Coronavirus | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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Coronavirus

It's been hard getting somewhat credible no spin news on Omicron. Do we know if it's less lethal than Delta and others, or the same? Worse?

Listening to Coronacast, the jury is out as we simply haven't had enough time to see what it is really like. Complicating this is that it started in South Africa - now, the virus does seem to be less threatening (lower hospitalisation and death rates) than earlier variants, but, the research is based on low numbers and a high proportion of the South African population have had COVID so, if they survived, they have some immunity from having had COVID and recovered.

The upshot of all of this? We simply don't have enough data to be sure yet. Anyone who says otherwise is running spin. You can be assured that there is a lot of research going on and we will know a lot more in a month or three.

There has also been a lot of talk of vaccines being less effective. Again, the data is based on low numbers, but it does look like AZ wanes to very low levels in terms of preventing infection, but still offers a good level of protection, maybe 40-50%, against hospitalisation or worse. Other vaccines also less effective but still giving good protection against hospitalisation. The research also indicates that mixing vaccines is a good thing. The advantage to getting, for example, Moderna if you previously had Pfizer, is not large, but if you had AZ (like I did) then a Pfizer or Moderna booster looks to be a very good third dose and should give a very good level of protection against infection, and more protection against hospitalisation.

I'll be at 6 months in Feb so am weighing up when to get the third dose. We are hitting summer so better situation for us, a very high proportion of the Australian population should be able to get a third dose by winter.

Now all we have to do is to get as much of the vaccine to poorer countries with lower vaccination rates so we can really reduce the impact of the virus and the probability of variants appearing.

DS
 
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21 new cases of Omicron in NSW overnight (85 now overall) as their case numbers spiked massively. This is just the start..

Get your booster ASAP.

Also in better news.

 
Omicron just about to explode in Melbourne.

Went into the Peel maybe 30? odd years ago after a huge day/night out and somewhat disoriented!
Quickly realised we were at the wrong joint.
From memory, any form of social distancing was not encouraged....... actually, it was probably frowned upon!
Anyway, if it is now, what it was then..... an environment made for a super spreader event!
 
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Think the most frustrating part of the current situation is that despite being vaccinated you still have to quarantine if you're tested as positive.
That's going to stop a lot of vaccinated people getting tested. They'll just push through the illness & carry on with their lives.
There's just that many loopholes & inconsistencies now that people will just stop listening to the health officials.
We're at the let it rip point & unfortunately there will be casualties. The only thing you can do is protect yourself as best as possible.
If vaccination isn't our way out of this as was sold to us then what is?
 
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About 20,000 17-18 year olds from Sydney and Melbourne have crammed into limited accomodation in Byron Bay, for schoolies week that would normally be diluted across Bali, Noosa, Gold Coast and Byron.

these kids are making up for 2 lost years. Cant blame 'em.

but guess what? Its a minestrone of Covid, the week Queensland opens the borders.

The policy makers these passed two years haven't really thought things through I don't reckon.

We wish you a Very Covidy Christmas.
 
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Think the most frustrating part of the current situation is that despite being vaccinated you still have to quarantine if you're tested as positive.
That's going to stop a lot of vaccinated people getting tested. They'll just push through the illness & carry on with their lives.
There's just that many loopholes & inconsistencies now that people will just stop listening to the health officials.
We're at the let it rip point & unfortunately there will be casualties. If vacination isn't our way out of this as was sold to us then what is?

yeah. I now have zero idea what the strategy and protocols are.

on one hand, NSW today relaxed the mask mandate, and on the other closed Byron High because of 'high levels of Covid in the community'

Im totally confused.

Its like the speed limit has been 40km/hr for 2 years, then they've increased it to 110 km/hr,

but will still book you for doing 50?
 
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As an example as if the 700 people who were exposed to Omicron in Melbourne nightclubs overnight are going to quarantine over Christmas. It's just not going to happen.
You can't put out a blazing inferno whilst you pour petrol on the fire.
 
Far out. Trekking what's happing OS & I really hope the footy season isn't affected this year again.:confused:



I think we are going to shift to this kind of strategy here too... regular testing, individual quarantine, even rescheduling of games but the comp will go on at all costs, rightly or wrongly.
 
We’re going to get a mini version of what’s happening in the UK. Mini because we have a higher fully vaccinated population as a base, but a significant increase in cases and hospitalisations never the less.

1. Omicron;
2. A relaxed relatively non restricted environment;
3. A too casual population not taking safety measures it should eg vaccine cert checking, masks in retail etc;
4. A Christmas period with copious large and indoor gatherings.
5. Waning vaccination efficacy promoting increased transmission and hospitalisations.

It all adds up to an undoubted increase. Hopefully our healthcare system can handle it.

Melbourne-Victoria is not as safe as many people think it is right now.
 
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On a more “positive” front, seems Pfizer is saying today that it’s anti viral pill is 90% effective in treating Covid and preventing hospitalisation - even for high risk patients with the disease. This includes the Omicron variant.

Wow.

Let’s get @Ian4 ”on the pill” !!!!
 
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Omicron is exploding in NSW, but they are on the cusp of 95% double dose which is encouraging.

Problem is though BT, of those 95% there’s gonna be a fair % that have decreased efficacy ie those in 4 to 6 month range post 2nd shot.

Early research seems to suggest there’s a significant decrease in effectiveness where Omicron+wane is concerned. This is why the UK are pleading for people to get boosters right now and why ATAGI pivoted last week to a 5 month gap between 2nd and booster.

Certainly a far better base though to be dealing with it than the UK, Europe, USA etc. is that’s for sure.

Gotta ramp up the booster program now so we can roll to longer term efficacy and then maybe rely on anti virals from there on in
 
Tomorrow is five months since my second Pfizer shot and I just booked online a Moderna booster for tomorrow.
 
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I've had enough of this COVID *smile* now. Need to cancel our flights back to Melbourne over Xmas now. Sept 28th 2019 is the last time we were home.

Any vets or cattle farmers on PRE? I need to buy some, um, dewormer for my cat.
 
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