The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 181 (681)

Son of Omicron? Omicron: The Sequel? Omicron, Part 2? How about we try BA.2 otherwise known as "Stealth Omicron." BA.2 is a sublineage of BA.1, that is, Omicron. BA.2 can only be detected by PCR testing, but has already been found in over 40 countries including Denmark, Sweden., Norway, and Singapore. It makes up about half of Denmark's covid cases. BA.2 cases are, right now, doubling every four days. So far, it is classified as a "variant under investigation." If it ever moves on to become a  "variant of concern," we may be in trouble.

A new survey reveals that 84 percent of Americans like the free masks and test kits the government is providing. That 84 percent reflects the views of vaccinated Americans. Forty-four percent of the survey respondents had already ordered free tests.This included half of vaccinated respondents but just 20 percent of unvaccinated people. 

Survey results are popular today. A survey of 4,411 people conducted this month asked how worried people were about getting sick from covid within the next year. Interestingly, respondents ages 65 and older were the least concerned despite the fact that three out of every four covid deaths recently are people in that age range. The survey also asked whether people would make changes to their normal activities to prioritize safety and public health or continue normal activity as much as possible. Prioritizing safest and public health was cited by 65 percent of Democrat respondents and 30 percent of Republicans. Flip those numbers on the other end of the continuum. For Democrats, 30 percent will continue normal activity compared with 65 percent of Republicans. In terms of how worried a person was about getting covid within the next year, vaccinated people, boosted or not, were more concerned than unvaccinated people. Interesting or not?

S(n?)ide remark on vaccinations. There was an anti-vaccine, anti-mandate protest in Washington, DC this past weekend. A reporter asked one of the protesters whether she thought she would ever get vaccinated. Her reply was "I'd die first." The obvious comeback to that is "Yes, yes you will."

Both Democrats and Republicans are concerned about children falling behind academically and socially if schools move from in-person to virtual. However, Democrats are more worried about children catching covid while attending school in person. 

While the number of Omicron cases is on a downward trend in the US, the number of deaths is as high as it was during the Delta wave. As noted above, 75 percent of the deaths are among people ages 65 and older. Unvaccinated people are 100 times more likely to die from covid than those people who have gotten three doses of either Moderna or Pfizer. 

On the global front, Denmark and the Netherlands are dropping all covid restrictions despite having record numbers of infections. As of the start of February, European Union residents with valid vaccination certificates, certificates of recent recovery, or negative test results not older than 72 hours will be able to travel between countries with no quarantine requirements. An Australian aid ship going to Tonga has 23 people who have tested positive. This is of significant concern given that Tonga has only had one covid case, and that was in October. Looking at the Olympics from just a week away, 55 people have tested positive for covid upon arrival in China. Another 35 Olympic personnel on the ground have tested positive. Participants who test positive and are asymptomatic will quarantine inside the Olympic bubble. Others will go to one of two hospitals. 

It seems that more and more of what I read about the ongoing pandemic repeats itself over and over. I am interested in how the Olympics will come off; I don't really have a good feeling about them. Stealth Omicron is a new topic, one I hope not to pursue further. Vaccination rates don't seem to be changing much any longer. Those who want to be vaccinated are and those who don't want to be aren't. It will be telling to see what happens in Europe after covid restrictions are dropped. I guess it's all less same old same old than I thought.