1. I’m still not impressed by its spread across Europe, where there’s plenty of sequencing. I may be totally wrong, but still think Delta is going to give Omicron a run for its money.
2. I’m not even convinced Omicron is more transmissible, though there have been several preliminary studies that point in that direction.
3. The bad news is I am also NOT convinced yet that Omicron is less severe than Delta. South Africa has a much younger population. Any data from there must be placed in the proper context.
4. More bad news is the immunity-escape properties of Omicron are very significant. The U.S. is essentially making the same mistake it made last December, believing verbatim everything companies like Pfizer say. This is folly. It’s much better to have an independent assessment of issues such as immunity-escape properties. A German preliminary analysis deals a devastating blow to Pfizer’s claims. It says that even with boosters, Omicron reduces neutralization of the virus (from the vaccine) to 0% (!) by the 6th month after the booster. https://twitter.com/PeterHotez/status/1468566073045929985
5. Of course, if Omicron only leads to mild illness and is like a common cold version of the coronavirus, then all of this becomes a moot point. But, we’re not at that point yet. We simply don’t know.
Thank you Joshua. I just wish they would all be straight with us.
And people are going about their business as if this pandemic
is all over. It sickens me.
At work they are having in person meetings!
And they are having departmental Christmas parties at
the office in a conference room! ?????????????????
I am not attending in person and don’t intend to either.
If it ends up costing me my part time job, then so be it.
There are just Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many cases to
be taking this risk.
The average age of Death from covid in MA is 75.
That will be my next birthday. I am NOT taking the risk.
You echo our thoughts and comments here. Not sure if you get the Boston globe, but there is an interesting article that asks health professionals what they plan for the holiday. Every individual plans a small gathering of immediate family, all of whom are vaccinated and boosted. Despite that, they will ask that everyone be tested….PCR or home.
Philip……to your comment yesterday that we need something developed that will coverall variants, there is a globe article. Below is the gist of it since I know you can’t read the globe
“ The Omicron variant has driven home the reality that COVID-19 may be with us for a long time. But if one of New England’s leading biotech thinkers is right, there could soon be a new way to fight it.
The day after Thanksgiving, as reports of the variant were circulating, Tillman Gerngross’s team at Adagio Therapeutics ran a test that suggested the company’s experimental antibody treatment, which is still in clinical trials, would work against Omicron.
There’s a much bigger idea at stake: The therapy is designed to work against all variants of the coronavirus, and also could help prevent disease. Whether it will or not remains to be seen — it is very early. But with questions swirling around how effective vaccines and treatments will be against Omicron and future strains, it’s a key moment for Adagio, which has positioned its antibody drug as a supplement to existing options.”
I find it hard to believe that we will not need at least yearly boosters. But that is not anything new.
This addresses a question I keep forgetting to ask.
I keep reading Covid 8s transmitted through air. I absolutely get that. But if droplets are in the air, don’t they need to fall a s settle somewhere?
Can that somewhere be a surface that is then touched and therefore transmitted to the person who touches it and then touches his her her face, etc?
Yes, that is correct. But in addition to that, there are what
is call Aerosols. These a very fine droplets that can be suspended in air. That is what makes it so transmissible.
Initially, our medical community thought that it may be easily transmitted via surfaces. Not talking much about that these days as the bigger concern is the aerosol nature of the beast.
We are careful with surfaces just in case.
Thank you, JPD. We are also careful with surfaces. It takes just a bit more time and worth the trade off. It seems the OS household and ours runs very parallel.
Two (2) students in our daughters class have tested positive for covid. The number of cases within the school system is really
on the rise. My Daughter gets tested today to make sure.
She is totally vaccinated and boosted and wears a very good N95 mask all day. So far, she has escaped it.
Good for her. Hope she stays safe! 🙂
Your daughter is always in my prayers. The school numbers are staggering. Does your daughter teach lower grades?
She teaches High School
JPD. Will you be able to be with your daughter and son for Christmas?
We’re not sure yet. We will all be boosted. It will depend
on the numbers and how we feel about it.
Not looking like it at the moment, but we shall see.
We certainly would like to.
What about you?
We are tentatively planning to see my three kids and family. My older daughter and not sons in law are not exposed so we get together already. My son is the wild card. He, his wife and son will home test three days prior and on the day.
So far health folks in this area are doing the same.
I hope you can be with your family. I don’t mind not going places but I do think this is the most difficult part of this.
Thanks TK.
I heard that Pfizer is developing a vaccine designed to deal specifically with Omicron and hopes to be available by March. For me personally, it would be just in the nick of time as I am due for yet another booster in March.
American media is becoming like Pravda. Seriously. All I see is bright and cheery optimism about the Pfizer vaccine’s efficacy against Omicron. They’re falling into the same damn trap they’ve done repeatedly since the remdesivir debacle: Believing verbatim and wholesale what companies – with the most blatant conflicts of interest; I mean does anyone out there really believe what for-profit companies are telling you? Ever? I know I don’t – are releasing to the public. As Professor Gellad points out, there are SERIOUS questions related to Pfizer’s binary presentation of the data. Durability is crucial. The fact that the vaccine basically loses almost all efficacy after 3 months against Omicron is a massive problem. And, we haven’t learned our lesson from past experiences. We just go on our merry way, gullible as usual. https://twitter.com/walidgellad/status/1468636900323995663
And add to that the fact that SO MANY in Congress own pfeizer stock …or the spouse does.
I agree that it is horrifically frustrating.
My son just got a negative test. It seems a bit backwards that I had a stronger reaction to my booster than he did the disease but I would not want it any other way. Now we keep his bride in our prayers. It’s been two weeks since he saw his son who is tested daily at school …thank heavens
Glad your son is OK, Vicki. Where is he staying in quarantine? Any idea as to when he can reunite with his family and go back to work?
Thank you. He is home. His wife is there. They are staying as separate as possible. He can return to work after a negative test
I keep meaning to comment with regard to Mama’s last post. I had to do some reading re Fauci as I do know he had an excellent reason for first saying masks didn’t help. I listened to his reply to several media folks. When his response is “let’s stop the nonsense,” it gives me pause.
Denise Dewald…..who I like….had a surprisingly condescending tweet a couple of nights ago with regard to something on the order of shaking her head when she sees people wearing surgical masks. She was called in it and rather than acknowledge her tweet was harsh, she doubled down.
I originally liked Dr Faust from MGH/Brigham but he has a tendency to be quite snarky.
Then we have the “experts” who tell us every three months that the virus will be over or nearly so in three months.
Yes, they are under pressure and I like to give them a bit of a pass. However, a good deal of that pressure is self-created by their seeming inability to be forthright. And they refuse to say mea culpa.
The U.S. has no plan for a Covid pass nationally, even on flights! Also, the Biden Administration never even talks about the need for people to work from home as much as possible. And, the Biden Administration has not once convened a national meeting of governors to discuss implementation of mask mandates. Nor does the Biden Administration offer a monthly supply of free tests to U.S. citizens, like the U.K. does.
Sadly, we have an Administration that has failed us. Sure, the Trump Administration was worse in many ways. But, the Biden Administration is only marginally better.
Agree and that is bitterly disappointing.
Ditto
Denmark is closing all primary schools for at least one week.
I…..am…..not…..saying……one….word 🙄
Joshua, which administration is Dr. Adams criticizing? You could blame both in some respects, one difference at least Biden’s heart has been in the right place.
Well said, Philip. He is caught and caught hard between a rock and a hard place and that is very important to remember
Joshua, are there any specific Covid regulations on nightclubs in Boston? Just wondering.
5,403 new covid cases today in MA!!!
Framingham..
The abundance of caution comment has me groaning
“ 15 new cases were reported today.
“As a result of this significant delay, and in an abundance of caution, we have suspended school practices today for the following athletic teams: Freshmen, JV and Varsity Girls’ Basketball, Freshman Boys’ Basketball, and JV and Varsity Wrestling; we will re-evaluate on a daily basis,” said the high school administration.”
Philip, well said. I think Adams is aware of this. He’s not a Trumpist, even though he worked under Trump. You can tell by his tweets that he’s critical of the Covid deniers or minimizers in his midst in Indiana. https://twitter.com/JeromeAdamsMD/status/1468649928985485312
I agree with you that Biden has his heart in the right place. And, I think his first 3 or 4 months were very good in terms of Covid-19 response. I just think that it’s not been good since May, and it continues to be tepid.
Good lord the media is weird these days. Tucker Carlson invited Nigel Farage – an extreme Brexiteer and nationalist pseudo-fascist – on his program. Here’s Farage saying Covid-19 “feminizes people.” https://twitter.com/NikkiMcR/status/1468704702275670019
You can’t imagine how much I’d enjoy punching Tucker Carlson in his smug little face.
Funny thing. Well not funny, but I am as far from a violent/physical person as can be. Or maybe not. But I’d love to slap the supercilious smirk off his face.
JPD just saw your comment that your daughter teaches HS.
That is a bit worrisome. Well not that it all hasn’t been worrisome, but at least the schools I have contact with, there have been VERY few cases in the higher grades.
Denise Dewald is slowly losing my respect. I understand that will not bother her one bit. It only makes sense to clean high touch areas whether it is covid or a simple cold
On Omicron:
1. I’m still not impressed by its spread across Europe, where there’s plenty of sequencing. I may be totally wrong, but still think Delta is going to give Omicron a run for its money.
2. I’m not even convinced Omicron is more transmissible, though there have been several preliminary studies that point in that direction.
3. The bad news is I am also NOT convinced yet that Omicron is less severe than Delta. South Africa has a much younger population. Any data from there must be placed in the proper context.
4. More bad news is the immunity-escape properties of Omicron are very significant. The U.S. is essentially making the same mistake it made last December, believing verbatim everything companies like Pfizer say. This is folly. It’s much better to have an independent assessment of issues such as immunity-escape properties. A German preliminary analysis deals a devastating blow to Pfizer’s claims. It says that even with boosters, Omicron reduces neutralization of the virus (from the vaccine) to 0% (!) by the 6th month after the booster.
https://twitter.com/PeterHotez/status/1468566073045929985
5. Of course, if Omicron only leads to mild illness and is like a common cold version of the coronavirus, then all of this becomes a moot point. But, we’re not at that point yet. We simply don’t know.
Thank you Joshua. I just wish they would all be straight with us.
I sure agree.
It’s embarrassing how poorly the U.S. has done compared to its Northern neighbor. https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1468576725210578947
Here are some graphs for Massachusetts
The first one clearly depicts the seriousness of this surge.
https://ibb.co/Tm2GScY
https://ibb.co/yQPW8YZ
And people are going about their business as if this pandemic
is all over. It sickens me.
At work they are having in person meetings!
And they are having departmental Christmas parties at
the office in a conference room! ?????????????????
I am not attending in person and don’t intend to either.
If it ends up costing me my part time job, then so be it.
There are just Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many cases to
be taking this risk.
The average age of Death from covid in MA is 75.
That will be my next birthday. I am NOT taking the risk.
You echo our thoughts and comments here. Not sure if you get the Boston globe, but there is an interesting article that asks health professionals what they plan for the holiday. Every individual plans a small gathering of immediate family, all of whom are vaccinated and boosted. Despite that, they will ask that everyone be tested….PCR or home.
Philip……to your comment yesterday that we need something developed that will coverall variants, there is a globe article. Below is the gist of it since I know you can’t read the globe
“ The Omicron variant has driven home the reality that COVID-19 may be with us for a long time. But if one of New England’s leading biotech thinkers is right, there could soon be a new way to fight it.
The day after Thanksgiving, as reports of the variant were circulating, Tillman Gerngross’s team at Adagio Therapeutics ran a test that suggested the company’s experimental antibody treatment, which is still in clinical trials, would work against Omicron.
There’s a much bigger idea at stake: The therapy is designed to work against all variants of the coronavirus, and also could help prevent disease. Whether it will or not remains to be seen — it is very early. But with questions swirling around how effective vaccines and treatments will be against Omicron and future strains, it’s a key moment for Adagio, which has positioned its antibody drug as a supplement to existing options.”
I find it hard to believe that we will not need at least yearly boosters. But that is not anything new.
This addresses a question I keep forgetting to ask.
I keep reading Covid 8s transmitted through air. I absolutely get that. But if droplets are in the air, don’t they need to fall a s settle somewhere?
Can that somewhere be a surface that is then touched and therefore transmitted to the person who touches it and then touches his her her face, etc?
https://twitter.com/jljcolorado/status/1468598989813653507?s=21
Yes, that is correct. But in addition to that, there are what
is call Aerosols. These a very fine droplets that can be suspended in air. That is what makes it so transmissible.
Initially, our medical community thought that it may be easily transmitted via surfaces. Not talking much about that these days as the bigger concern is the aerosol nature of the beast.
We are careful with surfaces just in case.
Thank you, JPD. We are also careful with surfaces. It takes just a bit more time and worth the trade off. It seems the OS household and ours runs very parallel.
Two (2) students in our daughters class have tested positive for covid. The number of cases within the school system is really
on the rise. My Daughter gets tested today to make sure.
She is totally vaccinated and boosted and wears a very good N95 mask all day. So far, she has escaped it.
Good for her. Hope she stays safe! 🙂
Your daughter is always in my prayers. The school numbers are staggering. Does your daughter teach lower grades?
She teaches High School
JPD. Will you be able to be with your daughter and son for Christmas?
We’re not sure yet. We will all be boosted. It will depend
on the numbers and how we feel about it.
Not looking like it at the moment, but we shall see.
We certainly would like to.
What about you?
We are tentatively planning to see my three kids and family. My older daughter and not sons in law are not exposed so we get together already. My son is the wild card. He, his wife and son will home test three days prior and on the day.
So far health folks in this area are doing the same.
I hope you can be with your family. I don’t mind not going places but I do think this is the most difficult part of this.
Thanks TK.
I heard that Pfizer is developing a vaccine designed to deal specifically with Omicron and hopes to be available by March. For me personally, it would be just in the nick of time as I am due for yet another booster in March.
American media is becoming like Pravda. Seriously. All I see is bright and cheery optimism about the Pfizer vaccine’s efficacy against Omicron. They’re falling into the same damn trap they’ve done repeatedly since the remdesivir debacle: Believing verbatim and wholesale what companies – with the most blatant conflicts of interest; I mean does anyone out there really believe what for-profit companies are telling you? Ever? I know I don’t – are releasing to the public. As Professor Gellad points out, there are SERIOUS questions related to Pfizer’s binary presentation of the data. Durability is crucial. The fact that the vaccine basically loses almost all efficacy after 3 months against Omicron is a massive problem. And, we haven’t learned our lesson from past experiences. We just go on our merry way, gullible as usual. https://twitter.com/walidgellad/status/1468636900323995663
And add to that the fact that SO MANY in Congress own pfeizer stock …or the spouse does.
I agree that it is horrifically frustrating.
My son just got a negative test. It seems a bit backwards that I had a stronger reaction to my booster than he did the disease but I would not want it any other way. Now we keep his bride in our prayers. It’s been two weeks since he saw his son who is tested daily at school …thank heavens
Glad your son is OK, Vicki. Where is he staying in quarantine? Any idea as to when he can reunite with his family and go back to work?
Thank you. He is home. His wife is there. They are staying as separate as possible. He can return to work after a negative test
I keep meaning to comment with regard to Mama’s last post. I had to do some reading re Fauci as I do know he had an excellent reason for first saying masks didn’t help. I listened to his reply to several media folks. When his response is “let’s stop the nonsense,” it gives me pause.
Denise Dewald…..who I like….had a surprisingly condescending tweet a couple of nights ago with regard to something on the order of shaking her head when she sees people wearing surgical masks. She was called in it and rather than acknowledge her tweet was harsh, she doubled down.
I originally liked Dr Faust from MGH/Brigham but he has a tendency to be quite snarky.
Then we have the “experts” who tell us every three months that the virus will be over or nearly so in three months.
Yes, they are under pressure and I like to give them a bit of a pass. However, a good deal of that pressure is self-created by their seeming inability to be forthright. And they refuse to say mea culpa.
Agree with Dr. Jerome Adams, former surgeon general in the Trump Administration. [Yes, there were some good folks in that Administration; not many, but still] https://twitter.com/JeromeAdamsMD/status/1468661640505745422
Wow. He sure is right. Truly sad.
France is imposing more restrictions, including the closure of night clubs.
U.K. is implementing Plan B restrictions. Not a lockdown, but a much stronger set of mitigation measures than the U.S.
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britain-could-implement-covid-19-plan-b-early-thursday-times-radio-2021-12-08/
The U.S. has no plan for a Covid pass nationally, even on flights! Also, the Biden Administration never even talks about the need for people to work from home as much as possible. And, the Biden Administration has not once convened a national meeting of governors to discuss implementation of mask mandates. Nor does the Biden Administration offer a monthly supply of free tests to U.S. citizens, like the U.K. does.
Sadly, we have an Administration that has failed us. Sure, the Trump Administration was worse in many ways. But, the Biden Administration is only marginally better.
Agree and that is bitterly disappointing.
Ditto
Denmark is closing all primary schools for at least one week.
I…..am…..not…..saying……one….word 🙄
Joshua, which administration is Dr. Adams criticizing? You could blame both in some respects, one difference at least Biden’s heart has been in the right place.
Well said, Philip. He is caught and caught hard between a rock and a hard place and that is very important to remember
Joshua, are there any specific Covid regulations on nightclubs in Boston? Just wondering.
5,403 new covid cases today in MA!!!
Framingham..
The abundance of caution comment has me groaning
“ 15 new cases were reported today.
“As a result of this significant delay, and in an abundance of caution, we have suspended school practices today for the following athletic teams: Freshmen, JV and Varsity Girls’ Basketball, Freshman Boys’ Basketball, and JV and Varsity Wrestling; we will re-evaluate on a daily basis,” said the high school administration.”
Philip, well said. I think Adams is aware of this. He’s not a Trumpist, even though he worked under Trump. You can tell by his tweets that he’s critical of the Covid deniers or minimizers in his midst in Indiana. https://twitter.com/JeromeAdamsMD/status/1468649928985485312
I agree with you that Biden has his heart in the right place. And, I think his first 3 or 4 months were very good in terms of Covid-19 response. I just think that it’s not been good since May, and it continues to be tepid.
Good lord the media is weird these days. Tucker Carlson invited Nigel Farage – an extreme Brexiteer and nationalist pseudo-fascist – on his program. Here’s Farage saying Covid-19 “feminizes people.” https://twitter.com/NikkiMcR/status/1468704702275670019
You can’t imagine how much I’d enjoy punching Tucker Carlson in his smug little face.
Funny thing. Well not funny, but I am as far from a violent/physical person as can be. Or maybe not. But I’d love to slap the supercilious smirk off his face.
Central Pennsylvania (low vaccination rates) in trouble: https://twitter.com/timelywriter/status/1468711698802561026
JPD just saw your comment that your daughter teaches HS.
That is a bit worrisome. Well not that it all hasn’t been worrisome, but at least the schools I have contact with, there have been VERY few cases in the higher grades.
Denise Dewald is slowly losing my respect. I understand that will not bother her one bit. It only makes sense to clean high touch areas whether it is covid or a simple cold
https://twitter.com/kprather88/status/1468750799291310101?s=21
C-19 for 12-9 is ready.