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The "Nu"/Omicron Variant. Bad news?

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Memento Mori
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The "Nu"/Omicron Variant. Bad news?

#1

Post by Memento Mori »

Lots of worried chatter about this variant from South Africa. EU is advising travel bans. It seems it has more mutations (what is the significance of this?) than other variants including Delta, it may be better at evading vaccines and it may be more transmissible. This all sounds like bad news, but to be honest, after 2 years of nonstop catastrophizing in the media I don't know what to think, is this really bad news (it is early days yet) or just another variant that does not really change anything?

We will find out soon it seems, as it has reached Europe.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/alar ... -8gm6w27ff
Last edited by Guburnor on Mon Dec 13, 2021 7:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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isha
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#2

Post by isha »

Hopefully though it is more transmissable it will be less virulent.

Either that, or bring in the tomato plants!
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PureIsle
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#3

Post by PureIsle »

I think it is very convenient timing to allow the reintroduction of limitations on populations.

But time will tell I guess.

EDIT:

Or maybe this has something to do with it



100 days for a new vax against the Nu variant?
kadman
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#4

Post by kadman »

There was never going to be a less virulent strain that current vaccines work for. Convenient that we have just become 97% vaccinated for covid 19. And this one the vaccines dont work for (again).
Best roll up the other sleeve.
schmittel
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#5

Post by schmittel »

Looking into my crystal ball, I make a prediction that this variant will disproportionately target/harm 5-12 year olds.
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isha
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#6

Post by isha »

It's been named Omicron.
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isha
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#7

Post by isha »



Botswana govt made that announcement yesterday (I think).
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isha
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#8

Post by isha »

The Flying Spaghetti Monster has a sense of humour. Them in charge skipped Xi, which would have been the next letter in the Greek alphabet, but inconvenient for obvious reasons. And went for the next letter that now the bold people are telling all is an anagram of moronic. 👀
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isha
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#9

Post by isha »

20211127_072556.jpg
20211127_072556.jpg (190.68 KiB) Viewed 4989 times
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kadman
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#10

Post by kadman »

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/ ... ern-africa
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Prof Sir Andrew Pollard said:

If you look at where most of the mutations are, they are similar to regions of the spike protein that have been seen with other variants so far and that tells you that despite mutations existing in other variants, the vaccines have continued to prevent very severe disease as we’ve moved through Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta.

At least from a speculative point of view we have some optimism that the vaccine should still work against this variant for severe disease but really we need to wait several weeks to have that confirmed.

But it is extremely unlikely that a reboot of a pandemic in a vaccinated population like we saw last year is going to happen

Pollard added that it was still too early from the data in South Africa to make any decisive conclusions of the impact the Omicron variant will have.

He was also hopeful that a new vaccine, if needed, could be developed rapidly. He said:

The processes of how one goes about developing a new vaccine are increasingly well oiled.

So if it’s needed that is something that could be moved very rapidly.
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isha
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#11

Post by isha »

Something that is really cropping up in the discourse around Omicron is how South Africa, Botswana etc have been unjustly punished for what was really remarkable work in tracking and sequencing the new genome in the variant, and then promptly telling the world of its existence.

The variant is everywhere by now. Will all the countries who rushed to ban flights from Africa rush with the same speed to ban flights from Europe, USA, Israel, Australia etc when they report their inevitable cases?
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#12

Post by kadman »

Maybe its the sceptic in me, but it looks like a rinse repeat job. I reckon shares in big pharma are going to earn more profit than bitcoin ;)
CheekyChapette81
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#14

Post by CheekyChapette81 »

They could at least have kept things in alphabetical order.
Jumping to O was completely unacceptable.
”she was cool-as if the whole world seemed to spin around her in smooth jazz” -Atticus
765489

Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#15

Post by 765489 »

The only good I see coming out of the new variant is that it might get people to check out a 1963 SciFi film of the same name. I've attached a trailer of it... don't understand anything in it but yer man is conversing with an alarm clock and speed reading books with the aid of a fan.

Will Omicron the movie be the most watched film of 2022 ?

490808
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#16

Post by 490808 »

Might already be here? Personally this virus moves so fast I'd be surprised if it isn't. Also I'd be surprised if when first discovered in Africa it hadn't already been around for a while.

Omicron may already be in Ireland, says Staines
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isha
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#17

Post by isha »

The African monitoring of the genomes is very good apparently. They have been punished for excellence, really.




Centre for Epidemic Response
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Abella
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#18

Post by Abella »

Its all BS , nothing to panic about, people carrying on as normal in Africa and the media whipping up a frenzy in the west, meanwhile follow the money, Goldman Sachs have said "Mutation Is Unlikely To Be More Malicious; No Reason For Portfolio Changes".
They will use this Omicron to scare people into getting boosters and vax their children , got to try raise the fear levels to keep the vaccine money train rolling.


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kadman
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#19

Post by kadman »

Scaremongering already starting here over the new strain, but the south african doctor thats been one of the first to suspect a new strain says.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -A South African doctor who was one of the first to suspect a different coronavirus strain among patients said on Sunday that symptoms of the Omicron variant were so far mild and could be treated at home.[/quote



It will be interesting to see how quick she is over ruled, and what she missed ;)
490808
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#20

Post by 490808 »

A South African doctor also reported that the mild symptoms were reported in a young patients so hard to say at this stage if it will affect older and vulnerable people more severely.
Dr Phaahla said he has heard anecdotally that cases of the new variant have been “mild” and mostly in the young, for whom vaccination rates are relatively low in South Africa.
https://www.breakingnews.ie/world/uk-pa ... 20267.html

Really all we know at this stage is that its a new strain.
765489

Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#21

Post by 765489 »

kadman wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 5:50 pm Scaremongering already starting here over the new strain, but the south african doctor thats been one of the first to suspect a new strain says.
Just read that. Surely this is a good thing if what she said below turns out to be the case ?

"Coetzee, who is also on the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Vaccines, said unlike the Delta so far patients have not reported loss of smell or taste and there has been no major drop in oxygen levels with the new variant."

Covid on the wane?
Abella
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#22

Post by Abella »

Ncdjd2 wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 6:06 pm
Covid on the wane?
Its a mental illness at this stage.
Many have falling in love with covid and don't want it to end, it has given their shitty life meaning, they can be a Hero, and they dont even have to do anything, in fact the less they do the more of a Hero they are, they love the lockdown and staying at home, its looks like some are snapping out of this mental illness and rejecting the BS
490808
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#23

Post by 490808 »

For anyone thats not listening to the news 24/7 and hadn't heard yet there are 6 cases of Omicron reported this morning in Scotland https://www.breakingnews.ie/world/six-c ... 20534.html
765489

Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#24

Post by 765489 »

The Continental Op wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 11:25 am For anyone thats not listening to the news 24/7 and hadn't heard yet there are 6 cases of Omicron reported this morning in Scotland https://www.breakingnews.ie/world/six-c ... 20534.html
Has to be here so.
490808
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Re: The "Nu" Variant. Bad news?

#25

Post by 490808 »

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