4 hours ago, Dante said:

I'm not prepared to speculate what went wrong, because I don't know.

I am a doctor. I have no specific knowledge of his admission but my medical training says that the booster being the cause of him being admitted to icu in those circumstances very very unlikely (especially in the context of his political views/agenda).

1 hour ago, Macca said:

And now we are seeing reports of younger people in South Africa being impacted more (health wise) by this new variant ... and the amount of those being infected rising dramatically. 

But again, South Africa has a very low vaccination rate in comparison to many European countries and the like

As 'old dee' said in a post earlier, we may need until Christmas to see a clearer picture of the impact of Omicron

All we have now are snippets of opinions without anything definitive.

However, The World Health Organisation is using very strong language such as describing Omicron as a 'very high global risk' ... more contageous/more debilitating? 

 

Cassandra here: the bottom line is that nobody knows much about this virus FOR SURE. It's all conjecture and I have tried to post that we should not be led astray by snake oil salesmen and spin doctors who assure us that because we have a high vaccination rate that we will have no further lockdowns etc and we are now open and free. None of these 'bright and rosy' future salesmen and women know anything about what Ignatius Pop calls 'Dealing with the real.'

1 hour ago, godees said:

I am a doctor. I have no specific knowledge of his admission but my medical training says that the booster being the cause of him being admitted to icu in those circumstances very very unlikely (especially in the context of his political views/agenda).

He’s not an anti vaxxer and his political views should be irrelevant.

I'm surprised that, as a doctor, you would offer an opinion without having access to his medical records.

4 minutes ago, Dante said:

He’s not an anti vaxxer and his political views should be irrelevant.

I'm surprised that, as a doctor, you would offer an opinion without having access to his medical records.

Common things are common. Don’t go looking for the zebra. It is drilled into you throughout your training.

I certainly wouldn’t be offering an opinion if I did have access to his medical records.

People are constantly manipulating situations during this pandemic to suit their politics/agenda. Maybe I’m cynical, maybe you are naive.

13 hours ago, Diamond_Jim said:

Just noticed that "omicrom" is an anagram for "moronic"

@Demonstone

I looked to you for lingual inspiration, but I now feel my [censored] has been spanked.

Deflated.......

2 hours ago, godees said:

Common things are common. Don’t go looking for the zebra. It is drilled into you throughout your training.

I certainly wouldn’t be offering an opinion if I did have access to his medical records.

People are constantly manipulating situations during this pandemic to suit their politics/agenda. Maybe I’m cynical, maybe you are naive.

 This post is evidence to me that you are viewing this virus through a political lens.

Unless you post a critique of a hyper-pro vaxxers manipulating situations during this pandemic to suit their politics/agenda.

Then I will unreservedly apologise. 

 

On 11/29/2021 at 8:26 PM, ding said:

How long before the anti-vax, 5G crowd call it Omi-CON

Ding needs an intervention.

This is NOT the way he would normally talk about a new strain of virus, knowing that the progression of said viri is to make themselves less potent, but more transmissible.

Ding, Ding, Ding.....

 

7 hours ago, faultydet said:

 This post is evidence to me that you are viewing this virus through a political lens.

Unless you post a critique of a hyper-pro vaxxers manipulating situations during this pandemic to suit their politics/agenda.

Then I will unreservedly apologise. 

 

Have you seen the Murdoch press?

So the UK & Germany have about 70% of their population double vaccinated yet both countries are still reporting in excess of 40,000 covid cases per day.  70% is nowhere near enough people vaccinated

South Africa on the other hand has only 24% double vaxxed which means 45 million out of 59 million aren't vaccinated

We are basically dealing with an unvaccinated country so whether it's Delta or Omicron, we could expect a big increase in covid numbers in South Africa.  Their latest 7 day average is sitting at 4786 cases per day

For more info go to google and type in ...

'Covid cases in (insert country) today'

A graph will appear with a drop down facility to change the country of origin

Edited November 30, 20213 yr by Macca

An expert committee voted to recommend the US Food and Drug Administration authorise Merck’s Covid pill for high-risk adults, the first of a new class of antiviral drug that could tackle Omicron and other variants.

The drug, molnupiravir, is likely to be approved for older and more vulnerable people at greater risk of severe illness. The treatment is given within five days of the start of symptoms and is taken as 40 pills over five days.

That's a lot of pills 😎

(From the UK Guardian daily blog)

12 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

An expert committee voted to recommend the US Food and Drug Administration authorise Merck’s Covid pill for high-risk adults, the first of a new class of antiviral drug that could tackle Omicron and other variants.

The drug, molnupiravir, is likely to be approved for older and more vulnerable people at greater risk of severe illness. The treatment is given within five days of the start of symptoms and is taken as 40 pills over five days.

That's a lot of pills 😎

(From the UK Guardian daily blog)

What has surprised me is the amount of anti-vaxxers world wide.   More so in affluent countries.  And that the affluent countries aren't helping out the poorer countries with vaccine availability

People have had ample time to get vaccinated and are these people not believing the actual numbers of covid cases, hospitalisations & deaths?  Why would anyone dice with death?

These people have got a far greater chance of dying from covid than they have from the vaccine ... especially if we get a variant of covid that is more lethal

Austria are mandating vaccines from Feb 1st ... other countries will follow suit you'd imagine, DJ

Low vaccination levels lead to more covid cases,  more hospitalisations,  more deaths and more lockdowns

55 minutes ago, Macca said:

So the UK & Germany have about 70% of their population double vaccinated yet both countries are still reporting in excess of 40,000 covid cases per day.  70% is nowhere near enough people vaccinated

Yes, but as with elsewhere, in Germany there's a huge difference in incidence of Covid between regions. It goes from around 150 cases per 100K per day in the east and old East Germany, down to less than 10% of that in the North West. Would love to see an overlay of vaccination rates by region/Covid incidence, but haven't managed to find any recent maps.

1 minute ago, Macca said:

What has surprised me is the amount of anti-vaxxers world wide.   More so in affluent countries.  And that the affluent countries aren't helping out the poorer countries with vaccine availability

The West has really failed the world this time.

It's the norm these days to question China but without their vaccines the world would be in problems. Cuba ended up developing its own vaccines (seem to work well) because of US sanctions.

One of my weekly googles is on production trends for the vaccines. The only country where you get decent transparency is India.

If as probable the world moves to boosters at 3-4 months watch the Pfizer shortages occur again.

As to the anti vaxers I'm with you and can't really understand their "fear" of vaccines which have now been given in the billions for over one year without significant evidence of any widespread ill effects.

Greece mandated vaccines yesterday for the over 60's. For every month you are not vaccinated you get a charge/fine.

One additional piece of irony is that the South African government were the the first to trash AZ which delayed the roll out in that country by months.

 

24 minutes ago, Macca said:

What has surprised me is the amount of anti-vaxxers world wide.   More so in affluent countries.  And that the affluent countries aren't helping out the poorer countries with vaccine availability

It doesn’t surprise me in the least. Our so-called ‘advanced nations’ have widespread access to a thing called ‘the internet’ and that has become the new playground for conspiracists. One can only wonder what the world would be like today if the internet has existed mid 20th century… polio, smallpox, measles, mumps etc etc would have run rampant.

3 hours ago, godees said:

Have you seen the Murdoch press?

well at least we can have a good guess at your agenda 😄

19 minutes ago, bing181 said:

Yes, but as with elsewhere, in Germany there's a huge difference in incidence of Covid between regions. It goes from around 150 cases per 100K per day in the east and old East Germany, down to less than 10% of that in the North West. Would love to see an overlay of vaccination rates by region/Covid incidence, but haven't managed to find any recent maps.

Here in Victoria (where we have the most cases of covid) the numbers seem to be evenly spread out now in terms of municipalities & shires

Even though the vaccination rates in 7 inner city municipalities here are lower than the rest (ranging from 73% - 80% as opposed to mostly 90%+ elsewhere)

2 minutes ago, Macca said:

Here in Victoria (where we have the most cases of covid) the numbers seem to be evenly spread out now in terms of municipalities & shires

Even though the vaccination rates in 7 inner city municipalities here are lower than the rest (ranging from 73% - 80% as opposed to mostly 90%+ elsewhere)

I seem to recall that some of those inner urban vaccination rates in Melbourne may not be accurate. I'm sure I read somewhere that due to the reduction in international students, the figures used for inner Melbourne overstate the actual population and therefore understate proportion vaccinated. 

13 minutes ago, hardtack said:

It doesn’t surprise me in the least. Our so-called ‘advanced nations’ have widespread access to a thing called ‘the internet’ and that has become the new playground for conspiracists. One can only wonder what the world would be like today if the internet has existed mid 20th century… polio, smallpox, measles, mumps etc etc would have run rampant.

30% in many European nations and 41% of Americans means there are a lot of conspiracy theorists. Too many

Not that I disagree with your appraisal HT

Mandates is the only solution then - but how to mandate?  These people will cop token fines so more draconian measures will be needed

We are seeing people give up their own career's all in the name of being an anti-vaxxer.  As well as being shut out of society in terms of what they are allowed to do

So do these anti-vaxxers stop their own children from being vaccinated? 30%+ in Europe up to 41% (USA)

6 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

I seem to recall that some of those inner urban vaccination rates in Melbourne may not be accurate. I'm sure I read somewhere that due to the reduction in international students, the figures used for inner Melbourne overstate the actual population and therefore understate proportion vaccinated. 

Yes,  that could well be true

Here in Australia I reckon the covid numbers can be managed (especially in comparison to many other countries)

A more lethal variant of covid is a greater threat than the amount of unvaccinated we have (we are heading for 90% - 95% vaccinated - eventually)

 

13 minutes ago, Macca said:

30% in many European nations and 41% of Americans means there are a lot of conspiracy theorists. Too many

Not that I disagree with your appraisal HT

Mandates is the only solution then - but how to mandate?  These people will cop token fines so more draconian measures will be needed

We are seeing people give up their own career's all in the name of being an anti-vaxxer.  As well as being shut out of society in terms of what they are allowed to do

So do these anti-vaxxers stop their own children from being vaccinated? 30%+ in Europe up to 41% (USA)

Will humour work instead of mandates? Or could it be seen as too condescending?

 

1 hour ago, Macca said:

So the UK & Germany have about 70% of their population double vaccinated yet both countries are still reporting in excess of 40,000 covid cases per day.  70% is nowhere near enough people vaccinated

South Africa on the other hand has only 24% double vaxxed which means 45 million out of 59 million aren't vaccinated

We are basically dealing with an unvaccinated country so whether it's Delta or Omicron, we could expect a big increase in covid numbers in South Africa.  Their latest 7 day average is sitting at 4786 cases per day

For more info go to google and type in ...

'Covid cases in (insert country) today'

A graph will appear with a drop down facility to change the country of origin

When you talk about percentage of population vacinated is it within a certain age group or does it vary from country to country?

Will be interesting to see if we have to mandate boosters.

If they make them at say 4 months it means January/Feb will co-incide with the due date for the vast majority of adults including those who were mandated.

Why do I see complete chaos coming our way yet again.

7 minutes ago, Wrecker46 said:

When you talk about percentage of population vacinated is it within a certain age group or does it vary from country to country?

Google up 'Vaccination rates Worldwide' for all the info Wrecker

You'll get a graph with drop-down facilities and below the graph is an 'About this data' icon that has further explanation

I'm guessing the cases pertain to 12 years and over but it might be 16 years and over.  Seen as more of an overview much like wiki provides

24 minutes ago, Macca said:

Google up 'Vaccination rates Worldwide' for all the info Wrecker

You'll get a graph with drop-down facilities and below the graph is an 'About this data' icon that has further explanation

I'm guessing the cases pertain to 12 years and over but it might be 16 years and over.  Seen as more of an overview much like wiki provides

It doesn't say what age bracket per country, just the percentage vacinated, which is meaningless on its own.

28 minutes ago, Wrecker46 said:

It doesn't say what age bracket per country, just the percentage vacinated, which is meaningless on its own.

You have to put 2 and 2 together and if you are looking for absolute exactness, you won't get it

Worldwide those aged under 12 haven't been vaccinated in great numbers (in a general sense)

Those aged 13 - 15 haven't been vaccinated in great numbers either

So it's almost certainly 16 and over as against the total population of those countries.  The numbers won't be exact ... they can't be. 

But close enough?  In my view, yes

It's like wiki, it doesn't need to be perfect or have to be perfect

The real pointers are the overflowing hospitals, those in ICU and the deaths (in the European countries & the USA)

That can't be ignored no matter what the numbers tell us

We're are doing well in Australia in comparison ... and there are a number of factors as to why (high vaccination rates, a more disciplined approach during lockdowns, mask wearing etc)

But that's just my view ... others can have different viewpoints

What's your overall view?

 

Edited December 1, 20213 yr by Macca