PSA: Omicron

@sh76 said
Ummm. No.

Reported COVID deaths will go up before they go down. I wouldn't be surprised if the 7-day average reaches 2,000 at some point in the next 6 weeks. The surge of the last month will take its toll eventually. And many deaths from today won't be reported for another month anyway. I'd guesstimate that from infection to reported death probably averages at least 6-8 weeks ...[text shortened]... ID deaths should fall to something like flu-level and I don't expect a major surge next late summer.

@wildgrass said
How is your Florida/seasonality thing working out? Is it seasonality like every season, summer, fall, winter etc.

@sh76 said
Florida doesn't exist in a vacuum. There are hundreds of flights a day between the northeast and Florida.

Anyway, Omicron is much more infectious than Delta and Omicron is probably likely causing the Florida uptick. That Florida hospitalizations are still low (https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/florida-covid-19-cases-rise-hospitalizations-remain-lo ...[text shortened]... /77-1a197f27-4027-4216-91ec-9b62b138a663) is further indication that it's Omicron rather than Delta.

@mghrn55 said
The case count statistic will become less relevant as the Omicron virus spreads.
In fact, the numbers are low everywhere as testing can't keep up with the demand.
This is happening everywhere, Canada, Europe.
When this is all over and the report cards are written, the selective cherry picking on both sides will probably continue.
But in the case of Florida, DeSantis will ...[text shortened]... e been dodging this question.
If you're too gutless to answer directly, it's OK. We understand. 😛

@mghrn55 said
The case count statistic will become less relevant as the Omicron virus spreads.
In fact, the numbers are low everywhere as testing can't keep up with the demand.
This is happening everywhere, Canada, Europe.
When this is all over and the report cards are written, the selective cherry picking on both sides will probably continue.
But in the case of Florida, DeSantis will ...[text shortened]... e been dodging this question.
If you're too gutless to answer directly, it's OK. We understand. 😛

@sh76
Maybe it was a rhetorical question, kind of a slant opinion?

One answer might be, Well, they were only democrats.

Someone actually used that here already.

@sh76 said
Florida doesn't exist in a vacuum. There are hundreds of flights a day between the northeast and Florida.

Anyway, Omicron is much more infectious than Delta and Omicron is probably likely causing the Florida uptick. That Florida hospitalizations are still low (https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/florida-covid-19-cases-rise-hospitalizations-remain-lo ...[text shortened]... /77-1a197f27-4027-4216-91ec-9b62b138a663) is further indication that it's Omicron rather than Delta.

@sh76 said
YOU!

Yes, I'm talking to YOU! Not the guy next to you. You!

Unless you're planning to stay in your house for the next 2 months and wear a space helmet or double N-95 every time you dash into CVS to pick up your anti-anxiety pills, you're going to be exposed to Omicron at some point over the next couple of months (if you haven't already). That's the bad news.

More bad ne ...[text shortened]... it for you. We'll see you in the Spring.

But for the rest of us, live your life.

That is all.

Cases are going up death rate is dropping. That is a good combination.

@wildgrass said
That's not what you wrote this summer, when infections raged in Florida but not in northern states. You said it was seasonal.

@jimm619 said
HIGHEST RATE EVER 12./30
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/us-shatters-covid-case-records-232529112.html

@sh76 said
It is, though new variants coming on the scene obviously can have impacts. The thing started in March. Obviously, March isn't the biggest month of the year for respiratory viruses but that's when it started so that's when it hit.

Endemic respiratory viruses peak in December. It's always been that way. People can speculate on why until the cows come home (and they tend to), bu ...[text shortened]... f daylight (which also drives people indoors even when it is warm out) have something to do with it.

@eladar said
The body stops making vitamin d during the winter months, no uv b rays.

You can get burned by uv a rays, but uv a rays do not make vitamin d when it hits the skin.

You are welcome for the science lesson on vitamin d production. Vitamin d is a key component to respiratory immune system response.

@sh76 said
That doesn’t explain why the south also surges in the summer.

@Eladar
Yeah, good sign for someone like you who has ZERO empathy so you don't care how many die, you will just pretend like you are a math dude and go into more statistics.