron’s potential to wreak havoc has mounted at breakneck speed. What studies have emerged are rapid first takes, but the message they convey is now loud and clear: the scientific case for more restrictions is overwhelming. Without hard and swift action to curb transmission, the NHS faces a battering.

Have you heard a better summary of our current insanity? https://twitter.com/SebGorka/status/1470218510269878273

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday enhanced COVID-19 restrictions in an effort to slow the spread of the new omicron variant and prevent hospitalizations and deaths. As part of the new policies, Johnson encouraged people in England to work from home starting Monday. He also announced that, beginning next week, the government would require passes showing full vaccination to enter nightclubs and large events and mandate face masks in most indoor public spaces, according to The Associated Press. Johnson noted that the U.K. currently has 568 confirmed cases of the omicron variant but added that "the true number is...

Smoke signals from health and political officials point to closings and lockdowns in the coming weeks and months over fear of the new Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that was (unsurprisingly) detected in Los Angeles County on Thursday. Our local Health and Fear Czar, Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health, stated in a press release yesterday that "we have always known there would be more mutations, resulting in the possibility of a more dangerous variant than the Delta variant."

The majority of Republicans in Washington are thoroughly confused about their own party and their own voters. Some have lost faith in Republican voters completely and written them off as racists or crazies. Others don't know what to think. They are essentially biding time and hoping things go back to the way they were. They won't, of course. America is changing quickly. Voting patterns and the two-party norm that lasted for decades are under strain. Amazingly, Democrats are on the verge of handing back power to a Republican Party that's in a state of total chaos. All Republicans need to...

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) criticized resident Joe Biden for contemplating stricter travel restrictions for U.S. citizens returning from abroad, despite their COVID-19 vaccinations status, as opposed to those same restrictions not applying to illegal immigrants. The Biden administration is considering forcing Americans returning from international travel to quarantine for seven days even if they have tested negative for COVID-19. In contrast, depending on the location and if they turn themselves in, illegal immigrants are sometimes not tested for the virus before being allowed to travel within the United States. The ongoing border crisis has lead to even some Democrats...

Thousands of protesters gathered in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, to protest new COVID-19 restrictions aimed at combatting the spread of the new omicron variant. Among other things, the Czech government banned the popular Christmas markets and any public consumption of alcohol, such as mulled wine, which Czechs and visitors often drink at such markets.

Switzerland remains one of the least vaccinated countries in western Europe, though they have managed to make it to roughly 65%. Now, as with many other European nations, they are facing a sustained surge in new COVID cases, with infection rates rising as much as 40% each week for several straight weeks. So what does the government plan to do about it? They already instituted an immunity passport system requiring proof of vaccination to engage in many common activities. Some suspected that the Swiss Health Minister might attempt to implement even harsher restrictions such as making the vaccine mandatory, as...

Belgium and the Netherlands are the latest European countries to implement new COVID-19 restrictions as virus cases rise, The Associated Press reported Friday. The Belgian government has reinforced past COVID-19 restrictions, including the closure of nightclubs and having restaurants and bars close at 11 p.m. for the next three weeks.

Hannah Arendt’s seminal work The Origins of Totalitarianism (1948) makes for sobering reading in the world we see developing around us in the year 2021. Indeed, we find ourselves in an impasse of epic proportions where the essence of what it means to be human is at stake. The totalitarian attempt at global conquest and total domination has been the destructive way out of all impasses. Its victory may coincide with the destruction of humanity; wherever it has ruled, it has begun to destroy the essence of man.” – Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, first published 1948.. Although it...

Germany's state and federal politicians are working to implement new rules to combat COVID-19 as the country's cases surge. The country saw almost 40,000 new cases on Tuesday, marking the third daily case record in just a week, according to The New York Times. New rules have been proposed and will be discussed in Parliament on Thursday but they would not be enacted into law prior to next week and are not as strict as experts have recommended, the Times reported.

The HBO star claimed Friday that red states were "a joy" to visit these days while blue states were "a pain in the a--" because of coronavirus rules... Bill Maher railed against ongoing COVID restrictions, declaring the pandemic "over." ... "Just resume living," Maher ... "I know some people seem to not want to give up on the wonderful pandemic, but you know what? It's over. There's always going to be a variant. You shouldn't have to wear masks. I should be to … I haven't had a meeting with my staff since March of 2020. Why?" "I know some...

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will lift long-running COVID-19 travel bans against residents of most European countries on Nov. 8 and implement a new vaccination-and-testing rule — while also making travel tougher for Americans who are unvaccinated. Under the new policies, most travelers to the US must get tested for the virus within three days if they took one of the World Health Organization’s approved vaccines. The new rules tighten restrictions on unvaccinated US citizens and permanent residents, who will have to get tested within one day of travel — versus three days currently. The slow repeal of the nearly...