Laurie is worried about COVID-omicron...

[brooklynite]

Link to tweet

(She had given us the same warning before the first COVID lockdown)

[Initech]

1. So far every article I have seen has said that it's not disastrous.

I don't think we'll be going into 2020 style lockdowns. But who knows?

[dchill]

2. Maybe Laurie Garrett knows?

[bucolic_frolic]

4. From her Twitter Profile:

Author: IHeard theSirensScream, TheComingPlague, Ebola & BetrayalofTrust.

So she either sees the world that way, or it's good for business, or both.

[brooklynite]

10. The Coming Plague won her a Pulitzer Prize...

...and she advised the Obama Administration on Ebola.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. Hey, I'm not knocking it

Just noting the parallels

[Vinca]

3. Uh oh. Laurie Garrett knows what she's talking about.

[beaglelover]

5. There's not going to be another shut down.

We’re still recovering economically from the last shut down. Small businesses won’t stand for another shut down and I support them in that!

[Scrivener7]

7. Well. As long as YOU support them in that (when, by the by, they

don't want to drown in their own secretions any more than anyone else) but as long as YOU don't like the idea of lockdowns, let the contagion rage!!!

[sheshe2]

12. This

[SoCalDavidS]

8. Is There A Daily Death Total You're Willing To Accept?

If we were to hit 3,000 deaths each day, would you still support no lockdowns?

[Calculating]

15. We need to have jobs

And parts to work with, and customers with money to buy stuff, we cannot handle more shutdowns. We have vaccines which will just have to be good enough. More shutdowns will do nothing to stop COVID

[Bleacher Creature]

6. It's all going to come down to how effective the existing vaccines work.

In another thread, she says that she's hearing that vaccinated people get mildly to moderately sick. If that's the case, another lockdown would be warranted, but also unlikely.

[Scrivener7]

9. This. Pfizer is checking it now. We should know soon.

It might be another "epidemic of the unvaxxed."

[Demsrule86]

19. I don't think it would be warranted...we can't stop the stupid from not getting vaccinated...

we get the vaccination boosters and move on with our lives...Republicans and others have chosen death instead of life because of their worship of Trump. Of course, some are merely anti-vaxers and it has nothing to do with Trump. But they risk death and permanent injury as well.

My husband was out of work off and on for over a year as was I due to lockdowns. And in the end, there was no unemployment...no help really of any sort.... so no more lockdowns. They won't work with the unvaccinated idiots who will simply spawn more variants and become more violent IMHO.

[Tomconroy]

13. If you read her twitter feed this seems to be an outlier

Among otherwise reasonable posts.

[Dorian Gray]

14. We are not going into full 2020 lockdown again

people are vaccinated. We will do what we can to keep kids in school I will fight to the death to make schools safe for kids. School closures have been horrifying for families.

Get vaccinated if you aren't. Get boosted if you aren't. Wear a mask. Open windows. Ventilate. Go outdoors to socialize.

We don't have to stop the world.

[LisaL]

16. We don't know if being vaccinated works against omicron.

NT

[radius777]

17. Masks (if high quality and properly worn) work against any variant.

There are certain activities (eg, eating) where one can't wear masks. But for most activities masking, distancing and ventilation work well enough for most of society to continue operating.

[marie999]

18. The problem is that when I go shopping, I see very few people wearing masks.

[Dorian Gray]

22. Absolutely

This is important, and I don't think we will allow a total lockdown again like in 2020. It would push too many people over the edge (financially and mental health wise.)

[ProfessorGAC]

20. We Sort Of Do

Experts are quoted as saying that a mutation significant enough to evade the antigens created by these vaccines, would no longer have the capability to infect human cells.
What we don't know is how much more or less effective these vaccines are against this variant. But, there's little concern that the vaccines will be wholly ineffective.
Also, the South Africans are reporting that while the spread of omicron is rapid, the preponderance of cases are mild. So far, this possibly more contagious form may be less pernicious.
I think it's too early to push the panic button.

[Dorian Gray]

23. Yes to this

we still need to wait for the data, but panicking now is just going to push some people over the edge.

[Dorian Gray]

21. You're right

in that we don't know a lot about this.

However, coming out of south africa, there are very few vaccinated omicron patients in the hospital. The variant doesn't seem particularly severe in those who have been definitely infected with it. And both pfizer and moderna said they can get new vaccines out relatively quickly.

The news is absolutely concerning, but we don't have to go to Def-Con 1 about it.

I am reacting against the sheer panic people instill in others right now because there are a hell of a lot of people who are exhausted and tired, and I've seen people exhibiting suicidal ideation in response to this.

We need to be cautious with our messaging.

[dalton99a]

24. Yes, Omicron can infect vaccinated people

Two travelers who arrived in Sydney, Australia, from southern Africa on Saturday were found to be infected with the variant, state health authorities there said Sunday. Both were reported as being asymptomatic and fully vaccinated.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/dutch-authorities-isolate-61-covid-19-cases-among-travelers-from-south-africa-11638007221

An Italian who had traveled to Mozambique on business landed in Rome on Nov. 11 and returned to his home near Naples. He and five family members, including two school-age children, have since tested positive, the Italian news agency LaPresse said. All are isolating in the Naples suburb of Caserta in good condition with light symptoms.

The variant was confirmed by Sacco hospital in Milan, and Italy’s National Health Institute said the man had received two doses of the vaccine.

https://apnews.com/article/omicron-variant-covid-africa-uk-netherlands-1b344a86ff359a552aa5a64899a57ff7