News Forum - UPDATE: Latest news on Omicron – what we know

[Thaiger]

World travel destinations are moving to block flights from up to 10 African countries following the discovery of the Omicron Covid-19 variant this week. Officially, the new variant is designated B1.1.529. This is the latest information about the current status on Omicron. The new Covid-19 mutation was first reported to the World Health Organisation on Wednesday this week, by scientists from South Africa. Whilst it has been reported first in South Africa it has not yet been determined where the mutation may have emerged.  Early evidence and genome sequencing is suggesting the Omicron variant has a higher re-infection risk than early […]

The story UPDATE: Latest news on Omicron – what we know as seen on Thaiger News.

Read the full story

[Stardust]

Latest news from Germany (virologist/laborities/biontech) and south africa are not that bad. Yes it is more infectious but with milder symptoms and thats good news and also the ones with Pfizer/biontech vaccine not have to worry are still protected and if necessary they can adopt quickly the vaccines with the mutations. It is in the program of the sars covid virus to mutate to a more infectious one but in the other hand to a variant with milder symptoms.

[BangkokBen]

Is there a single person out there who didn't see this coming?  We'll just see which governments use this to continue the control.

[ThaiEyes]

Until this new variant directly affects us here in Thailand on some scale, it’s probably best to get on with our lives and work around any existing restrictions. This day-to-day reporting is tiresome. Like back in the Gulf War when everybody in the US was glued to CNN reports, literally hourly updates. 
I’m planning a trip to Bangkok and I really just want to get one of those famous crab omelettes at Raan Jai Fai among other things.

Best to do it while I can

[palooka]

 

13 minutes ago, ThaiEyes said:

Best to do it while I can

 

Prepare for the worst, have a few plans (worst case scenario) for back up for the ever changing Thai policies, and you should be visiting Raan Jai Fai and eating that omelette. Bon Appetit.

[palooka]

Some states in Australia are now imposing a 72 hour isolation on ALL international arrivals.

[Stardust]

24 minutes ago, ThaiEyes said:

Until this new variant directly affects us here in Thailand on some scale, it’s probably best to get on with our lives and work around any existing restrictions. This day-to-day reporting is tiresome. Like back in the Gulf War when everybody in the US was glued to CNN reports, literally hourly updates. 
I’m planning a trip to Bangkok and I really just want to get one of those famous crab omelettes at Raan Jai Fai among other things.

Best to do it while I can

And it is quite strange that the repirting is not same as it is from the people who are at the forefront and have this 24 hours on the radar. The hospitals worry more about the former variants with serious symptoms. 

[Jason]

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I think we all hope that this new variant can be accounted for with current vaccines. I am glad to see that countries have closed off to the countries where this variant has been spreading. It does show how woefully inadequate the world's response has been to supplying vaccines to Africa and poor nations generally. These are the places where new variants will develope. It should also be where the world aid effort really should be directed, if we hope to win this battle....if indeed it is winnable!

[Rain]

11 hours ago, Stardust said:

Latest news from Germany (virologist/laborities/biontech) and south africa are not that bad. Yes it is more infectious but with milder symptoms and thats good news and also the ones with Pfizer/biontech vaccine not have to worry are still protected and if necessary they can adopt quickly the vaccines with the mutations. It is in the program of the sars covid virus to mutate to a more infectious one but in the other hand to a variant with milder symptoms.

Bingo....

 

[Stardust]

It seems some like not less hospitalization or how should we understand the points. The biggest impact the Airlines will have about the new variants (more infectious) but my eyes were more on the hospitalization rate and death rates. Sure more covid cases but with less hospitalisation is not good , I am a bit surprised and these numbers are not any secret same like the death numbers. So the former variants with more serious symptoms are better? A bit strange the views at the moment. Anyway I am happy they have less hospitalization and less dead even the case numbers rised.

[LoongFred]

14 minutes ago, Stardust said:

It seems some like not less hospitalization or how should we understand the points. The biggest impact the Airlines will have about the new variants (more infectious) but my eyes were more on the hospitalization rate and death rates. Sure more covid cases but with less hospitalisation is not good , I am a bit surprised and these numbers are not any secret same like the death numbers. So the former variants with more serious symptoms are better? A bit strange the views at the moment. Anyway I am happy they have less hospitalization and less dead even the case numbers rised.

Something is very strange. At times it’s impossible to comprehend what you write. Other times like here you are pretty clear. I agree with your analysis here.

 

 

 

 

[stuhan]

It's a sad situation for all countries including Thailand, this new variant has already appeared in other countries not only s.africa, so unfortunately to stop any chances of it reaching Thailand they are going to have to stop entries again from those other countries too, which is going to affect tourism and the economy once again, and if new vaccines have to keep being developed to combat new variants, that will mean everyone requiring vaccinations again and the goverment having to order vaccines again, it's a never ending spiral as this virus has the ability to constantly mutate so far. I think the virus will reach Thailand eventually same as the Delta strain, and that's going to change game play once again. Very sad situation

[johnbkk22]

 

The world has become a strange place with politicians panicking like children without any common sense or logic. Covid is going to be around for a long time and with improved vaccines and medications is already far less threatening than it was during the beginning. In Europe politicians have gone into full panic mode even though first reports from South Africa suggest the symptoms of the new variant are milder and no one has died. Lockdowns cause uncalculatable damage to economies and over time more deaths than the virus itself. Stopping flights coming in from Africa is certainly correct, if too late.

Whatever happens, Thailand should not expect any major tourist numbers arriving from anywhere in the near to mid-term future, since not only Covid is an issue, but the economic damage that has been done to all western Nations. Those numbers given out by the TOT are totally unrealistic. But if Thailand doesn’t open up its entertainment business very soon, at least for the vaccinated the damage to the country will be even more severe. The TOT should go back to push local travel and open up the entertainment industry.

As far as masks are concerned, those are nothing but an illusion of safety because cloth masks offer no protection at all since we are talking about a virus that can pass through any cloth and even normal surgical masks.

 

Edited November 28, 2021 by johnbkk22