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Ruck I've been pondering that - IF the existing vaccines don't protect against Omicron, is an extra dose going to help ? And what next - boosters every month?

Another back of the mind point - IF as suggested, Omicron causes only mild symptoms,after the infection has gone, could it leave behind some more protection, even T-cells?

Well done Roses !

Clare I think that's been posted before but good to see it again anyway . . .

Thanks. Significant indeed and it shows confidence as you say . . .

Nice one RW. I'm not sure who Chris Denning is ?

Sorry, but on a more sombre note : "Japan, Morocco bans foreign travelers as Omicron spreads; new cases reported in Netherlands, Canada, Australia Nov. 29, 2021

Japan will suspend entry of all foreign visitors as a new coronavirus variant spreads, prompting an increasing number of countries to tighten their borders.
“We are taking the step as an emergency precaution to prevent a worst-case scenario in Japan,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. He said the measure will take effect Tuesday. The decision means Japan will restore border controls that it eased earlier this month for short-term business visitors, foreign students and workers. Kishida told reporters that he planned to announce new measures in addition to the current 10-day quarantine requirement for travelers from South Africa and eight other nearby countries.

Many countries have moved to tighten their borders even as scientists warn it’s not clear if the new variant is more alarming than other versions of the virus. Morocco’s Foreign Ministry tweeted Sunday that all incoming air travel to the North African country would be suspended for two weeks starting Monday to “preserve the achievements realized by Morocco in the fight against the pandemic, and to protect the health of citizens.” The Netherlands reported 13 omicron cases on Sunday, and both Canada and Australia each found two. Authorities in Australia said two travelers who arrived in Sydney from Africa became the first in the country to test positive for the new variant. Arrivals from nine African countries are now required to quarantine in a hotel upon arrival. Two German states reported a total of three cases in returning travelers over the weekend. Spain announced it won’t admit unvaccinated British visitors starting Dec. 1. Italy was going through lists of airline passengers who arrived in the past two weeks. France is continuing to push vaccinations and booster shots. Israel moved to ban entry by foreigners and mandate quarantine for all Israelis arriving from abroad." https://seekingalpha.com/news/3774719-japan-morocco-bans-foreign-travelers-as-omicron-spreads-new-cases-reported-in-netherlands-canada-australia?

That's interesting Chippy - in early June I had PCR's on successive days - the first was 'cursory' and proved positive but the second, 'polish to brain stem', proved negative !

Testing in RSA may have been unreliable but the results in Europe are accurate and we MAY have a problem - but let's hope Omicron is a 'damp squib'. ATB

Re. the 60 positives among the 600 PAX from RSA at Schipol - 13 have been found (so far) to have the Omicron variant - was it spreading on the planes ? (in which case 'only' 13 is surprising). Were PAX 72 hour tested before boarding ? The alarming point for me is the 10% positives overall.

We just don't know much about Omicron yet - hopefully it'll transpire to be a 'damp squib' as some have suggested . . .

WF - have you seen the recent posts by 'Supernumerary' (46995) and by Marcus 12 on the zoonotic angle re. the future progress of the virus ? That's 'over there'.

Llass - re. Valneva, were they thinking their vax would be surplus to requirements?

Omicron infections are going to be hard to find if the symptoms are different and maybe milder . . . it could be spreading like wildfire, or not. In this DM piece, about the 5th graphic down shows the mutations including those to the nucleocapsid - it'll be interesting to find out if 'Covidity 1' protects against omicron or if a 'Covidity 2' will be needed ? https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10251469/Britain-records-case-Omicron-coronavirus-variant.html

Also in the DM, another tragic story of an anti-vaxxer dying of Covid - I have a Friend, 60, an ex-Fireman who keeps himself in peak condition with breathing exercises, vitamin D etc., who describes himself as a wait and see, 'vax wise' - he proudly wouldn't even look at a recent Guardian article about unvax deaths. I wish him well . . . .

Thank you.

Crumbs, IF Omicron symptons prove to be mild, surely there won't be a need for full lockdowns ? Maybe just a few more restrictions ? Come on Scancell !

WTP thanks for the link - yes as soon as a new variant is discovered, it's a good idea to test PAX on arrival, even before 'Red List' action is taken.

DT again - have we had a Twickenham 'superspreader' ? : "The UK Health Security Agency (HSA) has launched a massive operation to track an estimated 9,000 people who have arrived in the UK from South Africa in the past 14 days, with officials using passenger locator forms to contact travellers. It is also thought HSA officials will be trawling through databases of recent PCR tests to see if any show “S gene dropouts” – a telltale sign of the new mutated form of the virus . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .The UK has reacted quickly to the news of the new variant, placing much of southern Africa on the travel red list, but there was criticism on Saturday of its border controls – a long-running national sore. Passengers arriving on a flight from Gauteng – the South African province where the new variant is rampant – were reportedly allowed to leave the airport without testing. “The captain read out a statement ‘advising’ self-isolation and further tests. But it’s at the discretion of passengers and it’s not legally enforceable,” noted a social media commentator with an acquaintance on the flight. “Passengers then got on the airport shuttle to baggage reclaim, mixing with dozens of other flights.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/fears-twickenham-rugby-match-may-have-omicron-superspreader/

The DM is a rag but they do this sort of report quite well sometimes :- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10249179/Up-FIFTY-direct-flights-South-Africa-arrived-UK-Omicron-detected.html

To close a loop, I'm not sure how many of the 60/80 positives at Schipol were actually Omicron, but it's good to find them anyway I guess.

C7. It's not 'political' because I state a fact, it's 'political' because you don't like the fact I state. And would it not have been wise to test RSA PAX on arrival once the existence of Omicron was known ?

I haven't said 'Europe' was smarter than the UK but as it happens, only Italy has a worse dpm among major European nations, that's despite the UK's head start with vaccines.

Filter back on.

Apparently PAX on the last planes arriving from RSA at LHR, were not tested on arrival, some no doubt traveling on, maskless on Public Transport - in contrast to procedures at Schipol where 60/80 positives were found in the 600 arrivals.

Thanks to Gooosed - a thoughtful piece IMO about learning to live with Covid

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/how-britain-can-beat-the-omicron-variant

C11 - I'm not sure we can surmise anything from that at all but nice to see it. I guess it's been left there as you suggest. If we have not yet got 40 recruits that would be very disappointing.

WHO says Omicron is a VoC whilst Chris Whitty is trying to allay fears in the DT. Apparently we'll get more reliable info. in a week or two, but meantime, 5x transmissibility is reported but suggestions are that the infection is milder - I hope that proves to be the case.

Noises are being made that existing vaccines can be reconfigured to fight Omicron but that takes some months - by which time, the next variant could be ready to go could it not ?

Come on Covidity !

Have to disagree with you there Kashdog - the UK Govt. had weeks to watch the impact of Covid in Italy and Spain but carried on oblivious to the obvious dangers. There was a litany of pathetic errors made, from the earliest days.

Never mind - at last we have a bit of early 'border control'.