4 ms·

I don't want to discourage you but it appears to me like with this variant (and probably even more with further variants), it will be impossible to avoid infect

I don't want to discourage you but it appears to me like with this variant (and probably even more with further variants), it will be impossible to avoid infection whatever you do (and I mean, mitigation strategies will have probably no effect). Look at the numbers we're suddenly getting without anything changing in the landscape (actually, despite a very high number of vaccinations). It looks like the virus has become so contagious that it has rendered our mitigation measures moot.

celtain 5y ago
This reminds me of people who say that "duck and cover" is useless in the face of a nuclear strike. Obviously mitigations won't help if you're blasted in the face by an airburst (nuclear or biological), but it seems like it could still help if you're on the fringe of exposure.
- lambdaba 5y ago
  I don't know how useless that would have been but in the case of Omnicron it does seem basically useless. I don't know, I don't have studies on hand or anything like that, but when you look at the numbers you have to wonder... [edit]: maybe some of the more "extreme" (n95 masks, etc) have some decent level of protection, but I'm not sure anybody knows, at least with this variant. Even for previous variants all I've seen so far are models, which as we all know have a lot of assumptions.
- conradfr 5y ago
  Maybe it's more duck and cover in the face of lava like in South Park. It seems active / non-retired people will have a hard time avoiding it but after all the current wave will stop like the others so maybe I'm wrong.
archagon 5y ago
I don't see why that would be true if you just wear an N95 (or equivalent) mask indoors, or whenever you're in close proximity to others. Eventually, the spike will subside. https://calmcovid.substack.com/p/youre-not-doomed-to-get-omicron https://calmcovid.substack.com/p/youre-not-doomed-to-get-omi...
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- dougmwne 5y ago
  Vaxxed, wearing n95s inside and avoiding crowds outside, wfh, and not having any close personal contacts over the past few weeks, I just tested positive. Omicron is incredibly infectious and all my mitigation strategies from the past 2 years stopped working.
  - Schiendelman 5y ago
    It’s not that they stopped working - it’s that they reduce risk to a low amount, but over time, you have more and more opportunities for something to break through that low amount.
    - dougmwne 5y ago
      No, it’s that Omicron is both more infectious and has significant effect immune escape.
  - vanusa 5y ago
    Are you ... boosted? A double vax from back in April or so would have substantially diminished protection by now.
    - dougmwne 5y ago
      Booster was scheduled for last week, 8 months post Moderna. Based on stronger Moderna immunity vs Pfizer and since I am careful, healthy and young, I decided to stretch a few more months out. Once I saw study that Moderna offered at least 10 weeks of moderate protection against Omicron, I scheduled booster. Could not get it due to symptoms.
      - vanusa 5y ago
        Well, bummer, and best of luck to you then. At least you know you did everything you reasonably could and didn't just give up like the "vaxxed and done" crowd.

celtain 5y ago

This reminds me of people who say that "duck and cover" is useless in the face of a nuclear strike. Obviously mitigations won't help if you're blasted in the face by an airburst (nuclear or biological), but it seems like it could still help if you're on the fringe of exposure.

lambdaba 5y ago
I don't know how useless that would have been but in the case of Omnicron it does seem basically useless. I don't know, I don't have studies on hand or anything like that, but when you look at the numbers you have to wonder... [edit]: maybe some of the more "extreme" (n95 masks, etc) have some decent level of protection, but I'm not sure anybody knows, at least with this variant. Even for previous variants all I've seen so far are models, which as we all know have a lot of assumptions.
conradfr 5y ago
Maybe it's more duck and cover in the face of lava like in South Park. It seems active / non-retired people will have a hard time avoiding it but after all the current wave will stop like the others so maybe I'm wrong.

archagon 5y ago

I don't see why that would be true if you just wear an N95 (or equivalent) mask indoors, or whenever you're in close proximity to others. Eventually, the spike will subside. https://calmcovid.substack.com/p/youre-not-doomed-to-get-omicron https://calmcovid.substack.com/p/youre-not-doomed-to-get-omi...

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
dougmwne 5y ago
Vaxxed, wearing n95s inside and avoiding crowds outside, wfh, and not having any close personal contacts over the past few weeks, I just tested positive. Omicron is incredibly infectious and all my mitigation strategies from the past 2 years stopped working.
- Schiendelman 5y ago
  It’s not that they stopped working - it’s that they reduce risk to a low amount, but over time, you have more and more opportunities for something to break through that low amount.
  - dougmwne 5y ago
    No, it’s that Omicron is both more infectious and has significant effect immune escape.
- vanusa 5y ago
  Are you ... boosted? A double vax from back in April or so would have substantially diminished protection by now.
  - dougmwne 5y ago
    Booster was scheduled for last week, 8 months post Moderna. Based on stronger Moderna immunity vs Pfizer and since I am careful, healthy and young, I decided to stretch a few more months out. Once I saw study that Moderna offered at least 10 weeks of moderate protection against Omicron, I scheduled booster. Could not get it due to symptoms.
    - vanusa 5y ago
      Well, bummer, and best of luck to you then. At least you know you did everything you reasonably could and didn't just give up like the "vaxxed and done" crowd.