DOOM: "Omicron Covid cases ‘doubling every two to three days’ in UK"

[agentzero]

93k cases today compared with 88k yesterday and ~80 the day before - 3 records in a row.

Rumblings of further restrictions but it seems so far, only in the devolved nations.
Tonight is a meal out with my choir ~20 people. We sang together yesterday and we're in the NE with small-O so far so this will be my last activity of the year I think. Doctor's appointment tomorrow, booster on Monday can both go ahead regardless, and we're not going away for Xmas (and my wife had her booster a few weeks back) so it's not the end of the world.

I did hum and haw quite a lot and was a little surprised the events both went ahead without any people pulling out. Let's see where I am in a week!

Most people I'm friends with wouldn't do what you are doing until two weeks after their third vaccination dose. Too little is know yet about omicron and most people don't want to be guinea pigs when asked directly.

It takes two to four weeks to get so unwell with covid 19 that hospital is required. The reporting of variant breakdown and ages for hospital admissions is another two weeks, so we won't know until late January what the effect of the forthcoming fortnight. Either way, saving Christmas day by not doing much the last week and this week. I think people that are not booster jabbed yet are taking a risk, maybe unknown, given that this omicron variant can or will infect people who have already had covid19.

Here's hoping that vaccinated people face minimal issues and that any serious issues, if they must exist, are only in the unvaccinated. Ideally nobody would be affected, but realistically it's the unvaccinated who are going to see the most issues. At least those with medical reasons who can't get vaccinated know enough to be more cautious.

[d000hg]

Most people I'm friends with wouldn't do what you are doing until two weeks after their third vaccination dose. Too little is know yet about omicron and most people don't want to be guinea pigs when asked directly.

I've never had any great fears about catching it, except for the risk of passing it on and the inconvenience it brings. Most people don't need to be afraid.

Also, at the time we hadn't received the brunt of Omicron here. I'm not bothered at all being exposed to Delta with my miserly 2 jabs.

[AtW]

106k

My local stas are >1000 per 100k, YUGE number and it's only up to like 17th!

[AtW]

"Risk of hospital stay 40% lower with Omicron than Delta, UK data suggests

Researchers find those who test positive with new Covid variant 15% less likely to attend hospital at all

People who test positive with the Omicron variant are on average 15% less likely than Delta cases to attend hospital and have a 40% lower risk of being hospitalised for a night or more, UK data suggests.

The Imperial College outbreak modelling team led by Prof Neil Ferguson analysed hospitalisations and vaccine records among all PCR-confirmed Covid cases in England between 1 and 14 December.

In a report published on Wednesday, the scientists found that any attendance at hospital was a fifth to a quarter lower with Omicron versus Delta cases, and between 40% and 45% lower when the visit resulted in being admitted for at least one day."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-data-suggests

If true then it's fook all difference really when multiplied by much higher spread, therefore - lockdown in January.

Only hope is high quantity of new Pfizer antiviral that appears to work on Omicron also - that would be the same changer, Xmas 2022 should be with a lot less Covid DOOOOM.

[SueEllen]

Record Breakers... Record Breakers....

119,789 positive cases today.....

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...est-total-ever

Another 119,789 people have tested positive for Covid within 24 hours in the UK, the highest figure since the pandemic began, as the highly infectious Omicron variant continues to drive infections.

The figure represents a 139% rise on the 50,023 new cases recorded on Thursday two weeks ago. Wednesday was the first time the UK had recorded more than 100,000 Covid cases.

A further 147 people died from Covid-related causes, and the number of deaths remains relatively stable. It takes the UK’s total death toll for people with Covid on their death certificate to 171,801, the seventh highest in the world.

NHS England’s national medical director, Stephen Powis, said the health service was “on a war footing and staff are taking the fight to Omicron”. The number of staff days lost to Covid across NHS England hit 124,855 last week, a 38% jump from the 90,277 of the week before, according to data published by NHS England.

[NotAllThere]

This pre-print suggests that mRNA vaccines are effective against Omicron Covid.

[malvolio]

Before we get all hysterical about infection rates, how about we compare them to testing rates. We're doing four times as many tests as this time last year and we're getting about four times as many infections...

Yes it's serious and the numbers are too high - but it's how many that get seriously ill as a proportion of those who get infected that's the critical bit - and that's the count that will impact the health service.

[d000hg]

Before we get all hysterical about infection rates, how about we compare them to testing rates. We're doing four times as many tests as this time last year and we're getting about four times as many infections...

They do also measure % positive tests, and estimate % of people with Covid at any given time in other ways.
None of those metrics suggest anything to support your implication. It seems you have decided in advance the narrative you want to see and are asking "how can I make the facts look like they support my argument" rather than "what do the facts seem to show".

We're on a knife-edge, so far so good but if it goes bad it will do so very quickly. The link to serious illness seems lower than ever so the question is how fast and how big is this peak going to be before it collapses either due to boosters or just running its course?

[Whorty]

I'm working in a team of 10, and currently 3 have tested positive for covid. All three are still working as they aren't that ill, and as they work from home they are no risk to the office. None, as far as I know, have any pre-existing conditions. I don't think they know what flavour of covid they have, but the assumption is Omicron.

[BR14]

WGAFF what you lot think?
do you think your constant stream of miserable whining will make a blind bit of difference?
geez.