redsturgeon wrote:Watching the Marr show this morning to try to get a calm overview of where we are this is my take.
South African doctor reports new variant a few days ago that seems highly transmissible and gives rise to a slightly different set of mild symptoms in those patients seen. (NB "mild" just means not needing hospitalisation)
This new variant is found to contain an very large number of mutations and thus could evade the current vaccines.
In the light of this, measures are swiftly taken to limit spread.
A renewed push on vaccines is in place.
Vaccine companies are already looking to prepare new vaccines available in a few months.
In the meantime we may find that best case scenario is that the Omicron variant, though highly contagious is relatively mild and the measures put in place have been an over reaction. We should know more in two weeks.
Worst case scenario is that Omicron evades the vaccine and takes hold in our elderly and vulnerable population and causes a new peak in hospitalisations and deaths but at least we acted quickly to mitigate the worst impacts though more restrictions may be necessary.
We just need to be sensible.
No need to panic or get angry...
John
Best case scenario is that Omicron evades the vaccine, causes very widespread infection, but with mild symptoms. Infection subsequently protects against more harmful variants, which rapidly disappear. Virus has mutated to become endemic, but not virulent. Subsequently gets classified as one of the common colds (mostly rhinoviruses, but includes 4 coronaviruses that are thought to be leftover mutations from the 1890 Russian Flu pandemic).
Disclosure: I have holdings of Moderna, not directly but via SMIT, MNKS, KPC