Update on Omicron

[Voodooman]

67 in Europe and 20 in USA. None hospitalised so far.  Hope WHO will deliver good news in the next few days.

Europe has recorded 79 Omicron cases so far

Could replace Delta by end-Jan - French adviser

No cases have shown severe symptoms - EU agency

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-says-omicron-may-cause-over-half-covid-infections-europe-few-months-2021-12-02/

At least 20 people have tested positive for omicron in the U.S. Here's what we know so far
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/04/covid-news-what-we-know-about-us-omicron-cases.html?__source=iosappshare|com.apple.UIKit.activity.CopyToPasteboard

 

 

 

[Jamesc]

A 46-year-old Indian doctor with no travel history is among the two people who have tested positive for the omicron variant in the country, sparking concerns over possible community spread.

The other person who tested positive for the new variant is a 66-year-old South African national who has already left India, federal health authorities said on Thursday.

Both the patients tested positive in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

 

Its obvious. The South African man spread Omicron to India.

People with Covid must fly here fly there and spread and spread.

[Blueray]

Covid-19 Omicron variant proving to be more transmissible but less severe, even as more studies needed: MOH

Quote

So far, existing Covid-19 vaccines appear to be working on the Omicron variant and protecting people against severe illness, though studies on vaccine effectiveness are still ongoing, MOH said.

Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/covid-19-omicron-variant-more-transmissible-less-severe-more-studies-needed-moh

[Jamesc]

So far WHO knows no one that died of Omicron.

My MIL always wants to be the first one of anything!

[Windwaver]

On 12/4/2021 at 6:43 PM, Jamesc said:

 2.8 million positive coronavirus samples in South Africa,

35,670 had Covid twice

332 had Covid 3 times

and 1 had Covid 4 times

I remember reading those that kena COVID before has strong antibodies against reinfection even without a booster right?

In other words, is a booster not useful against Omicron?

 

[Jamesc]

1 hour ago, Windwaver said:

I remember reading those that kena COVID before has strong antibodies against reinfection even without a booster right?

In other words, is a booster not useful against Omicron?

If you get Covid and then get a booster then its help against reinfection up to Delta.

Omicron has so many mutations that until we get more evidence no one is 100% sure.

Then we have to ask what kind of vaccine people took.

mRNA vaccine is made by taking only the spikes of the original virus and teaching our antibodies to recognise those spikes and attack it.

Omicron has so many mutations of the spikes that no one is sure our antibodies will recognise the Omicron spikes as the enemy and attack the spikes on the Omicron.

If a person took a whole virus vaccine like Sinovac then that vaccine teaches the body to recognise the whole virus and should recognise Omicron and attack it.

The benefit of mRNA vaccines is that it produces a lot of antibodies especially if you took a booster. The question now is will all the antibodies recognise Omicron with its different spikes as the enemy?

People with Sinovac may have less antibodies but their antibodies should recognise Omicron as the enemy.

This is why P and M are working on an updated vaccine with the Omicron spikes.

But our antibodies are just one weapon against Omicron, we also have B and T cell that can attack Omicron if they recognise it as the enemy.

Over the next few weeks we will have answers to all these questions.

 

[Atonchia]

On 12/4/2021 at 6:43 PM, Jamesc said:

 2.8 million positive coronavirus samples in South Africa,

35,670 had Covid twice

332 had Covid 3 times

and 1 had Covid 4 times

One time.....

Two time .......

 

 

 

 

But 4 times?

[Jamesc]

6 hours ago, Atonchia said:

One time.....

Two time .......

 

 

 

 

But 4 times?

Yeah you really have to feel sorry for the person that got it 4 times.

[Jamesc]

I am doing everything I can to avoid getting Delta as if it was the plague

and hopefully I (and everybody else) never get Delta.

But if I get Omicron then so be it.

But we are not out of the woods yet so if people can

really try your best to avoid getting Delta.

Die die please don't get Delta.

Edited December 6, 2021 by Jamesc

[Playtime]

Not sure shared b4 boh. Good reading. 

 

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03614-z

[Blueray]

Covid-19: 552 new infections in Singapore, 1 imported case tests preliminarily positive for Omicron

Quote

A 37-year-old Singapore permanent resident who arrived here from South Africa has tested preliminarily positive for the Omicron variant

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/covid-19-552-new-infections-singapore-1-imported-case-test-preliminarily-positive-omicron

[Jamesc]

Omicron has hit 47 countries with Thailand the latest.

People with Covid must fly here fly there and spread and spread.

Why?

[Blueray]

Omicron variant 'almost certainly' not more severe than Delta: Fauci

Quote

WASHINGTON: Top US scientist Anthony Fauci said Tuesday (Dec 7) early indications suggested the COVID-19 Omicron variant was not worse than prior strains, and was possibly milder, while cautioning it would take weeks to judge its severity.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/covid19-omicron-almost-certainly-not-more-severe-delta-anthony-fauci-2364651

[Karoon]

22 minutes ago, Blueray said:

Omicron variant 'almost certainly' not more severe than Delta: Fauci

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/covid19-omicron-almost-certainly-not-more-severe-delta-anthony-fauci-2364651

That's good news.

Tomorrow,all back in office!

 

😞

[13177]

23 minutes ago, Karoon said:

That's good news.

Tomorrow,all back in office!

 

😞

Whether have Omicron or not, think some companies already ask their staff all go back office liao.

[Fcw75]

🤣🤣🤣

[Kb27]

Booster is still useful, to provide more antibodies against Omicron.

 

Study suggests Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine may only partially protect against Omicron

(Reuters) -The Omicron variant of the coronavirus can partially evade the protection from two doses of Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine, the research head of a laboratory at the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa said on Tuesday.

Still, the study showed that blood from people who had received two doses of the vaccine and had a prior infection were mostly able to neutralize the variant, suggesting that booster doses of the vaccine could help to fend off infection.

Alex Sigal, a professor at the Africa Health Research Institute, said on Twitter there was "a very large drop" in neutralization of the Omicron variant relative to an earlier strain of COVID-19.

The lab tested blood from 12 people who had been vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, according to a manuscript posted on the website for his lab. The preliminary data in the manuscript has not yet been peer reviewed.

Blood from five out of six people who had been vaccinated as well as previously infected with COVID-19 still neutralized the Omicron variant, the manuscript said.

"These results are better than I expected. The more antibodies you got, the more chance you'll be protected from Omicron," Sigal said on Twitter.

He said the lab had not tested the variant against blood from people who had received a booster dose, because they are not available in South Africa yet.

According to the manuscript, the lab observed a 41-fold decline in levels of neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant.

Sigal said on Twitter that figure is likely to be adjusted after his lab does more experiments.

While neutralizing antibodies are an indicator of the body's immune response, scientists believe other kinds of cells such as B-cells and T-cells also are stimulated by the vaccines and help protect against the effects of the coronavirus.

The preliminary data does not indicate that the vaccine is less able to prevent severe illness or death. While lab tests are under way, BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said last week "we think it's likely that people will have substantial protection against severe disease caused by Omicron."

The Omicron variant, first detected in southern Africa last month, has triggered alarms globally of another surge in infections, with more than two dozen countries from Japan to the United States reporting cases.

The World Health Organization classified it on Nov. 26 as a "variant of concern," but said there was no evidence to support the need for new vaccines specifically designed to tackle the Omicron variant with its many mutations.

There is not significant data yet on how vaccines from Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and other drugmakers hold up against the new variant. All the manufacturers, including Pfizer and BioNTech, are expected to release their own data within weeks.

BioNTech's Sahin told NBC News on Tuesday that the drugmaker has data coming on Wednesday or Thursday related to the new variant.

Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Tuesday that preliminary evidence indicates that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus likely has a higher degree of transmissibility but is less severe.

He said the United States was doing its own tests to determine the protectiveness of the current vaccines against the variant and expects results sometime next week.

Umer Raffat, an analyst for Evercore ISI, cautioned against reading too much into a single study, noting there has been significant variability in measuring declines in antibody levels in previous lab studies.

"Let’s wait for additional studies to draw a mosaic," he said.

[Kklim]

Now any new flu strain also can call Covid variant to sell vaccines