Omicron variant and the measures implemented in response to it

[adc82140]

Absolutely NO to yet another pointless and wreckless damaging lockdown. They do more harm than good. The last lockdown must be the very last lockdown. Current evidence is that Omicron is only causing MILD cold like illness!

I have a cold right now. It's a stinker. Have I tested myself? Have I heck. All I've done is say to a few people I've met "don't get too close, I have a rotten cold", and I didn't go to the supermarket yesterday. Like I would have done in 2019.

 

[Class 33]

I have a cold right now. It's a stinker. Have I tested myself? Have I heck. All I've done is say to a few people I've met "don't get too close, I have a rotten cold", and I didn't go to the supermarket yesterday. Like I would have done in 2019.

I've had a bad cold for the past week too. Also not taken a Covid test. In fact I've never taken a single Covid test.

 

[Eyersey468]

I've had a bad cold for the past week too. Also not taken a Covid test. In fact I've never taken a single Covid test.

I've taken one about 18 months ago but that was mainly to shut my OH up, I have no intention of taking any more.

 

[DustyBin]

I have a cold right now. It's a stinker. Have I tested myself? Have I heck. All I've done is say to a few people I've met "don't get too close, I have a rotten cold", and I didn't go to the supermarket yesterday. Like I would have done in 2019.

I have an effective home remedy for a cold, I only deploy it if I feel like it’s going to be a particularly bad one as it’s rather the “nuclear” option but it works. It clears it in 24 hours. Lots of vitamin C is effective against a run of the mill infection, and is even more effective if taken with vitamin D (don’t overdo the latter though). I suspect much of the population is deficient in both……

 

[joncombe]

A press conference this evening with Boris Johnson and Chris Whitty. It's never good news when the latter is involved. I fear that having got Vaccine passports approved it will now be an extension to all of hospitality. Time will tell.

 

[adc82140]

A press conference this evening with Boris Johnson and Chris Whitty. It's never good news when the latter is involved. I fear that having got Vaccine passports approved it will now be an extension to all of hospitality. Time will tell.

After his bruising yesterday, even he wouldn't be that stupid. Expect the tone to be "get your booster or else"

 

[DustyBin]

After his bruising yesterday, even he wouldn't be that stupid. Expect the tone to be "get your booster or else"

Agreed, I don’t think he’d dare.

 

[adc82140]

I have an effective home remedy for a cold, I only deploy it if I feel like it’s going to be a particularly bad one as it’s rather the “nuclear” option but it works. It clears it in 24 hours. Lots of vitamin C is effective against a run of the mill infection, and is even more effective if taken with vitamin D (don’t overdo the latter though). I suspect much of the population is deficient in both……

This one had a long build up. Low on energy for a week, then a sore throat for 3 days. This is the first proper cold I've had this year. Normally by now I'd be on my third, and they wouldn't have been as heavy. Another unintended negative consequence of distancing.

 

[DustyBin]

This one had a long build up. Low on energy for a week, then a sore throat for 3 days. This is the first proper cold I've had this year. Normally by now I'd be on my third, and they wouldn't have been as heavy. Another unintended negative consequence of distancing.

Yes, and again something many of us saw coming……

 

[Eyersey468]

After his bruising yesterday, even he wouldn't be that stupid. Expect the tone to be "get your booster or else"

Oh I don't know, I wouldn't put it past him to be honest. I am in no rush to get a booster and to be honest if they start threatening it will simply make me wait even longer.

 

[Train Maniac]

Hi guys. Normally try not post in this part of the forum (kinda toxic) but i feel like this really needs to be shared because i feel like im starting to lose my mind again...

Feel free to tell me to go away.

 

[Typhoon]

After his bruising yesterday, even he wouldn't be that stupid. Expect the tone to be "get your booster or else"

His problem is not stupidity, it is arrogance.

A bit of gratitude to the NHS staff, pharmacists, volunteers, the military, other medical professionals (many of whom are giving up a lot of their own time to get a job done that he hoisted upon them at the last minute) as well as those who have had operations, appointments, tests cancelled again wouldn't go amiss.

It could, of course, be an excuse not to carry out a late visit to North Shropshire.

 

[kristiang85]

Hi guys. Normally try not post in this part of the forum (kinda toxic) but i feel like this really needs to be shared because i feel like im starting to lose my mind again...

Feel free to tell me to go away.

To be honest I've been saying this about Boris for years - his clown persona hides a very intelligent and calculating person, but I didn't realise it would become sinister.

This video probably needs a new thread, but Omicron/Christmas parties are dominating the news, when actually there are some very real threats out there we need to know about:
- Domestically, indeed the crime/policing/citizenship bills mentioned in the video. This is not getting near enough scrutiny (Certainly insisting on clearly divisive and self-defeating policies such as masks and vaccine passports makes more sense when you see it keeps people fighting among themselves rather than looking at the bigger picture).
- Russia potentially about to invade Ukraine, which could throw all kinds of chaos into European geopolitics.
- China potentially invading Taiwan
- Iran on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, and Israel champing at the bit to send in bombers with or without US support ,which could yet again throw the Middle East into turmoil.

BTW I'm sad you think this part of the forum is toxic. It probably has some of the most well informed discussions and debates on COVID I've seen on social media.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Reports now that people are risking £10,000 fines by leaving their places of quarantine: (https://www.theguardian.com/politic...ccines-christmas-boris-johnson-latest-updates)

(Session of evidence to Commons Transport Committee)
This is a complete shambles and just demonstrates how nobody thinks through implications of actions properly, basically there are no competent adults running our country.

Simon Calder tweeted that he had received a response from the Government sayig that people could leave immediately ie 0400 this morning. (tweeted at 1832 yesterday).

 

[asw22]

Hi guys. Normally try not post in this part of the forum (kinda toxic) but i feel like this really needs to be shared because i feel like im starting to lose my mind again...

Feel free to tell me to go away.

Martin Niemoller's poem seems more relevant now than ever

First they came for the media but I did not speak out because I'm not part of the media
Then the opposition ...
Then the migrants ...
Then the people who are against mandatory vaccines
Then they came for me

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Dec 2021 ==

Waiting for a former PM to say "Omicron is a variant of mass destruction, if you catch it and haven't had your booster, then you could be dead within 45 minutes"

Also waiting for the current PM to say how queues at vaccination centres boost his popularity (instead of them being potential superspreader events).

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Dec 2021 ==

These aren't nice times to be living in

 

[jfollows]

Simon Calder tweeted that he had received a response from the Government sayig that people could leave immediately ie 0400 this morning. (tweeted at 1832 yesterday).

Good.
Steve Barclay at the end of the debate only just before 1832 had said: (https://hansard.parliament.uk/commo...393B-C568-4DE6-8695-1D63F957537E/PublicHealth)
which, on re-reading it, says much the same, I thought initially it said the opposite! However it doesn't seem as if I'm the only one misunderstanding this.

The hon. Member for Rhondda (Chris Bryant) raised an issue. The Health Secretary flagged up in opening the debate that he intended to remove all 11 remaining countries from England’s red list as of 4 am tomorrow. The Health Secretary has urgently considered the issue of releasing people from managed quarantine before they have completed the 10-day isolation—a point also raised by the right hon. Member for Exeter (Mr Bradshaw) and a number of Members from across the House. The Government’s decision is that we should permit early release of those who went into managed quarantine before the changes to the red list and require them to follow the relevant rules as if they had arrived from a non-red list country. Anyone who has tested positive will need to continue to stay in managed quarantine. That will require changes to regulations. We will look to implement that as quickly as possible and we will set out further specific guidance for affected individuals imminently.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Hi guys. Normally try not post in this part of the forum (kinda toxic) but i feel like this really needs to be shared because i feel like im starting to lose my mind again...

Feel free to tell me to go away.

Robust, not toxic.

All COVID discussions, like all b*r*e*x*i*t ones, can get heated. Entrenched views, must be 100% for or 100% against, nuance, compromise and middle ground not acceptable sort of thing.

 

[brad465]

To be honest I've been saying this about Boris for years - his clown persona hides a very intelligent and calculating person, but I didn't realise it would become sinister.

This video probably needs a new thread, but Omicron/Christmas parties are dominating the news, when actually there are some very real threats out there we need to know about:
- Domestically, indeed the crime/policing/citizenship bills mentioned in the video. This is not getting near enough scrutiny (Certainly insisting on clearly divisive and self-defeating policies such as masks and vaccine passports makes more sense when you see it keeps people fighting among themselves rather than looking at the bigger picture).
- Russia potentially about to invade Ukraine, which could throw all kinds of chaos into European geopolitics.
- China potentially invading Taiwan
- Iran on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, and Israel champing at the bit to send in bombers with or without US support ,which could yet again throw the Middle East into turmoil.

BTW I'm sad you think this part of the forum is toxic. It probably has some of the most well informed discussions and debates on COVID I've seen on social media.

Certainly agree with the video. There are plenty who call the libertarians vocal against covid restrictions but silent on the police bill et al. hypocrites, which I agree with. What I'm not hearing a lot of though is it's possible to be opposed to all draconian actions, covid or not covid, as I am.

 

[adc82140]

On Saturday there were 10 in hospital with Omicron. There are 14 now. An increase of 4 in over half a week. Surely with the infection doubling time of 2 days we should have seen 20 by Monday, and 40 by today. I think the South Africans are right.

 

[jfollows]

The BBC still says it's not permitted to leave hotels early: (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59670486)

Guests in hotels have been told that they will be released from their 10-day quarantines early in due course, but they should stay put for now.
Ministers are set to give details about early release on Wednesday lunchtime.
People who break red-list quarantine rules can face a penalty of up to £10,000.
....
Roughly 5,000 people have come through the hotel quarantine system since the red list was re-started in late November, according to Jonathan Mogford, Senior Responsible Officer for Borders and Managed Quarantine Service at the UK Health Security Agency.
Speaking to the Transport Select Committee on Wednesday, he said the latest figures suggested about 5% of people in the hotels had tested positive for Covid. Of those, between 1% and 3% had Omicron.
Arrangements to release people early were being "sorted as quickly as possible", he said.
He added that officials do not want to release Covid or Omicron-positive guests immediately and that "we need to make sure that we've notified those are positive that they remain in the hotels".

The same article reports people leaving with hotel staff "tried to stop her leaving, but she'd walked out".

A shambles! Glad I'm not involved personally. And it's clearly not being sorted out "as quickly as possible" but perhaps instead "as quickly as our creaking bureaucracy permits".

 

[Yew]

Whereas a friend of mine turned up for his booster and was in and out in 17 minutes, including the 15 minutes wait after the jab.

My second one wasn't far off that either!

 

[Simon11]

What I found interesting in that BbC article was the section below

Roughly 5,000 people have come through the hotel quarantine system since the red list was re-started in late November, according to Jonathan Mogford, Senior Responsible Officer for Borders and Managed Quarantine Service at the UK Health Security Agency.
Speaking to the Transport Select Committee on Wednesday, he said the latest figures suggested about 5% of people in the hotels had tested positive for Covid. Of those, between 1% and 3% had Omicron.

Doing some calculations.....

Rather scary that 5% tested positive, even through they should have tested before flying.

Using 2% for whom has omicron, the hotel quarantine stopped five whole cases of omicron from entering the country.

The cost (data from August 2021) of quarantining for guests was £2,300 for a single room and £1,430 for a second adult. Lets assume the average cost is £1,800 per person, thus it means travellers had to pay £9 million pounds in just hotel quarantine costs to prevent five cases of omicorn.

 

[geoffk]

I've had a bad cold for the past week too. Also not taken a Covid test. In fact I've never taken a single Covid test.

I tried to get some lateral flow test kits today, having downloaded an NHS code. I was not surprised at all when I was told at three pharmacies that they are out of stock.

 

[Purple Orange]

BTW I'm sad you think this part of the forum is toxic. It probably has some of the most well informed discussions and debates on COVID I've seen on social media.

This forum does not have any well informed discussions on Covid at all. Toxic is a very apt word to describe this part of the forum.

 

[quantinghome]

On Saturday there were 10 in hospital with Omicron. There are 14 now. An increase of 4 in over half a week. Surely with the infection doubling time of 2 days we should have seen 20 by Monday, and 40 by today. I think the South Africans are right.

That's nowhere near enough data to come to any sort of conclusion. Other than you need more data.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

The BBC still says it's not permitted to leave hotels early: (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59670486)

The same article reports people leaving with hotel staff "tried to stop her leaving, but she'd walked out".

A shambles! Glad I'm not involved personally. And it's clearly not being sorted out "as quickly as possible" but perhaps instead "as quickly as our creaking bureaucracy permits".

Surely, if they are guests, they can leave when they like! Guest here being a euphemism for prisoner as in 'a guest of Her Majesty'.

Someone asked the question, who can legally stop them leaving (even before 0400 yesterday)? If it is an offence, they might end up being prosecuted but that's not the same as the security staff having powers to detain / restrain / return to captivity? I haven't looked into it to be honest, being firmly rooted into Great British Soil.

 

[Yew]

Interesting paper from ex-vivo (human tissue) studies about Omicron. It appears to replicate more easily in the Bronchus (windpipe) and less easily in the lungs. Perhaps explaining the perceived milder symptoms?



HKUMed finds Omicron SARS-CoV-2 can infect faster and better than Delta in human bronchus but with less severe infection in lung - News | HKUMed

They found that the novel Omicron variant replicates faster than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and Delta variant in the human bronchus. At 24 hours after infection, the Omicron variant replicated around 70 times higher than the Delta variant and the original SARS-CoV-2 virus. In contrast, the Omicron variant replicated less efficiently (more than 10 times lower) in the human lung tissue than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus, which may suggest lower severity of disease.

 

[MikeWM]

Certainly agree with the video. There are plenty who call the libertarians vocal against covid restrictions but silent on the police bill et al. hypocrites, which I agree with. What I'm not hearing a lot of though is it's possible to be opposed to all draconian actions, covid or not covid, as I am.

I agree too. It's all part of a bigger and very disturbing picture, and it all needs to be opposed.

It's a shame that Monbiot has spent much of the last 2 years criticising 'lockdown sceptics' (for lack of a better term) and not realising the things he is talking about, and lockdown scepticism, are two sides of the same coin and we should be working together.

 

[DustyBin]

This forum does not have any well informed discussions on Covid at all. Toxic is a very apt word to describe this part of the forum.

What you mean is we’re not all wetting ourselves in fear and therefore don’t believe the response is proportionate.

The discussions are largely very well informed with a lot of actual evidence presented and a lot of data broken down, interpreted and discussed in detail.

I have a serious question for you; how would you “detoxify” this part of the forum?

 

[Baxenden Bank]

What I found interesting in that BbC article was the section below



Doing some calculations.....

Rather scary that 5% tested positive, even through they should have tested before flying.

Using 2% for whom has omicron, the hotel quarantine stopped five whole cases of omicron from entering the country.

The cost (data from August 2021) of quarantining for guests was £2,300 for a single room and £1,430 for a second adult. Lets assume the average cost is £1,800 per person, thus it means travellers had to pay £9 million pounds in just hotel quarantine costs to prevent five cases of omicorn.

60 positives out of 600 passengers on that flight from South Africa to Amsterdam.

Is that figure 1%-3% of the 5% ie a very small number or 5% positive of which 3% are Omicron and 2% Delta/others?

5,000 guests of which 5% positive = 250 guests. 250 guests of which 3% Omicron variety positive = 7.5 guests with Omicron.
or
5,000 guests of which 5% positive = 250 guests. 250 guests of which 150 with Omicron, 100 with Delta/others.

Rather a difference, like the difference between 10 in hospital with Omicron and 250. Dominic Raab looking at you!