wuhan - coronavirus

[bookbard]

I have mixed feelings on the seasonal thing. It probably has some effect, but there's a lot of other elements in play. 

They're having a meeting tomorrow about maybe pushing boosters forward to 3 months not 5 months. I hope they do that. Apparently one of the reasons they're holding off is the seasonal effect, ie what if things are worse over winter? 

[Ausmumof3]

34 minutes ago, bookbard said:

I have mixed feelings on the seasonal thing. It probably has some effect, but there's a lot of other elements in play. 

They're having a meeting tomorrow about maybe pushing boosters forward to 3 months not 5 months. I hope they do that. Apparently one of the reasons they're holding off is the seasonal effect, ie what if things are worse over winter? 

Plenty of time for a fourth shot before then 😕

[Laura Corin]

The UK arms race between Omicron and boosters continues. This is Scotland: 

 

 

Edited December 21, 2021 by Laura Corin

[popmom]

4 hours ago, lewelma said:

 

That may be because America has air conditioning so summer is still indoors. 

I apologize for belaboring this, but…

summer is NOT indoors—even in the muggy southeastern U.S. This is a misconception. Winter drives us indoors. We play and work hard outdoors even during the hottest weather. We may move a little slower, but we will be enjoying the outside much more so than in the dead of winter—even considering that our dead of winter is nothing compared to the northern states and Canada. Just because we enjoy AC doesn’t mean we’re all crammed inside half the year tryin’ not to melt. So…No this really doesn’t have much bearing on the spread of COVID. I’m sure having windows open is better, but many work places have installed HEPA filters and air purifiers as well as taking other measures to increase ventilation while still using AC. So there really shouldn’t be much difference from summer to winter.

update on my kitchen (not that anyone cares lol): I bought ONE ($10) large roll of shelf liner. It covered a total of 5 drawers. 😞 I am always thankful to have a large kitchen, but… I’m about to search online for bulk options. Feel free to message me with money saving tips on this. 🙂 
 

 

Edited December 21, 2021 by popmom

[bookbard]

Just checked our local rates - our area of about 60,000 people has 30 cases. Not 30 new - 30 active cases altogether. Of course, I guess they are the ones who have tested, but still, numbers are really low compared with earlier this year. (This is an area outside Sydney). 

[lewelma]

25 minutes ago, popmom said:

I apologize for belaboring this, but…

summer is NOT indoors—even in the muggy southeastern U.S. This is a misconception. Winter drives us indoors. We play and work hard outdoors even during the hottest weather. We may move a little slower, but we will be enjoying the outside much more so than in the dead of winter—even considering that our dead of winter is nothing compared to the northern states and Canada. Just because we enjoy AC doesn’t mean we’re all crammed inside half the year tryin’ not to melt. So…No this really doesn’t have much bearing on the spread of COVID.
 

 

I think this is just a cultural thing. I have lived for 27 years in the USA (in Florida, Nebraska, Connecticut, Georgia, Virginia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Nevada, and Ohio) and I have lived in New Zealand for 25 years.  In my experience, air conditioning is an important piece of how much time you spend with the windows open or outside. Clearly, it depends on the weather and the local culture. But if it is hot and you have no AC, you will be outside. If you have no AC and don't want to be outside, you will leave your windows open because you need some sort of circulating air. My parents, sisters, and all my in-laws, however, stay inside in the AC all summer long. Like every family I know will be outside in the summer for maybe an hour a day, perhaps more, but they like their AC and stay inside where it is cool. (they live in KY, OH, MI, WI, VA)

In addition, American houses are much bigger than here in NZ and I would assume also in South Africa, so we cannot just close all the windows and stay inside and not have a build up of carbon dioxide and humidity from breathing in small spaces. I have to open my windows even in the winter. But in the summer, they are open in every single room in the house. I don't even have screens, so I get bugs and even birds that fly in and then fly out.  Because rooms are heated individually in the winter, I can have the windows open in one room to air it out, but then be heating the room I am sitting in.

There is also the seasonal issue of Christmas and the school holidays being in the summer in the southern Hemisphere. So all the family gatherings and big travel times are outside at the beach. So right now, my American family is all gathering at my parents house for 5 days, inside because it is cold and they have central heating so no windows will be open, ever. But here in NZ, we are having multiple families over for a Christmas BBQ outside and then we are travelling to the South Island to do a 10 day hike outside. Totally different scenario for covid spread. 

Edited December 21, 2021 by lewelma

[popmom]

16 minutes ago, lewelma said:

I think this is just a cultural thing. I have lived for 27 years in the USA (in Florida, Nebraska, Connecticut, Georgia, Virginia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Nevada, and Ohio) and I have lived in New Zealand for 25 years.  In my experience, air conditioning is an important piece of how much time you spend with the windows open or outside. Clearly, it depends on the weather and the local culture. But if it is hot and you have no AC, you will be outside. If you have no AC and don't want to be outside, you will leave your windows open because you need some sort of circulating air. My parents, sisters, and all my in-laws, however, stay inside in the AC all summer long. Like every family I know will be outside in the summer for maybe an hour a day, perhaps more, but they like their AC and stay inside where it is cool. (they live in KY, OH, MI, WI, VA)

In addition, American houses are much bigger than here in NZ and I would assume also in South Africa, so we cannot just close all the windows and stay inside and not have a build up of carbon dioxide and humidity from breathing in small spaces. I have to open my windows even in the winter. But in the summer, they are open in every single room in the house. I don't even have screens, so I get bugs and even birds that fly in and then fly out.  Because rooms are heated individually in the winter, I can have the windows open in one room to air it out, but then be heating the room I am sitting in.

There is also the seasonal issue of Christmas and the school holidays being in the summer in the southern Hemisphere. So all the family gatherings and big travel times are outside at the beach. So right now, my American family is all gathering at my parents house for 5 days, inside because it is cold and they have central heating so no windows will be open, ever. But here in NZ, we are having multiple families over for a Christmas BBQ outside and then we are travelling to the South Island to do a 10 day hike outside. Totally different scenario for covid spread. 

Yes! And in Alabama we also end up opening windows and doors during Christmas gatherings because it gets so stuffy! The weather here is so erratic. We open windows as much as possible. The problem is usually dew point and humidity. We had to run the AC the past few days due to mild temps. We need our newly painted cabinets to cure, so AC it is for now. Christmas Day will be in the 70s F. And muggy. Another AC day. Our Thanksgiving and Christmas often has us able to eat outdoors. All of this I still believe has little to do with the spread of COVID overall. I’m not saying it has no effect—just not understanding why I’m getting so much push back on this. If y’all have any studies I’ve missed , plz fill me in. 
 

I think somehow my opinion on this is being interpreted as downplaying the severity of COVID?? Maybe??? I am adamantly pro vaccine and mask. I think we are all on the same team here. Again, if y’all can produce studies that say otherwise, I’m all ears. I’m learning here. 🙂

[lewelma]

14 minutes ago, popmom said:

 I think we are all on the same team here. 

Agreed!  We are just an arguing bunch. 🙂

I have no studies. All I know is what I hear in the 1pm daily briefing from our Director of Public Health and Prime Minister. They learned from the mistakes of Australia with the length of the lockdown and how people got so exhausted that many simply quit following the rules and cases started to rise even with an incredibly strict lockdown. So after about 6 weeks of lockdown in Auckland here in NZ, the government changed the rules to allow small outdoor gatherings. Still no indoor gatherings for another 8 weeks (including no shopping, no restaurants, no schools, no work venues). And even with *increased* interactions, the case numbers continued to go down.

Here in NZ they contact trace every. single. case. They know where and when each person got it. What they found is that no one was getting it outdoors. The outbreak was due to indoor spread, which is why they changed the lockdown to allow a pressure release. People could meet their friends outdoors as long as they were following the NO indoor gatherings rule.  They called it the "picnic lockdown." And what we have found is that even with all this intermingling, cases continued to fall.

So based on all the contact tracing of each and every case, the belief here in NZ is that if you are outside you are generally OK. And in NZ, we are outside in the summer and inside in the winter.  So that is where my opinion is coming from.

Edited December 21, 2021 by lewelma

[Wheres Toto]

7 hours ago, popmom said:

I apologize for belaboring this, but…

summer is NOT indoors—even in the muggy southeastern U.S. This is a misconception. Winter drives us indoors. We play and work hard outdoors even during the hottest weather. We may move a little slower, but we will be enjoying the outside much more so than in the dead of winter—even considering that our dead of winter is nothing compared to the northern states and Canada. Just because we enjoy AC doesn’t mean we’re all crammed inside half the year tryin’ not to melt. So…No this really doesn’t have much bearing on the spread of COVID. I’m sure having windows open is better, but many work places have installed HEPA filters and air purifiers as well as taking other measures to increase ventilation while still using AC. So there really shouldn’t be much difference from summer to winter.

update on my kitchen (not that anyone cares lol): I bought ONE ($10) large roll of shelf liner. It covered a total of 5 drawers. 😞 I am always thankful to have a large kitchen, but… I’m about to search online for bulk options. Feel free to message me with money saving tips on this. 🙂 
 

 

I do think it depends on exactly where you are located plus culture plus individual preferences.   We've had a lot of people on these boards say the exact opposite, particularly our Florida and some Texas boardies.  That they stay inside in the AC all summer long.   

Even in the coldest places, there will be people who love to be outdoors in the middle of winter, in the snow, in the cold doing various activities - hiking, skiing, sledding, etc.  

Unfortunately I also think you are being super optimistic with the idea that "many work places have installed HEPA filters and air purifiers....".   In some areas of the country, I think very few work places have done anything to improve air quality and circulation.

[ktgrok]

9 hours ago, popmom said:

I apologize for belaboring this, but…

summer is NOT indoors—even in the muggy southeastern U.S. This is a misconception. Winter drives us indoors. We play and work hard outdoors even during the hottest weather. We may move a little slower, but we will be enjoying the outside much more so than in the dead of winter—even considering that our dead of winter is nothing compared to the northern states and Canada. Just because we enjoy AC doesn’t mean we’re all crammed inside half the year tryin’ not to melt. So…No this really doesn’t have much bearing on the spread of COVID. I’m sure having windows open is better, but many work places have installed HEPA filters and air purifiers as well as taking other measures to increase ventilation while still using AC. So there really shouldn’t be much difference from summer to winter.

update on my kitchen (not that anyone cares lol): I bought ONE ($10) large roll of shelf liner. It covered a total of 5 drawers. 😞 I am always thankful to have a large kitchen, but… I’m about to search online for bulk options. Feel free to message me with money saving tips on this. 🙂 
 

 

See, here in Florida I'd disagree. We are outside in fall and spring, inside in summer and cold days in winter. But most of winter isn't very cold, so more outdoors in winter as far as outdoor dining, picnics, recreation. Unless you have a pool you would not have an outdoor gathering or barbecue in the summer here. It's unheard of. 

2 hours ago, Wheres Toto said:

I do think it depends on exactly where you are located plus culture plus individual preferences.   We've had a lot of people on these boards say the exact opposite, particularly our Florida and some Texas boardies.  That they stay inside in the AC all summer long.   

Even in the coldest places, there will be people who love to be outdoors in the middle of winter, in the snow, in the cold doing various activities - hiking, skiing, sledding, etc.  

Unfortunately I also think you are being super optimistic with the idea that "many work places have installed HEPA filters and air purifiers....".   In some areas of the country, I think very few work places have done anything to improve air quality and circulation.

Yup, us Florida folks venture out in summer only for pools and beaches. 

[1234]

2 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

See, here in Florida I'd disagree. We are outside in fall and spring, inside in summer and cold days in winter. But most of winter isn't very cold, so more outdoors in winter as far as outdoor dining, picnics, recreation. Unless you have a pool you would not have an outdoor gathering or barbecue in the summer here. It's unheard of. 

Yup, us Florida folks venture out in summer only for pools and beaches. 

Yes, I homeschooled for five of the years we lived in FL and we always started our school year in June because it was too miserable to do anything outside. Our “summer break” was always November and December because the weather was so nice and we wanted to be outdoors.

[Laura Corin]

New measures against Omicron from Boxing Day.

BBC News - Hogmanay events cancelled as Covid rules tightened
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-59745262

[Bambam]

11 hours ago, popmom said:

I apologize for belaboring this, but…

summer is NOT indoors—even in the muggy southeastern U.S. This is a misconception. Winter drives us indoors. We play and work hard outdoors even during the hottest weather. We may move a little slower, but we will be enjoying the outside much more so than in the dead of winter—even considering that our dead of winter is nothing compared to the northern states and Canada. Just because we enjoy AC doesn’t mean we’re all crammed inside half the year tryin’ not to melt. So…No this really doesn’t have much bearing on the spread of COVID. I’m sure having windows open is better, but many work places have installed HEPA filters and air purifiers as well as taking other measures to increase ventilation while still using AC. So there really shouldn’t be much difference from summer to winter.

<snip>

Totally disagree. We are in TX. A/C is a necessity. 
Sure there are some who do various outdoor sports with their kids, but they then race home or to the local restaurant to get back into the A/C. 
We do NOT spend time outside voluntarily from late April-late September. There are maybe a few days where the humidity is less than 85%, and so maybe we are outside then. But probably the pollen is high then, so nope, back inside.
The rest of the year, we may be outside but POLLEN, so nope, back inside. We do not open our windows. Many of our windows don't even open. 
And if it gets cold and there is no pollen? We still stay inside because it's cold and all we have for coats are blankets. (Not actually, but for many this is true). 


Just for your idea, coming to Houston in the summer - it's like stepping outside and someone wraps an old timey wool Army blanket that has been soaking in boiling water and immediately wraps it around you. You are immediately drenched in sweat. Doesn't really matter what time of day/night, it's just humid and hot. It's not pleasant. But - silver lining, your skin is always moist, and I think people wrinkle less here because of that. 

[JumpyTheFrog]

One thing to think about when trying to decipher seasonality is which areas have year-round school and which don't. I have relatives in a southern state where year-round school is common, whereas I grew up in a state where it didn't/doesn't exist anywhere. The summer case drop in my home state is much, much larger than in my relatives' state.

[JumpyTheFrog]

I added the info in the orange boxes to this graph of cases from my home state. The cases tanked in the summer.

Edited December 21, 2021 by JumpyTheFrog

[Ali in OR]

To me, another difference between South Africa's outbreak in summer and our coming/present outbreak in winter is the other illnesses going on. We're in the middle of cold and flu season and will have reduced hospital capacity just for those things before Covid surges. I think our local hospital had issues with winter capacity pre-pandemic. I remember an acquaintance's wife had to go to a Portland hospital when ours did not have room one February, maybe 2018 or 2019. And it wasn't an especially bad flu year--they just run a pretty tight capacity.

[Ausmumof3]

I did some rough maths and at the current doubling rate we would be at 18000 cases in roughly a fortnight. With indoor mask mandates still in place. The increase rate is consistent with what the rest of the world is seeing with omicron. We can only sequence a handful of cases so hard to know.  It definitely feels like past the point of no return now.  
 

Testing became completely overwhelmed (8 hour waits) so we’ve dropped testing requirements for interstate arrivals.  Contact tracing is also clearly overwhelmed although it’s being sold as always part of the plan to move to partiwl

[Melissa in Australia]

Isn’t it funny( in a sarcastic way) that they ( Aussie politicians)keep saying it is part of the plan….don’t panic …..it was part of the plan.

makes you want to bang a few heads together.

Edited December 21, 2021 by Melissa in Australia

[popmom]

1 hour ago, Bambam said:

Totally disagree. We are in TX. A/C is a necessity. 
Sure there are some who do various outdoor sports with their kids, but they then race home or to the local restaurant to get back into the A/C. 
We do NOT spend time outside voluntarily from late April-late September. There are maybe a few days where the humidity is less than 85%, and so maybe we are outside then. But probably the pollen is high then, so nope, back inside.
The rest of the year, we may be outside but POLLEN, so nope, back inside. We do not open our windows. Many of our windows don't even open. 
And if it gets cold and there is no pollen? We still stay inside because it's cold and all we have for coats are blankets. (Not actually, but for many this is true). 


Just for your idea, coming to Houston in the summer - it's like stepping outside and someone wraps an old timey wool Army blanket that has been soaking in boiling water and immediately wraps it around you. You are immediately drenched in sweat. Doesn't really matter what time of day/night, it's just humid and hot. It's not pleasant. But - silver lining, your skin is always moist, and I think people wrinkle less here because of that. 

Houston is the worst. But I don't consider it the SE. I never said AC  wasn't a necessity! It is absolutely a necessity! 🙂 San Antonio is wonderful. We used to live there. It's much less muggy there. Summers are much more tolerable in SA than AL.

Houston and central FL are pretty intolerable in summer.

In AL we just have to be strategic in planning outdoor activities during "air you can wear" season. 😉 Mornings, evenings, nights can be okay. Mosquitoes are more likely keep us indoors than the weather. 

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, Melissa in Australia said:

Isn’t it funny( in a sarcastic way) that they ( Aussie politicians)keep saying it is part of the plan….don’t panic …..it was part of the plan.

makes you want to bang a few heads together.

Yep… if it was part of the plan why weren’t we informed about the plan?  Maybe because we wouldn’t have been overly happy about the plan.  I do feel like unfortunately we are at the point of no going back now. 

[Ausmumof3]

3,763 cases for NSW

2 deaths

[Ausmumof3]

1,504 cases for VIC

6 deaths

[Ausmumof3]

Israel just approved a fourth dose for healthcare workers and over 60s due to signs of waning immunity after three months.

I am seriously not a fan of the idea of three monthly vaccines, a) because each dose makes me feel really rotten and b) I feel like the more doses the more chance of a bad batch or something going wrong.  
 

There has to be a better solution than this.

[busymama7]

9 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Israel just approved a fourth dose for healthcare workers and over 60s due to signs of waning immunity after three months.

I am seriously not a fan of the idea of three monthly vaccines, a) because each dose makes me feel really rotten and b) I feel like the more doses the more chance of a bad batch or something going wrong.  
 

There has to be a better solution than this.

Sadly, I wonder if there will be or can be.  I remember at the beginning we talked about how difficult a vaccine would be for a coronavirus and one had never been successful before.  

[Ausmumof3]

We are finally using the words airborne to describe this virus and talking about ventilation 

[Ausmumof3]

1 minute ago, busymama7 said:

Sadly, I wonder if there will be or can be.  I remember at the beginning we talked about how difficult a vaccine would be for a coronavirus and one had never been successful before.  

Yes.  On the plus side ADE doesn’t seem to be a thing but the constant variants and waning immunity certainly do.  I would like to see what a large scale campaign to improve air quality and filtration across all public buildings would achieve.

[1234]

15 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Israel just approved a fourth dose for healthcare workers and over 60s due to signs of waning immunity after three months.

I am seriously not a fan of the idea of three monthly vaccines, a) because each dose makes me feel really rotten and b) I feel like the more doses the more chance of a bad batch or something going wrong.  
 

There has to be a better solution than this.

I hope so. Dh and I have already discussed it and we’re not just going to keep getting this vaccine every three to six months. We’ve had our boosters and we are fine with an annual vaccine but what they’re talking about now just seems like too much.

[Ausmumof3]

3 minutes ago, Joker2 said:

I hope so. Dh and I have already discussed it and we’re not just going to keep getting this vaccine every three to six months. We’ve had our boosters and we are fine with an annual vaccine but what they’re talking about now just seems like too much.

DH had an easy run of the first two but got smashed by the booster this time.  I have to feel that this can’t be healthy long term on such a frequent basis.

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-1139035/v1
 

Preprint only so interpret with caution 

We performed complete autopsies on 44 patients with COVID-19 to map and quantify SARS-CoV-2 distribution, replication, and cell-type specificity across the human body, including brain, from acute infection through over seven months following symptom onset. We show that SARS-CoV-2 is widely distributed, even among patients who died with asymptomatic to mild COVID-19, and that virus replication is present in multiple extrapulmonary tissues early in infection. Further, we detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in multiple anatomic sites, including regions throughout the brain, for up to 230 days following symptom onset. Despite extensive distribution of SARS-CoV-2 in the body, we observed a paucity of inflammation or direct viral cytopathology outside of the lungs. Our data prove that SARS-CoV-2 causes systemic infection and can persist in the body for months.

[kbutton]

Ohio posted our highest daily number ever at 12,502. 💣

https://www.wdtn.com/community/health/coronavirus/covid-19-in-ohio-tuesday-update-most-cases-in-one-day-ever-at-more-than-12500/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=referral&fbclid=IwAR3dfI1UHR-04XFEblTH5fCWuI2LoNMC1o6hEBQfrvpw6IaxkdNbvXNlR8A

 

[TCB]

26 minutes ago, Joker2 said:

I hope so. Dh and I have already discussed it and we’re not just going to keep getting this vaccine every three to six months. We’ve had our boosters and we are fine with an annual vaccine but what they’re talking about now just seems like too much.

I wonder what they are trying to achieve with a further booster. I got a booster because I thought it would maybe stop me getting infected, but I still think I would have been protected against serious illness by the first 2 doses. I’m not sure it will be possible to be protected against Omicron just by vaccination, in terms of getting infected.

[Ausmumof3]

4 minutes ago, TCB said:

I wonder what they are trying to achieve with a further booster. I got a booster because I thought it would maybe stop me getting infected, but I still think I would have been protected against serious illness by the first 2 doses. I’m not sure it will be possible to be protected against Omicron just by vaccination, in terms of getting infected.

I’m assuming they must have concerns about serious illness? Otherwise yeah. I haven’t seen anything on the rationale.

[1234]

3 minutes ago, TCB said:

I wonder what they are trying to achieve with a further booster. I got a booster because I thought it would maybe stop me getting infected, but I still think I would have been protected against serious illness by the first 2 doses. I’m not sure it will be possible to be protected against Omicron just by vaccination, in terms of getting infected.

Yes, I get a flu vaccine every year and it’s only because I feel it will protect me from getting seriously ill. I don’t actually expect it to keep me from getting ill at all. It’s definitely looking like a Covid vaccine should be thought of in the same way. I’m no longer expecting not to get Covid but am hoping the vaccines I did get will keep me from getting too sick.

[thewellerman]

So how many doses could help protect against severe disease and how often?  I'm assuming my 1 dose 5 months ago is pretty much zero at this point...right?

[vonfirmath]

1 hour ago, Joker2 said:

I hope so. Dh and I have already discussed it and we’re not just going to keep getting this vaccine every three to six months. We’ve had our boosters and we are fine with an annual vaccine but what they’re talking about now just seems like too much.

This is pretty much where I am. I got my first dose January last year. (Moderna)

So I figure a booster now is my "annual" booster (though I was unable to find Moderna and will be getting Pfizer instead)

 

[Not_a_Number]

On 12/20/2021 at 7:47 PM, Syllieann said:

Things that force people indoors are definitely correlated. In the southern us, it is hot, muggy weather that forces them into the air conditioning.  Here in the northern us, we have a definite correlation with when it becomes too cold to gather outside.

Agree. I've been seeing these correlations with the numbers. 

[Not_a_Number]

2 hours ago, TCB said:

I wonder what they are trying to achieve with a further booster. I got a booster because I thought it would maybe stop me getting infected, but I still think I would have been protected against serious illness by the first 2 doses. I’m not sure it will be possible to be protected against Omicron just by vaccination, in terms of getting infected.

The booster seems to be protecting against infection. 

[Ausmumof3]

198 cases in SA. 105 two days ago so not quite a two day doubling time.  ACT and QLD had a massive jump too.

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2021/12/us-army-creates-single-vaccine-effective-against-all-covid-sars-variants/360089/

Within weeks, scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research expect to announce that they have developed a vaccine that is effective against COVID-19 and all its variants, even Omicron, as well as from previous SARS-origin viruses that have killed millions of people worldwide. 

The achievement is the result of almost two years of work on the virus. The Army lab received its first DNA sequencing of the COVID-19 virus in early 2020. Very early on, Walter Reed’s infectious diseases branch decided to focus on making a vaccine that would work against not just the existing strain but all of its potential variants as well.

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.12.21.21268116v1
 

Possible good news on Omicron severity - preprint only though 

[Arcadia]

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/japan-suspects-first-case-community-spread-omicron-nhk-2021-12-22/
“TOKYO, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Japan reported on Wednesday its first instance of community spread infection from the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

Health minister Shigeyuki Goto said three infections of the Omicron variant in the prefecture of Osaka were a cases of community transfer because the infection route was not clear.

The cases are from the same family and none of the people traveled abroad, Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura told a coronavirus policy meeting on Wednesday.

"I believe this counts as a case of community transfer. I think this will become the first in Osaka prefecture, and the first in the country," Yoshimura said.”

[Arcadia]

@AbcdeDooDah

https://amp.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article256789932.html

”The California State University system will require students, staff and faculty members to receive a COVID-19 booster in order to be considered fully immunized and eligible for on-campus instruction and activities, it announced Wednesday, joining the University of California, which is implementing a similar policy.

CSU in a statement Wednesday morning said that system-wide, boosters must “be received by February 28, 2022 or six months after an individual received the final dose of the original vaccination, whichever is later,” but that individual campuses may choose to set earlier deadlines based on local conditions.

The policy will continue to include medical and religious exemptions.”

[Laura Corin]

Report on Omicron severity, cross-posted

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/232882/some-reduction-hospitalisation-omicron-delta-englandearly/

[Acadie]

If you see anyone posting misinformation on social media that ivermectin is being used successfully in India and Japan, here's an article on how India removed ivermectin from treatment protocols because it wasn't effective at decreasing mortality or speeding recovery. And Japan isn't using it. 

https://www.indiatoday.in/coronavirus-outbreak/story/why-hcq-ivermectin-dropped-india-covid-treatment-protocol-1857306-2021-09-26

[Ausmumof3]

5,715 cases in NSW. 1 death. 347 people currently hospitalised (however many more in the hospital at home programme which some people have criticised as a way of making hospitalisation seem lower)

2005 cases in VIC. 10 deaths. Currently 398 hospitalised. 

[Ausmumof3]

In personal anecdote info, I saw a covid 19 vaccination van driving through my semi rural area today.

[Melissa in Australia]

10 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

5,715 cases in NSW. 1 death. 347 people currently hospitalised (however many more in the hospital at home programme which some people have criticised as a way of making hospitalisation seem lower)

2005 cases in VIC. 10 deaths. Currently 398 hospitalised. 

Yikes

[Ausmumof3]

5 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

Yikes

Unless the current growth rate slows really soon we are going to have huge numbers.  Really hoping the data on omicron being slightly more mild holds true in our population 

[Melissa in Australia]

4 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Unless the current growth rate slows really soon we are going to have huge numbers.  Really hoping the data on omicron being slightly more mild holds true in our population 

I am finding it hard to stay optimistic 😞

[KSera]

23 hours ago, TCB said:

I wonder what they are trying to achieve with a further booster. I got a booster because I thought it would maybe stop me getting infected, but I still think I would have been protected against serious illness by the first 2 doses. I’m not sure it will be possible to be protected against Omicron just by vaccination, in terms of getting infected.

My understanding is the main thought with boosters right now is to keep healthcare workers from being out in droves. That doesn’t explain giving them to elderly people, but that’s the main vaccinated population that is currently dying despite vaccination. So I’m thinking the boosters are thought to keep the healthcare system from collapsing by both keeping healthcare workers healthy and able to work and keeping elderly people from getting so sick that they all need the hospital at the same time.