So, have you got the Omicron variant, then?
I hope so
Its all in the dark stuff, no one knows what will happen further down the line what may emerge as a result catching the virus, and the natural immunity.
hope you recover quick Bread.
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And there’s yet another variant just starting out for some to panic about - this time discovered in France:
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Another 448 cases of the Omicron COVID variant have been recorded across the UK, taking the total to 1265
The latest figures released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show 443 cases have been recorded in England, one in Scotland and four in Wales.
No additional cases have been recorded in Northern Ireland.
"…that they had detected a new variant in Covid-19 patients from Forcalquier, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region. Dubbed “IHU,”…
Does that stand for I Hate U? pretty apt for a virus, eh?
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But:
However, a third booster prevents around 75% of people getting any Covid symptom.
The UK Health Security Agency said vaccines were still likely to offer good protection against severe Covid that needed hospital treatment.
Scientists analysed data from 581 Omicron cases and thousands of Delta cases to calculate how effective the vaccines were against the new variant.
The analysis is based on limited data, but showed a dramatic drop in effectiveness for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and a significant drop off for two doses of Pfizer.
The 75% protection against Covid symptoms after a booster is not as high as against previous variants.
So far around 22 million people have received a booster dose, but even if everyone was boosted the lower vaccine effectiveness would still leave millions of people susceptible.
The real world data backs up laboratory studies that showed a 40-fold reduction in the ability of antibodies from double-vaccinated people to take out the virus.
There is optimism that vaccines will still keep many people out of hospital even if more do get Covid. Data on severity could be published next week.
However, an Omicron wave could be problematic even if it was milder. A large and sudden wave could lead to everyone who is still vulnerable needing hospital care at the same time.
Bad news, good news, bad news … 
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They would say that Omah, they’ve got a few million quids worth of booster to get rid of…
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The number of deaths from the variant by the end of April could range from 25,000 to 75,000 depending on how well vaccines perform, they said. But the experts behind the study said there was still uncertainty around the modelling. In the worst-case scenario tougher restrictions may be needed to stop hospitals being overwhelmed, they said.
The work by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is not a crystal ball. It does not say what will happen with the Omicron variant of coronavirus but gives a range of possible outcomes.
High uptake of the booster dose is likely to mitigate the impact of the Omicron wave, the researchers said.
Even if the variant is milder, as anecdotal accounts from South Africa have suggested, scientists say a large wave will still mean a lot of people ending up in hospital - even if is a small proportion of overall cases.
Dr Nick Davies, one of the researchers, said Omicron was spreading “very fast”, was “quite concerning” and was likely to be the dominant form of the virus in England by the end of the year.
The report - from an influential group of disease modellers among those advising government - says the number of people infected is currently doubling every 2.4 days in England.
Soon - today’s number of cases.
I notice TV’s Dr Hilary and Lorraine Kelly have had a telling off for stating incorrect figures on TV. They said that over 80% of people in hospital with covid are unvaccinated. It is actually only 30%ish.
Another 633 Omicron cases have been found in the UK - the biggest daily increase since the COVID-19 variant has been detected in the country.
The latest figure brings the total number of confirmed Omicron cases to 1,898 across the country, the UK health security agency said.
In England, another 618 confirmed cases of the variant were reported, with 1,757 in total.
Scotland reported 11 more cases, with 121 now confirmed.
If they got a bollocking for stating that, why didn’t the senior nurse that said exactly the same thing on BBC Midlands Today local evening news get one too?
No idea. maybe she has but not publicly.
However, Boris Johnson and Downing Street are said to be resisting Mr Gove’s calls for a new crackdown, as the Prime Minister faces a revolt from his own Conservative party in a vote over the introduction of Plan B rules.
Senior Cabinet ministers are said to be preparing to rebel against the Plan B measures in a vote next week, and 65 Tory MPs have already indicated they will vote against.
A commons vote is set to be held on Tuesday over the Plan B measures, which require face masks to be worn in non-hospitality venues, and ask people to work from home where possible. NHS Covid passes will also be required in some venues, like nightclubs, from Wednesday.
Dissension in the ranks while facing the enemy … 
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Friends and relatives now have a new strategy for going out and mingling. Lateral flow test before we meet. So everyone tests themselves and comes along if negative. You can get the test kits at the chemist but from October you need a QR code obtained online in most places. Although friends say that they haven’t had to do this I was asked for it at a chemist yesterday. There are new kits that are easier to use.
The fact that people are being hospitalised now, (due to the new variant) is very worrying. 
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