Over the weekends I normally do not have time to keep up with the news and since this was an extra long weekend due to the holiday, I was really surprised to hear about the Omicron variant. Since Delta there have been other variants, but none that have caused enough concern to make it to the mass media. The very fact that this one is getting so much coverage means that we should be paying attention.
Today's articles to be aware of:
"Local doctors believe omicron variant could come to Colorado soon" - this article was not that surprising considering we have an international air port here and that Colorado's health system is already taxed. When it does get here we are in trouble, and yes it is a matter of when and not if. https://kdvr.com/news/coronavirus/omicron-variant-could-come-to-colorado-soon/?fbclid=IwAR0_MqVBTGAaj7mzjVKeq10_lIBN_IDGsqBDCguHJjjM1SAgcM62ybczsEE
"Supreme Court won't exempt Mass. hospital workers from vaccine mandate" - To be truthful I was a little shocked in this considering the current make up of our Supreme Court. Does this give me a little hope for the case/s on their list for this week.. still on the fence since I do not trust them. At least when it comes to covid they seem to be taking it seriously in that this is a matter of health and safety. Plus people like to forget that you have the choice to work in the field you do and practice whatever religion you want. These are base freedoms, but they are choices. At the same time it is not people's responsibility to accommodate your choices. Pick another industry to work in if you are not willing to change your religion or do not meet the health requirements to meet the safety requirements of that field. https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/583402-supreme-court-wont-exempt-mass-hospital-workers-from-vaccine-mandate?fbclid=IwAR1RrnCSWzyOHiMO0tS8fgTCXg2HntxJm_PtKIJEImaaos4pXi37Fl1jY0I&rl=1
"Why WHO skipped two letters of the Greek alphabet in naming Omicron" https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/29/health/omicron-covid-variant-naming-cec/index.html?fbclid=IwAR2eHnIqUTzHgB9xF2S09QjFV215LL5kB72Ew7AB7Exrvj5CbRd88cDYPgM
"Biden says Omicron variant is 'cause for concern, not a cause for panic'" https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/covid-omicron-variant-biden-comments-concern-not-panic/?fbclid=IwAR02sZhN64XsbruhbFwEb9cG5y8qKR_i1VD8HjfI21NkgxCTueQHYJ7KGXY
"Covid Vaccines Don't Alter Your DNA- They Help Choose Cells To Strengthen Your Immune Response" - This article makes the process a little more complicated then it needs to be for the general person. Basically the vaccine forces your body to learn to recognize covid so that it knows how to fight it. The article starts out talking about how anti-vaxxers say it will change your DNA, but that is because they don't understand the process. Since they seem to be against learning how the vaccine works, it does not surprise me that they would be against a person's body learning how to fight covid. https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2021/11/29/yes-the-vaccine-changes-your-dna-a-tiny-bit-thats-a-good-thing/?fbclid=IwAR2o4Ht6DKJ9x7V2QhCdGnwsUugeLT_U_WVz3LrhagnGTD_qgs4PSst7W6o&sh=31efc6cd2691
"Federal Government Will Hold Off On Firing Unvaccinated Workers Until Next Year" - Not sure why they are holding off. It was the employees choice for the most part to get the vaccine or not and they should be held accountable for their actions. They should also not qualify for unemployment since they were the active cause of them losing their job. https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/11/29/federal-government-will-hold-off-on-firing-unvaccinated-workers-until-next-year/?fbclid=IwAR26siHTuR9iftWuaKQtYeEgF2LOZdxLvoetn-rFcrIDOv9j9qu76GUJ_mI&sh=ecf495d762e6
"For patients with long COVID, chronic fatigue syndrome may offer a guiding star" - One of the things I liked about this article is that it talks about how some people that catch covid have lasting effects when many people in our population see it just as a cold. Tiredness is real. It's even worse for some people that already have energy issues due to other health issues like MS. I found it interesting that as of now there are more then 200 other symptoms that people can get from covid once the base infection has cleared. "about 30% of participants across multiple age ranges reported persistent symptoms more then six months after their COVID-19 infection." Wow! So this means that if you do survive covid you have a high chance of having complications. This is what the covid deniers are not talking about because it throughs many of their arguments about it "not being that bad" out the window. There are actually many out there, like Boebert, that have "phobias of science and academics" (https://sentinelcolorado.com/opinion/editorial-republicans-wont-contain-rep-boberts-racism-and-obsessions-americans-must-do-it/?fbclid=IwAR2oDyCqKCJscfg-euEiWzubJiAp3gR_Oyd1TGUGjmdBSJvhIJPtajsNrqc). https://www.npr.org/2021/11/29/1058063444/for-patients-with-long-covid-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-may-offer-a-guiding-star?fbclid=IwAR1-1lspaBBTAptdfLbCU16rhXJ9Oqb-qeukQ1FvzbuHvarW3NokSdar4wc
International:
"Omicron coronavirus variant poses 'very high' global risk, WHO warns" - Right now many places in the US have medical systems that are stretched too thin, like Colorado, let alone if this new variant makes it here. What stood out in this article was that they are finding Omicron that have 26 to 32 spike mutations, and this means that if you either already had covid or got the vaccine that this new version may be too different from the previous kinds for your body to be able to fight it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/11/29/who-omicron-variant-global-risk/?fbclid=IwAR0zV-XQwNFYdJFPFjB1IVZhGBlpvmmhaS48_Owgwupe5Y-G0FVlD-yLM9k
"Shanghai canceled over 500 flights, closed schools, and suspended hospital services because of 3 COVID-19 infections" - So some of the things that stands out to me are how serious China is treating the virus when compared to the US and that it is on all levels. In a way it is nice to know that with China developing procedures like this it could stop a future pandemic from going global. What's sad about this is that the US needs to use China as an example of how to stop a pandemic instead of us being an example for them. This is a good example of how the US is loosing its status as a world leader and taking a back seat to other countries. https://www.insider.com/shanghai-closed-schools-canceled-500-flights-three-covid-cases-2021-11?fbclid=IwAR0_v5hej4loz_rVhYczwRA5L1Ko0GnrrxH0rq56djXiL38sIO1xA5xxVB8
"Omicron map: Tracking the new Covid-19 variant around the world (The Omicron variant has been confirmed in more than a dozen countries)" - It's scary how fast it is spreading. https://www.nbcnews.com/data-graphics/omicron-map-tracking-new-covid-19-variant-world-rcna6983?fbclid=IwAR0_MqVBTGAaj7mzjVKeq10_lIBN_IDGsqBDCguHJjjM1SAgcM62ybczsEE
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