Happy New Year! The Covid-19 pandemic will be over in 2022, that is my prediction. I am an optimist, but I am also a realist. The latest numbers we have in Norway are telling me we will see the end of the worst within the next few months, even if there will always be covid-19 around.

Hospitalization from Covid-19 in Norway was at it's peak with 383 covid-19 patients in hospitals on on Dec 17, 2021. Today the number is 295. It is down by 23% in two weeks. Meanwhile we have had some restrictions starting Dec 7 and Dec 13. Cases with omicron seems to be milder, less and shorter hospitalization. As long as there is a certain control, we should be able to live a lot more normal this year.

Bjornulf

Back to semi lockdown since Dec. 30th in the province of Quebec, Canada. At least for three weeks.
Restaurants, gyms and cinemas are closed. No more indoor sports. Curfew from 10 pm to 5 am. Large family gatherings cancelled for the New Year's Eve. Schools will reopen on the 17th, instead of the 10th. Many additional measures taken by our government.

It seems this shit is not over yet.

No chance the pandemic ends in 2022. I fully expect there to be another variant of concern at this time next year, with various places going back into various levels of restriction. There is literally zero reason to be optimistic about this. 2022 is going to be a frustrating year of 3 steps forward and 2 steps back.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-01 18:43 by podiumboy.

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podiumboy
No chance the pandemic ends in 2022. I fully expect there to be another variant of concern at this time next year, with various places going back into various levels of restriction. There is literally zero reason to be optimistic about this. 2022 is going to be a frustrating year of 3 steps forward and 2 steps back.

Based on what evidence?

Nate

The Virus itself is only part of the equation now. There is now an entire industry built around Covid, and it's a thriving industry with too much forward momentum to just STOP. Too many influential people are making too much money.
Covid will eventually be allowed to be classified as "endemic", as long as they figure out a way to continue to make money from it, or have something else to move on to.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-01 19:16 by podiumboy.

So you don't actually have any evidence then ok well happy new year.

Nate

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Nate
So you don't actually have any evidence then ok well happy new year.

Nate

No, I have no evidence. I am the furthest thing from a scientist, and I don't claim to be anything close to an expert. It seems like as far as Covid is concerned, even though cases are through the roof, there is a lot to be excited about in 2022.

However, I am a fairly successful business man, so I understand economics. I also have a healthy distrust of our beloved elected officials. I can see the writing on the wall, that this pandemic has created a very powerful industry. Also, the media is almost 100% dependent on Covid fear-mongering at this point. It can't simply end. In the US, for example, Covid will probably fade away for the most part this summer, as will all evidence of restrictions. Other countries won't be so quick to dismiss of Covid prevention methods. But I really do believe that come next fall/winter, they're going to ramp it back up. Possibly for one last major profit taking. Some of you probably think I'm nuts, but it actually makes sense from a business model standpoint.

Edit: Happy New Year, Nate!! Sorry if I seem like I'm "raaaaantin' like a craaaazy man!"



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-01 19:33 by podiumboy.

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podiumboy
The Virus itself is only part of the equation now. There is now an entire industry built around Covid, and it's a thriving industry with too much forward momentum to just STOP. Too many influential people are making too much money.
Covid will eventually be allowed to be classified as "endemic", as long as they figure out a way to continue to make money from it, or have something else to move on to.

Please do not use IORR to spread conspiracy theories about Big Pharma.

Bjornulf

South Africa says Omicron wave may have peaked (BBC 31 December 2021)

South Africa has lifted overnight curfew rules, with officials saying the country may have passed the peak of its fourth wave of Covid-19 infections.

A government statement said the Omicron variant, while highly transmissible, had seen lower hospitalisation rates than previous waves.

There had been a marginal increase in the number of deaths, it added.

Bjornulf

We do know a lot about covid-19 by now, as the virus have been around for two full years. The more rules and regulations countries did apply early on, the more cases and deaths they do experience now, unless they continue complete lock down, which will never happen again.

Vaccination and infection will end the pandemic, it will change into an endemic, i.e. a virus of concern in certain areas, where is it is still not completely under control, either by vaccine, or by immunity through infections.

South Africa have a young population average median age 28. The first waves took many lives. They have a vaccination rate of just 32% vaccinated at least one time. When Omicron arrived to South Africa it was estimated that as many as 70% of their population had already been infected with covid-19. The result has been fewer deaths during the strong but not so fatal Omicron wave.

Deaths in South Africa related to Covid-19:

1st wave : 20,000 (First variant)
2nd wave : 35,000 (Alpha)
3rd wave : 35,000 (Delta)
4th wave : 1,500 (Omicron)

Total Coronavirus Deaths in South Africa (Worldometer live data)

Then it is interesting to compare to my own country Norway, where we did strong lock down every time a new variant arrived. We have had six waves so far, the latest on is still on, the biggest wave of them all, by far, as a mix of Delta and Omicron. The first five waves took 900 lives up to November. Scaled to a population of the size of USA, that would be 330/5 * 900 = approx 60,000 covid-19 deaths. The last wave in Norway have resulted in 400 deaths, mainly from Delta. It is important to bear in mind that Norway, with all the health measures, masks, distance and regulations, do have a lower total annual death rate after the pandemic started, as fewer elderly die from the flu and so on.

Coronavirus Deaths in Norway (Worldometer live data)

My prediction is that a mix of vaccine and Omicron infections will make most of the populations across the world more resistant to serious illness. It will be an endemic, but we will live with it without worries or restrictions.

Despite omicron, Covid-19 will become endemic. Here’s how. (VOX Jan 1, 2022)

Bjornulf

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georgie48

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skytrench

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TheflyingDutchman
-Het Parool, Friday 31 December 2021.
The approach to the coronavirus: 'Not much has changed since the plague'

Same things apply with regards to transmission but:

In the pre-antibiotic era (1900 through 1941), mortality among those infected with plague in the United States was 66%.

Mortality for Corona is under 1%, among the vulnerable groups, much less for healthy individuals.

Your data are fine, skytrech. However, there is no way your comparison makes sense. During the first half of the 20st Century (certainly in the days of WW1 and the Spanish Flu) there was hardly any global communication whatsoever. It's like comparing those days with f.i. Black Death pandemic in the 14th Century, when the world (Europe) was again very different. Possibly 50% of all Europeans were killed!
My statement is that with the overload of communication we have today there should not have been 5.5 million corona deaths, but maybe not more than 50.000.
The 5.5 Million in reality is even een understatement and is very likely more than 10 Million.
The problem with this overload of communication, non-experts (many even simple minded covidiots) can have a say too and always manage to find stupid followers.
They don't read scientific reports (too stupid to understand them anyway) but just ventilate there personal life frustrations.
Sad, sad, sad ...

Yeah Georgie, I think you're spot on. Millions died unnecessarily. That's the issue. It never had to happen the way it did.

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terraplane
New studies reveal why Omicron variant is less severe

Multiple new studies on human tissue and lab animals have provided the first insight into why the Omicron variant, though more contagious, causes milder disease than previous strains of Covid-19.

Research carried out on mice and hamsters by a team of Japanese and American scientists showed that Omicron, which first emerged in South Africa in November, produces less damaging infections, often limited to the nose, throat and windpipe.

The study also found the strain did much less harm to the lungs – whereas previous variants would often cause serious breathing difficulty and scarring – and that rodents infected with Omicron lost less weight and were less likely to die.

Yahoo News

Thanks for the article link. And while on one note this is relatively good news, here's something from later in the article that is quite pertinent and should be included for a full understanding:


“Even accounting for 40-50 per cent less severity and hospital admissions, if there are three times more cases, that will result in more hospitalisations and deaths than what we saw with Delta.”

Dr Khan warned that the number of people forced to isolate – even without hospitalisation – “will inevitably start to affect front line services”.

“The other danger is if the public holds onto this ‘milder’ narrative, there is a risk that some people may become complacent about regular lateral flow testing, mask-wearing and ventilating indoor spaces,” he said.

“It may even lead to fewer people taking up the booster vaccines. This will then result in further cases and eventually an increase in hospitalisations and deaths.”

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bv
Happy New Year! The Covid-19 pandemic will be over in 2022, that is my prediction. I am an optimist, but I am also a realist. The latest numbers we have in Norway are telling me we will see the end of the worst within the next few months, even if there will always be covid-19 around.

Hospitalization from Covid-19 in Norway was at it's peak with 383 covid-19 patients in hospitals on on Dec 17, 2021. Today the number is 295. It is down by 23% in two weeks. Meanwhile we have had some restrictions starting Dec 7 and Dec 13. Cases with omicron seems to be milder, less and shorter hospitalization. As long as there is a certain control, we should be able to live a lot more normal this year.

Happy New Year Bjornulf, and hope you are right about the pandemic. Trying to be an optimist, but the realist in me see things a bit differently than you might in Norway.
Unfortunately here in the US (and elsewhere) there's failed leadership, as well as deep and extreme divisions amongst most of the population - not sure how it will ever get worked out with so much distrust and hatred.
And then there's the problem of vaccinating people all around the world - many countries haven't been able to stand a chance, and until they do there could (and probably will) be more variants springing up.

Here in Southern California, there's a cautious nervousness out and about amongst people in grocery stores, etc. that hasn't been seen in a while.
I went to donate some clothing and houseware at the local Goodwill today, and the old rules of the employees not touching anything and keeping their distance is back in place.
Can't blame them as they have to deal with hundreds of people bringing in bags and bins of donations throughout the day, but it all seemed to change overnight with the restrictions back in place.

Anyhow, stay safe and keep on rolling in 2022.

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

The Covid-19 case surge is altering daily life across the US. Things will likely get worse, experts warn

COVID19

The US is ringing in the new year amid a Covid-19 surge that experts warn is exploding at unprecedented speed and could alter daily life for many Americans during the first month of 2022.
"Omicron is truly everywhere," Dr. Megan Ranney, a professor of emergency medicine at Brown University's School of Public Health, told CNN on Friday night. "What I am so worried about over the next month or so is that our economy is going to shut down, not because of policies from the federal government or from the state governments, but rather because so many of us are ill." The nation broke records at least four times this week for its seven-day average of new daily Covid-19 cases, reporting an all-time high of more than 386,000 new daily infections Friday, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University. The high case count is already causing disruptions in the country. In New York City, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is plagued with staffing issues and announced three subway lines -- the B, Z and W -- which service various parts of the boroughs, have been suspended. "Like everyone in New York, we've been affected by the COVID surge. We're running as much train service as we can with the operators we have available," the MTA wrote on Twitter Thursday.

Healthcare services -- exhausted after several surges of the virus and now stretched thin again by a growing number of Covid-19 patients -- are also already feeling impacts.
The University of Maryland Capital Region Health this week joined a growing list of medical centers in the state to activate emergency protocols after a sharp rise in cases fueled staffing shortages and overwhelmed emergency departments. "The current demand for care is depleting our available resources, including staffing," UM Capital Region Health said in a statement on Friday. In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday announced the deployment of about 1,250 National Guard members as hospitals struggle with staffing shortages. On the same day, the mayor of Cincinnati declared a state of emergency due to staffing shortages in the city's fire department following a rise in Covid-19 infections. The mayor's declaration said that if the staffing problem goes unaddressed, it would "substantially undermine" first responders' readiness levels. "Get ready. We have to remember, in the next few weeks, there's going to be an unprecedented number of social disruptions," Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of Baylor University's National School of Tropical Medicine, told CNN. Those include flight disruptions as well, he said, because of TSA agent and air crew absences. Thousands of flights have already been canceled or delayed throughout the holiday season as staff and crew called out sick. On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration said an "increased number" of its employees were testing positive for the virus, and that "to maintain safety, traffic volume at some facilities could be reduced, which might result in delays during busy periods."

Previous rules of virus are 'out the window'
The latest surge, which has sent case numbers exploding across the globe, is fueled by the Omicron variant, the most contagious coronavirus strain yet, health experts say. The virus is now "extraordinarily contagious" and previous mitigation measures that used to help now may not be as helpful, CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner told CNN on Friday. "At the beginning of this pandemic... we all were taught, you have a significant exposure if you're within six feet of somebody and you're in contact with them for more than 15 minutes. All these rules are out the window," Reiner said. "This is a hyper-contagious virus." Now, even a quick, transient encounter can lead to an infection, Reiner added, including if someone's mask is loose, or a person quickly pulls their mask down, or an individual enters an elevator in which someone else has just coughed. "This is how you can contract this virus," Reiner said. The variant's transmissibility helps explain the staggering number of infections reported globally, including in the US. in the past week, several states have reported new case and hospitalization highs, shattering previous records. New Jersey recorded more than 28,000 new Covid-19 cases through PCR testing, Gov. Phil Murphy wrote on Twitter Friday. In a news conference, the governor said that number was roughly "quadruple from just two weeks ago, and four times as many cases than during the height of last winter's surge." "Our hospitals right now are at roughly the same numbers they were on the worst day of last winter's surge," he added. "The problem is that right now we don't see any sign of let up." Other states, including Arkansas, Maryland and New York, also reported new records for case numbers. And a sharp rise in infections -- especially in children -- could soon lead to a spike in hospital admissions, infectious diseases expert Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo said. "The explosive rise in cases is really fueling what normally might be a relatively small proportion ... of kids who are experiencing these severe outcomes," she told CNN's Amara Walker on Friday. "But you put the gigantic numbers of cases together with the small number affected, plus the proportion of unvaccinated, and I'm really worried that we're going to be in for a tidal wave of admissions, particularly for kids in the coming weeks." Child Covid-19 hospital admissions already reached an all-time high this week, with a record average of 378 children admitted to hospitals on any given day over the week ending December 28, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Department of Health and Human Services. Children younger than 5 are not yet eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine, and a shot for those groups likely won't be available until mid-2022, experts say.

Concerns about returning to school
With the virus spreading, some staff and experts are expressing concern about what school reopenings could mean. "There will be pediatric hospitalizations," Hotez said. "And what's going to be the other tough piece in the next weeks, keeping the schools open, because of this high transmissibility -- especially if you start seeing absences of school teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria staff." The Massachusetts Teachers Association, New England's largest public sector union, urged the state education commissioner this week to keep schools closed on Monday, except for staff Covid-19 testing. "Using Monday as a day for testing and analyzing data will allow our school districts to make prudent decisions around staffing needs so they can continue in-person learning for students if it is safe or develop contingency plans if a district deems it to be necessary," President Merrie Najimy, the association's president, said in a statement. The state's Executive Office of Education said Friday that schools will be open on Monday, despite the teacher union's request. "The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education worked hard this week to make at-home rapid tests available to all public school teachers and staff in light of the testing shortages being experienced around the country. Massachusetts is one of only a handful of states supplying rapid tests to its teachers. It is a not a requirement for teachers to return to work, or necessary to reopen schools after the holiday break," Colleen Quinn, a spokesperson for the office, said in a statement. "It is disappointing," the statement added, "that once again the MTA is trying to find a way to close schools, which we know is to the extreme detriment of our children."

Atlanta Public Schools (APS) announced that all district schools will operate virtually through Friday, January 7, for all students and staff, according to a statement on Saturday. Citing the surging Covid-19 cases, APS said the district elected to postpone in-person learning until Monday, January 10. The move will allow students and staff to be tested and if needed, to isolate and quarantine, per CDC and Department of Health Guidelines, according to APS. All APS staff members are required to report to their workplaces on Monday for Covid-19 testing, the statement said. Neighboring Fulton County Schools and DeKalb County Schools also announced Saturday they are starting online next week as students return to classes after the holiday break, according to verified tweets from both districts. Fulton and DeKalb also aim to return to in-person instruction on January 10. Meanwhile, a growing number of colleges and universities across the country are making changes to the beginning of the 2022 spring semester as a result of the case surge. Duke University extended its plan for remote classes by another week because of an "incredibly high" positive case count among faculty and an increasing number of cases among students who are already in the area, the school said Friday. Michigan State University announced Friday that classes will start primarily remotely on January 10 and will stay remote for at least three weeks. "I realize that students prefer to be in person, and so do I," Samuel L. Stanley Jr., the university's president, said in a statement. "But it is important that we do so in a safe manner. Starting the semester remotely and de-densifying campus in the coming weeks can be a solution to slowing the spread of the virus."

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

Omicron is really spreading quickly. After 18+ months of everyone being so careful, suddenly I know more and more people who are coming down with COVID (luckily no serious illness amongst my friends as they are all vaccinated).

At the gym, I never stopped wearing a mask there, but now that masks are once again required here in indoor public places, I have been surprised that less than half the people at my gym are wearing masks. It seems no one is too worried, maybe because of the vaccines, or maybe they are just tired of masks, or they are mostly younger people and think they are not at risk, and the gym isn’t enforcing the mandate. I am disappointed by this lack of mask wearing. I wish people would mask up at least until mid January to avoid spreading COVID caught during holiday gatherings.

The disruptions to air travel over the past couple of weeks due to pilot and staff shortages was astounding. Thousands of canceled flights. As the spread of Omicron continues, more disruptions to all kinds of things will happen. I hope Bjornulf is right and that the worst will be over soon.

I am sort of sick of the pandemic. I am protected by vaccine. I do my best by following mask mandates and other rules. Still, I don't want to lock myself into some sort of a covid fear. I have decided to live a more normal life in 2022.

Bjornulf

People would be better off putting their energy into nutrition, exercise and consciousness. Fear is just ignorance of the nature of reality.

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bv
I am sort of sick of the pandemic. I am protected by vaccine. I do my best by following mask mandates and other rules. Still, I don't want to lock myself into some sort of a covid fear. I have decided to live a more normal life in 2022.

Amen, brother. I started feeling that way after my second vaccine back in March (I got my booster a month ago). I work with over 500 people daily in the same building. Never tested positive for covid. Some of that is due to caution, some is due to luck. Either way, I’ll continue to be mindful of Covid, but I will not allow it to impact my mental well-being.

I don’t understand the fear aspect that continues with this pandemic after almost two years. Closing down is not an option, never was. I could write a book on my opinions, but they would be considered so callous in certain circles. I keep a lot to myself(and my poor wife), bottom line we have to get up and cut the crap.

If there are no control or limitations then there will be chaos.

The Covid-19 case surge is altering daily life across the US. Things will likely get worse, experts warn (CNN January 2, 2022)

"Omicron is truly everywhere," Dr. Megan Ranney, a professor of emergency medicine at Brown University's School of Public Health, told CNN on Friday night. "What I am so worried about over the next month or so is that our economy is going to shut down, not because of policies from the federal government or from the state governments, but rather because so many of us are ill."

The nation broke records at least four times this week for its seven-day average of new daily Covid-19 cases, reporting an all-time high of more than 386,000 new daily infections Friday, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University. The high case count is already causing disruptions in the country.

Bjornulf

Let’s see if her “fears” become reality.

Can't live in fear, but good to be cautious (mask, etc.) - feel lucky to have been able to travel a bit, and see some great concerts prior to this new surge.
Now flights are being cancelled on a daily basis, and concerts are being cancelled/postponed again, along with many other disruptions ---- it's a bit of deja vu.

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Why this Covid-19 surge is 'unprecedented in this pandemic'

The US kicked off 2022 with a massive Covid-19 surge that some experts warn will be different than any other time in the pandemic.
"We're seeing a surge in patients again, unprecedented in this pandemic," said Dr. James Phillips, chief of disaster medicine at George Washington University Hospital. "What's coming for the rest of the country could be very serious, and they need to be prepared." Even health care workers are getting sidelined during the rapid rise of the Omicron variant, the most contagious strain of novel coronavirus to hit the US. "Our health system is at a very different place than we were in previous surges," emergency medicine professor Dr. Esther Choo said. "This strain is so infectious that I think all of us know many, many colleagues who are currently infected or have symptoms and are under quarantine," said Choo, associate professor at Oregon Health and Science University. "We have extremely high numbers of just lost health care workers," she added. "We've lost at least 20% of our health care workforce, probably more." Across the country, the rapid spread of Omicron variant has impacted businesses, transportation and emergency services.

More. > COVID19

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Omicron-related disruptions cause over 3,800 flight cancellations to kick off 2022

COVID19

Over 3,800 flights were cancelled around the world on Sunday, more than half of them U.S. flights, adding to the toll of holiday week travel disruptions due to adverse weather and the surge in coronavirus cases caused by the Omicron variant. The flights cancelled by early evening GMT on Sunday included over 2,200 entering, departing from or within the United States, according to tracking website FlightAware.com. Globally, more than 8,800 flights were delayed. Among the airlines with most cancellations were SkyWest (SKYW.O) and SouthWest (LUV.N), each having over 400 cancellations, FlightAware showed.

The Christmas and New Year holidays are typically a peak time for air travel, but the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant has led to a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections, forcing airlines to cancel flights as pilots and cabin crew quarantine. Transportation agencies across the United States were also suspending or reducing services due to coronavirus-related staff shortages. The rise in U.S. COVID cases had caused some companies to change plans to increase the number of employees working from their offices from Monday. U.S. authorities registered at least 346,869 new coronavirus on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally. The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 rose by at least 377 to 828,562. U.S. airline cabin crew, pilots and support staff were reluctant to work overtime during the holidays, despite offers of hefty financial incentives. Many feared contracting COVID-19 and did not welcome the prospect of dealing with unruly passengers, some airline unions said. In the months preceding the holidays, airlines were wooing employees to ensure solid staffing, after furloughing or laying off thousands over the last 18 months as the pandemic hobbled the industry.

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

Quote
Hairball
Can't live in fear, but good to be cautious (mask, etc.) - feel lucky to have been able to travel a bit, and see some great concerts prior to this new surge.
Now flights are being cancelled on a daily basis, and concerts are being cancelled/postponed again, along with many other disruptions ---- it's a bit of deja vu.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Why this Covid-19 surge is 'unprecedented in this pandemic'

The US kicked off 2022 with a massive Covid-19 surge that some experts warn will be different than any other time in the pandemic.
"We're seeing a surge in patients again, unprecedented in this pandemic," said Dr. James Phillips, chief of disaster medicine at George Washington University Hospital. "What's coming for the rest of the country could be very serious, and they need to be prepared." Even health care workers are getting sidelined during the rapid rise of the Omicron variant, the most contagious strain of novel coronavirus to hit the US. "Our health system is at a very different place than we were in previous surges," emergency medicine professor Dr. Esther Choo said. "This strain is so infectious that I think all of us know many, many colleagues who are currently infected or have symptoms and are under quarantine," said Choo, associate professor at Oregon Health and Science University. "We have extremely high numbers of just lost health care workers," she added. "We've lost at least 20% of our health care workforce, probably more." Across the country, the rapid spread of Omicron variant has impacted businesses, transportation and emergency services.

More. > COVID19

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Omicron-related disruptions cause over 3,800 flight cancellations to kick off 2022

COVID19

Over 3,800 flights were cancelled around the world on Sunday, more than half of them U.S. flights, adding to the toll of holiday week travel disruptions due to adverse weather and the surge in coronavirus cases caused by the Omicron variant. The flights cancelled by early evening GMT on Sunday included over 2,200 entering, departing from or within the United States, according to tracking website FlightAware.com. Globally, more than 8,800 flights were delayed. Among the airlines with most cancellations were SkyWest (SKYW.O) and SouthWest (LUV.N), each having over 400 cancellations, FlightAware showed.

The Christmas and New Year holidays are typically a peak time for air travel, but the rapid spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant has led to a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections, forcing airlines to cancel flights as pilots and cabin crew quarantine. Transportation agencies across the United States were also suspending or reducing services due to coronavirus-related staff shortages. The rise in U.S. COVID cases had caused some companies to change plans to increase the number of employees working from their offices from Monday. U.S. authorities registered at least 346,869 new coronavirus on Saturday, according to a Reuters tally. The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 rose by at least 377 to 828,562. U.S. airline cabin crew, pilots and support staff were reluctant to work overtime during the holidays, despite offers of hefty financial incentives. Many feared contracting COVID-19 and did not welcome the prospect of dealing with unruly passengers, some airline unions said. In the months preceding the holidays, airlines were wooing employees to ensure solid staffing, after furloughing or laying off thousands over the last 18 months as the pandemic hobbled the industry.

Same with me. No fear, but, even though I am a born optimist, just very worried why so many among us are so blind to see what's going on. Europe has it's worst bird flu ever. Just another virus making a mess of not only the lives of birds, but also of all the humans one way or the other involved in birds (how about chickens to name one kind).
To trigger my optimism I "put my money" on the James Webb telescope. I dropped a tear when it was finally lounged and look forward to it's very likely amazing messages to mankind.
Happy New Year everybody, anyway

I'm a GHOST living in a ghost town



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2022-01-03 00:14 by georgie48.

My dad thinks the vaccine is fake, that vaccines 100% prevent and that's why it's fake because people that have gotten the vax get COVID. He used polio as an example.

His arrogant purposeful ignorance is mind boggling.


It's people like him that are making COVID continue to thrive.


Fauci needs to retire. Get some younger sharp minds involved. Hopefully that can happen in other areas in a couple years as well. It's just continuing to get worse. It's stupefying.

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GasLightStreet
My dad thinks the vaccine is fake, that vaccines 100% prevent and that's why it's fake because people that have gotten the vax get COVID. He used polio as an example.

His arrogant purposeful ignorance is mind boggling.


It's people like him that are making COVID continue to thrive.


Fauci needs to retire. Get some younger sharp minds involved. Hopefully that can happen in other areas in a couple years as well. It's just continuing to get worse. It's stupefying.

It's getting worse for those who are not vaccinated. Science never claimed that the vaccine would eradicate covid. The vaccine means you will not end up dead and very likely have milder symptoms if you do contract covid. Fauci, retire? What are you thinking?

Sticking with my earlier prediction that the CDC will change the five day no test requirement.
Public opinion shouldn't drive policy, but the outcry was huge.


Fauci: CDC mulling COVID test requirement for asymptomatic
WASHINGTON (AP) — As the COVID-19 omicron variant surges across the United States, top federal health officials are looking to add a negative test along with its five-day isolation restrictions for asymptomatic Americans who catch the coronavirus, the White House’s top medical adviser said Sunday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now considering including the negative test as part of its guidance after getting significant “pushback” on its updated recommendations last week.

Under that Dec. 27 guidance, isolation restrictions for people infected with COVID-19 were shortened from 10 days to five days if they are no longer feeling symptoms or running a fever. After that period, they are asked to spend the following five days wearing a mask when around others.

The guidelines have since received criticism from many health professionals for not specifying a negative antigen test as a requirement for leaving isolation.

“There has been some concern about why we don’t ask people at that five-day period to get tested,” Fauci said. “Looking at it again, there may be an option in that, that testing could be a part of that, and I think we’re going to be hearing more about that in the next day or so from the CDC.”

Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said the U.S. has been seeing almost a “vertical increase” of new cases, now averaging 400,000 cases a day, with hospitalizations also up.

“We are definitely in the middle of a very severe surge and uptick in cases,” he said. “The acceleration of cases that we’ve seen is unprecedented, gone well beyond anything we’ve seen before.”

Fauci said he’s concerned that the omicron variant is overwhelming the health care system and causing a “major disruption” on other essential services.

“When I say major disruption, you’re certainly going to see stresses on the system and the system being people with any kind of jobs ... particularly with critical jobs to keep society functioning normally,” Fauci said. “We already know that there are reports from fire departments, from police departments in different cities that 10, 20, 25 and sometimes 30% of the people are ill. And that’s something that we need to be concerned about because we want to make sure that we don’t have such an impact on society that there really is a disruption. I hope that doesn’t happen.”

The Food and Drug Administration last week said preliminary research indicates at-home rapid tests detect omicron, but may have reduced sensitivity. The agency noted it’s still studying how the tests perform with the variant, which was first detected in late November.

Fauci said Americans “should not get the impression that those tests are not valuable.”

“I think the confusion is that rapid antigen tests have never been as sensitive as the PCR test,” Fauci said. “They’re very good when they are given sequentially. So if you do them like maybe two or three times over a few day period, at the end of the day, they are as good as the PCR, but as a single test, they are not as sensitive.”

A PCR test usually need to be processed in a laboratory. The test looks for the virus’s genetic material and then reproduces it millions of times until it’s detectable with a computer.

Fauci said if Americans take the necessary precautions, the U.S. might see some semblance of more normal life returning soon.

“One of these things that we hope for is that this thing will peak after a period of a few weeks and turn around,” Fauci said. He expressed hope that by February and March, omicron could fall to a low enough level “that it doesn’t disrupt our society, our economy, our way of life.”
[apnews.com]

Private business outcry caused the CDC to reduce to 5 days. Am I the only one who is having trouble keeping score with science?

Quote
Maindefender
Private business outcry caused the CDC to reduce to 5 days. Am I the only one who is having trouble keeping score with science?

Most of us are.
But only half of us will admit it.

Pentagon chief Austin says he has tested positive for COVID

COVID19

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms while quarantining at home.
In a statement Sunday night, Austin said he plans to attend key meetings and discussions virtually in the coming week “to the degree possible.” He said Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks would represent him in appropriate matters. Austin said he last met with President Joe Biden on Dec. 21, more than a week before he began to experience symptoms, and had tested negative the morning of that day. “I have informed my leadership team of my positive test result, as well as the President,” Austin said. “My staff has begun contact tracing and testing of all those with whom I have come into contact over the last week.”

Austin, 68, said he was fully vaccinated and received a booster in October. He said he requested a test Sunday morning after experiencing symptoms while at home on leave and, given the result, planned to remain in quarantine for five days, per guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The vaccines work and will remain a military medical requirement for our workforce. I continue to encourage everyone eligible for a booster shot to get one. This remains a readiness issue,” he said. In October, another member of Biden’s Cabinet, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, tested positive for COVID-19.

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

This pandemic will not end until news outlets stop creating ridiculous headlines like the one above.Does the world really need to know every time someone in government or some other person of notoriety contracts covid.There are far more important and interesting subjects to cover.

Nate