I just ordered 4 free home test kits from the US government.

Here's the link for people in the US:

[www.covidtests.gov]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-19 11:03 by crholmstrom.

112.323 new infections in Germany during the last 24 hours… and the peak is expected in mid February.

Germany's top-virologist Christian Drosten said on 16-Jan-2022 to the Berlin newspaper [www.Tagesspiegel.de] : "All people would have to be infected with Sars-Cov-2 sooner or later. 'Yes, we have to get into this fairway, there is no alternative,' he said. 'We can't keep immunising the whole population every few months via booster vaccination in the long run.' That's what the virus has to do, he said. 'The virus has to spread, but it has to do so on the basis of a vaccination protection that is anchored in the broad population" - otherwise 'too many people would die'."


Basically nothing new - from a post by BV, 21-Aug-2021, based on the Norway Health Authorities (FHI) - [iorr.org] :

"Booster shots vs getting Delta when being fully vaccinated: For perfectly healthy people, who may handle an infection well, there will probably be a better protection for a fully vaccinated person being infected with Delta, than when getting a booster shot. A mild delta infection - when being fully vaccinated and healthy - may build up a wider protection vs future variants."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-19 20:25 by Irix.

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Irix
Germany's top-virologist Christian Drosten said on 16-Jan-2022 to the Berlin newspaper [www.Tagesspiegel.de] : "All people would have to be infected with Sars-Cov-2 sooner or later. 'Yes, we have to get into this fairway, there is no alternative,' he said. 'We can't keep immunising the whole population every few months via booster vaccination in the long run.' That's what the virus has to do, he said. 'The virus has to spread, but it has to do so on the basis of a vaccination protection that is anchored in the broad population" - otherwise 'too many people would die'."

There I asked in an earlier post, more or less: E.g. I received the booster 1 1/2 month ago. Am I then advised to actively seek the virus now with some of the protection from the vaccine still working? At least, stop avoiding infection?

On the other hand, there have also been sayings at least on one occasion from one of the health authorities in Norway to the effect that some immunity obtained in addition from an omicron infection does not necessarily protect against a possible omicron infection a second time or from infection by new mutants that may arise.

What is one really to think?

Quote
Witness

Quote
Irix
Germany's top-virologist Christian Drosten said on 16-Jan-2022 to the Berlin newspaper [www.Tagesspiegel.de] : "All people would have to be infected with Sars-Cov-2 sooner or later. 'Yes, we have to get into this fairway, there is no alternative,' he said. 'We can't keep immunising the whole population every few months via booster vaccination in the long run.' That's what the virus has to do, he said. 'The virus has to spread, but it has to do so on the basis of a vaccination protection that is anchored in the broad population" - otherwise 'too many people would die'."

There I asked in an earlier post, more or less: E.g. I received the booster 1 1/2 month ago. Am I then advised to actively seek the virus now with some of the protection from the vaccine still working? At least, stop avoiding infection?

On the other hand, there have also been sayings at least on one occasion from one of the health authorities in Norway to the effect that some immunity obtained in addition from an omicron infection does not necessarily protect against a possible omicron infection a second time or from infection by new mutants that may arise.

What is one really to think?

if anybody is going to catch omicron the best advice is not to do so during a rising wave – simply because if it hits you hard the hospital beds will be already full.

You should NEVER seek the virus, in order to "get protection". Vaccine will always be the best and safest protection, unless you are a child under the age of 12.

Bjornulf

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bv
You should NEVER seek the virus, in order to "get protection". Vaccine will always be the best and safest protection, unless you are a child under the age of 12.

Does Norway have plans to distribute to age 5 and over? They've done that in a few countries already.

The goal is always to avoid illness. That should be plain and simple.

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NashvilleBlues
The goal is always to avoid illness. That should be plain and simple.

I recall reading about 'measles parties' where parents would take their kids to purposely get infected, I guess to get it over with. I looked up COVID parties and I guess that's a thing...here is one outcome, albeit from just over a year ago:

[www.nytimes.com]

Yes. Throughout history, ignorance has been rampant.

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bv
You should NEVER seek the virus, in order to "get protection". Vaccine will always be the best and safest protection, unless you are a child under the age of 12.

If that is an answer to my post, I told, I have received three vaccines. You recently took a beer at some kind of pub or bar to signify that you personnally are finished with covid '19. That has been far from my attitude up to now. I, who in other winters have travelled to go cross country ski tours, still abstain from that to be certain to avoid crowded buses or trains.

But then I read in a Norwegian context that FHI, one of the health authorities in Norway, state that one cannot avoid omicron. In addition, that it afterwards would strengthen the protection from the vaccines. Confronted with that, I wonder if the outcome of an omicron infection will be less bad a comparatively short time after my booster vaccine (Dec. 8.) than later. Have my precautions become counter-produktive? (More internally for Norway, also referring to some details of differing views between Nakstad and Stoltenberg).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-19 18:15 by Witness.

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bv
You should NEVER seek the virus, in order to "get protection". Vaccine will always be the best and safest protection, unless you are a child under the age of 12.

of course nobody should seek infection!
When I said that if one catches omicron he should not do so during a rising wave I didn't imply nor wanted to say that anyone should catch the virus at any other time. My point is rather: during a rising wave everybody should or even has to be extra cautious not to catch the virus at all.
Anybody you wants to catch the virus purposly is a not just an idiot but acts completly irresponsible.

P.S.: the word "idiot" derives from ancient Greek and means somebody who stands aside and doesn't take part in society. In other words: the opposite of a zoon politicon



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-19 18:53 by slewan.

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treaclefingers

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bv
You should NEVER seek the virus, in order to "get protection". Vaccine will always be the best and safest protection, unless you are a child under the age of 12.

Does Norway have plans to distribute to age 5 and over? They've done that in a few countries already.

Last week the health authorities in Norway approved covid-19 vaccine for children age 5-11. They state the vaccine age 5-11 is mainly recommended for those at risk, and with chronic diseases, see text below. Also, they approved dose number two for the age group 12-15.

Reference:
Tilbud om koronavaksinasjon til barn og ungdom utvides (FHI 14 Jan 2022)
English: Vaccine offer for children extended

Children age 5-11 may be vaccinated if the parents so wish. The offer is mainly relevant for children with chronic diseases, children in contact with vulnerable people, and children who are to stay or move to countries with a high risk of infection or poorer access to health services.

Bjornulf

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Witness

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bv
You should NEVER seek the virus, in order to "get protection". Vaccine will always be the best and safest protection, unless you are a child under the age of 12.

If that is an answer to my post, I told, I have received three vaccines. You recently took a beer at some kind of pub or bar to signify that you personnally are finished with covid '19. That has been far from my attitude up to now. I, who in other winters have travelled to go cross country ski tours, still abstain from that to be certain to avoid crowded buses or trains.

But then I read in a Norwegian context that FHI, one of the health authorities in Norway, state that one cannot avoid omicron. In addition, that it afterwards would strengthen the protection from the vaccines. Confronted with that, I wonder if the outcome of an omicron infection will be less bad a comparatively short time after my booster vaccine (Dec. 8.) than later. Have my precautions become counter-produktive? (More internally for Norway, also referring to some details of differing views between Nakstad and Stoltenberg).

I had one beer at noon last Friday celebrating the finishing of a one month ban of alcohol services in bars and restaurants in Norway. I was at my favorite restaurant & bar, had my mask on, ordered my beer, and stayed 5 meters i.e. 15 feet away from the only other guest in the large room at that point. That was my first beer served by a bar/restaurant in more than two months time. I am not a high risk person.

I have been three months on tour in USA, following The Rolling Stones, wearing a mask all over, including shops, restaurants, hotels, airports, shows and so on. It is possible to enjoy life and also to be smart covid-19 wise.

When I say I am done with covid-19 last week, I mean I don't worry about it anymore. When the Stones tour Europe I will follow them. If I want to buy a banana at the grocery store I do that. When my grandchild is having a birthday party I will join in.

According to Espen Rostrup Nakstad, who is one of the most respected covid-19 experts in Norway, the best protection is at all times vaccine. Then he is also stating the fact that having a delta infection will not prevent omicron, because these variants are different. Still, you are protected from serious illness.

There are no dispute or major difference between our health authorities (FHI), the health directory, and our current government. Norway have 60% increase in covid-19 infections during the past 7 days, mainly Omicron. At the same time. during the past 7 days, we have had a decrease in covid-19 hospitalization in 24% or so.

It helps a lot to have a record high trust in vaccine. I am done with covid-19 because I know the fact that most people I will meet during the next months will be fully vaccinated.

Bjornulf

Covid pandemic 'nowhere near over,' WHO says

How will the pandemic end? Nearly two years since it was officially declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), we're still no closer to knowing the answer. The highly transmissible Omicron variant has swept the globe since it was first detected in South Africa in November. But the fact that it is less likely to cause severe disease than previous coronavirus variants has led to heavy speculation over whether it might mark a turning point, or a conclusion, to the pandemic. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus poured cold water on that theory on Tuesday, saying: "This pandemic is nowhere near over."

Omicron is continuing to infect the world at a startling speed, with more than 18 million cases reported last week alone, according to WHO. The number of Covid patients in the United States is at a record high and continues to climb, overwhelming hospitals. From Australia to Germany, infections are leaping to never-before-seen levels, putting a significant strain on health care systems. "Omicron may be less severe -- on average, of course -- but the narrative that it is mild disease is misleading, hurts the overall response, and costs more lives," Tedros said. "Make no mistake, Omicron is causing hospitalizations and deaths and even the less severe cases are inundating health facilities. The virus is circulating far too intensely with many still vulnerable."

More.> COVID 19

_____________________________________________________________
Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

I did not say main points, bv, but details. Maybe it was in an article that I can no longer find back to, but which I have mailed about. In case, on vg.no "Ingenting kan stoppe vinterbølgen." (that is, Nothing can stop the winter wave) Nakstad objected to the presented view from FHI that the combined immunity from the three vaccines, plus from having gone though an omicron infection would not necessarily protect against a reinfection from omicron. Or an infection from a later possible mutant. It was admitted from the leading director from FHI to be correct. But in my reading of it, that was held forth as some objection.

Latest edit: The important addition of "necessarily".



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-19 20:15 by Witness.

I am with BV on my thinking about Covid. Unless a new and bad variant starts spreading I am as protected as possible having had all my shots and having had the original strain of Covid (lucky to be alive) and Omicron which was a minor head cold.

I do not care about those adults who refuse the vaccine and while it might be cold, whether they die or end up in the ICU doesn't matter to me. I still have high concern for those who the vaccine does not work, are children and health care workers. Given those freedom fighters are too selfish to care about us, we should not care about them. I have concluded that Darwin's Law will apply to those too stupid to protect themselves.

Hopefully we can get back to normal for the summer then see what happens next fall/winter. I do have my first shingles shot on Friday. A close friend is recovering from a serious case and I do not want to go through that any more than I want a severe case of Covid or the flu.

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Witness
I did not say main points, bv, but details. Maybe it was in an article that I can no longer find back to, but which I have mailed about. In case, on vg.no "Ingenting kan stoppe vinterbølgen." (that is, Nothing can stop the winter wave) Nakstad objected to the presented view from FHI that the combined immunity from the three vaccines, plus from having gone though an omicron infection would not necessarily protect against a reinfection from omicron. Or an infection from a later possible mutant. It was admitted from the leading director from FHI to be correct. But in my reading of it, that was held forth as some objection.

Latest edit: The important addition of "necessarily".

Unless you come up with a proper link, I will assume you have misunderstood what somebody have said. I follow all major covid-19 press in Norway, there have been no such seriously conflicting views.

Most health experts would agree on the fact that if you get a virus like omicron today, and get immune, you may still get the virus one more time next year. This is due to the fact that the virus change at all times, alpha, delta, omicron, and so on.

On the other hand, there will be fewer and fewer places for the virus to go, and people will be less sick. In fact now, right now in Norway, ICU patients are Delta, not Omicron. And delta will be gone soon, they say. Now we have 98% omicron. Also, ICU numbers are down by 42% last week in Norway, even if the virus is up by 60%.

Bjornulf

Not that this will matter to our resident covidiots.

Vaccination protects against Covid-19 hospitalization significantly more than prior infection, according to CDC study

[www.cnn.com]

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bv

Quote
Witness
I did not say main points, bv, but details. Maybe it was in an article that I can no longer find back to, but which I have mailed about. In case, on vg.no "Ingenting kan stoppe vinterbølgen." (that is, Nothing can stop the winter wave) Nakstad objected to the presented view from FHI that the combined immunity from the three vaccines, plus from having gone though an omicron infection would not necessarily protect against a reinfection from omicron. Or an infection from a later possible mutant. It was admitted from the leading director from FHI to be correct. But in my reading of it, that was held forth as some objection.

Latest edit: The important addition of "necessarily".

Unless you come up with a proper link, I will assume you have misunderstood what somebody have said. I follow all major covid-19 press in Norway, there have been no such seriously conflicting views.

Most health experts would agree on the fact that if you get a virus like omicron today, and get immune, you may still get the virus one more time next year. This is due to the fact that the virus change at all times, alpha, delta, omicron, and so on.

On the other hand, there will be fewer and fewer places for the virus to go, and people will be less sick. In fact now, right now in Norway, ICU patients are Delta, not Omicron. And delta will be gone soon, they say. Now we have 98% omicron. Also, ICU numbers are down by 42% last week in Norway, even if the virus is up by 60%.

For the time being, I am a little handicapped by writing on a mobile.

This newspaper article was from January 12, even if I cannot find back to it. That date the FHI's Risk judgement was published. Most certainly it was the background for the newspaper article. For instance, in chapter 5.2, starting on page 50, there is a subchapter on p 52, "Immunitet og utsettelse". The first paragraph of that expresses a somewhat complicated view.

I would think that the report constitutes a common basis of current knowledge. However, from that paragraph alone these representatives could find differing points that they would stress on a presentation though media, even if the representatives were not in conflict.

That newspaper article I, as a newspaper reader, read as such and was to some extent confused by it.

I still am, also reading that paragraph on page 52, uncertain about how careful I ought to be in the following with a supposed gradually weakening protection from my December "booster"-vaccine. I may worsen the effect of the omicron infection by delaying it too long, that is, reading that I cannot avoid it, only delay it. Even a "milder" virus apparently can be serious enough.

THE AGE -- 20 January 2022



ROCKMAN

I have been vaccinated 3 times. The current vaccines will not end the pandemic. They provide protection for a few months and then the protection fades. This might be the vaccine that ends the pandemic. [www.cnet.com]

Quote
Hairball
Covid pandemic 'nowhere near over,' WHO says

How will the pandemic end? Nearly two years since it was officially declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), we're still no closer to knowing the answer. The highly transmissible Omicron variant has swept the globe since it was first detected in South Africa in November. But the fact that it is less likely to cause severe disease than previous coronavirus variants has led to heavy speculation over whether it might mark a turning point, or a conclusion, to the pandemic. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus poured cold water on that theory on Tuesday, saying: "This pandemic is nowhere near over."

Omicron is continuing to infect the world at a startling speed, with more than 18 million cases reported last week alone, according to WHO. The number of Covid patients in the United States is at a record high and continues to climb, overwhelming hospitals. From Australia to Germany, infections are leaping to never-before-seen levels, putting a significant strain on health care systems. "Omicron may be less severe -- on average, of course -- but the narrative that it is mild disease is misleading, hurts the overall response, and costs more lives," Tedros said. "Make no mistake, Omicron is causing hospitalizations and deaths and even the less severe cases are inundating health facilities. The virus is circulating far too intensely with many still vulnerable."

More.> COVID 19

It's weird, in my jurisdiction the virus seems to have peaked and we're starting to rollback the restrictions in place, slowly.

I think it comes down to what percentage of the population is fully vaxxed, and we're at near 90% over the age of 12, 93% of adults.

The real tragedy is in countries that haven't even been given enough vaccines for their populations, never mind vaccinate.

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Rocknroll1969
I have been vaccinated 3 times. The current vaccines will not end the pandemic. They provide protection for a few months and then the protection fades. This might be the vaccine that ends the pandemic. [www.cnet.com]

Apparently there are about 380 trillion viruses in and around the human body. They function to keep us all in shape during our lives. But ... they are viruses and sometimes some get upset. I had sarcoidosis which was triggered in my lungs by a virus that I had carried inside my body for more than 40 years. Something annoyed the bugger and I was f*cked for 9 months. I became healthy again without medictation. Well over 30 years later I'm still doing fine, but I don't make jokes or stupid remarks about coved-19 and all it's "brothers and sisters". A pandemic can be ended with lots of intelligent efforts, but only ... for the time being. Keeping a pandemic going simply means that there are too many stupid individuals who think they know better or are only interested in economic survival (their good right, but shut up when others have general health as a priority).
There will always be a next pandemic, whether we like it or not. We carry 380 trilion of those creatures with us. How many will be around on our globe?


I'm a GHOST living in a ghost town

Rockman, please post the Jan 20 stock pages. It is Jan 19 here and tomorrow’s results would be most helpful.

“COVID cases in Chicago peaked Jan. 4, with a daily total of 8,553 cases that day. Today, the case average is 2,903. Hospitalizations and deaths are now plateauing. Unvaccinated are 8 times more likely to be hospitalized.” Chicago Dept. Health.

I am triple vaccinated and have had COVID recently. After nearly 2 years of precaution, I too am now done with worrying about it. Concerts, restaurants and other indoor fun activities are back on for me!

For those who constantly are discussing this COVID issue .......are you happy people or just afraid ......since last summer I'm not worried about it about anymore............

I really hope one day that BV will ad a option on IORR ............ remove this thread from my the list "Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world" will be the first to remove for me

Who's Next? Great album.

Czech Hana Horka died after deliberately contracting Covid-19

Singer Dies After Deliberately Catching COVID-19 So She Could Obtain A Recently-Recovered Pass
[www.msn.com]

ROCKMAN

Quote
NICOS
For those who constantly are discussing this COVID issue .......are you happy people or just afraid ......since last summer I'm not worried about it about anymore............

I really hope one day that BV will ad a option on IORR ............ remove this thread from my the list "Coronavirus COVID-19 status around the world" will be the first to remove for me

If you could remove yourself from this thread, hint hint, you and everyone else might be just 'happy'. I don't think it will make us more or less afraid though.