MrsFychan

Can't remember which Epidemiologist said it recently, since Omicron, but whoever it was said they would not go anywhere on holiday at all in 2022.
Good enough bit of advice for me to stay put.

Charismatic

Interesting, Bloomberg published a segment on her work and made it sound like she recognised substantially different physiological symptoms which is why they started analysis:

"People infected by Omicron in South Africa are showing very different symptoms to those suffering from the delta strain, said the doctor who alerted government scientists to the possibility of a new variant. Patients who contracted it complain of fatigue, head and body aches and occasional sore throats and coughs, said Angelique Coetzee, who is also chairwoman of the South African Medical Association. Delta infections, by comparison, caused elevated pulse rates, resulted in low oxygen levels and a loss of smell and taste, she said.

After weeks of almost no Covid patients at her practice in Pretoria, the capital and epicenter of South Africa’s current surge, Coetzee said she suddenly started seeing patients complain of the symptoms on Nov. 18. She immediately informed the government’s Ministerial Advisory Council on Covid-19, and laboratories the next week identified a new variant, she said.
“I said these different symptoms can’t be delta, they are very similar to beta or it must be a new strain,” she said in an interview on Monday. “I don’t think it will blow over but I think it will be a mild disease hopefully. For now we are confident we can handle it.”

The World Health Organization is analyzing the new mutation, and has said it’s too early to say how transmissible and severe it is.
..."


Edit to add: You would typically expect diseases to grow less severe but more transmissible as it adapts to humans. Ultimately people who feel unwell tend to stay home and watch telly or whatever instead of socialising which inhibits transmission. This is why influenza is so successful as a virus, it typically only causes slight symptoms among the host population, if any at all, so people usually brush it off an continue on with life as per normal.

LegalEagleTX

Don't bet on it, the lockdown loonies will be rubbing their hands with glee. They only listen to the science that suits them.

Charismatic

I don't know, media reporting has actually taken the time to chat to experts and highlighted some of the positives of the new variant. Mutation is inevitable really, we will likely get many more as it becomes endemic.

Tom H

I'm one of them

I don't know how much longer my father in law and my nan have given their illnesses so I looked at April and July. $9500 for a family of 4 with Air New Zealand (have to use those as we have a lot of credit from our cancelled Fiji holiday). Not sure about the others

Must admit, I thought that wasn't too bad considering. I'm tempted to say stuff it and book irrespective of this variant. I'm getting fed up of it all now, both of us are double vaccinated, both would be more than willing to have a mask on throughout the flights, All these things we've been told to, we've done - its getting tiring hearing about it.

Had we not had seriously unwell family members, I accept I probably wouldn't be like this.

Charismatic

Stuff.co.nz, not least to my surprise, actually seems to have run an interesting segment on Omicron this morning talking to a few experts about early observations of the physiological effect in comparison to Delta.

BEVS

Very fair and understandable given family circumstances. i can say it is very tough for someone you love to fade & then die whilst you are far far away. Always best to try and see the living if at all poss. I honestly do hope you , Bo-J & JustCol all manage to make your trips.

From what you guys have written I may also dream a little and mentally peg in perhaps a Sept/Oct 2022 visit.

I do not mind you asking but I am not going into personal circumstances on this open forum. Just take my word for it that a UK perm return is not now a practical possibility . There was a window or timeframe , for that to happen . That has now closed.

LittleGreyCat

Thank you for the kind thoughts.
We are hoping to be able to come to NZ for Xmas 2022 but we need quite a lot of good luck on the pandemic front for travel to be open then.

Absolutely no idea if/when the Parent Category will reopen, though.

Charismatic

Most major test kit manufacturers are confirming that their testing kits remain able to detect Omicron, including ELISA antibody tests which indicates to me that at least some of the antibodies produced don't substantially differ. It's not watertight because most tests are monoclonal so they only select for single antibodies. None the less it saves government and lab scientists a massive pain in the arse having to develop new kits.

Backing this preliminary comments from Oxford/AstraZeneca have indicated that they see no evidence from initial testing that their existing vaccine won't still work against the Omicron variant.

Lastly I've been keeping an eye on doctors commentary from South Africa, where cases are predominantly concentrated, but all of it so far seems to indicate the very mild flu like symptoms initially noted.

Good news and no news really.

Mishclark

Grand daughter was born Tuesday afternoon, mum, dad and bub well.

Haven't seen her yet due to no visitors due to covid restrictions, technology is wonderful 😊

BEVS

Congrats Grandma.

🥰

Charismatic

Lovely. Surely Grandparent is the easiest type of parent to be, it's all ice creams at the beach and stories about how you walked to school uphill both ways.

ECDC update:
"...there are at least 352 confirmed cases in 27 countries, including 70 cases in 13 European countries, ...there are still no reports of severe illnesses or deaths.
......travel restrictions applied to southern Africa should be reassessed regularly and the current measures may delay the variant’s spread in Europe 'by two weeks, at most. ...”

Doesn't sound like they are too worried at the moment.

Justcol

You could probably shed $3500 off that fairly easily. That is using a mix of carriers operating through Air NZ

Charismatic

Again early data is suggesting that Omicron is much milder than Delta is/was.

Government might want a 'Plan B' to accelerate border reopening without testing, it would be unconscionable to allow Delta to circulate if the WHO confirms that Omicron is far milder.

Charismatic

Commentary from a South African hospital group today:
"The variant 'appears to be highly transmissible,' Mediclinic said. Still, 'so far, a lower percentage of admitted Covid-19 patients require intensive care and ventilation."

New Zealand seriously needs a plan to reopen immediately so Omicron can outcompete Delta if the WHO confirms this. It would be morally unconscionable to subject our population to Delta if the physiological symptoms are worse.