COVID-19 updates comments and concerns

[Tha_Phantom]

It's simply too contagious, all we can do is slow it down.
Let's put NSW aside for a second, both Vic and NZ locked down as soon as they got a whiff of delta and yet their numbers are still going up.
Vaccinations really are the only path out of this. And yes we need to lockdown for the meantime.

Nearly two months on and this is still the situation. NSW's cases have been declining thanks to vaccinations and Victoria has overtaken us in the daily numbers (they haven't beaten our peak though).
Although they've kept their daily numbers pretty low, NZ has accepted that entirely eliminating covid is unrealistic.
Roll up those sleeves people!

Edit: spoke too soon, Victoria has overtaken NSW's peak daily case number as of today.

[griffin]

Lockdowns do impact on everyone, especially businesses, students and many workers... and agreeing with an earlier sentiment they are necessary to insulate the hospitals from being swamped until vaccination rates are high enough, like childhood vaccines need to be to reduce or eliminate things like whooping cough and measles. We already have states unable to do elective and non-urgent surgeries, blowing out already long waiting lists, and states like QLD had all this time to increase resources at hospitals ready for borders to be opened in the next few months and they know that living with covid means a certain amount of daily cases, which will result in people in hospital.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Tassie's had a breach. 1x exposure site (some 15-year-old breaking quarantine to go to an IGA with his older mate/brother, I forget which) in Newnham, Launceston. 2.20-2.45pm yesterday. The kid had come from Victoria and was confirmed positive.
So far most of the contacts are returning negative, which is good, but it's early days. Fingers crossed we get lucky with this one.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Jab #2 today. So far so good, sore arm again with a little heat around the injection site, slightly tired but have been that way all day so it's likely due to being slightly busy lately/a little run-down, possible slight fever but very slight.
Fingers crossed for the next few days.

Day #2 - slight fever, very mild pain in the arm around the injection site, yesterday's heat in the arm has gone. :-)

[G1Optimal]

Has anyone heard any updates of the omicron variant as in how severe the sickness is?

[DELTAprime]

I wouldn't get too worked up over Omicron yet. The WHO's labelled other strains as Variant of Concern before and they haven't caused the massive death tolls.

[G1Optimal]

Thanks for that info

[Autocon]

More infectious but not more deadly. What is alarming over omicron is the great change in the virus. Something like 30 differences to the spike protein.

[griffin]

More infectious but not more deadly. What is alarming over omicron is the great change in the virus. Something like 30 differences to the spike protein.

That's the impression I get so far too... more infectious (spreadable), but at this stage no more deadly (one report mentioned that it could be less deadly, as the many mutations may not have resulted in a virus that did more damage to those who got infected... but still too early too tell).

The four important factors to keep in mind with any new virus or mutation of a virus...
- spreadability from an infected host
- absorption rate by others (how easily it is picked up by others, and how easily it enters their body, as different viruses have different absorption means, like through the lungs, through the skin, through the nose, through genitals, etc... but not necessarily through all of them)
- severity of infection (from not affecting you at all, to killing you)
- resistance to existing medication (preventative medication known as vaccines, and responsive medications)

Omicron so far sounds like it is only more spreadable and more absorbable, but early evidence suggests the other two factors are no worse, which is at least better than Delta, because it was worse on all four factors.... as we saw when it became the dominant strain and resulted in increased hospitalisations and deaths, even after the vaccines were rolled out.
The travel bans are not intended to stop the spread.... it is just a temporary measure to slow the spread a bit, to buy us more time to work out if it is more deadly (and update vaccines if it is resistant).... and not panic early if it is not actually necessary.

[DELTAprime]

Borders to Queensland opened the other day, now people around here are starting to finally take covid more seriously.