The Omicron variant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419101#Comment_118419101

There was a cluster of cases in France in November pre-Omicron. It wasn't very successful and has very likely died out.

ShayNanigan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419262#Comment_118419262

Well now it is kinda interesting why they are bringing it up again right now. I was just going through the news and noticed it on Mirror or somewhere. Quick googling revealed several news outlets are suddenly writing about it as if it was a thing to worry in the near future. Strange, especially if it was an earlier variant and had basically died out. Why are they bringing up old news?

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419284#Comment_118419284

It's interesting but there are only 12 confirmed cases of this variant. There's nothing to indicate it's something to worry about at this point. No indication it's more transmissible or more dangerous. Its just a different variant with some mutations.

Instead of worrying about it, I'd suggest just noting it and waiting to see what facts actually come forward about it once they have been researched and confirmed. So far, all that's been confirmed is that it exists and and it has some mutations. That's all we know so far.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419284#Comment_118419284

There was a pre-print on it last week. A few media outlets picked up on it but didn't bother with due diligence.

patnor1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118409592#Comment_118409592

And what else would you want to do?

All restrictions talk is just PR exercise. Even at the height of our strictest lockdowns people were allowed to go out shopping. Not to mention that over a third of workforce had to carry on and go to work to ensure that the rest who thought how fantastic job we do could sit in home comfortably. These people who had to work pretty much like business as usual then came back home potentially exposing their families.

The only thing that restriction did was slight delay which at the end of the day amounts to nothing really. More and more people finally realize that restrictions simply do not work.

patnor1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118410020#Comment_118410020

Really?

There is so preciously little people who "WFH" that their impact on transmission is negligible.

Lumen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419512#Comment_118419512

About 40% is not "preciously little".

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419512#Comment_118419512

What made you so confident with that incorrect statement that you said "Really?"? Where are you getting your news and facts from?

Banana Republic 1

Heard Norma Foley on RTE this morning, what an utter spoofer.

Q will schools get proper ffp2 masks?

A, blah blah blah, NPHED have given us top cover to do F all.

Q will schools get proper filtration system?

A, blah blah blah, NPHED have given us top cover to do F all.

Q will there be proper contact tracing in schools?

A, blah blah blah, NPHED have given us top cover to do F all.

Closing statement, teachers parents and kids are great, good on ya lads.

🙄🤦‍♂️

deholleboom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419512#Comment_118419512

The trouble is, and this goes for both sides of the argument, that you cannot possibly calculate the difference restrictions have made no matter what you do. You cannot reproduce the experiment. You can guess but not prove. I think you can fairly say restrictions delay transmissions but nothing more. It is a useful tool when things get tough and will create the image of governments doing something which might be of some benifit. What that is exactly cannot be assessed. That is why i think any discussion about it is an exercise in futility..

Lumen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419787#Comment_118419787

Yeah, but that doesn't excuse just making sh!it up.

RavenBea17b

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118418806#Comment_118418806

Same in France- 4-5 time the amount, as testing is limited, like many countries.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118420191#Comment_118420191

If they're estimating ranges like that then they need a better way to estimate covid in the community. PCR tests aren't a measure of covid transmission at the moment.

We need to have a good idea of transmissions, not because transmissions are important in and of themselves, but to calculate the rate of transmissions turning into hospitalisations and ICU admissions.

deholleboom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118419911#Comment_118419911

My point was that everybody is making things up or doing some sort of reasoning, calculating with highly uncertain variables no matter what side they are on so in fact, yes, making **** up IS the name of the game..

deholleboom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118420716#Comment_118420716

Point being nobody can calculate that rate with sufficient confidence. The recent restrictions were put in place BECAUSE of the uncertainty around it.

I am not saying rightly or wrongly. But with more data coming in the question moves to the timing of easing restrictions. That is of course the main discussion in society atm.

Banana Republic 1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118420796#Comment_118420796

its really all about money at the end of the day. from-the latest drive to reduce isolation rules to putting hepa filters in schools. The lobbying class are jumping up and down basically saying or productivity is down ergo our profits are down and the Government is refusing to issue filtration systems to schools, even without covid they would be beneficial to society.

it reminds me of the old saying, money, money, money, MONHEY.

harmless

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118421190#Comment_118421190

Which came first, the saying or the ABBA song?

amandstu

Are there any of the omicron statistics on the likes of the Worldometers site that have not been royally skewed by the Christmas/New year holidays?

Some countries (eg Germany Belgium)show a peak that passed and is now going back up.

Are those graphs completely unreliable for the present?

Is the omicron wave still going up in every single country in Europe?

Large bottle small glass

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118421190#Comment_118421190

As of last November Tomãs Ryan stated that HEPA filters in every classroom would cost circa €20M.

At that stage €50M had already been spent in school alone for hand sanitizer; which has/will do sweet fcuk all to reduce transmission.

The slowness with issuing HEPA filters might be a fear that it's the thin end of wedge with regard ALL public buildings and indeed in time private buildings.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is intense lobbying against bringing in standards for air hygiene.

Orla the Twitter academic architect has been right about one thing for quite a while. The horse has bolted now though

deholleboom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118421400#Comment_118421400

I think the general informed view is that reporting has been sketchy during the holidays, that case numbers in reality are much higher (double?) than reported and that infection numbers are bound to go up especially as schools are reopening with multi generational spread. The outlier as supposedly being the earliest in the Omicron wave is London where numbers are going down lately. The hope is other areas/countries will follow possibly 10-14 days later. Then another week or so for hospital numbers to drop coinciding with the annual drop in winter hospitalisations end of january- early feb. I take it governments will start to look at easing of restrictions when hospital numbers start to fall. Looks like first week in february to me. Until then dont get your hopes up outside of antigen tests for close contacts etc. Hospitality sector last in line as usual, schools first. Just watch what happens in London and you can then do the math. Ireland will watch the others move first, also as usual and be slower in easing restrictions w continued focus on hospitals, disrupted services etc.My guess: second week in february.

Of course i may be wrong but i do have a good record apart from the early stages of the pandemic like everyone else..🙂. Watch that space and call me wrong when i am..

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118422791#Comment_118422791

That sounds about right. Might be a bit on the optimistic side hut it's realistic to hope for the scenario you outline above. Beginning to ease restrictions some time in February would be good.

deholleboom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118422803#Comment_118422803

I am optimistic because of the growing realisation that Omicron is both milder and faster so if the trajectory is the same as in SA this thing will rise and fall quick. It is just that nagging 'two more weeks' viral particle in certain circles that keeps raising its ugly head that prevents me from being more optimistic. Plus MM/EU with the booster/QR program running into spring/summer.

ginoginelli

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118422270#Comment_118422270

QFT.

I definitely think money is the main reason why the goverment here have not introduced an air hygiene policy.

The continued infatuation with hand hygiene, and the resourses wasted on it, once we had established the virus was primarily airborne and very rarely transmitted via formite, is an absolute scandal.

It hasn't helped either that the HSE clinical lead - Martin Cormican - who sits on all the major hse bodies for covid like HIQA and AMRIC, among others, has built his career on the merits of handwashing. He has several medical journals printed on the subject pre dating covid. He was the main voice of opposition agaisnt masks for the general public and most recently masks and heppa filters in school, and even now seems unwilling to accept the likelihood of formite transmission. The man is literally obsessed with handwashing.

Hes been a useful idiot for the goverment in countering calls from the media and opposition for air filtration systems to be introduced.

Banana Republic 1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118421219#Comment_118421219

Don’t know 🤷‍♂️

Banana Republic 1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118422270#Comment_118422270

exactly cause there’s no such thing “fresh air” anymore especially if you are within as ass-z roar of a road and or urban area **** even in your home chemicals are rampant in the air. With regard to an understanding of air quality Irish society is desperately behind the curve.

Banana Republic 1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118422791#Comment_118422791

I can’t help but feel it’s all a comical Ali act. How could the pubs et al remain open if the true numbers were reported, probably at least 40000 a day. How could schools stay open ? Instead they put the brakes on testing availability to give top cover for the boys, propaganda Phil 🧐

corkie

Omicron, as anticipated

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfZ62aWf6pk

And he poked fun at himself in an old facebook post.

McGiver

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118424008#Comment_118424008

100% this.

The handwashing fetish is ridiculous. So is the absence of any focus on clean air, ventilation, air purification and previously reluctance to use masks at all and later in school setting.

So for Omicron... is this fella recommending soaking one's hands in the sink for a whole day to stop transmission of an airborne/droplet virus? 🤣

deholleboom

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2021/12/maybe-no-omicron-boosters.html

a bit of a downer. Instead of pushing for Omicron specific boosters which pharma has developed official bodies are trying to halt their roll out. Partly because they want the current boosters to keep going into peoples' arms now and fear new Omicron specific boosters will come too late with the Omicron wave passing quickly and people will feel no need to take the new vaccine once it has passed and natural immunity greatly enhanced. It is also milder so less of a scare story. Plus, a new variant is likely to emerge possibly not from the same lineage as Omicron. They wouldnt want a new vaccine every 6 months even though they are pushing the original, wild type vaccine boosters which help much less against Omicron.

So, my hopes are dashed. With new rules brought in w Covid passes linked to boosters it looks like i just have to get Omicron to be able to enjoy my freedom just like any anti (Covid) vaxxer. Unless of course they make boosters compulsory even when you have had Omicron. Then they wouldnt have a scientific leg to stand on. It looks many countries are lining up to do just that..

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118425323#Comment_118425323

How would you know if you've had Omicron?

Yes, it looks like boosters will be needed to be considered fully vaccinated. Looks like it's likely to be introduced for international travel.

The UK is removibg the need for tests before travel and after arriving. It didn't apply to Ireland anyway but good to see some restrictions being lifted.