I’m now apparently eligible but nobody has yet told the NHS booking website.
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This use to be the primary rationale for virulence and it’s evolution. But this started to become disputed as things don’t sacrifice themselves to evolve for greater good of a species. Scientists now tend to believe in a trade off model (which is far from perfect) but basically if virus uses more resources in one area, it typically comes at a cost. (This rule didn’t hold true for say delta)
For Covid the host population is shifting from population highly susceptible with no exposure to one increasingly vaccinated and/or has prior infections. In places like South Africa average age is just 27. The minority vaccinated are the elderly. These are increasingly important evolutionary pressures.
A virus that replicates quickly in the host, is perhaps advantaged against a slower replicating virus in this host population. Perhaps given the number of immunocompromised (HIV) in South Africa some variants are perhaps not disadvantaged by being less virulent facilitating evolution down a different path.
All speculation at this point, it could simply be chance (even within each host there are a population of variants caused by errors in replication all trying to outcompete one another). Overall though it shows why it’s important ti vaccinate Africa and kids. Not doing so provides a avenue for virus to mutate and evolve.
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That will divide the room 
Is there still a mask mandate in the UK?
What do I need to know about Omicron? I Googled and just read some, basically symptoms are mild, from people at forefront in South Africa, but WHO has labeled it as something to watch. (Not sure on official labels, but that was my summary).
So I’m afraid I don’t really get it, yet. Anyone know what the big deal is?
I’m vaccinated, living in the Midwest, expat, plenty of loons in these parts for sure, but currently I don’t know what the big deal is with Omicron?
Sorry for being behind the news. Working, footy training, now trying to catch up.
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We don’t yet know a lot. Effects on vaccinations unknown, propensity for serious/icu/fatal cases unknown. What we do know is that in the first country to get hit with it with a robust capacity for collecting data, it has displaced Delta astonishingly quickly - much faster than Delta displaced Beta. Basically, by the time that the South Africans figured out it was there, it had already become overwhelmingly dominant. That means it is significantly more contagious, and it might have superior resistance to vaccines.
The observation that symptoms are mild is extremely early, just comments made by a South African doctor to characterize the cases she had actually dealt with, at a time when the total cases were very small. We don’t know that that generalizes to the entire population of Omicron cases, and the comments were not intended to be a statement that they were. We can only hope. At this point, the range of possible scenarios is so broad as to include a variant that sweeps through humanity, displacing the other variants and leaving a huge percentage of humanity with antibodies but minimal mortality, to the worst wave yet.
The first place we see will be South Africa, and then I suspect the UK - simply because the UK sequences so many tests they will build a robust sample size in essentially real-time as it spreads.
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Thank you. Watching with interest, and some concern now.
Yeah, my take on it is fairly pessimistic - I suspect the ‘worst wave’ scenario is rather more likely than the ‘only mild cases’ scenario
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Thanks for info. Always good to read you, cheers mate. So, more contagious. Looks like it will be dominant everywhere soon. Waiting to see more data on vaccine resistance and symptoms. Think I will get my booster shot while I’m at it though.
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There is from today, in shops and public transport. It should never have been relaxed.
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I agreed, I thought the UK went from zero to hundred too fast. Keeping the masks on while reopening and observing for a extended period would have been more prudent I guess.
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This has me thinking… As we know by now that the Omicron variant will likely become the dominant one in a very short lapse of time, and we don’t know yet whether it is resistant to the vaccine or not, does it make sense to get the booster right now? Wouldn’t it be better to wait a bit and see how things evolve?
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All current advice here in the UK is to get it. The UK is aiming for a mass booster programme right now. I’m inclined to go that way simply to boost my chances if fighting the damn thing, whether its Omicron or otherwise.
Interesting comments from Gordon Brown yesterday. Basically saying that the with the massive imbalance that exists across the world in vaccination levels Omicron can be kind of expected.
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It’s important to see how omicron is like and that will take time, but it should not mean those who are eligible for vaccine or boosters should wait because whatever protection level you can get will be important. Any level of resistance is better than zero. Already booked my booster for 20th Dec just right after 5 months of my 2nd shot
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Just out of interest, do they recommend in Singapore to take a booster just five months after the second shot? Here, common advised practice is a year after the second dose (our pass is valid for a year). Older and more fragile people are advised to make a test earlier (which is free) to see if they have enough antibodies. If no, the booster is then advised.
Here in France, according to my son, the booster is recommended at 6 months (that’s true I’ve had the rappel). The booster should be taken between 5 and 7 months after your initial 2nd jab. Any delay greater than 7 months means you lose you sanitary pass. This is a political decission I got that from my son as I said I was thinking of getting the booster after 6 months. Btw he should know he’s a pharmacist.
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Yes booster shots are advised 5 months after the 2nd dose. In fact we can just walk in for Moderna ones without an appointment, I prefer Pfizer since my first 2 doses were that so needed to book an appointment.