New heavily mutated variant B.1.1.529 in South Africa raises concern

I found this interesting today, The South is experiencing very low infection rates, including Florida. So there is another advantage to living in a Snow free state :). Seriously though, it seems a warm(er) climate really does make a difference.
 
ShokWaveRider said:
I found this interesting today, The South is experiencing very low infection rates, including Florida. So there is another advantage to living in a Snow free state :). Seriously though, it seems a warm(er) climate really does make a difference.
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Warmer climates where people are not confined inside generally have lower case rates. You are golfing and playing tennis down there...outside and distanced.
 
ShokWaveRider said:
I found this interesting today, The South is experiencing very low infection rates, including Florida. So there is another advantage to living in a Snow free state :). Seriously though, it seems a warm(er) climate really does make a difference.
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Florida and most of the rest of the South had horrible rate and death peaks a couple months ago. Their deaths/capita have been really bad compared to anywhere but New York and New Jersey at the very beginning.

I think their rates are low at this point because pretty much everyone unvaccinated got infected recently.
 
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Hamlet said:
Florida and most of the rest of the South had horrible rate and death peaks a couple months ago. Their deaths/capita have been really bad compared to anywhere but New York and New Jersey at the very beginning.

I think their rates are low at this point because pretty much everyone unvaccinated got infected recently.
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Florida may have lower rates now but back in the summer when Floridians had to go inside in the air conditioning their rates where much higher. I think the key is to try to avoid inside spaces with little ventilation.
 
disneysteve said:
Overwhelming the system isn't just about the hospitals. It's about the entire healthcare system. ....
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It's scary how parts of the healthcare system are possibly not available.

I read this story about an un-vaccinated fellow that caught covid, the surprising part was his wife called for an ambulance but none were available.
"she took her unconscious husband to Worcestershire Royal Hospital where she said there were 12 ambulances queuing outside when she arrived."

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/coronavirus-vegan-refused-jab-died-hospital-170627651.html
 
Bigdawg said:
^Exactly! No the sky is not falling.
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I'd say wait for more data. Namely, whether the new variant is good a dodging the current vaccines. Won't know how good the current vaccines go up against the new variant until about 2 weeks.

Saw on morning news saying would take about 6 months if needed to make a vaccine specifically for the new variant.
 
Bryan Barnfellow said:
It depends on the canton and region--if I recall you are in Romandie, yes? Here in Ticino (Italian speaking) everyone is masked up on public transit, including buses and trains; you will be asked either put on a mask or be escorted off. The federal government announced this week that they are not taking further measures as yet, preferring to allow the cantons to get things right. If not, they will act.

In Sunday's referendum, the chances are seen as very low that the anti-Covid certification proposal will pass.

My problem is we have a young woman, our "surrogate daughter," who is planning to visit us in mid-December, flying in from Ottawa, Canada. We are unsure of what the situation will be like in three weeks and if she even will be able to enter the country by then. Now the new S.A. variant adds a new wrinkle.

On the good news front, my wife and I just got our third jab a few hours ago!

-BB
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As expected, in Sunday's referendum, the Swiss voted against negating the federal laws about vaccination and other anti-virus measures.

But, alas, our young Canadian friend, for whom we are considered "family," just messaged me that Switzerland has enacted a 10-day quarantine for visitors from a number of countries, Canada included, where the omicron strain has been found :) So, we won't get to see her. We are so disappointed, as is she.

-BB
 
harllee said:
Florida may have lower rates now but back in the summer when Floridians had to go inside in the air conditioning their rates where much higher. I think the key is to try to avoid inside spaces with little ventilation.
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Exactly.
Winter months doesn't mean you have to be confined. There isn't a day that people aren't skiing, snow shoeing, ice fishing, skating, outdoor hockey, hunting, trapping, hiking, walking, snowmobiling and so many outdoor activities in the winter.
 
street said:
Exactly.
Winter months doesn't mean you have to be confined. There isn't a day that people aren't skiing, snow shoeing, ice fishing, skating, outdoor hockey, hunting, trapping, hiking, walking, snowmobiling and so many outdoor activities in the winter.
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You're exactly right. We have tons of outdoor activities we can do in the winter months. But, we normally don't picnic or BBQ with friends or hold birthday parties outdoors when it's this cold out. My friend used to do bonfires in her huge backyard every week during summer months and there were usually several people who showed up with lawn chairs. She's trying to do the same thing now in the middle of winter (in Canada), and I'm down for it (I have really good winter clothes that keep me toasty warm), but not many people are willing to come out. (Only three people said they would come.)
 
I suppose I could try and trap the squirrels on my back deck. Or hunt the dang rabbits that overrun the city in the Spring and Summer. Does anybody have a Joy of Cooking cookbook from the 70's, that actually had instructions for skinning a squirrel?
 
Chuckanut said:
I suppose I could try and trap the squirrels on my back deck. Or hunt the dang rabbits that overrun the city in the Spring and Summer. Does anybody have a Joy of Cooking cookbook from the 70's, that actually had instructions for skinning a squirrel?
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Hmm! Well, actually my Joy of Cooking was a Christmas present from my mom, back around 1964 or so. But oh, doggone, somehow it got lost between then and now. Oh well, good luck on that! :LOL:
 
Hamlet said:
Florida and most of the rest of the South had horrible rate and death peaks a couple months ago. Their deaths/capita have been really bad compared to anywhere but New York and New Jersey at the very beginning.

I think their rates are low at this point because pretty much everyone unvaccinated got infected recently.
Click to expand...

harllee said:
Florida may have lower rates now but back in the summer when Floridians had to go inside in the air conditioning their rates where much higher. I think the key is to try to avoid inside spaces with little ventilation.
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And Floridians were excoriated at the time, set up as an international example of failure. It was unfair.
 
harllee said:
Florida may have lower rates now but back in the summer when Floridians had to go inside in the air conditioning their rates where much higher. I think the key is to try to avoid inside spaces with little ventilation.
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You mean like the...wait for it....OFFICE? :D
 
JoeWras said:
And Floridians were excoriated at the time, set up as an international example of failure. It was unfair.
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Florida was an international example of failure. They managed to get per capita deaths rates this summer nearly as high as New York’s despite having a vaccine available and over a year of additional knowledge on how to mitigate the spread of and treat the virus.

If Florida had been actively trying to spread the virus I don’t think it would have been much worse.

You can sort by Deaths/1M pop at Worldometers if you want to see for yourself-

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/
 
Bryan Barnfellow said:
As expected, in Sunday's referendum, the Swiss voted against negating the federal laws about vaccination and other anti-virus measures.

But, alas, our young Canadian friend, for whom we are considered "family," just messaged me that Switzerland has enacted a 10-day quarantine for visitors from a number of countries, Canada included, where the omicron strain has been found :) So, we won't get to see her. We are so disappointed, as is she.

-BB
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It's interesting to note that Ticino had a a higher percentage that voted "no" than the rest of the county. We are hoping that the current rules allowing antigen tests for entry to the U.S. don't change before our return flight on December 9th.
 
I would expect Florida's number to tick up as snowbirds and those vacationing from out of state travel to Florida during December through March. Mask compliance among the unvaccinated is a big problem everywhere. In our hi-rise condos masks are a requirement in common areas and you can only enter an elevator with people living in the same unit. However, when we were there last May through June, many who refused to comply with those requirements and often packed elevators unmasked. Then the delta variant hit and behavior still did not change. At one point we had 14 units in our building with people under quarantine during the last wave but nobody was enforcing the quarantine.
 
Freedom56 said:
It's interesting to note that Ticino had a a higher percentage that voted "no" than the rest of the county. We are hoping that the current rules allowing antigen tests for entry to the U.S. don't change before our return flight on December 9th.
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The Ticino canton has one of the highest vax rates in Switzerland. Wishing you best of luck, Freedom56 on your return flight and many more safe visits/returns to Lausanne!

-BB
 
Gumby said:
The number of mutations alone doesn't really tell us anything. Some mutations make viruses more contagious and/or more lethal, some make them less contagious and/or less lethal. Some mutations do nothing at all. Not time to panic yet (although the market appears to be doing so today).
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A follow-up on my earlier post

https://www.yahoo.com/news/omicron-carries-scary-mutations-doesnt-130352918.html

But more does not necessarily mean worse: Mutations sometimes work together to make a virus more fearsome, but they may also cancel one another out.
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Gumby said:
Bass Pro Shop to the rescue. https://1source.basspro.com/news-tips/small-game/7782/how-skin-squirrels-step-step-picture-guide
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Thanks!

Now those squirrels will finally feel fear when they crowd my back door demanding nuts and seeds.

Back on topic: I agree the media is playing this up. One well know person on her Sunday interview show commented about the total panic the world was in thanks to the new variant. Total panic:confused: I think not.

We'll know more in 2-3 weeks. In the meantime I'll count on the vaccine and normal Covid precautions to protect me and mine. So far they have worked well.
 
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So, could a person be infected by more than one Covid variant at the same time? If so, then what's not to say a person could get infected with Delta then again with the new one?
 
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