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Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

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Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#211

Post by AareyBaba »

CyanBird wrote: post #130
xyst wrote: post #57

My current take (not a virologist, doctor): At this point, if you are not immunocompromised and you have the first vaccination and a booster. You should be able to easily recover regardless of the mutation(s). The virus would need to completely diverge from SARS-CoV-2 in order to fully defeat the countermeasures of the current vaccinations.

> The virus would need to completely diverge from SARS-CoV-2 in order to fully defeat Yeah, you shouldnt be making these claims if you don't have specific background or understanding of what you are talking about All current vaccines target few/couple specific proteins and protein groups on the virus spikes which interact with our cells, if these couple spikes/protein groups change then the vaccines stop being effect…

> All current vaccines target few/couple specific proteins and protein groups

Since you have the specific background and understanding and know what you are talking about can you explain to us how inactivated virus covid vaccines target specific proteins ? I would expect them to target the whole virus.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covaxin [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CoronaVac

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#212

Post by dillondoyle »

tigershark wrote: post #168
nostromo wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This image really puts it in context: https://images.app.goo.gl/13amCWF8aJ8q2eZAA The red portion of the graph on the far right is the new variant.

It started from an extremely low base. And extrapolating that curve is completely wrong as you can see from today numbers. 2.8k compared to yesterday 2.4K. It’s obviously still early to know anything conclusive but the relatively small increase today is a very good sign. We’ll know something more next week.

https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/extrapolating.png

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#213

Post by dillondoyle »

Lionga wrote: post #94
Animats wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Testing of vaccines against this new variant is already starting.[1] First results in 2 weeks. Pfizer says that if they have to generate a new vaccine for this variant, it will take about 100 days.[2] That's the great thing about this mRNA vaccine technology - given the gene sequence of a virus, a vaccine can be designed. The original Moderna vaccine was designed in two days. [1] https://www.newsweek.com/omicron-vari…

100 days + XXX days for the new approval of the vaccine.

Close to mid terms + if it becomes an actual big body count/hospital overflow in the US I'd bank on political pressure to approve fast.

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#214

Post by dillondoyle »

cblconfederate wrote: post #77
streamofdigits wrote: post #22

still some ways to reach omega (the larger sibling of omicron)

o micron literally means "small o" and o mega literally means "big o", but those computer scientists, when they use "big O notation" they write it with an O. Omega is sad :(

Is that how it's pronounce? Letter O + micron like size? My first read was ohm eh cron, like the job

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#215

Post by tedunangst »

ASalazarMX wrote: post #169
PicassoCTs wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/newton/project/about.do Its actually pretty common to venture outside the box in every regard, if you have the ability to venture outside the box.

But horoscopes, my god. They're not outside the box, they're outside reality. It's like a physicist believing in perpetual motion.

But they're a biologist? Cosmic forces are outside their field, unlike a physicist who believes in perpetual motion.

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#216

Post by drdec »

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #92
crate_barre wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also known as B.1.1.529 Variant21K appears to have arisen in November 2021, possibly in South Africa. Early sequences are predominantly from South Africa, though also detected in Botswana and Hong Kong. 21K is primarily of concern due to the large number of mutations it has in the Spike gene. Many of these variants are in the receptor binding domain and N-terminal domain, and thus may play key roles in ACE2 binding a…

>This literally reads like post apocalyptic fan fiction. I find it incredibly fascinating how fast this virus can mutate in order to throw curveballs around our natural and engineered defenses and become more efficient at killing us. How is this even possible in such a short amount of time? I thought evolution takes tens of thousands of years. It's not like viruses have giant brains with massive IQs to come up with a…

Other posters have addressed the other questions so I'll focus on your comment concerning "massive IQs to come up with all this so fast".

Evolution does not work that way. It is not a conscious decision or process on the part of the organism. It is the result of mutations due to imperfect copying of genetic material. Very likely most of the mutations are useless or harmful to the organism. But once in a while the mutation gives the organism an advantage and allows it and it's progeny to outcompete the other, unmutated organisms.

Even the process of evolution does not make decisions or have a particular direction or goal. It's all randomness and depends on the large number of chances.

As far as becoming more efficient at killing is, most viruses mutate to a state of being less deadly. Not killing the host is an advantage for a virus.

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#217

Post by ASalazarMX »

tedunangst wrote: post #215
ASalazarMX wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But horoscopes, my god. They're not outside the box, they're outside reality. It's like a physicist believing in perpetual motion.

But they're a biologist? Cosmic forces are outside their field, unlike a physicist who believes in perpetual motion.

Biologists have to know statistics. Horoscopes are evidently impossible to anyone who knows basic statistics, if the generic fortunes weren't evident enough.

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#218

Post by shusaku »

I swear I’ve read a hundred articles saying “here’s what we should’ve done to prevent this pandemic”. Let’s see if any lessons have been really learned; a new variant is practice for the next virus that comes on the scene. With the testing tech we have now, proper tracing, quarantines, and travel restrictions, could a variant be bottled up?

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#219

Post by jjulius »

setpatchaddress wrote: post #206
throwawayboise wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"the cases we are seeing are extremely mild" So, like most COVID infections?

“Mild” in this case means you don’t go to the hospital (and/or the morgue). It doesn’t rule out long COVID or extremely severe (from a layman’s perspective) symptoms. And that’s the same as other “mild” COVID infections, yep. The ones where you don’t die. You ignorant dipshit.

Well that last bit sure came out of left field.

Re: Classification of Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern

#220

Post by tgsovlerkhgsel »

bmakdbd wrote: post #162
op00to wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are people getting sicker with it?

> However, Dr Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association and a practising GP based in Pretoria, said it was “premature” to make predictions of a health crisis. “It’s all speculation at this stage. It may be it’s highly transmissible, but so far the cases we are seeing are extremely mild,” she said. “Maybe two weeks from now I will have a different opinion, but this is what we are seeing. So are…

Best case scenario: A virus that causes only mild symptoms, spreads quickly, and causes immunity against the original (more harmful) variants.

Just lift measures and let it do its work...

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