Swerd

Swerd

Audioholic Warlord
Any idea how this new strain has become much more serious than initially thought?
To try and directly answer your question… at present we have no clear idea how the omicron strain does what it does. Science & medicine have plenty of ideas, but for now, they're more theory than known fact. That is changing rapidly.

It's not entirely clear if omicron really is more serious than delta or other previous strains. We do know that it is more infectious than delta. The number of new omicron infections seems to double every two days. That alone is alarming because it is much faster than previous strains.

If omicron is equally virulent, that is as damaging, as previous strains, we are in for many more hospitalizations and deaths. Truly bad news. However, we're not certain how virulent omicron is. Early reports from South Africa and Europe suggest that it might be less virulent, with less serious illness and fewer deaths, despite the greater infection rate. That might be turn out to be true – or it might be wishful thinking. Stay tuned.

There is a theory that's commonly accepted by many virologists. It says that when a virus starts out infecting a new host animal (humans), it can be dangerous and lethal to the host. The best interest of the virus is served by spreading as fast as possible without killing off its host. The more infections that take place, the more the virus multiplies, the more mutations occur. So, as mutations accumulate, viruses tend to become more infectious and less virulent. That's the theory. Will corona virus follow that pattern?

People who have studied the great influenza pandemic of 1918-20 (the so called Spanish Flu) have actually found samples of the 1918-20 versions of that virus, and sequenced them. They've directly compared those early viruses to today's known influenza virus strains. They've found that all of the influenza viruses of today are direct descendants of the 1918-20 virus. Any other strains of influenza that came earlier, have not survived. But today's influenza strains don't kill nearly as many people as in 1918-20. So that's a good example of the Virus Evolution Theory in action. That virus evolved to become more infectious and less virulent. By 1921-22, the Spanish Flu pandemic all but disappeared, but the descendants of the Spanish Flu virus still live today.

The Spanish Flu got the memo. Will SARS-CoV-2 get it? Eventually, hopefully sooner than later.
 
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ski2xblack

ski2xblack

Audioholic Field Marshall
A laboratory leak is now the more likely origin of Covid, MPs have heard, because after two years of searching an animal host has never been found.

Not peer reviewed, but I wouldn't go all-in on the lab origin. It's taken years to determine the origins of many zoonotic pathogens, and the jury is still out on many others in spite of years of snooping. Plus, given the chilling climate in China for whistleblowers, even the existing data may take a very long time to come to light.
 
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M

Mr._Clark

Audioholic Samurai
This is an interesting article about a woman they call "The Vaccine Whisperer" because she's been so successful in convincing vaccine skeptics to get the shot.

>>>Today, approximately 30 percent of Americans remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, which has claimed over 800,000 lives in the U.S. alone. Vaccine skepticism has been stoked by a contingent of “anti-vaxxers,” who aggressively push their “vaccines are dangerous” message online, according to the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). This anti-vax group is small but effective: According to a separate report issued by the CCDH, up to 65 percent of online anti-vaccine content is produced by just 12 individuals.

The thing is, these anti-vaxxers don’t necessarily speak for the millions of regular people—a.k.a. the “vaccine hesitant”—who, like Allen, aren’t pushing an agenda. They simply have questions and concerns. “I worry about vaccine safety,” says Allen. “Because I don’t trust medical professionals not to injure me or my child.”

These are also the people who, skeptical as they may be, have been convinced to get the vaccine by Azza Gadir, PhD, a 36-year-old Harvard-trained scientist who currently works in cancer immunology. Gadir volunteers her time to talk with vax-hesitant folks one-on-one over Zoom to help explain exactly how the vaccine works and its safety.<<<

 
davidscott

davidscott

Audioholic Ninja
This is an interesting article about a woman they call "The Vaccine Whisperer" because she's been so successful in convincing vaccine skeptics to get the shot.

>>>Today, approximately 30 percent of Americans remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, which has claimed over 800,000 lives in the U.S. alone. Vaccine skepticism has been stoked by a contingent of “anti-vaxxers,” who aggressively push their “vaccines are dangerous” message online, according to the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). This anti-vax group is small but effective: According to a separate report issued by the CCDH, up to 65 percent of online anti-vaccine content is produced by just 12 individuals.

The thing is, these anti-vaxxers don’t necessarily speak for the millions of regular people—a.k.a. the “vaccine hesitant”—who, like Allen, aren’t pushing an agenda. They simply have questions and concerns. “I worry about vaccine safety,” says Allen. “Because I don’t trust medical professionals not to injure me or my child.”

These are also the people who, skeptical as they may be, have been convinced to get the vaccine by Azza Gadir, PhD, a 36-year-old Harvard-trained scientist who currently works in cancer immunology. Gadir volunteers her time to talk with vax-hesitant folks one-on-one over Zoom to help explain exactly how the vaccine works and its safety.<<<

Nice thanks. We need more people like her.
 
M

Mr._Clark

Audioholic Samurai
As I stated, that information has not been released. Whether it will be or not, I have no idea. We are early in this yet. The important thing to understand is that this mutant strain is spreading like the fiercest forest fire. There is no doubt about that. It is an axiom of infectious disease that high transmissibility poses a much greater risk to public health than virulence.

So the public do need to pay attention.
According to this website, the UK's first omicron death was a man who was (emphasis on "was") fit and healthy but he refused the vaccine

>>>A relative of the UK's 'first Omicron victim' told LBC today that his stepfather was fit and healthy but died after refusing to get his Covid-19 vaccinations after being taken in by anti-vaxxer "conspiracy theories".<<<

Disclaimer: I have no idea if LBC is reliable, and this report is apparently based on what a relative told LBC.

 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
According to this website, the UK's first omicron death was a man who was (emphasis on "was") fit and healthy but he refused the vaccine

>>>A relative of the UK's 'first Omicron victim' told LBC today that his stepfather was fit and healthy but died after refusing to get his Covid-19 vaccinations after being taken in by anti-vaxxer "conspiracy theories".<<<

Disclaimer: I have no idea if LBC is reliable, and this report is apparently based on what a relative told LBC.

LBC is reliable. What you stated has been widely reported now. Though this is the UK, it is still Trumps fault.
 
John Parks

John Parks

Audioholic Samurai
Excellent and very informative interview with Dr. Peter McCullough on Joe Rogan's podcast. It's on Spotify if you are a subscriber - I am not, hence the Rumble link:
 
GO-NAD!

GO-NAD!

Audioholic Spartan
Excellent and very informative interview with Dr. Peter McCullough on Joe Rogan's podcast. It's on Spotify if you are a subscriber - I am not, hence the Rumble link:
Before watching Joe Rogan for anything COVID-related, one should check to see if it might be a waste of time.
US cardiologist makes false claims about Covid-19 vaccination | Fact Check (afp.com)

Yep, waste of time.
 
Trell

Trell

Audioholic Spartan
GO-NAD!

GO-NAD!

Audioholic Spartan
So AFP is the authoritative source and you have already made up your mind - got it.
AFP is one of the authoritative sources I found. I just chose to link that one. Rogan has spewed enough COVID nonsense already, so I was doubtful that he had seen the light and interviewed a credible guest.
 
John Parks

John Parks

Audioholic Samurai
AFP is one of the authoritative sources I found. I just chose to link that one. Rogan has spewed enough COVID nonsense already, so I was doubtful that he had seen the light and interviewed a credible guest.
Okay - point taken. Now, do you know anything at all about McCullough's actual accomplishments, how many actual COVID patients he has successfully treated and/or advised? How many peer reviewed papers he has published (hint: most in history in his specialty) what boards he has sat on etc.? Not "fact checker" info, actual info. The first five minutes of the podcast covers his actual creds. If you don't want to hear it, that's fine, but I don't think Rogan has had a more credible guest on this subject.
 
GO-NAD!

GO-NAD!

Audioholic Spartan
Okay - point taken. Now, do you know anything at all about McCullough's actual accomplishments, how many actual COVID patients he has successfully treated and/or advised? How many peer reviewed papers he has published (hint: most in history in his specialty) what boards he has sat on etc.? Not "fact checker" info, actual info. The first five minutes of the podcast covers his actual creds. If you don't want to hear it, that's fine, but I don't think Rogan has had a more credible guest on this subject.
Regardless of his accomplishments, he has made some clearly misleading/false statements.
Peter A. McCullough - Wikipedia

COVID-19 misinformation
Some of McCullough's public statements contributed to the spread of COVID-19 misinformation.[7][4]

McCullough testified before a committee of the Texas Senate in March 2021, posted to YouTube by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, in which he made false claims about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines, including that people under 50 years of age and survivors do not need the vaccine and that there is no evidence of asymptomatic spread of COVID-19.[27]

Posted on the Canadian online video sharing platform Rumble, McCullough gave an interview in April 2021 to The New American, the magazine of the right-wing John Birch Society, in which he advanced anti-vaccination messaging, including falsely claiming tens of thousands of fatalities attributed to the COVID-19 vaccines.[46] In May 2021, McCullough gave an interview in which he made claims about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines which were "inaccurate, misleading and/or unsupported by evidence," including that survivors cannot be re-infected and so do not require vaccination and that the vaccines are dangerous.[28]

In an interview on the Fox News program Tucker Carlson Tonight in May 2021, McCullough claimed that hydroxychloroquine is effective for treating COVID-19 despite there being no supporting evidence.[28] McCullough later made appearances on The Ingraham Angle. During television appearances, McCullough contradicted public health recommendations, including when asked about the aggressive spread of COVID-19 among children, by suggesting that healthy persons under 30 had no need for a vaccine,[29][47] and when asked about the relative merits of vaccination-induced immunity versus "natural" (survivor) immunity, by disputing the necessity of vaccinations to achieve herd immunity.[24][48][49][4]
 
Trell

Trell

Audioholic Spartan
See my emphasis on the word the and GO-NAD!s on the word one and it should be clear...
No, not at all clear since you did not answer my question, so I'll repeat it: Is there anything in the linked AFP that is not correct or misleading?
 
ski2xblack

ski2xblack

Audioholic Field Marshall
So AFP is the authoritative source and you have already made up your mind - got it.
It's folks like Rogan and the quacks that have convinced fearful, impressionable dullards to forego vaccines. We have 30% unvaxxed in this country. My hospital across a dozen facilities has 135 ICU beds occupied by covid patients, 125 on vents, and 93% of them are unvaxxed. Omicron hasn't even hit us yet, and we're stretched. I'm already taking patient loads I would have flat out refused as unsafe prior to covid. Codes have become routine, and I can't tell you how soul crushing that is.

Just some perspective from one in the trenches that gets to clean up the mess created by the misinformation.
 
M

Mr._Clark

Audioholic Samurai
Excellent and very informative interview with Dr. Peter McCullough on Joe Rogan's podcast. It's on Spotify if you are a subscriber - I am not, hence the Rumble link:
Is there something in particular that McCullough said during the interview that is, in your view, very informative?
 
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