The Omicron variant

amandstu

I don't see a thread on this. I think it probably deserves one.

Anyone care to have first go?

Can we tweak our way out of this if the current vaccines lose sufficient efficacy?

How long before we would be up and running?

Edit:changed the title to The Omicron variant (needs apparently must)

PTH2009

Panic and lockdown awaits

Real Donald Trump

Wouldn't worry about it to much, probably turn out to be another Kent variant

niallo27

Panic!!!!!!!!

One Who Waits...

Dobbo on News at One a short while ago

is_that_so

Here's a Nature article on the variant and what's known.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03552-w

growleaves

Its brand spanking Nu

Loafing Oaf

That's actually a Greek letter and likely to be the name of the variant.

francogarbanzo

Must be Christmas time again!

I'm not panicking yet. Let's see how the data shakes out.

Scuid Mhór

Too early to say anything yet.

igCorcaigh

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1464221871424086030?s=20

Spanish Eyes

Needs more information as to transmission and severity of resulting illness. I will wait and see, but am hopeful it is not a dangerous mutation at all.

The cynic in me suggests that something needed to be done to nip the world's complacency re Covid in the bud or something. Keep them on their toes and locked up in permanent uncertainty or something.

bollocks.

on a friday as well

Hurrache

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226530#Comment_118226530

Wait, you're insinuating it's made up? Not even a full page on this and there's this ****, although unsurprising in fairness, already.

growleaves

AAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Gregor Samsa

The most pertinent question is what level of illness it causes. None of the articles, even the one in Nature, have done more than barely touched on this aspect. If it's highly transmissible, evades immunity but doesn't cause as severe illness as the other variants currently doing the rounds, then it's much less of a concern. So it's just too early to tell.

amandstu

@Spanish Eyes

"The cynic in me suggests that something needed to be done to nip the world's complacency re Covid in the bud or something. Keep them on their toes and locked up in permanent uncertainty or something."

Seriously???? Any suspects?Mandela?

StevenToast

The more apt name for this variant for those that can still stomach listening to this radio station....

"nustalk variant"

amandstu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226552#Comment_118226552

Half sorry I started the thread now (unless I am in the loop of course)

Spanish Eyes

Some people are unable to detect irony in my post it seems..

Cluedo Monopoly

I remember some expert saying that the Indian variant (delta) was actually in Ireland 2/3 months before we even started talking about it. He said they were simply not testing for it at the time.

amandstu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226647#Comment_118226647

Well you should be clearer. This is a public forum .If I misinterpreted ,so will others .

igCorcaigh

Local transmission suspected in Belgium case... I don't think this will be contained, just hoping it doesn't outcompete Delta and that the current vaccine protection doesn't get too greatly reduced.

https://twitter.com/gavreilly/status/1464232109753741318

amandstu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226692#Comment_118226692

Might be great if it did out compete Delta and was significantly less clinically harmful.

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226627#Comment_118226627

Not quite. Even if that gain of fucntion stuff were true and that's currently more than a bit of a stretch, how it might evolve in the wild would have pretty much nothing to do with that. Contrary to popular belief a highly deadly virus is a crap virus as far as the virus' evolutionary success is concerned. The strain that would win Virus of the Year among it's peers would be a virus that had a very high transmissibility rate, with few or no obvious symptoms and the ability to spread asymptomatically, quietly reproducing in our bodies without killing the host at least at first. The Epstein Barr virus is a good example of a human virus that does just that. Something like over 90% of people in the western world have antibodies to it. On the other hand Ebola would be looked down upon when viruses have a christmas party. Too dramatic, only really transmissable when the infected are looking fierce sick altogether and kills most of its hosts.

If we look at pandemics in history they always fade away. Either because they've infected everyone and run out of hosts, or they become less deadly with time. Or both.

Spanish Eyes

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226690#Comment_118226690

Their problem and yours so. I will not take orders from a quasi mod. Report me whatever. Mountains and molehills come to mind, and the NU has only just been identified, God love us all in the days and weeks to come so.

amandstu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226771#Comment_118226771

Hm,will just have to take note for future reference(if any)

cavemeister

Due to the incubation time of covid-19 and the relative high % of people who are asymptomatic, I have no doubt in my mind the Nu variant is in most major cities now. closing borders is too late. For now, we just need to wait and pray this isn't a vaccine dodging variant, which is unlikely as the RNA vaccine boast the ability to block variants too.

All I'll say is this, if you are not vaccinated, get your @ss down to the nearest centre and get the jab.

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226879#Comment_118226879

Due to the incubation time of covid-19 and the relative high % of people who are asymptomatic, I have no doubt in my mind the Nu variant is in most major cities now.

Maybe, just as likely maybe not. the Average incubation time for the Alpha variant was 5-6 days with 1% up to 14 days. The later doubly infectious Delta actually has a shortened incubation period of 3-4 days and an even smaller percentage of longer than that. If this Nu variant is even more transmissable because of a higher viral load again than Delta its incubation period is likely to be shorter again, or similar. Until we know for sure anything else is panic merchant territory.

For now, we just need to wait and pray this isn't a vaccine dodging variant, which is unlikely as the RNA vaccine boast the ability to block variants too.

Correction, all the current vaccines(as does immunity from previous infection), not just the mRNA versions boosts the ability to block variants. Indeed J&J a non mRNA vaccine showed a stronger response to Delta in the South African study.

BanditLuke

https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/new-covid-super-variant-south-africa-new-pandemic-who-envo-1320998

Happy Friday folks 😕

Beasty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226535#Comment_118226535

We'll have to cancel the Toy Show......

zuutroy

The naivety of governments thinking they can keep it out is staggering. Have they learned nothing?

annndddd here we go again...

Almost 2 years and counting......

😏

ACitizenErased

https://twitter.com/sailorrooscout/status/1464234680379662336?s=20

Please read this before having a banger.

tdf7187

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118226879#Comment_118226879

I have no doubt in my mind that globalisation is a larger factor than either of above.

dePeatrick

The Nu variant is another throw of the dice, if it turns out to be a mild form of Covid it could be a blessing in disguise.

growleaves

I'm contracting Nu Nu Nu how about you you you

BanditLuke

https://twitter.com/vikkypaedia/status/1464074333488173066

Look any old headcase can spin stuff on Twitter

richie_os

Has anyone considered the possibility that the Nu variant might be a lot less deadly than Delta (all reported cases so far have been either Asymptomatic or mild symptoms, including an unvaccinated case) as well as outcompeting Delta globally?

Because if this happens, it will end the pandemic - probably by Spring.

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118227480#Comment_118227480

It could, but then again, if it's spreading to everyone in the world and out competing all other variants, it has billions of hosts to incubate it billions of times each, and spawn many new variants of it's own

Scuid Mhór

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118227480#Comment_118227480

It could go either way, let’s see what happens.

Supercell

Theres no point in closing borders, restricting flights unless we go China style and lock up cities and test every man women and child over a weekend, not happening.

Lets hope that if it is more transmisable, that its less effective at making people sick, could be a blessing in disguise if so.

PicardWithHair

The worrying thing about this is the amount of variations it has on the spike protein, from my limited understanding of Pfizer+Moderna, they replicate the spike protein ... attack your cells (harmlessly as not attached to virus) and so your body can regognise a real protein spike from a coronavirus if you are exposed in future.

If this spike protein has sufficiently changed , then you'd think our antibodies would be useless against it.

Of course as mentioned this could be a blessing in disguise , as this Nu has loads of other variations - hopefully some make it less deadly.

PicardWithHair

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118227161#Comment_118227161

Wow !

Thanks for this, If I could thank it twice I would ... I read it after my post above 😅 ... I really hope she is right.

.... great points about ignoring the media too.

one armed dwarf

It does sort of feel like the only way out of this thing is it evolves into something a bit mild, even if more transmissible. It's how 1918 ended, I think.

So I'm not panic stations yet over it but I've not really adjusted my behaviour much as I'm very risk averse wrt covid anyway until the thing **** off due to living with vulnerable people.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118227093#Comment_118227093

It's really irresponsible of doctors and scientists to sow fear and spread panic. They're supposed to do no harm. And I'm not saying they should lie, but that WHO doctor is always coming out with doomsday stuff.

I'd love for him to have a go at answering this: Jasnah Kholin - 8964 - ACAB - 💉💉 on Twitter: "anyone trying to throw the words "vaccine escape" around has to explain to me how a non-integrating virus incapable of nuclear latency is supposed to escape a polyclonal *ADAPTIVE* immune response or shut the **** up." / Twitter

As Jasnah Kholin tweeted: "I'm 'so' tired of this ****". I imagine he is.

And Dr Mike Yeadon: "No variant differs from the original sequence by more than 0.3%. In other words, all variants are at least 99.7% identical to the Wuhan sequence. It's a fiction, and an evil one at that, that variants are likely to "escape immunity"".

funkyzeit100

Oh for fup sake! This is it folks, us against nature and everything inbetween, the nu world order, a permawar with an incorrigible, invisible enemy that's either all-powerful or of minor consequence, we're not sure. Variants don't play by the rules! Shut down the all you can eat buffets! Woman the barricades! Capricorns to the front! Saggitarians to the rear! Mind your distance! And God help us all... :D

PicardWithHair

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118227112#Comment_118227112

So not all bad then ?

richie_os

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118227525#Comment_118227525

I read before that viruses generally, eventually, mutate into less lethal versions of themselves. This is because the primary goal of the virus is actually to survive, not to hurt us. The less lethal they are, the more hosts they will have, thus helping their survival. Similar to any form of evolution, living things adapt to survive. The fact that they are less lethal also makes them the dominant strain, because the more lethal strains hospitalize or kill off their hosts, while the less lethal strain survives and can keep spreading.

Not saying this is what's happening with Nu, but it can and probably will happen at some stage if past pandemics are anything to go by.