Live data from Hacker News

Vaccines and Omicron mean Covid now less deadly than flu in England

ft.com

21–30 of 103 posts

Re: Vaccines and Omicron mean Covid now less deadly than flu in England

#21

It may well be less deadly, but it is far more contagious. Reinfection also seems to be not uncommon. We do not fully understand the long term effects of even a mild case, or indeed how repeated reinfection might compound any such effects, given that we might expect to catch it once or twice a year as opposed to once or twice in our lives for flu.

better hide inside forever just to be sure

And enact laws so everybody else also is forced to stay home forever!

Re: Vaccines and Omicron mean Covid now less deadly than flu in England

#23
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The flu once mutated to be very deadly, and there's no particular reason it couldn't happen again. For all anybody really knows, the next super deadly flu strain might show up tomorrow. Are you going to spend your life terrified of this "what if" scenario too?

Preparing for the worst and mitigating risk != being terrified

So were you going through life wearing a mask to mitigate the risk of a deadly flu in 2018 and before? I think probably not, but if your priority is risk mitigation, shouldn't you have been?

Risk mitigation is not my priority. If it were, I'd never ride my bike again, even with my helmet. I'd never go kayaking, or rock climbing. I wouldn't swim in lakes, and you'd never catch me in the ocean. If I were preparing for the worst, I'd go everywhere with a tourniquet in my back pocket, keep a few thousand dollars cash in my shoe, and get myself vaccinated for rabies right now. I have no intent to do any of these things, because such fretting every possibility is no way to live.

Re: Vaccines and Omicron mean Covid now less deadly than flu in England

#24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

better hide inside forever just to be sure

The elderly, people with health conditions and their carers can’t take such liberties. It’s a shame how easily we overlook and disregard swathes of people.

These people have always been more vulnerable to diseases and less likely to survive them. COVID changes nothing.

Re: Vaccines and Omicron mean Covid now less deadly than flu in England

#26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You do realize there is a happy middle ground between hiding inside forever and pretending COVID doesn't exist, right?

Yes, that middle ground is stopping all required COVID mitigations and let people live their lives as they did before. COVID is here to stay. Time to start treating it like every other endemic disease. ps Pretty sure the comment you responded to was sarcasm.

> ps Pretty sure the comment you responded to was sarcasm

I think it was more mockery than sarcasm. It’s a pretty common insult to make fun of people that wear masks, quarantine, etc. as being afraid or weak. It’s not a constructive or interesting viewpoint.

Re: Vaccines and Omicron mean Covid now less deadly than flu in England

#27

It may well be less deadly, but it is far more contagious. Reinfection also seems to be not uncommon. We do not fully understand the long term effects of even a mild case, or indeed how repeated reinfection might compound any such effects, given that we might expect to catch it once or twice a year as opposed to once or twice in our lives for flu.

The flu once mutated to be very deadly, and there's no particular reason it couldn't happen again. For all anybody really knows, the next super deadly flu strain might show up tomorrow. Are you going to spend your life terrified of this "what if" scenario too?

>Are you going to spend your life terrified of this "what if" scenario too?

This might be worth reviewing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_charity

Re: Vaccines and Omicron mean Covid now less deadly than flu in England

#28

It may well be less deadly, but it is far more contagious. Reinfection also seems to be not uncommon. We do not fully understand the long term effects of even a mild case, or indeed how repeated reinfection might compound any such effects, given that we might expect to catch it once or twice a year as opposed to once or twice in our lives for flu.

> "once or twice in our lives for flu."

I guess some people are more susceptible than others (or have more risk due to lifestyle factors), but only once or twice in a lifetime? I'd guess I've had a really bad flu at least once every 4-5 years or so on average in my lifetime, and moderate cases probably every 1-2 years.

I had Covid twice as well, within a year (both times in 2020, before vaccines were available).

Re: Vaccines and Omicron mean Covid now less deadly than flu in England

#29
post #12

Still going to mask up when going indoors. I don't want the flu, I don't want a cold and I don't want to get covid.

Great way to destroy your immune system

I would love to see research that shows that to be a correct statement and why so many in Asian countries do not seem to have compromised immune systems would be interesting as well.

Re: Vaccines and Omicron mean Covid now less deadly than flu in England

#30

It may well be less deadly, but it is far more contagious. Reinfection also seems to be not uncommon. We do not fully understand the long term effects of even a mild case, or indeed how repeated reinfection might compound any such effects, given that we might expect to catch it once or twice a year as opposed to once or twice in our lives for flu.

"once or twice in our lives" flu is a seasonal illness, unless you're a complete shut in, you get it much more frequently than that, considering the modern diets and vitamin deficiencies.
Post reply on HN