Looming threat of Omicron wave triggers early pandemic Dejavu

[mystery-ak]

Looming threat of Omicron wave triggers early pandemic Dejavu
By Caroline Vakil - 12/18/21 11:32 AM EST

When the U.S. made COVID-19 vaccines available for all adults in the spring, Americans, including government officials, hailed the development as a turning point in the pandemic.

President Biden himself echoed the optimism that the U.S. may be turning a corner. 

“Today we're closer than ever to declaring our independence from a deadly virus. That’s not to say the battle against COVID-19 is over. We’ve got a lot more work to do,” he said in July.


"It no longer paralyzes our nation, and it is within our power to make sure it never does again."

But fast forward to December, and pandemic history appears to be repeating itself.

In the course of just a few weeks this month, the omicron variant and a steep rise in U.S. cases has triggered COVID-19 restrictions reminiscent of the early part of the outbreak.

Professional sports leagues have begun postponing games, some schools have started transitioning to remote learning and city officials have acknowledged they were reconsidering implementing prior coronavirus protocols, like mask mandates.

The current situation in the U.S. has also promoted concern from health experts.


it gets worse
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/586420-looming-threat-of-omicron-wave-triggers-early-pandemic-dejavu

[GtHawk]

The only places I see panic are democrat controlled states like here in California and that's only at the governor and mayors of socialist cities. Then again maybe I've mistaken that joy at playing Hitler again with panic. I really don't see or hear of any panic in the people I run across. Oh they comply with Herr Noisome Uber Fuhrer's masking order but only when they go into a store that requires it and then outside off it comes. Of course there are those that never took the mask off after the last time, the old and the sheep you know the ones that wear a mask while alone in their car or walking outside alone.....idiots.

[roamer_1]

The only places I see panic are democrat controlled states like here in California and that's only at the governor and mayors of socialist cities. Then again maybe I've mistaken that joy at playing Hitler again with panic. I really don't see or hear of any panic in the people I run across. Oh they comply with Herr Noisome Uber Fuhrer's masking order but only when they go into a store that requires it and then outside off it comes. Of course there are those that never took the mask off after the last time, the old and the sheep you know the ones that wear a mask while alone in their car or walking outside alone.....idiots.

I have worn a mask somewhat under 20 times through this whole debacle... And that only because of compliance necessary at the bank and at medical facilities.

The rest of the time, I just stayed out of town, where 'normal' was never shaken any more than old folks being careful (and only them that knew it to be needful). Now, for about a year, certainly since the beginning of summer, with the exception of supply chain problems and the insistence yet of medical facilities, normal has returned all over. It is fairly rare to see a mask around here.

[mountaineer]

Andrew Bostom, MD, MS
@andrewbostom
First 785 Danish SARSCOV2 omicron cases https://eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.50.2101146
0% died; 1.2%  hospitalized; 0.3% in ICU
83% fully or booster vaccinated
17% not vaccinated (including 2.6 vax started)
ONLY 4.3% had previous SARS-CoV-2 infection
91% had no travel history, 9% reported travel
5:44 PM · Dec 18, 2021

Frederik Schaltz-Buchholzer
@FSBuchholzer
Replying to @andrewbostom
Below is Syringedata for 10,470 Omicron cases.
Only 9% of cases were among unvaccinated, although they represent 24% of the population.
Vaccinated more likely to be infected than unvaccinated that has more recovered persons.
Complete immune escape and/or original antigenic sin?

6:17 PM · Dec 18, 2021·

[mountaineer]

More on the Danish study referenced in the above tweet. This is from an email sent by Alex Berenson:

Stunning Covid data from Denmark
But not for the reason you've been told; the story is vaccine failure, not Omicron   
Alex Berenson
Dec 18   
   
The Danes are now publishing extremely detailed daily data about Covid cases and hospitalizations - not just about Omicron, but all Covid variants.

And, in news that will surprise precisely no one who has been alive the last two years, they paint a picture entirely different than what the media claims.

Omicron - which continues to appear significantly less dangerous though more transmissible than earlier variants of Covid - has been used as a cover for vaccine failure.

Most new Covid cases in Denmark occur in people who are vaccinated or boosted - and that is true for both Omicron and earlier variants. More than 76 percent of non-Omicron Covid infections in Denmark are in vaccinated people, along with about 90 percent of Omicron infections.

Further, only 25 of the 561 people currently hospitalized in Denmark for Covid have the Omicron variant. The Danes do not provide an exact number for patients in intensive care with Omicron, saying only that it is fewer than five.

Perhaps the most stunning fact about Omicron and Denmark is that its rise actually parallels a marked slowdown in the growth of Danish hospitalizations and intensive care patients. Those rose roughly fivefold between mid-October and late November, as the Danes left the happy vaccine valley. Since then they have barely budged, rising about 20 percent.

Danish Covid hospitalizations over the last three months: note that the rise predates Omicron.  ...

The Danish data also show that people with Omicron are both less likely to be hospitalized than those with other variants and released from the hospital much more quickly - in line with what South African health authorities have reported. ...

He lists these two sources:  https://www.ssi.dk/-/media/cdn/files/covid19/omikron/statusrapport/rapport-omikronvarianten-17122021-ep96.pdf?la=da

https://www.ssi.dk/-/media/cdn/files/covid19/omikron/statusrapport/rapport-omikronvarianten-16122021-fk3t.pdf?la=da

[mountaineer]

Chise
@sailorrooscout
·
Dec 17
Encouraging news out of South Africa’s MOH this morning. Age-controlled data regarding Omicron severity. ACROSS ALL AGES, death rates among hospitalized patients are 2/3 LOWER in the Omicron wave. In addition, hospitalization rates have FALLEN 91% in the Omicron wave.


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-17/s-africa-says-hospitalizations-in-omicron-wave-much-lower

[Right_in_Virginia]

Looks like COVID is killing the seasonal flu, again   

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm

[Cyber Liberty]

They're slapping restrictions on us faster than last time.  I'll bet resistance arises with equal speed.

[Hoodat]

So basically, freedom-loving Conservatives who followed the science have been right this whole time.

[Cyber Liberty]

So basically, freedom-loving Conservatives who followed the science have been right this whole time.

And.  We.  Knew.  It!

[mountaineer]

The South African government has more sense about Omicron than the Biden administration. Go figure.

This is from Alex Berenson (via email):

Omicron: such a joke that South Africa is about to dump all contact tracing and quarantines
Alex Berenson
   Dec 19

Yes, the scientists advising the government of South Africa - where Omicron is now the dominant strain - say tracing and quarantining the contacts of infected people is a waste of time.

This cool-headed advice is exactly the opposite of the panic in wealthy European countries (and certain blue states).

Of course - unlike wealthy European countries - South Africa has tens of millions of extremely poor people. It can no longer afford to engage in viral theater to satisfy public health fanatics over a strain that looks more and more like a cold.

The prospect of nationwide food riots will tend to concentrate the mind.

SOURCE: https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/covid-19-stop-tracing-and-quarantining-of-contacts-says-ministerial-advisory-committee-20211219