We are now regularly seeing anti-vax idiots proclaiming that "Omicron is the vaccine" -- as they push "natural immunity" nonsense. The reality is very different. Omicron: Natural immunity idea ‘not really panning out,’ doctor explains https://finance.yahoo.com/news/omicron-natural-immunity-doctor-161847721.html The Omicron strain of the coronavirus is fueling a rapid surge in confirmed COVID-19 cases — including among vaccinated and even boosted Americans — and a new rise in hospitalizations among unvaccinated Americans is further weakening the notion that natural immunity alone provides adequate protection amid the evolving pandemic. “This idea of natural immunity is not really panning out with this virus,” Dr. Hilary Fairbrother, an emergency medicine physician based in New York City, said on Yahoo Finance Live (video above). “I think part of that is because Omicron has so many mutations, and there’s really no way to know what the next variant will have.” The U.S. is nearing 60 million confirmed cases and is averaging more than 500,000 new confirmed cases a day over the last week, raising new questions about whether the U.S. will be able to reach herd immunity. “I think the problem with herd immunity is that is really taking into account that this virus won’t mutate significantly and we might not have a very significant variant roaming around that has nothing to do with omicron that really doesn’t see any natural immunity from people who have been sick with omicron,” Fairbrother said, adding that "that's kind of what we saw with" previous variants. 'Next to no immunity' with omicron When it comes to natural immunity, relying on prior natural infection over vaccination can come at a cost — and it doesn't seem to work currently given the evasive capabilities of Omicron. Millions of Americans are suffering from long COVID (long-term effects of coronavirus), which can range from mild symptoms like loss of taste and smell to more serious problems like tachycardia and extreme fatigue, and unvaccinated Americans are 20 times as likely to die from the virus. “For patients who had alpha or delta [strains of coronavirus], they seem to have next to no immunity when it comes to omicron,” Fairbrother said. “There is some evidence that there’s slightly less severity in disease, and other people have certainly seen patients who are very sick with omicron who have already had COVID. So the best protection that we have is vaccination.” Currently, 62.4% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, 74% have received at least one dose, and 35.3% of the fully vaccinated have been boosted, according to CDC data. 'We're in a tough place' Natural immunity, like immunity provided by vaccines, also wanes over time. That means a person can get reinfected and then spread the virus to others, further endangering those who are immunocompromised or not yet eligible for booster shots, such as children. “Unfortunately for children under five, that’s not an option,” Fairbrother said. “So we’re really seeing this younger child group pay the price of continued coronavirus sweeping our country. Such a large volume of cases means that some of those children are going to get very sick and that they’re going to need hospitalization. That’s really tragic.” According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, nearly 7.9 million children have tested positive for COVID, with over 325,000 cases for the week ending Dec. 30., a 64% increase from the week prior. “Since those children [under 5] aren’t eligible by age to be vaccinated yet, they really have no other protection except for all of us, hopefully protecting ourselves and decreasing the spread of this very contagious disease,” Fairbrother said. And aside from protecting children from getting the virus, increasing vaccination uptake also means decreasing the risk of those children spreading it to others in schools, like teachers or other administrative employees. “Certainly, I’ve heard of schools having to shut down because there aren’t enough teachers and administrators to keep them open,” Fairbrother said. “So I think we’re in a tough place. And there are some communities that really might have to go to virtual learning, which is terrible for everyone, and I think really should only be used as a last resort option when everything else has failed." The “no-brainer” way to prevent this, she said, is to ensure that all students and teachers are masked up in schools. As of September 2021, 17 states mandate masks to be worn in schools while eight states have outright banned school mask mandates. “If children aren’t wearing masks and we’re not doing everything with testing that we can do to mitigate any outbreaks that occur within our school systems, I don’t know how we can even expect there to be teachers or other staff to keep schools open, period,” Fairbrother said. All things considered, according to Fairbrother, the best protection is to follow the core public health guidelines: get vaccinated, social distance, wash your hands, and wear a mask in public. “Then from there, hopefully with the next variant, things will keep being mild,” she said.
There is no immunity for a cold that I'm aware of. However I appear to have flu immunity as I'm one of few people with no flu virus. In NSW & Victoria there were 45,000 & 51,000 new cases overnight of covid, while in Western Australia there is 1 new case overnight, such is the disparity. No mask wearing requirements in WA.
The major problem with face mask wear or mandatory face mask wear in schools is that most children and teachers do not wear the proper face mask. I get it, N95 and KN95 face masks...just one is about 10 - 20x the cost of a comfortable cloth mask. But at least the N95 and KN95 face masks should be supplied for teachers and employees of the schools. Also, cloth face masks are easily disposable and can be washed. In contrast, N95 are only recommended to be used no more than 5x...storing it in a sterile system or paper bag. It's the main reason why most children are not able to wear N95 or KN95 face masks (cost and storage concerns). Thus, it is easier to properly ventilate each classroom, hallway, and all offices at the school. In addition, many schools received a lot of money from the government last year, and the schools still use outdated air ventilation systems. This should make us wonder what in the hell did the schools use the money for to make teachers afraid to return back to school ? On top of that, many schools still do not do temperature checks on a daily basis. Those that do, many only do it only after a parent notifies the school that their child tested positive for Covid...the school will then temperature check all kids for a few days. Further, there's another problem, public schools are still using the "rotating nurse" system in which one nurse is assigned to several schools. Thus, the nurse will spend one day at one school and the next day at another school. The above is not the fault of the government but more the fault of the schools and the mismanagement of the funding they received from the government. Summary: Best way to protect children in a Pandemic...parents and all those in the household of the child need to get vaccinated along with the schools using proper ventilation systems because everything else so far has not been working too well considering the recent exponentially increase in Pediatric hospitalization. wrbtrader
Much too lengthy to read, but I think it's important to understand that natural herd immunity will occur with each strain and the more strains that are experienced by the population at large, the better immune systems will respond to each new strain.
As outlined by this article and others..... Having a previous strain does not guarantee immunity to the next strain. For example studies show having Delta provides nearly no immunity against Omicron, The next strain after Omicron may be much more lethal (and more contagious). Omicron may provide no protection against the next strain. We have not achieved "herd immunity" with any strain, nor with Covid overall. "Natural herd immunity" is not going to occur. We would need approximately 95% of the people on the earth vaccinated to achieve herd immunity with the recent very infectious strains -- akin to the vaccination level needed for measles. Vaccinations provide some level of immunity from catching a Covid infection from all current strains (even though it is reduced under Omicron when compared to Delta). Vaccinations provide good ability against severe infection from all strains. The last two points outline clearly why being current in your Covid vaccinations is important. Unless you enjoy infecting others or landing up in the ICU choking on your last breaths.
Most of the hospitalization in the United States and Canada are still those not vaccinated. It's a very ugly fact that many anti-vaxxers can not or refuse to deal with. Another new reality, the states have recently been in short supply of antiviral medical treatments for those severely ill with Covid and that need hospitalization. We need to hope that Omicron burns quickly through the population and then hope that a new Variant of Concern doesn't show for many months to allow many countries to re-supply themselves with antiviral medical treatments, doctors, and nurses. wrbtrader
Correct, we have been telling you this since the beginning. This is virology 101---glad to have you on board finally.
False. ----Herd immunity was reached Dec 20,2020 on the Alpha strain and every subsequent strain will have it's herd immunity including Omicron. You're way off with this subject.
There is no such thing as flu immunity which is why every year we catch it and also why the vaccine has to be updated for new strains and modifications. Omicron is not a vaccine....for those who get it, you adaptive immune system adjusts to it and now remembers what it looks like next time and is pumped with antibodies... but next time you don't get Omicron you get another variant. This is why so many delta "survivors" are also catching Omicron now. Problem with COVID is it can do way more damage than a flu which most people get over vaxxed or not. The fact that many delta people are still having trouble with sense of smell or taste or have long lasting breathing issues puts this on a whole other level than flu. My son had the flu and had COVID....vaxxed for both but COVID was way different and even scarier for 1-2 days.