Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomkat
...there is no evolutionary pressure on the Coronavirus to become less virulent...it seems to me that a virus that enter cells so easily is likely to increase viral loads in victims and become more, not less, virulent.
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There's no date on posts, but I think this was from 23 December...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Cullis
...Other reports point out that whilst antibody levels are low with those whose vaccinations were several months ago (lowering protection against infection), B Cell and T Cell response remains good (which helps prevent serious illness). The Omicron variant is better at infecting the upper respiratory tract but has a less powerful effect on the lungs—as some will realise, it's far better to have bronchitis than pneumonia...
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The six reports referred to in today's Guardian newspaper have yet to be peer-reviewed but are reinforcing the view above that Omicron is more likely to infect the throat rather than the lungs, which explains why it is both more transmissible but less dangerous.
But the UK is not out of the woods yet (more like still deep in the forest) and the next two weeks will be challenging for the NHS as the effects of Christmas and New Year gatherings become apparent.
As well as bring tent overflows back into use, a number of other things are being considered including the home use of continuous pulse oximeters that signal low blood oxygen levels to a mobile app, allowing the less-seriously sick to be treated at home.
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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)
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