The Omicron variant

Its much more dangerous if you're not vaccinated. And SA has a 49% vaccination rate. So the deaths to vaccination ratio is still very good for a population of 60 million, 30 of those not fully vaccinated

Just read about a big research today that says every other adult who catches Covid is likely to have Long Covid. The symptoms are very varied as Covid causes inflammation in various organs. I'll have to see what I can find on it online.

Re fending off - I know one case of triple vaccinated 55 year old American male with Omicron in the US. No serious risk factors bar being overweight.

His case seems to be "mild" similar to a bad cold or mild flu.

I know multiple people, triple vaccinated, here, who have got omicron over the christmas period. Irrelevant, but none of them are particularly sick. The vaccinations do not prevent infection, just lessen the symptoms.

Presumably because of 1) symptoms and 2) booster is less efficacious against omicron, so more likely that if you test positive from any, it would be omicron

You want a credible source that at one time all other viruses that are known to commonly infect humans causing disease were at one time novel viruses that our ancestors immune systems were never previously exposed to and the weak wouldn’t have been able to fight off these novel viruses. You mightn’t agree but for me its a reasonable hypothesis. ‘cold’ viruses most likely wouldn’t have decimated populations to any great extent as there was a time in the not so distant past where it really was survival of the fittest for our ancestors.

It can be argued that prior to modern medicine Covid-19 wouldn’t of been considered an epidemic or subsequently an pandemic as far less people lived to old age and many with chronic diseases or those who are immunocompromised wouldn’t have survived as long in the past.

This misconception again - life expectancy being lower in the past did not mean that most people died off at 50 - plenty of people lived into 70s/80s/90s - its just that severe infant mortality dragged life expectancy way down.

I don't believe long covid doesn't exist. But...the fact that we barely hear about it when the case numbers are high and when the case numbers drop it suddenly reappears is telling.

Well this is it folks, covid coming to an end with omicron, I know of about a handful of unvaccinated people with omicron and they wouldnt even think of taking time off work with the symptoms as they are so mild.

Should we not now be planning an exit strategy, or is it too early?

Omicron & The Endemic Phase of COVID | A Doctor Explains

An actual MD for a change, as some people where taking issue with an educated (PhD) retired Nurse?

Edit: -

Maybe you should take a break from posting, you seem too angry to have any reasonable discussion.

Anyway, ICU down to 84 this evening, 7 discharges 2 admissions. Once the legacy Delta patients are discharged this is over. Restrictions will no longer be justifiable. Normality will resume, can’t wait.

Oh yes no one disputes that. However vaccination can be a question of life and death in compromised or vulnerable individuals, even with Omicron.

Saying that Omicron Cov-2 is a cold is dangerous propaganda and nonsense... It appears on this thread regularly.

Cold doesn't kill people. Flu does, but in lesser numbers. Also, crucially, flu R0 is 1.3 whereas Omicron is >8, which is a huge difference.

TLDR - it's not cold, it's super spreadable flu if people want to simplify into "buzzwords".

Long covid is not caused by systemic inflammation post infection as you suggest.

ACE2 anti-type antibodies are implicated in long covid. Papers from prominent institutions are appearing.

If we check what ACE2 receptors do and where in the body they exist, then we understand why this is an issue.

Long covid is autoimmune mediated. This is NOT post-viral fatigue. It's directly linked to the spike protein, antibodies and anti-type antibodies attaching to ACE2 receptors and initiating inflammatory processes.

Thanks for your post. I do understand the function of ACE2 receptors. As far as i understand it the antibodies hook up to the virus spike proteins themselves to keep them from binding and not on the cells they try to invade via the ace2 receptors. The cytokine storm is the body going overboard with massive inflammation throughout the body to get rid of the antigens wherever they may be and i think a trigger to an evolving auto immune system just as i believe are post viral or post operative issues which are usually more than just chronic fatigue syndrom which can go on for years after the virus/antigen is gone. So, auto immune and inflammation goes hand in hand. Some of that is mast cell activation which i think i suffer from. All this a trigger mechanism without an antigen present. It is the body massively over reacting at first (cytokine storm) and then setting up a high sensitivity mechanism. Allergy is not a good word for it. Peanut allergy is just that, an allergy to a specific antigen. The rest is, as you stated, auto immune related and i include chronic fatigue syndrom etc in that. Now, here is where my knowledge ends. I think there is currently no evidence that Omicron will lead to long Covid because of the short time frame. If it continues not to we could conclude that long Covid must be linked to the effect of the first viral onslaught and huge inflammation by the immune system ( nose, throat and bronchi issues can be handled in the normal way like what happens in a cold).Antibodies and killer cells will clean up the antigens.Then it is up to mast and other cells in certain areas including deep in the bone marrow sensitive enough to get triggered.

Sorry for the long and winding road