Northern Europe during Pandemic -- Summers 2020 & 2021 & onwards

[Zippee]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Omicron.. started with a frontal lobe headache ... This was nine days after my booster shot at the 6th of December.

In the past - the first two shots had to be separated by a month, with another period of time (I believe a few weeks) after the 2nd before we were considered "fully vaccinated". Due to the incubation time of a virus, your date of infection was much closer to the booster, which may have not had enough time for an antibody response.


I do have the same question of you: how did you know it was Omicron? Is that your assumption? I ask because depending on your country, your positive test may not have been then sequenced (an additional procedure and analysis).


Thanks...

[Exile]

Originally Posted by boatman61

No... no loss of smell or taste at all but did keep thinking I'd left a pan on the stove because of a hot metal scent in the background.
Don't be sorry, I'm quite chuffed its outa the way..
Re the vax.. they reckon it does not kick in till 14 days+ after though personally doubt it makes much difference.. but that's just an opinion.

Not losing smell/taste is consistent with other reports I've been reading which distinguishes Omicron from previous variants. Didn't know (or forgot) about the 14 day deal re: the booster but you're probably better off with having taking it regardless. Maybe. Yeah, getting it and recovering sorta ends the suspense, no?!

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Zippee

In the past - the first two shots had to be separated by a month, with another period of time (I believe a few weeks) after the 2nd before we were considered "fully vaccinated". Due to the incubation time of a virus, your date of infection was much closer to the booster, which may have not had enough time for an antibody response.


I do have the same question of you: how did you know it was Omicron? Is that your assumption? I ask because depending on your country, your positive test may not have been then sequenced (an additional procedure and analysis).


Thanks...

I don't.. I just know it was not Delta.. different symptoms from those touted over the last twelve months..
Actually over here it was 8 weeks then shortened to 4 weeks.. 1/6/21 - 29/6/21
Country Portugal.
https://www.portugalresident.com/omi...by-january-31/

UK was 12 weeks initially to maximise 1st doses.

[Zippee]

Thanks Boat. Just for fun (nothing about Covid is really funny tho) I looked up Delta symptoms:

Symptoms of the Delta variant While the common symptoms of Covid had become well known – cough, fever, loss of smell or taste – the Delta variant is presenting a different set of symptoms, researchers say.
The three key symptoms are now:

• Headache
• Sore throat
• Runny nose

These match up quite well with your experience, for Delta. We should realize that Omicron is still very new, and will exist with Delta for the moment. I found another article which addressed the differences if any in symptomology, at least so far:

Some symptom differences have emerged from preliminary data, but experts are not certain they are meaningful. Data released last week from South Africa’s largest private health insurer, for instance, suggest that South Africans with omicron often develop a scratchy or sore throat along with nasal congestion, a dry cough and muscle pain, especially low back pain.

But these are all symptoms of delta and of the original coronavirus, too, said Ashley Z. Ritter, a nurse practitioner at the University of Pennsylvania. Given that omicron has been circulating for only about three weeks, she added, “it’s still too early to say that there’s any difference in symptoms between the omicron variant and previous versions.”

It’s likely that the symptoms of omicron will resemble delta’s more than they differ from them.

We should keep in mind that there were plenty of mild Delta cases as well. Our neighbors had 4 cases of Delta in their home a few months ago, which matched up well with your symptoms.

It's great that you have avoided the hospital! Please stay well...

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Zippee

Thanks Boat. Just for fun (nothing about Covid is really funny tho) I looked up Delta symptoms:


These match up quite well with your experience, for Delta. We should realize that Omicron is still very new, and will exist with Delta for the moment. I found another article which addressed the differences if any in symptomology, at least so far:



We should keep in mind that there were plenty of mild Delta cases as well. Our neighbors had 4 cases of Delta in their home a few months ago, which matched up well with your symptoms.

It's great that you have avoided the hospital! Please stay well...

Add to the mix I am a 15-20/day man...
https://www.acsh.org/news/2021/06/08...find-out-15588

[Exile]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Add to the mix I am a 15-20/day man...
https://www.acsh.org/news/2021/06/08...find-out-15588

HA! Go figure . . . .

[Zippee]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Add to the mix I am a 15-20/day man...
https://www.acsh.org/news/2021/06/08...find-out-15588

Now if only there was a study on a good habano cigar, I could whistle too...

[laird]

I'll be angry if they cut down self isolating to 5 days , I want the 10 :-)

It's only a matter of time before we all catch Omicron ,if it's the blessing in disguise that it is suggested , then bring it on
UK posted 185,000 France 200,000

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Zippee

Now if only there was a study on a good habano cigar, I could whistle too...

If its got nicotine its...

[El Pinguino]

An observation.
Chile has administered the highest percentage of booster shots after Iceland, about 60% of population.
After a bit of a bump in new infections they are again falling.
Daily deaths continue to bump along the bottom.
https://www.worldometers.info/corona...country/chile/

France has about 30% of population boosted, new infections going through the roof, deaths slowly rising.
https://www.worldometers.info/corona...ountry/france/

Booster info from here https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

Food for thought.

[Greg K]

Originally Posted by GordMay

This is counterintuitive, to me:

Puerto Rico sees spike in COVID infections

Puerto Rico, which achieved the highest rate [76.5%] of fully vaccinated people against coronavirus in the United States [1], is experiencing a record-breaking rise in COVID-19 cases.
The island’s positivity rate — or the percentage of people who are testing positive — was at 2.56% on Dec. 11.
By Dec. 22, it had skyrocketed to 16.49% [20 - 24.9% Today], according to Puerto Rico Department of Health data [2].
There were 833 total cases confirmed with molecular and antigen testing in Puerto Rico between Dec. 5 and Dec. 11.
Between Dec. 12 and Dec. 19, that number was about 10,700 — a 1,184.5% increase in a week.

More about ➥ https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nat...#storylink=cpy

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccination Data
➥ https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tra...ses_totalcases
➥ https://www.salud.gov.pr/

[2] COVID-19 EN CIFRAS EN PUERTO RICO
miércoles, 29 de diciembre de 2021
➥ https://www.salud.gov.pr/estadisticas_v2#resumen_ejec


I think, it goes to show that, as has been oft noted, we'll just have to wait a little longer, to better understand Omicron.
I, for one, didn't know, what I didn't know.

My guess would be that OAS ( Original Antigenic Sin) is kicking in. The more the population is vaxed the more infections with Omicron. Basically, the vaxed immune system not only misses the mark because with Omicron it's too far away from the original target but, also, it is sort of stuck in that same ineffective pattern of the original programmed response.

Take a look at this article on substack re cases in the UK. https://nakedemperor.substack.com/p/...the-vaccinated

[Zippee]

My guess would be that OAS ( Original Antigenic Sin) is kicking in. The more the population is vaxed the more infections with Omicron. Basically, the vaxed immune system not only misses the mark because with Omicron it's too far away from the original target but, also, it is sort of stuck in that same ineffective pattern of the original programmed response.

Take a look at this article on substack re cases in the UK. https://nakedemperor.substack.com/p/...the-vaccinated

The "Naked Emperor" site seems to be largely anti-vax, featuring articles doubting most headlines. The article cited is full of hedges underlying its many bold conclusions, for example admitting "...This only has a small dataset (1,701 positive individuals, of which 115 tested positive compatible with Omicron) so should be viewed with caution ... Due to the small dataset, this is only a modelled likelihood ... ".

Two short but very important hedges hidden behind a blizzard of strong anti-vaxx opined conclusions. It's fair to say that we all can find almost any opinion we favor on the net, but we owe it to each other to attempt to cite the best large, well-constructed and published, peer-reviewed sources we can.

In my opinion the "Naked Emperor" is wearing no robes, lol...

[boatman61]

To my mind the biggest failure by the UK and other countries lies in the way Covid patients are hospitalised..
At the moment in the UK they are once again putting up the Nightingale hospitals for surge patients.
They should have put all Covid patients in these the first time they were built and continued using them solely for Covid patient instead of a part of General Hospitals across the country with all the risks of cross contamination that exist even pre Covid..
EG...https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-59322416

Here in Portugal if I contract Covid and complications arise I don't get whisked to the General hospital a couple of miles away, I am instead taken to a hospital dedicated solely to Covid patients.. away from the general populaces 'normal' maladies.. result less than 19K deaths since this started.

[CatNewBee]

Originally Posted by Greg K

My guess would be that OAS ( Original Antigenic Sin) is kicking in. The more the population is vaxed the more infections with Omicron. Basically, the vaxed immune system not only misses the mark because with Omicron it's too far away from the original target but, also, it is sort of stuck in that same ineffective pattern of the original programmed response.

Take a look at this article on substack re cases in the UK. https://nakedemperor.substack.com/p/...the-vaccinated

I second that, it are the fully vaccinated who contract easier omicron. Have some friends, they were always in the front row for vaccinations, have been fully vaccinated and have 2 boosters each and have symptomatic covid now, were last boosted 2 weeks before contracting it.

And I have invaccinated tested positive with mild symptoms for 3 days and the thing was over.

Anyway, with over 1 million new cases per day, exponentially growing, the streets ought to be full of bodybags in the US, but there is no sign of higher mortality, the delta is slowly replaced and phased out.

Everybody will get omicron, there is no real protection from the vaccines, also the "milder outcome" for vaccinated is on thin ice.

Do something to strengthen your immune system, Vitamin D3, zink, less stress, fresh air, fresh food...

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by boatman61

To my mind the biggest failure by the UK and other countries lies in the way Covid patients are hospitalised..
At the moment in the UK they are once again putting up the Nightingale hospitals for surge patients.
They should have put all Covid patients in these the first time they were built and continued using them solely for Covid patient instead of a part of General Hospitals across the country with all the risks of cross contamination that exist even pre Covid..
EG...https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-59322416

Here in Portugal if I contract Covid and complications arise I don't get whisked to the General hospital a couple of miles away, I am instead taken to a hospital dedicated solely to Covid patients.. away from the general populaces 'normal' maladies.. result less than 19K deaths since this started.

This would be ideal but not always practical. I spend half the year on a island with a small hospital. When patients come in with Covid like symptoms it isn't practical to medivac them all immediately to another facility so they are first admitted, tested and diagnosed at the local hospital.

If it is indeed Covid and serious then they are medevac'd to the mainland but by that time the local hospital has already had to deal with exposure. They did set up an isolation ward with special procedures which seems to have been mostly successful in limiting exposure to the staff and the rest of the hospital.