So Can We Stop It With The Latest Cobras Now?

[ToraToraTora]

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-most-omicron-cases-are-mild-and-theres-no-evidence-to-suggest-vaccines-may-be-less-effective-against-the-variant-says-who-12483729

[vulcan42]

The problem is, only yesterday WHO were warning high infection risk worldwide. Not easy to make the right decision when even the experts cannot agree for very long.

[ToraToraTora]

yes but high infection is irrelevant if the effects are minimal and the vaccination is effective against it.

[rowanwitch]

The main reason for anxiety as far as I can see is it could be the source of further variants. As it is already the most mutated strain it could mutate further to make it a genuine threat.

[vulcan42]

True TTT. Does anybody know if each successive strain gradually gets weaker or grows stronger to enable it to produce even more varients?

[Zacs-Master]

But that won't get clicks on news websites, Tora.

[Peter Pedant]

// Does anybody know if each successive strain gradually gets weaker or grows stronger//

yes we do: but people dont read the explanations because they are wheeling out tired old one liners vulvan, like
foo what dat mean - - - and
I havent read it, but its twaddle (thx to naomi, this very afternoon)

An epidemic strain gets more virulent as an epidemic continues - - -
a. dont ask me why it is an advantage to kill the host (Rushton 1980)
b. Defoe and others noticed the rat wasnt needed in later plague episodes as the human cases came contagious themselves (1689). Bloody spit was the danger sign - patients to keep away from !
c. if you want a decent pathogen, passage froo human tissue, if you want a vaccine, passage froo lab animal. Culture reqts virtually the same. Porton Down ( you know the novichik place) 1970
d.by observation- - - in the flu epidemic 1918

omicron being less virulent is deffo NOT following the text books. If a strain gets LESS virulent then the epidemic implodes.

so an epidemic does get more virulent
because if it didnt it would stop being an epidemic pronto.

If you have a partially immune population you need a higher R number ( tranmission factor) in order to keep the successful hit rate above 1.

(you may now foo gristle and whine:
why he use deffo and pronto? why he speak Italian?
what he know about dis?
"who defoe- he mean deffo or de foo!" and so on
lots of brainless one liners waiting to be generated... )

someone asked - honestly someone asked

[Canary42]

Most cases have always been mild amongst a substantial number of the fit and healthy, but fatal for the old and vulnerable - Omicron is probably no different in that respect (but the figures for the latter will be down because previous variants have already eliminated many).

[naomi24]

PP, leave me out of your twaddle.

[gulliver1]

Is this TTT talking another load of Cobras

[ToraToraTora]

ah the paper tiger puts in an appearance, lovely!

[Peter Pedant]

TTT dont be so rude to Naomi and other ABers !
they are doing their best !

verbal abuse is so ..... unbecoming and adds nothing to a discussion

[ToraToraTora]

pp do you think anyone actually reads anything you say?

[gulliver1]

15.47 I just couldn't resist that one.

[bobbinwales]

Now lets not make an asp out of ourselves

[jno]

high infection is irrelevant if the effects are minimal

I don't know about this - the more people are infected, the more chance of further mutations. No surprise that so far they've come from Brazil, southern Africa, India, and the first one from England - the countries that let the virus spread. Maybe this one has mild effects; maybe one that mutates from it won't.

[dave50]

I'm past caring I'm afraid, perhaps I have covid fatigue.

[jno]

long may it last, dave50...

[jourdain2]

As are we all dave50.

[royfromaus]

Get injected every three months or get abused...on-line and in real life.

[tomus42]

Apparently things tend to mutate to be less harmful. It makes sense because killing off your host is not the best survival strategy.