General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDid the Unvaxxed Who Died Contribute to Covid's Milder Symptoms?
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Omicron should now be seen as a natural step in SARS-CoV-2's evolution from a pandemic to an endemic pathogen. It is not a rewind to the early days of 2020 and the novel coronavirus' initial appearance on the world stage. We now know with a high probability that the virus will eventually become "endemic," which means it will circulate sporadically or seasonally much like the flu virus. It will have a moderate and mostly preventable toll but no longer be perceived as a major public health threat. Rather than cause a new pandemic, this is what a virus with an intrinsically high mutation rate does as it undergoes increasing survival pressure. Evolutionary biology would predict this, as it would that selection pressure tends to favor increased transmissibility and decreased virulence over time. If omicron follows this course it will displace delta as the world's and United States' dominant variant. This could be good news if it is less virulent. Omicron will take its place in a sequence of variants of concern that could eventually exhaust the 26 letters of the Greek alphabet.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/omicron-is-an-unwelcome-but-predictable-lesson-in-the-greek-alphabet/ar-AARz98B
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Also, if it was known that increased transmissibility is the next logical step, why were the testing companies allowed to decrease production, thus contributing to the lack of tests?
I don't have a source for whether the testing companies decreased production, but I did hear it said on one tv news show that they decreased production of the tests because nobody was buying them in the earlier stages of the virus.
NJCher
(35,825 posts)This should probably be a separate thread; maybe I will make it so. However, related to my post above, I read this article last night about how the boosters have decreased effectiveness after 10 weeks:
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-long-does-booster-protection-omicron-covid-last-study-2021-12
This fits into my OP--that the virus is becoming endemic. For now it looks like we will have to have a new shot around every 2-3 months.
My booster was on 9/27, so I am going to get another one tomorrow because according to this article, my booster is only giving me 35% effectiveness now.
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edited to add: they are now giving 2nd boosters in NJ if you are immune deficient.
Phoenix61
(17,025 posts)Booster shots protect against symptomatic Omicron infection for about 10 weeks If I can medicate the symptoms away Im not going to worry about it.
Gore1FL
(21,165 posts)Apparently letters have been added to the Greek Alphabet.
ProfessorGAC
(65,381 posts)I learned there were 24.
Someone snuck in 2 more!
msfiddlestix
(7,288 posts)I'm understanding the situation will be around a number of years, until the virus and it's variants loses impotency via public immunity.
.We all know the virus requires a host with no immunity in order for the virus to survive and thrive. The more it reaches hosts who are immune, the more it begins to lose strength and dies off or mutates and the same rule applies to the variants.
Those with compromised immune systems are most at risk of extreme illness and/or death. Those with stronger immunity may get ill, but like the "common cold and flu" will simply be "under the weather" for a relatively short period of time and then get over it as any other "common cold or flu" virus.
We adjust our behavior accordingly. But it doesn't have to be as drastic as we have been required per conditions of the initial outbreak.
This is how I've come to understand where we are, what we're dealing with presently and into several more years into the future.
It'll eventually sort it self out, we just need to adopt accordingly but not be on the edge of fear and loathing 24/7 or we'll end up in the loony bin, strung out on alcohol and opiates etc etc.
That's how I'm looking at the situation at the moment. subject to change upon further information.