Omicron "variant of concern"

[sglowrider]

Why you should upgrade your mask as the Omicron variant spreads - CNN

Why you should upgrade your mask as the Omicron variant spreads | CNN

As the Omicron variant spreads, it's time to upgrade from your cloth face masks. Experts explain why medical-grade masks -- such as surgical/disposable masks and N95 and KN95 respirators -- are better options now and what people should do with the cloth masks they already have.

www.cnn.com

 

[JamieDimonsBalls]

Why you should upgrade your mask as the Omicron variant spreads - CNN

Why you should upgrade your mask as the Omicron variant spreads | CNN

As the Omicron variant spreads, it's time to upgrade from your cloth face masks. Experts explain why medical-grade masks -- such as surgical/disposable masks and N95 and KN95 respirators -- are better options now and what people should do with the cloth masks they already have.

www.cnn.com

 

[Spartans9312]

I get the idea that unvaxxed should be "punished" by moving to the back of a line. It actually fits the conservative implied suggestions that it's somewhat okay for people with diabetes to die because it's their fault anyway. Americans love to see what they perceive as wrongdoing punished. But medicine must remain neutral, normal triage must apply.

DM is a disease CAUSED by genetics but requires a dietary input to manifest itself….Without the diabetic genotype, one can eat sugar/calories by the shovel full and BS will never go above normal nor will any of the complications of DM appear….CV disease is closely allied to DM (DM is really a disease affecting blood vessels). The association of CV disease with chol (levels are genetically determined and influenced by diet only minimally) is pretty weak….Eg- diabetics have MIs at a rate of about 60/1000/yr compared to non-diabetics at 4/1000/yr…Hi chol raises the rate to 8/1000/yr

 

[Spartans9312]

What little I know about the differences between the two make me think the mRNA derived vaccines would be more benign, but that's just a gut reaction.

To develop a vaccine the old fashioned way, one has to first find a way of rendering the virus weakened or dead, then seeing if it not only brings on the desired immunity, but also doesn’t cause disease (if live)— it is after all the virus itself….All time consuming and hit & miss experimentation.

The mRNA technique is an elegant application of basic science— Manufacture the antigen and then test to see if it works. Cuts out a lot of the middle man experimentation…OTOH- one weakness is that it’s only one antigen compared to multiple antigens on the virus itself…. The remedy will be to manufacture vaxes with multiple mRNAs.

 

[Spartans9312]

Realistically, how many more mutations can we expect from covid? Is there any way to even guess?

Everyone knows about the problem of antibiotic resistance—> If an antibiotic is given, it kills all the bugs that can be killed by it, leaving behind mutants (not causing them, just leaving them behind) that are resistant to that antibiotic. Pretty soon, the only bugs left in the world are the ones resistant to that antibiotic. It becomes useless in the medical armamentarium.

Same thing for vaccines—> any mutant (“variant”) not killed off by the vax will soon become the dominant type if everyone is vaccinated…I guess we’ll never know how much of the changing viral gene frequency is due to natural factors vs increased selection pressure caused by the vaccine.

It’s not a “black & white” choice about using vaccines. Being such a “leaky” vaccine, it may actually be prolonging the pandemic by encouraging new mutants.

 

[ulrey]

Huh? What country is that? Not the USA. 61%, as of today. Much lower in the dumb places. Lots of those 61% need a booster too.

racist comments typical.

 

[outside shooter]

Being such a “leaky” vaccine, it may actually be prolonging the pandemic by encouraging new mutants.

All of the mutations we're currently dealing with emerged well before the COVID-19 vaccines were publicly available. Every one. Including omicron.

You asked, we answered: Are leaky vaccines causing the new COVID-19 mutations?

I’ve heard that the COVID-19 vaccines are “leaky,” and that’s why we’re getting all these new COVID-19 mutations. Are leaky vaccines causing these dangerous COVID-19 mutations?

www.nebraskamed.com

 

[outside shooter]

Research debunks myth that COVID vaccination promotes mutations

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland, USA, has highlighted the importance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in reducing the frequency of mutations in the delta variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

www.news-medical.net

No, COVID-19 Vaccines Do Not Cause New Coronavirus Variants

Despite false claims making the rounds on social media, COVID-19 vaccines are not responsible for the new variants of the novel coronavirus that have emerged. Here's how they develop naturally.

www.healthline.com

 

[hookyIU1990]

All of the mutations we're currently dealing with emerged well before the COVID-19 vaccines were publicly available. Every one. Including omicron.

You asked, we answered: Are leaky vaccines causing the new COVID-19 mutations?

I’ve heard that the COVID-19 vaccines are “leaky,” and that’s why we’re getting all these new COVID-19 mutations. Are leaky vaccines causing these dangerous COVID-19 mutations?

www.nebraskamed.com

Omicron was discovered in Nov of 21. It's not mentioned in that article you posted. Is there a difference between discovered and what your article refers to as earliest sample date?

 

[outside shooter]

Omicron was discovered in Nov of 21. It's not mentioned in that article you posted. Is there a difference between discovered and what your article refers to as earliest sample date?

It was discovered recently, but its genetic lineage dates back at least to early 2021

 

[hookyIU1990]

It was discovered recently, but its genetic lineage dates back at least to early 2021

The fact that they're mutations from the original means they all have that lineage, right?

I'm asking if the mutation that has been identified as Omicron really predates the use of vaccines.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

The fact that they're mutations from the original means they all have that lineage, right?

I'm asking if the mutation that has been identified as Omicron really predates the use of vaccines.

One of the threads MTIOTF started suggested omicron was a variant off the original and went into mice in the summer of 2020. That is of course just one theory.

But omicron does lack some of the mutations delta had, so we believe it predates delta

 

[hookyIU1990]

One of the threads MTIOTF started suggested omicron was a variant off the original and went into mice in the summer of 2020. That is of course just one theory.

But omicron does lack some of the mutations delta had, so we believe it predates delta

Thanks. Hadn't heard the mice theory. I know some Penn State researchers found that deer are carrying the virus, but I haven't really gone and looked for info on transmission across or between species.

 

[JamieDimonsBalls]

Research debunks myth that COVID vaccination promotes mutations

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland, USA, has highlighted the importance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in reducing the frequency of mutations in the delta variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

www.news-medical.net

No, COVID-19 Vaccines Do Not Cause New Coronavirus Variants

Despite false claims making the rounds on social media, COVID-19 vaccines are not responsible for the new variants of the novel coronavirus that have emerged. Here's how they develop naturally.

www.healthline.com

‘Leaky’ Vaccines Can Produce Stronger Versions of Viruses

By studying chickens, researchers say they have proven the theory that more virulent viruses can evolve from so-called “leaky” vaccines.

www.healthline.com

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Thanks. Hadn't heard the mice theory. I know some Penn State researchers found that deer are carrying the virus, but I haven't really gone and looked for info on transmission across or between species.

I think it was a Leopard at a zoo in Michigan that just died from Sars-cor-2.

The mice theory is intriguing, it will be interesting to see if more scientists buy into the theory.

 

[outside shooter]

OK, let's apply some common sense.

Mutations occur through viral replication. The more copies of the virus there, the more mutation occurs. It is spontaneous and random. A given mutation frequency.

If population A, unvaccinated, has a viral load 10x that of population B, who is vaccinated, the odds of random mutation to any specific variant is clearly higher in population A. Both would be susceptible to the properties of the mutant, so there is no selective pressure with respect to population B.

If vaccination was driving mutation, mutants would be first arising in highly vaccinated populations (Israel, as an example). To date, the opposite is true. Mutants arise in largely unvaccinated populations and then spread to the vaccinated populations, if mutation creates a more vaccine-resitant variant by chance.

 

[JamieDimonsBalls]

 

[bawlmer]

Deaths spiking in 3 cities on front edge of Omicron infection surge (though not as high as prior infection surges).

Early Data Hints at Omicron’s Potential Toll Across America

In the cities that were among the first to experience rapid rises in Covid cases due to Omicron, serious outcomes including I.C.U. stays and deaths are following case curves upward.

www.nytimes.com

 

[hookyIU1990]

Deaths spiking in 3 cities on front edge of Omicron infection surge (though not as high as prior infection surges).

Early Data Hints at Omicron’s Potential Toll Across America

In the cities that were among the first to experience rapid rises in Covid cases due to Omicron, serious outcomes including I.C.U. stays and deaths are following case curves upward.

www.nytimes.com

I don't have an NYT account. Which 3 cities?

 

[bawlmer]

I don't have an NYT account. Which 3 cities?

Here's an excerpt:

"In New York City, Boston and Chicago — cities with some of the country’s earliest Omicron surges — deaths have followed cases at a slightly reduced scale than in previous peaks. But because of the extraordinarily high case count, even a proportionally lower death toll from the current case curve in the United States could be devastating.

In early-hit cities, hospitals are seeing more patients testing positive for Covid-19 than at any time last year. Because of the sheer infectiousness of the Omicron variant, many who arrive at the hospital for other ailments test positive for the coronavirus. Some doctors have also said that patients who do have Covid as a primary diagnosis are faring better than during previous waves.

Even so, the number of Covid-19 patients who need intensive care or mechanical ventilation is approaching levels not seen since last winter. And the sheer number of patients is overwhelming to hospitals, where staffing shortages are putting healthcare workers under immense strain."