4th shot ?! Are you in Israel ?

A few days ago it was reported here in Ontario that certain people (care home residents) can get a 4th shot.

Yes. I suppose there is at least recognition that "more mutated variants that drag out the crisis"can result from lack of vaccination allowing infection to spread or just plain old allowing infection to spread because this one's just mild.

But as a part of the world where the latter one still applies why is it not being said?

I've been trying to find something about how long after significant numbers have been infected differently can they identify a new variant as the reason but I'm drawing a blank.

But reading early reports about potential exposure, onset of symptoms (incubation period) followed by infectious period, just from one person passing it to another, we're talking a week or two, followed by a week or two to the third person. Unless it's a super spreader event it could take a month or more to gather enough information to identify a source of basic covid let alone whether there's a new variant involved.

So that suggests to me that the discovery of every new variant occurs several weeks after its release into the population.

Perhaps when they do the regular tests they are automatically geared up to look for even the minutest difference that might at least indicate the possibility of change so it might be discovered sooner. If it happens why not announce that and reassure people?

Yes, that makes sense. There was a discussion here a few weeks back that Ontario had announced that (and I discovered after the event that NB had too - September I think) 'third' shoots (boosters) were available for immune-compromised and so on.

So now that 3rds/boosters are the norm for everyone, it follows that those who got their first shots first and boosters first would get second boosters first. .

I heard somewhere that dozens of variants have been identified from the original Covid-19, so that implies that that the we only hear about a variant once becomes a concern (severity, transmission) and is continuing to infect a growing number of the population. Many variants "die out" (recede would be a better term) naturally.

Ontario back to Step 2.
Schools going to virtual / remote as of Wednesday 5th until at least 17th Jan, which more than a little annoys me.

The last thing the kids need is more time away from school.

My 7 year old GD has her 2nd shot on Wednesday. Most of the kids in her class have had or are getting them in the next week or so,

I think the concern is to reduce the infection amongst the teachers and staff. It's a tough call because because if too many teachers/healthcare are infected everything stalls. The kids themselves seem to be fairly resilient.

I think it is mainly due to healthcare staff. Seems that hospitals were stretched before Covid…but now

Yes, I came across something like that while looking. Once it becomes a concern there are already significant numbers of cases of the new one so we're back to my questioning the lack of concern about a variant of concern developing while spreading is practically encouraged.

One other odd thing to go with that...

Lots of talk now about "needing" N95 masks or doubling up because masks "may not be protecting the wearer as much as thought."
So what is it now then, completely forgetting all that time advising us it was the wearer protecting others?

I've noticed that too. I suppose the greater transmissibility of Omicron favours N95/etc, but it is interesting that the guidance "masks primarily reduce spreading rather than intake" seems to have been shelved.

500+ cases here yesterday. Now into tighter lockdown ("steady 10" people bubbles etc). Chief Medical Officer of Health struck a different tone yesterday - "We're all going to get covid with this variant, it's flattening the curve so that we don't overwhelm the healthcare system that is the thing". Still only 1 person in hospital which is a good sign. Lots of healthcare workers (600+) out sick or isolating. Contact tracing overwhelmed. Leadtime for C19 test and results 3-5 days. Schools online as of today. Welcome to 2022, feels like 2020.

Don't say that !!

It's been a while since I've heard "flattening the curve" was just thinking about it a few days ago. That's precisely what the current objective should be. The big plus on 2020 is vaccines (and a known, milder variant). I am hoping that by March we'll see the tail end of this. At least a downgrade from pandemic to endemic.

I have just said it feels like January 2021 to my sister in the UK. She said everyone there (Cheshire) is carrying on as normal apart from mask wearing. Several of her friends are on holiday overseas.

Masks *can* protect the wearer as well. It depends on material used in the mask, and most importantly how well it fits. If your glasses don't fog, and you can see the mask material move with your breathing then it is protecting you by filtering particles as well as protecting others.

If you just throw a mask on without checking how it fits and adjusting it properly, it's not likely to be protecting you very well, and it may not even be protecting others properly if you are breathing "around" the mask.

Yep. As usual, everywhere except Canada seems to just be continuing on as normal.

Yes, sure.
But for "Regular" Covid it's always been about preventing or reducing the spread of people passing it on rather than receiving it. Kind of summarised as wearing one might reduce your own chances of getting covid by about 5% while wearing them reduces the chance of you passing it to others by about 95% and everyone benefiting.

I'm making those percentages up to emphasise the differences between expelling the virus out and breathing it in.. Wearing a mask protects others was the way it was put.

I suppose, given the nature of Omicron, it would now be reasonable to say "this is is different, so a different approach is needed for masks" but the way it's being talked about now it just comes across as if there was a change of mind or mixed messaging.