Omicron.

[hobbit.]

Happy Christmas, Tovarishch.

charge of the light brigade, anyone?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G5rfPISIwo

 

[thør]

charge of the light brigade, anyone?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G5rfPISIwo

It will be a brigade of Ukrainian Cossacks.

 

[hobbit.]

It will be a brigade of Ukrainian Cossacks.

some key workers drive vans for amazon....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY2qPiA5KS4

 

[thør]

some key workers drive vans for amazon....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY2qPiA5KS4

Soon, there will be no one to send money back to.

 

[Wrong Element]

World News // 28 minutes ago

New studies say Omicron COVID-19 variant appears milder than Delta strain

Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Two new scientific studies indicate that the Omicron COVID-19 variant appears to be milder than prior strains like Delta, but it still has the potential to kill and overwhelm hospitals worldwide.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2021/12/23/uk-studies-omicron-covid-variant/2411640259527/



So, even though it somehow appears to have the magical ability to appear in every corner of the human population almost simultaneously, it doesn't appear to have much of a kick.

Maybe the fuckers that panicked and trashed the markets last week will go bury their heads now.

I think there's still a question of what Omicron would do in what's called a "naive" population, but the bottom line is that's not what we have: the huge majority of Americans have either had a previous case of Covid or have some protection from vaccines (and of course, millions have had both). That is certainly blunting the impact of Omicron beyond the question of whether it's inherently weaker.

Just anecdotally (based on the rise in cases that started around the time), it appears that Omicron was starting to spread in New York City around the beginning of the month, so if it was going to be a massive issue for hospitals, we'd be starting to see it around now. There has been a bit of an increase in hospitalizations, but it's not looking anything like March 2020. I think they're more concerned with staffing shortages caused by Omicron spread than they are with the prospect of the variant flooding them with patients.

And I think I saw that the numbers of Covid patients in London ICUs were holding steady, even as the variant is still blowing up there.

 

[oggbashan]

And I think I saw that the numbers of Covid patients in London ICUs were holding steady, even as the variant is still blowing up there.

That is no longer true. The hospitalizations in London have grown by 40% in the last few days. The rest of the UK is still steady for hospitalizations - so far. The majority of those in hospitals in London are younger unvaccinated adults.

 

[Champakian]

Debating how bad it could have been. Seriously???

 

[hobbit.]

Soon, there will be no one to send money back to.

they could send it to me care of 'Mystic Hobbit charitable enterprises' I will put it to good use.

 

[oggbashan]

Debating how bad it could have been. Seriously???

In South Africa, the number of daily cases of Omicron has dropped but they don't know why.

In London, despite Omicron being 'milder' and the percentage of people needing hospital treatment being fewer than with Delta, the percentage is of a much larger number of infections and so hospital admissions have increased by 44%.

But London is one of the places in the UK where the unvaccinated are most numerous. It is the unvaccinated that make up most of the new hospital admissions.

 

[Champakian]

:facepalm:


We know why...

 

[oggbashan]

There are many possible reasons, starting with free healthcare. Sniffles? Free ER. And there are unhealthy aspects of living in the UK, especially London with extreme population density and all sorts of crap in the air. The lockdown that reduced sunlight exposure for already deprived people is another kick in the immune system. As natural gas becomes more expensive, the UK will be burning more wood and some coal, so respiratory heath may still get worse for a long while, but it can at least get off the shots carousel.

But the largest factor is that some parts of London have the largest proportion of unvaccinated people than anywhere else in the UK.

Some resistance is ethnic; some is religious (which is why vaccination centres have opened in mosques and Sikh temples) but most is from younger people who believe fake news on social media rather than the government.

 

[hobbit.]

.but most is from .people who believe fake news on social media rather than the government.

wouldve thought that when a government gets outed as liars people lose trust in them.

 

[Conager]

Government sources have been dead wrong about everything, throughout. When you point out how wrong they have been, the goalposts get revised again.

There is NOTHING about the latest scaremongering that deserves the least bit of attention. If Omnicrom was the OG virus, it would have gotten less attention than the OG SARS did when then Vice President Biden's pandemic response team figured out that it was endemic and a risk to only those at risk for all respiratory diseases.

This version doesn't even make it into the lungs much so it causes very little of the respiratory ills. It's a cold like lots of coronavirus caused diseases.

It's been over for months. Biden was correct when he crowed victory quite a long time ago. The panic peddlers managed to convince him to restart the mass hysteria.

 

[LukSkyFokker]

Viruses' mutating and scientists changing their position isn't goalpost moving.

 

[geronimo_appleby]

netflix - don't look up.

satire.

worth a watch because it's so bang-on.

oh, and happy christmas.

 

[hobbit.]

Bah Humbug!

 

[oggbashan]

Bah Humbug!

And Happy Christmas to you too, Hobbit.

 

[Champakian]

But the largest factor is that some parts of London have the largest proportion of unvaccinated people than anywhere else in the UK.

Some resistance is ethnic; some is religious (which is why vaccination centres have opened in mosques and Sikh temples) but most is from younger people who believe fake news on social media rather than the government.

I would submit that there's a factor you left out...


People who assume that the government routinely lies to them for gain.

 

[hobbit.]

And Happy Christmas to you too, Hobbit.

Happy New Year.

 

[Saint_Ann]

The line to the drive thru covid testing facility was around the block.

 

[Champakian]

People here are absolutely terrified and cowering.

Swear to all the Gods and Buddhas! The stench in the air is palpable.

I renewed my driver's license yesterday (which you do at an official government office).

NOBODY was wearing a mask, not even the office workers.
They did have signs saying that if you wanted to
you could wear one, but I don't think that
you could for the license photo...

And it was in the low 70s.
Perfect transmission
petri medium.

 

[bellisarius]

The line to the drive thru covid testing facility was around the block.

I've been reading about these massive "waiting to be tested" lines. And then there's the handy-dandy "Home Testing Kit." When you start testing to that degree do you think it may have an impact on the number of new "cases?"

 

[Champakian]

President Joe Biden is a senile dolt.

I saw him yesterday taking a victory lap.

The Trump Administration got out ZERO home testing kits.
We're quadrupled that!

Talk about you basic (and epic) math fail...

Hey Joe! Zero times anything is Zero!
Or did you mean that you've distributed four testing kits?

 

[bellisarius]

I heard that snippet as well. Of course back then home testing kits weren't a priority, I still question as to whether they are today. From my perspective having the herd stampeded to get home testing kits is preferable to stampeding to buy TP. I won't be acquiring any kits so I won't be dealing with any lines, shortages, or inflated prices (at least for the kits).

 

[Champakian]

I should go out and get some TP today
since Dr. Death is talking lockdowns again.

The little dude is on a serious power trip.
He reminds me of some of my diminutive
friends who drive the biggest truck possible...