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

who.int

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

#311

Earlier quoted context omitted.

His argument is fallacious. He's saying that since there all other variants we're susceptible to the vaccine, it's unlikely that this one is. ...and goes on to list the high number of different markers the vaccines target. Unfortunately, vaccines largely target the spike proteins, and sequencing of omicron is demonstrating that every single protein marker on the spike is changed. Vaccines will likely have a very smal…

The person you’re claiming is incorrect worked on developing the MRNA vaccines. What are your qualifications?

I don't think parent said this person is incorrect. It said that the arguement is falliscious.

Whether the value judgement of it being holds we don't know but infection numbers look bad

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

#312
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nu means naked in Portuguese (and Spanish I think?) Maybe they wanted to avoid all the lazy puns. A pretty significant part of the world speaks either of those two languages.

"Nu" means nude in Portuguese, French and Catalan, but that's the masculine form, whereas the noun variant is feminine, therefore "nu variant" would never be mistaken for "nude variant". But even if it could be misinterpreted, I don't think anybody would care.

What? Lol it would be a PR mess in Latin America, Portugal, Spain and parts of Africa.

I speak Portuguese and I can assure you what you’ve written is funny nonsense. No one would care about this when making the 1000th internet meme.

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

#313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The person you’re claiming is incorrect worked on developing the MRNA vaccines. What are your qualifications?

I don't think parent said this person is incorrect. It said that the arguement is falliscious. Whether the value judgement of it being holds we don't know but infection numbers look bad

You're right that the argument is fallacious, but you ALSO can't say that the high number of mutations make escape almost certain. Fact of the matter is, we don't know, and it's hard to say.

For there record, I'm predicting it would escape, but I'm far from certain about it, I'd put like a 75% prior.

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

#314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They skipped nu because it sounds too much like mu, and they skipped xi because it sounds like Winnie-the-Poo.

Wait... Why did they really skip xi?

The current official W.H.O. rationale, reported by the NYTimes [0]:

"Some other variants with Greek letters do not reach those classification levels, and the W.H.O. also skipped two letters just before Omicron — “Nu” and “Xi” — leading to speculation about whether “Xi” was avoided in deference to the Chinese president, Xi Jinping.

"“‘Nu’ is too easily confounded with ‘new,’” Tarik Jasarevic, a W.H.O. spokesman, said on Saturday. “And ‘Xi’ was not used because it is a common last name.”

"He added that the agency’s best practices for naming diseases suggest avoiding “causing offense to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic groups.”"

[0] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/27/world/africa/omicron-covi...

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

#315

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.

Yikes - attacking another user like that will get you banned here, regardless of how ignorant they are or you feel they are. We're trying to avoid this sort of degenerate spiral.

If you would please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and take the intended spirit of the site more to heart, we'd be grateful.

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

#316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“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.

Let me guess. You're single, have no kids and wear a mask in the car. You're deathly afraid of this virus because you watch CNN everyday. You have 2 doses of vaccine and 5 boosters? You talk about long Covid but haven't been sick in 10 years. The term post viral syndrome is foreign to you?

Attacking another user like that will get you banned here, regardless of how wrong they are or you feel they are, and regardless of how bad any other comment is. If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting here, we'd appreciate it.

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

#317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This assumes every year of life has equal worth.

Indeed. If you assume that earlier years are worth more, the point is even stronger.

Your calculation needs to take loss in quality of life due to a) contracting long COVID, b) suffering a COVID-induced stroke, or c) living with brain damage post-COVID into account. Furthermore, you should consider that mutations will run rampant if laissez-faire policies are implemented; a variant with increased lethality might come along and cut your life short.

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

#318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

They are greek letters. Letter o/O is omicron, ω/Ω is omega (the last letter of the greek alphabet). Omicron = o + mikron = small o Omega = o + mega = big o

cool! thanks!

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

#319
post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Show me. Let’s go. Show me. Skip the tough guy talk and connect the dots. Go. See, if it was so blindingly obvious people like you wouldn’t scream indiscriminately, you’d just give us your mathematical proof and we’d all agree because it wouldn’t be disputable. But that data doesn’t exist, there isn’t even faint circumstantial evidence, so we get yelling and swearing instead. Look, if I claimed the sun rises in the w…

I have done that in another reply before your comment, and the data is in fact very clear and obvious, your silly denial nonwithstanding. Let's turn the tables: if you claim that contact reduction measures and mask mandates don't work, show me the evidence. Show me a place where they were implemented, and there was no effect on case numbers after 2 to 4 weeks. Go. I'm waiting.

We are hopeless with broken individuals such as yourself among us. Engaging with people who have lost all cognitive abilities because their brains got jolted with a million volts of terror is a waste of time.

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

#320
post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let me guess. You're single, have no kids and wear a mask in the car. You're deathly afraid of this virus because you watch CNN everyday. You have 2 doses of vaccine and 5 boosters? You talk about long Covid but haven't been sick in 10 years. The term post viral syndrome is foreign to you?

Attacking another user like that will get you banned here, regardless of how wrong they are or you feel they are, and regardless of how bad any other comment is. If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting here, we'd appreciate it.

You're right. That's my fault, sorry about that.
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