Coronavirus

Coronavirus Updates : NPR

2 cases of the omicron variant have been identified in the United Kingdom : Coronavirus Updates : NPR

At least two people in the United Kingdom have the omicron variant of the coronavirus, the country's health secretary announced.

The cases are linked and involve travel to southern Africa, where the latest variant was first identified, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Saturday. The individuals are isolating at home.

Cases have also cropped up in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel during a relatively short period of time. What to know about omicron, the new COVID variant Coronavirus Updates What to know about omicron, the new COVID variant

In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention so far has not identified any cases of the fast-spreading omicron strain, which was first detected in South Africa on Nov. 24. The vaccination rate in South Africa is roughly 35%.

The omicron variant is the first new variant of concern since the delta variant that swept through the world earlier this summer, causing an uptick in infections and deaths, particularly among the unvaccinated population. The delta strain was twice as infectious as the original COVID-19 virus.

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting ready for the next lock-down and more remote work

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting ready for the next lock-down and more remote work. πŸ‘Ύ

I have decided not to buy a large block of smartphone time/data, but going month to month because I am not sure when the next time things will shutdown due to COVID-19. While the numbers look pretty low in New York City, one can’t look at other parts of state without some alarm. Most of the high positivity levels are buffeted by the fact that most of the people ending up in the hospitals now are either unvaccinated (which most of the public shrugged and says sucks to be them), or are very elderly and frail, and as the public thinks, probably would have died anyways should they have had a strong gust of winter’s wind push them over while walking outside with their walkers. If not the flu. Old people die to make up for all punk kids who are being born.

Will the politicians close things down now that COVID-19 levels are spiking in Upstate? Probably not, because they see how much economic damage shutdowns cause, and the populous anger that it stirs up, especially among the already aggrieved businessman who feel like they already spend too much money complying with government mandates. I’m watching to see if Buffalo burns with the shit going down there in the coming weeks. Instead, politicians will prefer to step up the mask mandate game or vaccination card-check at bars and restaurants. Despite what the crazy conservative posters suggest on social media, I doubt they’ll be checking cards at grocery stores or gas stations, as people got to eat and buy fuel, and Mr. Patel behind store counter probably doesn’t want his more of his teeth busted out by angry burly-white men who just want $100 in over-priced gas to fill up their big pickup truck and they ain’t going to show their government papers. Plus, I doubt many people will be excited about just the government printing more cash to give out as welfare payments, with the inflationary times we live in. 

But who knows how bad things will get. We are certainly getting mixed signals about Omricon strain, but maybe it’s because the government workers who study such things don’t really understand how bad it is as the cases are fairly limited right now. But it’s silly to pretend it won’t escape the poor colored communities in Africa, and won’t come roaring across America to every little hick town that smells like cow shit and every big city. It might be necessarily to go back to way things were last winter, and I’ll need the data on my phone, as at this point I have zero plans to get internet at home, plus I want the flexibility if it’s nice to head out of town and work up from the woods where after a stressful day, I can have a roaring fire, eat off styrofoam plates and burn shit. I know it’s winter with a ton of snow up north, but we could have another spring like last year, phoning it from along Sacandaga River in Speculator which was my office for a good portion of pandemic.

I haven’t gotten my booster shot, even though I’ve been eligible since late October as a public-facing worker. Why not? Mainly because I’m hardly excited about getting injected more of a toxic substance in my body when it’s not absolutely necessary. Plus I’ve heard people have had some pretty bad reactions to the booster shot, which wear off after a day or two of misery. I guess it beats though getting the COVID. Maybe I should think about getting it before the rush is back on for boosters, and the supply disappears like so many things this year. I think I’d rather be cranky for a few hours then end up dealing with all that hospital shit.

Coronavirus Updates : NPR

Pfizer says its COVID-19 pill cuts disease’s worst risks by 89% : Coronavirus Updates : NPR

Pfizer says that its COVID-19 pill reduced the risk of hospitalization or death by 89%, in a clinical trial that tested the drug in adults with the disease who were also in high-risk health groups.

The oral medicine is called Paxlovid. Similar to Merck's new pill that was approved in the U.K. Thursday, Pfizer said its drug showed good results when administered within the first five days of the first COVID-19 symptoms.

Based on the strength of the trial's results, Pfizer says it will stop enrolling people into more clinical trials for the pill and will instead send the results it has so far to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, to seek emergency use authorization.

 

Shots – Health News : NPR

CDC advisers recommend Pfizer’s low-dose COVID vaccine for kids : Shots – Health News : NPR

Children ages 5 through 11 years old may soon be able to get a low-dose COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech. Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted unanimously to recommend the shots Tuesday for the approximately 28 million U.S. children in this age group.

If the recommendations are endorsed by the CDC's director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, as expected, children could begin getting their shots within the next several days.

The vaccine is one-third the adult dose, and the vaccine would be given in two doses, three weeks apart. The lower dose was chosen to minimize side effects and still produce strong immunity, Pifzer says.