The Omicron variant

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

It's not a cold. The mechanism of cell entry and pathology are completely different.

Only an amateur or a demagogue could call it a cold. It's a super flu at this stage - and a massively contagious one.

People are dying even with Omicron.

Reduced virulence is both due to the vaccination as well as the mutations and reduced ability of the virus to cause cell damage etc.

If we had less vaccinated we'd see loads of deaths. Look at Polish or Slovak or Bulgarian death rates per capita.

This is not a cold. And long term effects are worrying.

Also, decent immunity lasts 9 months max which is in line with HCov immunity and observed waning in vaccinated (see Israel) so unless we go boosters every year or twice a year or get infected every now and then (not recommended)... we won't get rid of this pathogen. And unvaccinated and/or people will die as the immunity wanes.

If someone thinks that omicron will just infect everyone within few months and then everyone will be immune to it and it will simply die out... Hmm not sure. Given most world is not vaccinated there'll be endemic areas which will keep spreading it to the whole world continously, month by month, year by year.

And that's before we get to variants or even Sars-Cov-3.

I don't worry but this is going to stay as moderately dangerous pathogen unlike cold. It won't be eradicated.

It's not puzzling at all.

There's a bunch of people here pushing the narrative that it actually is a cold. It happens page after page.

I'm certain you're aware of that so I don't know why you're pretending to be puzzled.

Myself & 2 work colleagues are currently Covid positive. Front line emergency services. All 3 of us quite strongly symptomatic as well.

2 of the 3 partners returned negative tests (1 was positive but may have been the source of the infection in that household) and all the kids in all 3 households have returned a negative test. 7 kids in total.

I know the reasons can be varied from prior immunity to inaccurate swabbing to false negatives etc. but for such a contagious variant and one that seems to re-infect those with prior infections, this all seems a little strange.

I would have been inches from my wife for 7/8 hours while sleeping and because my kids are young I'm constantly hugging & kissing them so I'm slightly baffled.

P.S. None of the 3 infected had a "mild" infection.

This is one of the main stories across the water this morning, and it hints at a strategy going forward.Mary Favier of Nphet said yesterday re deconstruction of restrictions etc " its easier to drive in than reverse out" so this is an appropriate time to discuss the next step as Omicron is everywhere and largely seen as much milder End mass jabs and live with Covid, says ex-head of vaccine taskforce | Coronavirus | The Guardian

Yes but you forgot to add:

SA was infested massively with Wuhan, Beta and Delta > immunity approaching vaccination

Millions of infections and 100k deaths

This was the price for "getting on with it".

I was more interested in the strategy for moving on the mood music here and the U.K. is we have a mountain to climb in the next few weeks but the sunny uplands await…it’s now about how to get safely there and also per Mary Favier how do we bring the worried well out of their fear

A really heavy cold can feel a lot like influenza but without the fever. Omicron symptoms can vary between those two. I had a really bad cold some years ago which lasted for 3 weeks. I usually prefer proper influenza to that, 3 to 4 days then gone though some suffer for longer.

Can i just state that people w Omikron infections DO have mostly cold like symptoms, that some have influenza like symptoms, that most symptoms last under 5 days. So, it is not 'just a cold' but neither affects a great many severely or for long or kills a lot of people. And end that ridiculous spat between the ignorant and arrogant? And the definition of 'lockdown'?

Probably not 🙂

I DID have a raised temperature which usually comes with inflammation. Technically that is a fever. But anyone who has ever had influenza will know the difference. Bedridden fever..