General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOmicron variant appears to be 'super mild' mutation with Covid death rate not jumping
The WHO and Coronavirus experts are increasingly convinced the new Omicron variant is ‘super mild’ and has, so far, not led to a jump in Covid death rates anywhere in Southern Africa.
The WHO is calling this morning for countries to drop travel restrictions and end the mass hysteria, and instead be cautiously optimistic as more and more reports out of South Africa suggest the new Omicron variant is not more lethal than the previous Delta variant.
In fact, there have been no reports of hospitalisations or deaths as a result of anyone being diagnosed with Omicron.
Most patients merely experience a severe headache, nausea, dizziness and a high pulse rate, according to hospitals and medics across Southern Africa.
https://www.cityam.com/covid-death-rate-not-rising-swap-travel-restrictions-and-mass-hysteria-for-cautious-optimism-as-omicron-mutation-is-super-mild-variant-who-and-coronavirus-experts-say/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
mucifer
(25,667 posts)
Haggard Celine
(17,821 posts)Could be a lot worse.
lindysalsagal
(22,915 posts)Maybe this means it does, so, the pandemic has already reached it's peak. Fingers crossed. Got my booster, anyhow.
ratchiweenie
(8,215 posts)was not taking it seriously enough.
scipan
(3,041 posts)They are worried about the effects on reporting ifSA is in effect punished for reporting omicron. But they don’t even talk like that, accusing countries of “hysteria “.
targetpractice
(4,919 posts)Selective pressure always drives a virus to make the most copies of itself as possible... This will lead to more transmissible, but less virulent (less lethal) strains over time.
lindysalsagal
(22,915 posts)targetpractice
(4,919 posts)... Less lethal variant is good, but what long term effects does it cause? Like Long-COVID issues? Too soon to tell.
EarlG
(23,631 posts)it could be very good news.
Tomconroy
(7,611 posts)
Wingus Dingus
(9,173 posts)There's nothing "hysterical" about travel restrictions in the first few weeks of a new rapidly-spreading variant until we have solid answers about it. The least you can do is not get on an international flight from a hotspot to a place where it's not prevalent, until it's clear it doesn't present a danger.
hamsterjill
(17,577 posts)Well said. It's no wonder we all stay confused these days.
Tomconroy
(7,611 posts)the flu there. No one knows exactly what's going on.
hamsterjill
(17,577 posts)No one knows and that’s why there’s confusion. Media reports are speculating to sell press and nothing is fact yet - especially whether or not the vaccines/boosters are effective against Omicron. Not anti-vax or anti-booster in any way myself; just telling it like it is.
berni_mccoy
(23,018 posts)Corgigal
(9,298 posts)We’re suppose to be going to a indoor concert in 8 days. The hotel just emailed us to informed us they will have our room empty for 48 hours before we check in. Must wear a mask at the hotel. Indoor concert , so we have to prove our shot records.
I just so miss live music. It’s been so long for us. We both had 3 shots, have no problem wearing a mask. Everything so spooky, but my local doctor said we should go.
GusBob
(8,249 posts)Its been almost a week now since this first came to my notice, and they had been saying mild symptoms from the get go
berni_mccoy
(23,018 posts)Please don’t spread misinformation.
“Super mild” is a term coined by the author of the article. When reading it, the comment from health advisors in SA are it’s too soon to tell.
ratchiweenie
(8,215 posts)very mild. I could handle headaches, nausea, etc. if I won't die.
berni_mccoy
(23,018 posts)Hospitalizations have gone up in SA.
Tomconroy
(7,611 posts)berni_mccoy
(23,018 posts)On false information less false hope be given.
Tomconroy
(7,611 posts)to mention it until there is more info.
ratchiweenie
(8,215 posts)know why. Maybe I'm wrong but I've read several articles in the last few days. All have said that Covid 19 cases are increasing along with Omicron cases but there have not been hospitalizations from Omicron???
JohnSJ
(98,883 posts)when the Wuhan pandemic started by taking a very casual approach.
There are a lot of questions that must be answered, and NOT anecdotally.
1. How lethal is it.
2. How transmittable is it
3. How effective are the current vaccines against it
4. How does it affect various demographics, young, old, etc.
There is no "mass hysteria" going on. They are taking proper precautions until those basic questions can be answered.
WHO was also against the U.S. recommendations of a booster, making wrong assumption in that area also
greenjar_01
(6,477 posts)
malaise
(296,114 posts)We can hope
Demsrule86
(71,542 posts)a less virulent, contagious form...the same may happen here.
Initech
(108,783 posts)Good news! 
scipan
(3,041 posts)countries drop their travel restrictions or “end the mass hysteria “.
https://www.who.int/news-room/articles-detail/who-advice-for-international-traffic-in-relation-to-the-sars-cov-2-omicron-variant
WHO advice for international traffic in relation to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529)
(updated with correction)
30 November 2021 COVID-19 Travel Advice
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern (VOC), named Omicron, on the basis of advice from WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (hereafter referred to as TAG-VE) on 26 November 2021. Following the group’s announcement an increasing number of countries are introducing temporary travel measures, including temporarily prohibiting the arrival of international travellers from Southern African countries and others where the new variant is being detected, including from South Africa, which first reported the variant to WHO on 24 November 2021.
WHO commends South Africa and Botswana for their capacities in surveillance and sequencing and for the speed and transparency with which they notified and shared information with the WHO Secretariat on the Omicron variant in accordance with the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR). These actions have allowed other countries to rapidly adjust their response measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. WHO calls on all countries to follow the IHR (2005) and to show global solidarity in rapid and transparent information sharing and in a joint response to Omicron (as with all other variants), leveraging collective efforts to advance scientific understanding and sharing the benefits of applying newly acquired scientific knowledge and tools.
...snip...
Countries should continue to apply an evidence-informed and risk-based approach when implementing travel measures in accordance with the IHR, including the latest Temporary Recommendations issued by the WHO Director-General on 26 October 2021 following the 9th Emergency Committee for COVID-19 and as recommended in the documents WHO policy and technical considerations for implementing a risk-based approach to international travel in the context of COVID-19 issued in July 2021.
National authorities in countries of departure, transit and arrival may apply a multi-layered risk mitigation approach to potentially delay and/or reduce the exportation or importation of the new variant. Such measures may include screening of passengers prior to travelling and/or upon arrival, including via the use of SARS-CoV-2 testing or the application of quarantine to international travellers. These measures, nonetheless, need to be defined following a thorough risk assessment process informed by the local epidemiology in departure and destination countries and by the health system and public health capacities in the countries of departure, transit and arrival. All measures should be commensurate with the risk, time-limited and applied with respect to travellers’ dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms, as outlined in the IHR (2005).
Blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread, and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods. In addition, they can adversely impact global health efforts during a pandemic by disincentivizing countries to report and share epidemiological and sequencing data. All countries should ensure that the measures are regularly reviewed and updated when new evidence becomes available on the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of Omicron or any other VOC.
Deminpenn
(17,506 posts)the fully vaccinated individuals already recovering.
It's been interesting following the cases in my local Pittsburgh sports teams. Some of the players who have tested positive had mild or no symptoms and some have had worse symptoms. It kind of makes me think the less/no symptoms were not the delta strain and the other symptomatic ones were.
Initech
(108,783 posts)The question is do you want to go to the ICU and die or do you want a mild cough and maybe some nausea? I know which I would choose if I had to. 
ananda
(35,145 posts)Those symptoms look very uncomfortable to me.
scipan
(3,041 posts)Previous studies of Omicron’s spike mutations — particularly in the region that recognizes receptors on human cells — suggest that the variant will blunt the potency of neutralizing antibodies. For instance, in a September 2021 Nature paper2, a team co-led by Paul Bieniasz, a virologist at Rockefeller University in New York City, engineered a highly mutated version of spike — in a virus incapable of causing COVID-19 — that shares numerous mutations with Omicron. The ‘polymutant spike’ proved fully resistant to neutralizing antibodies from most of the people they tested who had either received two doses of an RNA vaccine or recovered from COVID-19. With Omicron, “we expect there to be a significant hit,” says Bieniasz.
So some indication of evading vaccines, but anecdotal reports that it’s more mild:
If Omicron behaves similarly, Madhi says, “we’re going to see a surge of cases. We’re going to see lots of breakthrough infections, lots of reinfections. But there’s going to be this unhinging of the case rate in the community compared to the hospitalization rate”. Early reports suggest that most breakthrough infections with Omicron have been mild, says Madhi. “For me, that is a positive signal.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03614-z
I posted the most speculative parts but it’s Nature so ... solid speculation I guess you could say.
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,782 posts)Mother nature tends to do that to us sometimes. This one could have mild symptoms, yet produce more severe long-term damage including to organs and DNA. Probably be a year or so before we know for sure.
I'll still take all the best precautions at my age and high-risk status.
Stay safe, Democrats......