https://www.voiceforscienceandsolidarity.org/scientific-blog/my-opinion-on-the-new-african-variants" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(35, 121, 181); text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); - https://www.voiceforscienceandsolida...rican-variants
November 27, 2021 My opinion on the new African variants Geert Vanden Bossche
The world may be taken by surprise but that doesn't include us. It remains to be seen whether Omicron can outcompete Delta (to be confirmed). If that’s the case, we're definitely not in good shape. In case of CoV, innate immunity protects the individual and the 'herd' ( sterilizing immunity, no natural selection pressure, herd immunity) whereas adaptive immunity induced with leaky vaccines has exactly the opposite effect. THE big Q is whether such an immune escape variant could even resist naturally acquired Abs in people who recovered from C19 disease. I am, indeed, cautious and worried about ADE, even in the unvaccinated who recovered from C-19 disease as they may no longer be able to control viral infection. ADE would equal ‘enhanced virulence’. Difficult to predict. Mass vaccination has compressed the evolutionary trajectory of the virus from a few hundred years (?) down to one year. Hope that naturally primed individuals can deal with that speed. DJ [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibody-dependent_enhancement[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibody-dependent_enhancement - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antibody-dependent_enhancement IF (given South Africa "only" has 24% vaccination level it is a very big "IF") Omicron (almost) only would be detected in vaccinated or recovered hosts it "could be an indication" antibodies could be playing a part in spreading the virus.... DJ-I think this may not be a very likely scenario...My (non expert0 idea/hope is vaccines, natural immunity may still have some protection left... No doubt ADE is top of the list for experts following Omicron.... What we know about Omicron variant that has sparked global alarm
https://www.ft.com/clive-cookson" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(35, 121, 181); text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); - Clive Cookson and https://www.ft.com/oliver-barnes" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(35, 121, 181); text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); - Oliver Barnes in London YESTERDAY
... Slawomir Kubik, a genomics research expert at Geneva-based biotech Sophia Genetics, said many of Omicron’s mutations came “completely out of the blue” and had not been observed before in other strains. Therefore, scientists “have very little visibility on what these new mutations are doing to how the virus works”, he explained, adding that once it begins to spread more widely its “true fitness” will become clear. Some of the mutations indicate increased transmissibility, while changes in the genetic code make it harder for the immune system, trained by existing vaccinations or prior infection with another variant, to tackle a new strain. But it will take researchers several weeks or months to work out the interactions between them and their cumulative impact.
DJ This variant most likely did develop for over 1 year (since april 2020 ?) did however pick up some Alpha (del 69/70), Beta, Delta mutations and mixed them with a host of "new" mutations... "vaccines are getting tested" may be the best description...IF vaccines DO provide a relatively good protection against severe disease from Omicron it is more then welcome (and much more then we deserved !). There could be (lots of) other "Omicron-like" variants going their "own way" both in human and non-human hosts ! We must STOP THE SPREAD of variants ! Stop free (air) travel (in vaccinated) during a pandemic ! Why is it that hard to cut back airtravel by 90-95% ? If we do NOT stop the spread it is only a matter of time before we end up in "our final crisis" !!!
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
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