The newest mutant/Wikimedia Commons
As in most of the Western world, so too in Alaska now.
State Department of Health and Social Services officials Wednesday reported that the Omicron (Greek symbol Oo) variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has now displaced the Delta variant and become almost wholly dominant in the 49th state.
As of Jan. 6, state sequencing data showed Omicron responsible for 91 percent of the cases of Alaskans sick with Covid-19, the disease caused by the new pandemic virus, Jayme Parker, the section chief for Alaska Public Health Laboratories told a noon videoconference of Alaska public health officials.
“I would imagine today (Wednesday) that this percentage is reaching rates similar to the Lower 48 (at) 99 percent omicron,” she messaged later in the day.
“Within weeks, Omicron will dominate in more countries of the region, pushing already stretched health systems further to the brink. Omicron is likely to become the dominant variant circulating in our region.”
The virus was then in the process of storming North America as well. The spread of Omicron in Alaska has mimicked its rise in Europe and the Lower 48, only with a lag time of a week or two.
By Christmas, Parker said, omicron was showing up in about 53 percent of the samples coming into Alaska laboratories. The number was up to 77 percent just before the New Year and continued to increase afterward.
Less deadly
The good news – if there can be any good news associated with getting sick – is that Omicron appears far less dangerous than the Delta variant it has pushed aside.
For Delta, 1.3 percent of 16,982 patients were admitted to a hospital, the study reported. For Omicron, the number dropped to 0.5 percent of 52,297.
Once in hospital, the chance of an Omicron patient ending up in an intensive care unit (ICU) was about a quarter of that for a Delta patient, and the chance of an Omicron patient dying in the ICU was less than a tenth of that for a Delta patient.
As an illustration of the differences in severity, the authors of the study noted that “zero cases with Omicron variant infection received mechanical ventilation as compared to 11
cases with Delta variant infections….”
A study of more than a half-million patients from 63 health care organizations using records compiled by the “TriNetX Analytics network” reported similar results. Overall, that study found the risk of hospitalization with Omicron less than half of that with Delta.
“The same trends were observed for children 5-11 and 12-17 years old. These results suggest that while pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infections and hospitalizations are reportedly rising, the outcomes are milder after the emergence of the Omicron variant as compared to the predominant Delta variant period that preceded it.”
The study authors from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland also raised questions as to how much of this was due to vaccination campaigns and how much to the nature of the new variant.
“Though the decrease in disease severity in the emergent Omicron cohort could reflect increases in vaccination and boosters in the population between November and December, the proportion would have had to be quite substantial to account for the large reductions that we observed,” they wrote.
“In addition, we did not observe similar decreases in disease severity for infections occurring right before the emergence of the Omicron variant as might occur with a gradual ramp-up of vaccination. Moreover, since we selected persons who had not had prior SARS-CoV2, it is unlikely that the milder results occurred because of the persistence of viral mRNA from prior infection and not from new, acute infection.
“Taken together, it is likely that the emergence and increased prevalence of Omicron entrains milder diseases and is a major contributor to the observed decreases in disease severity.”
Avoid it anyway advice
Still, even infection with Omicron – as with the flu and other respiratory diseases – remains a serious threat to the old and those with chronic illnesses. The CDC warns of particular danger to people suffering from cancer; kidney, liver or lung diseases; obesity; auto-immune diseases; dementia; diabetes; heart disease and more.
The CDC website contains a complete list of co-morbidities likely to increase the risks of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron. Those with such illnesses are being advised to consult with their doctors, get vaccinated and isolate as much as possible until the Omicron wave subsides.
Vaccination appears only about half as effective against Omicron as against Delta, but still significantly lowers the chance of dying. Previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 does not appear even less effective against Omicron.
A study by scientists at the Imperial College London concluded that those previously infected with one of the earlier SARS-CoV-2 variants were more than five times as likely to become infected with Omicron as with Delta.
“This suggests relatively low remaining levels of immunity from prior infection,” they reported.
Spread by mice?
Omicrons many unique mutations have been cited for the the variants much greater attack rate as well as its apparently milder symptoms, and Chinese scientists think mice – or at least a mouse – might be to blame.
A group of them from the Chinese Academy of Sciences argue there is evidence for a “mouse origin of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.”
They say a variety of the mutations in the variant look little like those earlier seen in other variants known to have evolved in human hosts.
- “The first hypothesis is that Omicron could have ‘cryptically spread’ and circulated in a population with insufficient viral surveillance and sequencing.
- Second, Omicron could have evolved in a chronically infected COVID-19 patient, such as an immunocompromised individual who provided a suitable host environment conducive to long-term intra-host virus adaptation.
- The third possibility is that Omicron could have accumulated mutations in a nonhuman host and then jumped into humans.”
They concede the second hypothesis is the most popular, but argue the available evidence is more in line with the third.
“Collectively,” they write, “our results suggest that the progenitor of Omicron jumped from humans to mice, rapidly accumulated mutations conducive to infecting that host, then jumped back into humans, indicating an inter-species evolutionary trajectory for the Omicron outbreak.”
Mice are just one of a long list of animals – including North American whitetail deer – that SARS-CoV-2 is now known to have infected. And these animal reservoirs for the disease make it likely that SARS-CoV-2 will – like the flu – be troubling humankind for a long, long time to come.
At a time when Iceland and New Zealand, two islands nations, had managed to hold SARS-CoV-2 at bay, some suggested the possibility the disease could be eradicated.
New Zealand in August announced it was closed its borders to nonresidents until 2022 to try to control SARS-CoV-2. It earlier this week expanded the lockout to include residents trying to return home and people holding New Zealand work visas.
Despite the restrictions, Omicron is now on the island. The New Zealand Herald reported a double-vaccinated citizen who’d been quarantined after returning to the island from a trip Outside was found to be infected.
“The case became symptomatic (Tuesday) and got tested, returning a positive Covid-19 test result (that) evening.”
And in the United Kingdom debate is raging over a government decision to essentially declare the pandemic over. Prime Minister Boris Johnson early this week announced that infections had peaked and that requirements for face masks and vaccination passes will disappear next Thursday along with government suggestions people work from home.
“Infections levels, while falling, are still well above what they were at the height of the peak last winter….(and) some scientists and public health experts have expressed concern the easing may be too much and risks a rebound in infections .”
Categories: News
Israel— one of the most vacinated countries in the world with over half its population receiving at least 3 covid shots leads the world in new omicron cases . Omicron says keep the gene shots coming and i will keep raising the infection rates .
More importantly, Israel is also reporting hospitalization rates much, much lower than previous variants. And even more important than that, amazingly no omicron related deaths. Vaccines and boosters seem to be working pretty well against a variant they weren’t even designed for.
Steve o, you are full of it . You don’t know why their are reduced deaths . Anyone who claims to know at this point is just guessing or following a spoon fed narrative. Rather than vaccines being the cause of less deaths its just likely all super susceptible weak people were killed in the first few waves or even more likely its because this newest wave of omicron has followed the course of typical virus and become less deadly and edged towards endemic and easily passed to others. You and your unprooven gene manipulation shots are such a joke . Turns out they don’t slow the spread we have more cases faster than ever before and the naive assume it keeps them out of hospital because fraudulent Fauci says so with lip syncer blovating biden.
Steve o , times of Israel reported first omicron death December 28 in a vacinated boosted woman . Yeah vacine really worked for her ! You said no omicron related deaths in Israel ? Has your brain been addled by one to many boosters or are trying to spread misinformation? Or just to lazy to do your research? Hopefully it was just an uneducated statement and not purposely misleading.. Do you think anyone else might have got it and been verified? Probably by now almost 4 weeks later .or maybe times of Israel doesn’t know their own country?
Hopefully treatment protocols have improved by now also . Its impossible to guess at this point why less deaths because variables have changed.. Are you a mandate supporter Steve o ? I sure hope not.Omicron may be less deadly or it may not but there is no proof vaccines are why . Its just as likely high infection rates have given us equal or greater immunity than vaccines. All the vaccinated people I know are catching omicron like flies on poop . 💩
fa•nat•i•cal (fəˈnæt ɪ kəl)
adj.
motivated or characterized by an extreme, uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics; rabid.
DPR,
Would you say that you have fanatical tendencies?
I read there were no Israeli Omicron related deaths after having perused the Israeli Health Ministry website, Haaretz, the Times of Israel, and a few other Israeli papers. You reported there has been one (1) Omicron death in Israel, which upon further review seems to be the case, about a month ago…one (1) Omicron death, one (1). I’m sorry that my saying there were zero (0) Omicron deaths in Israel where there has been one (1), thank you for the correction and I apologize for having driven you to such desperation. You are in a fanatical state, and as such completely unhinged…reel it in a little.
One (1) Omicron death, DPR…1, thanks again for the correction.
DPR,
Still strong like bull here.Would have loved to have seen the divisional games this w.e @ a bar since my Tv signal is sub par(lost signal during the last 17 seconds of KC game).But I dont want to breath somebody elses airborne spew in a concentrated atmosphere.
Dble vaxxed n boosted, although im thinking this will be the last,Covid is receding into the background.
I find it ironic how many adamantly anti vaxxers across the nation are slowly dropping off the S.S roles.All unnecessary.At least once a week theres still headlines of somebody dying in there phlegm.
Something like 8billion+ 5G implanting/gene editing vaxxes delivered, and yes there were unfortunate reactions, but an insanely small #.MRNA tech will hopefully revolutionize medical therapeutics.
To be honest,I think my view of crowd entertainment has been forever changed(on average).
Got a stinking suspicion Im not alone.
OTOH,still waiting for all those 2020 election irregularities that you alluded too,to raise there stinky little heads.
Steve-O,you are correct with regards to most of our food shelves being supplied by barge.
ATA talking head said as much just a few days ago.
Steve o , one confmed in news but many dead that were probably omicron and just not published as omicron publicly. If Israel similar to alaska rates roughly over 90% of our months infections have been omicron. Israel had a total 8243 dead on dec 30 . On jan 23 there now 8393 dead thats roughly 150 new dead in 3 weeks. If omicron has pushed out delta like elsewhere then a large percentage of the dead were from omicron unless delta death rates surged therefore there are way more than 1 dead from omicron. Whether its 1 or 150 is not the important mistake you made . The important mistake you made was claiming zero death rates due to protection from vaccines which is just plain bs misinformation. Yeah call me a bit radical about disliking complete bs being spread by someone as intelligent as you . Gotta ask why ? Why steve why ? ( i own up to being a wee bit radical at times but you should own up to being a wee bit full of it at times )😜
Dave mc , glad you are strong like bull ! God bless your soul! Keep doing whatever makes you so tough! Guessing nothing much effects you ever . You can probably bite off bailing wire and pound in nails with your hands . ( seen both done on regular basis by one guy that could stack / load 20 55 gallon barrels of diesel in a flatbed truck without machinery. By hand . That guys Freind was eaven bigger and tougher and together they could pick up a 55 gallon barrel of chain . Well the freind who was a quakenbush would collect money at bars by letting people hit him in the stomach with sledgehammers. One day this tough guy who couldn’t swim decided he could walk across the nenana river bottom by carrying a huge rock to get a a cable across the river to his mine . Long story short he was last seen holding a boulder wading deeper into river until water covered his head . Don’t know if he ever got that cable across though. So sometimes even strong like bull does stupid stuff 😉not you of course. Just quakenbush
DPR,
Not near as tough as I used to be, but then I just dont care as much either.I do what I can, just try harder than many probably.
A lot of life (least as you get older, in theory),is just trying to think things through a bit.
To be honest DPR,I think a lot of life is a crap shoot, for maybe first 30 yrs or so.
All I know is when I was 20-30 something, there was quite a few around me,perhaps not same abilities, but same age.We were Legion.
Now at 60 im starting to feel like that Gary Larson “Far Side” cartoon.
Its day before Turkey day and theres only 5 or so birds left in the coop…..
Dave , Yes . Agreed. I appreciate your honesty.. I respect that .
DPR,
There you go with that bad habit of reading stuff that isn’t there again…
Steve o , says “ even more importantly no omicron related deaths. Vaccines and boosters seem to be working pretty well against a varient they weren’t even designed for” Gotta say steve – two lies in one paragraph. Pretty good. Yah say im reading stuff thats not there ? BS . Steve o , just change your name to gaslighter 101 . Your statements just don’t age well steve o . ( was i a little over the top in speaking roughly to you ? Yeah I apologize. I get tired of all your deceptively written lies. Thats why i ask why ? Why from you ? You are such a smart person. At any rate I apologize for being over the top . Maybe you just don’t understand the implications of what you say . I blame my own extremeness on to much strong coffee ☕️ 😳. Have a nice day.
DPR,
Are you asking why I would dare challenge your obviously incorrect and easily refuted claims?
Uhh , steve , much of the world has highest infection rates since pandemic started despite your cherished gene manipulation shots . Steve o , your position is weak .
You say my easily refutated claims? Weak steve o just weak . Covid runs its course and laughs at your faulty gene manipulation shots and masks . Such an unproductive unprofessional anti pandemic measures . What a joke . There you are steve your house of cards fallen down around you and you are saying butt bbut but they maybe kinda work? Yeah working for big pharma ! Kaching katching !🏦 Faucis Chinese pharmaceutical medicine providing fund has doubled in the last couple years. Thats who it’s working for . Big pharma . Are you invested big time with them Steve o ? Couldn’t blame you but you sure carry water for them. Challenge the facts all you want . I don’t have time for your nonsense and narrative building. I follow the data . Data says the vaccinated catch omicron in droves and some of them die despite your faulty jab . Should the old and comprimised people take it ? Probably so but the boosters ? Why ? They just are not helping much and omicron is allegedly a weak form of covid that may help give us resistance to further forms of covid. When the new jabs come out in March perhaps they will be worthwhile. Steve quit digging yourself a deeper hole. All the data says omicron walks right around the current jabs efforts. At this point the only reason to refute that is to try and keep pharma stock up .
DPR,
You sure do like to call names and create strawman arguments. I guess when that’s all you have to support your mistaken beliefs, you cling to faulty literary devices hard and fast.
We’ve been over your mistaken beliefs before, so let’s address a few new ones that you’ve posted here.
Israel does not lead “the world in new omicron cases.” Not even close, a cursory view of any number of sources will tell you that.
It’s not my shot, not my “unprooven (sic) gene manipulation shot”. I didn’t even get one of the mrna vaccines, we’ve talked about that in the past. I’m not a “mandate supporter” we’ve talked about that in the past as well. Maybe covid brain on your part?
The vaccines, of which there are more than 20 approved worldwide do, in fact “slow the spread”, this is well documented. The vaccines also helps keep people “out of hospital”, also well documented.
I don’t own stock in any pharmaceutical companies.
I never said you were “radical”, I said you were fanatical. Reading comprehension is a fundamental trait when reading words.
It’s amazing to see how people handle this issue, the crazy conspiracy nuts try and shout people down, the crazy government control people try and shout people down. The rest of us are just getting by, not overly worried about something we can’t control. The extremes on both sides are so scared they can’t think straight, they can’t even process the simplest data, it’s just fear and more fear. I’m sorry for people like that, I’m sorry that you’ve found yourself in that fear DPR. This will all be over before long, as it appears covid is becoming endemic.
Steve o , The Times of Isreal claims they are leading omicron cases per capita . You can take up your argument with them . There are no straw man arguments . You lie steve o . Yuck . I know the jabs are not yours . My statement you own them was just reflecting your heavy supporting of them . Nothing more. You own the push so to speak. You own their defense. You never told me you didn’t get an mrna shot . News to me . Did you get the Johnson shot? As to your ownership in pharma companies – to bad they made lots of money on faulty shots . You never told me you were not a mandate supporter now you have ! Good for you ! You have no idea whether the shots slow the spread! There is no correlation during the roll out they failed!! Higher infection rates now than even the shots correlated with higher infection rates. Could have been other variables but idk . I won’t bother discussing your remaining nonsense remarks . Keep flailing steve. It suits you. I just expected higher quality opinions from you.
I had to look it up, but Israel is somewhere around the 67th most vaccinated country with around 65% of their population vaccinated. Like other countries around the globe the unvaccinated make up a disproportionate number of those with, hospitalized, and dead from covid. At home, here in Alaska we see this same trend where the unvaccinated make up a disproportionate number of those with, hospitalized, and dead from covid. Yes, there are people who have been vaccinated who get covid, get hospitalized, and even die but on a population level there is a striking disparity between the vaccinated and unvaccinated.
So much for that cold winter…35 degrees and raining today in Willow. Seems like quite the Pineapple Express that is blowing through SC right now. Good time to stay out of the mountains as avalanche dangers will be extreme in the next few days.
Steve, gotta say man I totally feel for you and the valley.!
So should we thank mice or the vaccinated for this weakened version of covid? Didn’t Bryan just tell us that “Omicron was 100% brought to our shores and spread by the 100% of VACCINATED”? That’s an amazing metric, 100%, as in every single last one…bar none. For some reason I don’t think that either of those 100% number claims hold up…call me a skeptic.
Steve, Omi was 100% introduced into this country by a 100% vaccinated international traveler. No secret there. Of course now it is a free-for-all. But initially it was the vaccinated who spread it. I am for the vaccinated and I am for the unvaccinated.. It is a personal choice. But when that silly Biden says “it is the pandemic of the unvaccinated” one has to laugh at that Dementia fool.
Bryan,
I guess I hadn’t realized they tracked the very first case of omicron on American soil and that it was carried by a vaccinated person, or that if it hadn’t been carried by that single person who was vaccinated then there’s no possible way it could have been carried by an unvaccinated person. Either way, as of now it seems like it’s better than Delta or Alpha, it might even be the magic ticket into endemic and away from pandemic so we might be able to get back to our regularly scheduled lives. All thanks to the one vaccinated international traveler, who knew.
Yes allegedly the speedy rise of OO was facilitated by vacinated people per news reports . Whatever- its here among us. Phyzer should have a vaccine ready by March. So the foolish can inject themselves with a gene manipulation jab for a virus that’s already infected the majority of us. Some states claim they have already reached the peak. By the time those who trust dishonest phyzer and cdc get the jab the next varient will be on its way with phyzer 3 months behind but ready to make bank. They say bs like OO is less deadly! Well how do you know? A huge percentage of the covid susceptible people have always been infected and died . There is no objective proof to determine lethality. Most people have either been infected and gained natural protective antibodies, been vaccinated and claim they have resistance from death ( without proof because you cant test the same person as vaccinated and unvaccinated with a virus – there is no objective proof just assumptions correlations ect but maybe they have a little greater resistance to death maybe they don’t maybe it was a different variable that protected them – less comorbities better health- there have been no objective studies and its not mentioned that perhaps a percentage of the unvaccinated who died had heath issues like clotting or other problems that made them not get the vacccine- its presumption that the vaccinated have greater resistance to death because no one has tested the same person with and without and no one has done a blind study with full controls for variables. Right now its just a presumptive lie that covid gene manipulation jabs keep you alive at a greater rate ) ( its now known it was a lie that jabs would stop the spread) so lets go on a limb and assume jabs give protection. So we have the infected and recovered, the resistance from being jabbed and the dead. This reduces the pool for Omicron to easily raise havoc and create high death rates. If omicron had a fresh pool would its death rates be similar? ( yes I doubt it but hey someone has to play devils advocate) 😉 The real question should be has the faulty vaccine caused more deaths long term and increased the spread killing more people than would have died because it’s pushing viral mutation creating a resident pool of virus carriers?
Tell all the folks who have gotten covid-19 multiple times they are liars? oy-having antibodies related to a disease and being immune to the disease are not necessarily the sane thing.
Jeff, if you have gotten the Delta variant then you have built up immunities to the Delta variant and can get Omicron, but most likely NOT Delta again.. Get Omicron and build up immunities then you most likely will not get Omi, but could get Delta. So, when you say “Covid-19” what exactly are you referring to?
Interesting..More to the California/NJ study. Just out from the CDC on Wednesday (as much as it killed them to say it):
“Dr. Benjamin Silk of the CDC told the media on Wednesday, “Before the delta variant, COVID-19 vaccination resulted in better protection against a subsequent infection than surviving a previous infection,” CNN reported.
“When looking at the summer and the fall of 2021, when delta became the dominant in this country, however, surviving a previous infection now provided greater protection against subsequent infection than vaccination,” he added.”
Covid-19,20,21,22….Herd immunity is a myth.
2700 covid-22 deaths in the USA yesterday, another
“9/11 day” from mild Covid-22. Be boosted and stay fit and thin and you’ll generally live to be old enough to not be able to afford your mortgage.
ie learn to live (healthy) with or die by Covid.
Cause impactful covid in one form or another is here to stay. Craig is correct, besides vaccinations, the best defense against harm from covid, cancer, etc., is to lead a
healthy life with a daily exercise routine: An hour a day will (most likely) keep the covid death away.
Wasn’t New York forced to come out and say in reality that half their hospital patients aren’t Covid related unlike ORIGINALLY reported? “Herd” Immunity is not a thing because you were TOLD it is not a thing. Educate yourself..
told by who? Bryan oh Bryan, when you are an actual scientist you don’t go the news for your results.
Despite its unfortunate title, this article has some fascinating and detailed country comparisons related to Covid’s interaction with the cold and flu viruses. It attempts to explain why cold and flu essentially disappeared for 1 to 2 years in many countries. If the analysis is correct, there is some good news for most countries. Not so good for New Zealand.
https://www.juliusruechel.com/2022/01/the-false-god-of-central-planning.html
I have been reading about these anti-vaxxers, who have a platform, with plenty of QAnon followers, who are now in Dallas, waiting for JFK to magically appear. They are also drinking some bleach drink, to combat covid. How’s that working for you now?
Okay, what can I say? I got the jab! Thank goodness for modern medicine. People say “you do not know what chemicals you are putting in your body”? I do not care, if it keeps me from getting a ventilator tube down my throat, I am all for it.
One of my favorite singer/song writer, John Prine, died early from Covid. Granted he was totally medically compromised, though now, the virus is still taking the lives of people, that are in poor shape.
Survival of the fittest. Is what it is all about. So, not many tears from me, for these anti-vaxxer pundits, with their platforms, spreading the misinformation, about the vaccine. They all deserve what they get.
How come Trump, took so long to finally say he got the jab, and the booster? At a recent rally, he was booed when he admitted it. Where is Rudy, when you need him the most. What a LOSER!!!
Good luck in the hospitals, urgent care & er rooms, if your are unvaccinated, no pity from me.
James,
I, too, am a huge fan of John Prine’s music but I can’t figure out what point you are trying to make by mentioning him. Perhaps you could elaborate?
And while we’re on the topic of musical legends, Eric Clapton recently refused to play a show that required proof of vaccination. Should that fact make someone rethink their appreciation of his guitar playing skills? Honest question.
It would tick me off if I had a ticket to the show, and if I really wanted to see him. It makes me rethink ever buying a ticket to a future show of his. I’ve seen him twice already, not that it matters. If I cared about tennis, would it make me rethink a certain tennis player’s skills when he was deported? Probably not, but if I wanted to see him play, I might be somewhat upset, at him, not the officials.
James , why the anger the hate ? I just don’t see how to square your compassionless stance with your religion/ lord and savior. Does your stance make the world a better more humane planet ? Culture? What other parts of your life do you promote this vindictive stance ? Is this the message you would promote?
The Spanish Flu of 100 years ago had similar mutations over a 3 year period and actually just went into the flu background later. As we develop the immunity to deal with these, it just goes on to join the amount of things modern man has to deal with. SAR-2 is not new, but this possible Chinese version sure caught us by surprise. I hope we get a herd immunity soon. It is very tough to keep reading of all of these deaths.
So when they tell you Covid Immunity only lasts 6 months tell the liars to pack it….
” For an explanation, TIME asks Eric Altschuler, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and co-author of a recent paper in Nature about antibodies to the 1918 pandemic flu virus.
Q: How long do flu antibodies last?
A: According to our study, it appears they can last the entire lifespan of the human organism — 90 years plus.
In our study we were looking for antibodies to the 1918 flu. This flu virus was reconstructed a number of years ago in the lab, so we were able to test to see if 90 years later we could still find antibodies. I recruited survivors, people who were born in 1915 or earlier and thus presumably survived the 1918 flu. We found that virtually all the people born in 1915 or earlier — about 90% of them — had good “titers” to the 1918 flu, which means they still had reasonably high concentrations of the antibodies in their blood, whereas among controls, people who were born in 1926 or later, it was only about 10%. That was really quite a remarkable finding.”