Omnibus COVID-19 virus discussion thread
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DrCaleb @ Tue May 03, 2022 6:17 am
$1:
Omicron subvariants BA.4, BA.5 evade protection from earlier omicron infection
Enduring an initial omicron infection may not spare you from omicron's subvariants, according to preliminary data from South Africa.
The country is currently at the start of a new wave of infections, primarily driven by two omicron coronavirus subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5. Despite a towering wave of cases from the initial BA.1 omicron variant in December that infected a large chunk of the country, new omicron cases increased 259 percent in the last two weeks, according to data-tracking by The New York Times. Hospitalizations are also up, and deaths have increased by 18 percent.
Preliminary data posted online last week helps explain why cases are once again surging—the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants can evade neutralizing antibodies generated by infections from BA.1. For the study, led by virologist Alex Sigal of the Africa Health Research Institute, researchers pitted neutralization antibodies from people infected with BA.1 up against BA.4 and BA.5 in a lab. They had samples from 24 unvaccinated people infected with BA.1 and 15 vaccinated people who had also had a BA.1 infection (eight people were vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and seven had the Johnson & Johnson vaccine).
For the unvaccinated people, neutralizing antibody levels were 7.6-fold and 7.5-fold lower against BA.4 and BA.5, respectively, compared with levels against BA.1. In vaccinated people, the drop was shorter: 3.6-fold and 2.6-fold lower against BA.4 and BA.5, respectively.
Enduring an initial omicron infection may not spare you from omicron's subvariants, according to preliminary data from South Africa.
The country is currently at the start of a new wave of infections, primarily driven by two omicron coronavirus subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5. Despite a towering wave of cases from the initial BA.1 omicron variant in December that infected a large chunk of the country, new omicron cases increased 259 percent in the last two weeks, according to data-tracking by The New York Times. Hospitalizations are also up, and deaths have increased by 18 percent.
Preliminary data posted online last week helps explain why cases are once again surging—the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants can evade neutralizing antibodies generated by infections from BA.1. For the study, led by virologist Alex Sigal of the Africa Health Research Institute, researchers pitted neutralization antibodies from people infected with BA.1 up against BA.4 and BA.5 in a lab. They had samples from 24 unvaccinated people infected with BA.1 and 15 vaccinated people who had also had a BA.1 infection (eight people were vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and seven had the Johnson & Johnson vaccine).
For the unvaccinated people, neutralizing antibody levels were 7.6-fold and 7.5-fold lower against BA.4 and BA.5, respectively, compared with levels against BA.1. In vaccinated people, the drop was shorter: 3.6-fold and 2.6-fold lower against BA.4 and BA.5, respectively.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/05 ... infection/
housewife @ Tue May 03, 2022 9:02 am
And people wonder why I continue wearing a mask!
Strutz @ Tue May 03, 2022 6:21 pm
housewife housewife:
And people wonder why I continue wearing a mask!
I still wear one as well, every day at work (because... retail) and when out shopping, which I do very little of as my partner does the majority of that. I must admit though that the weekly routine of soaking, washing, rinsing of my masks and the purchasing of replacement filters that I change every day is becoming a bit tedious but not enough to deter me... yet.
housewife @ Tue May 03, 2022 7:28 pm
Strutz I’m still making the occasional masks. I’m tired of them but live goes on. I really don’t want covid in any of it’s varieties!
DrCaleb @ Wed May 04, 2022 5:59 am
Strutz Strutz:
I must admit though that the weekly routine of soaking, washing, rinsing of my masks and the purchasing of replacement filters that I change every day is becoming a bit tedious but not enough to deter me... yet.
I just leave my cloth mask in my pants pocket when I wash them. I have enough cloth masks to make it a 1:1 relationship.
My N-95's I just get a box at Costco when I'm there, use them a few times then toss them.
DrCaleb @ Wed May 04, 2022 11:55 am
Pregnant, unvaccinated people vulnerable to severe COVID-19 outcomes, says new study
DrCaleb @ Thu May 05, 2022 6:09 am
Covid's toll in the U.S. reaches a once unfathomable number: 1 million deaths
DrCaleb @ Thu May 05, 2022 9:31 am
Covid: World’s true pandemic death toll nearly 15 million, says WHO
DrCaleb @ Wed May 11, 2022 8:52 am
Edmonton church, pastor convicted of obstructing public health inspector
DrCaleb @ Wed May 11, 2022 9:31 am
'Massive increase' in deaths among young Albertans during pandemic, study finds
housewife @ Wed May 11, 2022 10:02 am
I’m of two minds on all of this part of me is horrified the other part is like f them! How can people not believe that the pandemic is real?!?
DrCaleb @ Wed May 11, 2022 10:06 am
The youth deaths were from other than Covid reasons. Toxic illegal drug supply, for example. And it's Canada wide.
$1:
“Young people are not supposed to die. I don’t think you need to be a scientist to know that. So when you see a very large proportion of excess deaths, a rise in excess death that’s much higher proportionately in younger populations than in the elders, it speaks to how deadly COVID was, but also the opioid epidemic and finally just what’s happening to our health-care system.”
housewife @ Wed May 11, 2022 10:43 am
I have been saying for years that children should be the number one priority of society. The thing is they aren’t and haven’t been. The drugs and suicide isn’t new. Too many say it’s not my problem. No one wants to look closer at how this has happened. They sure as hell don’t want to actually spend money on it. Politicians pretend it’s not happening. Hell schools aren’t even reporting despite laws of mandatory reporting. Kids without food, dirty looking like no one cares seems a no brainer to me! Waiting lists for parents who are desperately trying to help kids. Doctors saying it’s a covid problem instead of covid is exasperating the problem. My friend says it’s because of the death of the housewife which I agree is probably a factor. But really let’s face it there are people who should never ever have children they still do and treat them to a living hell then wonder why they are f’ed up. Then there’s the asshats who say I don’t have children why should I have to pay for schools or try to save them. Instead of helping them grow up to be productive members of society! Who the hell do they think will be paying taxes and running the senior homes? There’s so many problems with our system it’s crazy. The few programs there are are overwhelmed the government doesn’t care. A lot of programs are folding as they don’t have volunteers or money anymore. Programs that let kids see that there are options and different things out there and perhaps gave them hope.
Covid has put a mirror to our world and it’s not pretty hopefully some will learn from this and help improve it.
DrCaleb @ Wed May 11, 2022 11:15 am
I too wish they treated early deaths all the same. A couple hundred people die of Covid or tainted drugs, not a big deal. A couple hundred mowed down by a gunman while at church, everyone would freak out.
bootlegga @ Wed May 11, 2022 1:01 pm
Strutz Strutz:
housewife housewife:
And people wonder why I continue wearing a mask!
I still wear one as well, every day at work (because... retail) and when out shopping, which I do very little of as my partner does the majority of that. I must admit though that the weekly routine of soaking, washing, rinsing of my masks and the purchasing of replacement filters that I change every day is becoming a bit tedious but not enough to deter me... yet.
I bought a bunch of cloth ones when they were on sale and just wear one a day, then take it home and toss it in a laundry bag to wash on the weekend.
I still wear mine, even though probably two-thirds of people in Edmonton don't...but I won't stop until they stop announcing 30 to 50 deaths per week from COVID. When it drops to one a week or month, then I'll consider taking off my mask. Until then, I'm masking whenever I'm in a public indoor space with unmasked around me.
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