Coronavirus

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

I got boosted Dec. 3. I had cold like symptoms last week and took a PCR test Wednesday the 15th. That result came back negative last Friday the 17th.

My wife got boosted Dec. 9. Had her work holiday party on the 14th. 2 people who attended tested positive a couple days later. She took both a PCR test & antigen test this past Sunday the 19th. The antigen test came back negative within a couple hours, but the PCR results came in this morning positive. So I guess this is your example of an asymptomatic infection.

So I'll just assume I have it as well now and am not going to bother getting tested again. Both of us feel fine, just some mild nasal congestion.

My wife just tested positive - very quickly - with a home test. My daughter and son who were around her all the time while I was isolating still test negative. My wife has no symptoms.

This is such a weird bug.

Glad you're wife's doing alright.

Omicron is a very odd duck, indeed.

@go birds

There are a metric [expletive] ton of contradictory signals with Omicron right now, many of which can be taken to support any position anyone might want to take.

For example:
Hospitals are down, it's not known if this is because Omicron is less 'strong' or if it's a result of the population not being naive (aka, we're reaching some form of 'herd immunity' though an absolute herd immunity will never be reached).
Omicron is responsible for more breakthrough infections than previous variants, but doesn't seem to be killing at the same rate.
Omicron replicates faster in the body than previous variants but replicates far less effectively in the lungs than those same previous variants but still seems capable of causing the immune dysregulation (cytokine storm/organ failure/etc) that was responsible for many deaths
Omicron is spreading faster throughout communities than any previous variant.

In short, the science is far from complete. Anyone trying to make any point is more than likely trying to justify a pre-held notion than critically thinking, imo.

Important to remember, we are way into the margins when analyzing a lot of this stuff. The infection fatality rate, across the board, of covid pre therapeutics/vaccines/natural immunity is somewhere around 0.3%, I think. A rate that is far from uniform across all demographics. Trying to say we're going from 0.3% to 0.1% or 0.5% or 0.05% or whatever takes big numbers and big studies. I think. Then add in all the interventions and natural infections. THen add in there is an unproportional uptake of vaccines and therapeutics amongst those at risk. Point being, I don't think anyone with any certainty can say omicron is less strong/severe than any previous variant at this point. But, I don't know.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

I'll applaud the CDC's effort to track the omicron variant, completely unlike they did with delta, and give them a kudos for at least trying.

That said, I have no idea how they're doing it. Maybe this website is helpful if you want to spend hours on end trying to figure it out or have a medical/epidemiological background, but for me it makes no sense.

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracke ... roportions

So, in the Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas region, apparently 92% of cases are Omicron. Which, fine, I can believe....but I have no idea how they get those numbers. Further, it seems like you can take a look at covidactnow.org and clearly see where Omicron is. EG, take a look at Harris Co or Travis Co in Texas, yep, that's a hockey stick with cases going vertical. Pretty clear sign that's omicron. Then take a look at Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas = decreasing or flat cases, pretty sure Omicron isn't there yet or is still in its infancy aka not dominant. Perhaps just the sheer amount of cases in the densely populated areas of Texas weight the average, still, uh, that's a large swath of the region not affected by Omicron to be saying it's 92% of cases. Not that it won't get here, of course, just...odd. Arkansas' governor actually commented about this in his press conference yesterday and just kind of left it as, yep, it's here/it's coming, get vaxxed.

[Schlich]

also forgot it was not politics... mea culpa

[Arthur Dent]

The Austin Omicron wave has, so far at least, caused not much hospitalization. Too soon to say too much on its own, so check back in a week or so, I guess. But this would be consistent with accumulating evidence that it really is intrinsically significantly more mild even with wealthy country demographic/immunity profiles. Substantially less hospitalization and substantially shorter average stays.

Appreciate the sharing of breakthrough case stories, which underline the reality that these are generally not worth worrying too much about, and something that in the past we would have brushed aside without lots of testing and anxiety.

Proceed with Christmas, and moving on in the new year, imo.

[TGantz]

Thanks @TGantz and @Schlich for moving this conversation if it continues to politics. No need to get snippy in here.

When I saw a notification that my post was quoted I clicked it and didn't see which thread I was on. I definitely support keeping a general covid thread that has latest info.

Side note, I petition to rename politics subforum The Parking Lot so we can say, "Let's finish this in the parking lot."

[obucard]

Thanks @TGantz and @Schlich for moving this conversation if it continues to politics. No need to get snippy in here.

When I saw a notification that my post was quoted I clicked it and didn't see which thread I was on. I definitely support keeping a general covid thread that has latest info.

Side note, I petition to rename politics subforum The Parking Lot so we can say, "Let's finish this in the parking lot."

We could also rename it Outside. "Guys, take it Outside."

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Thanks @TGantz and @Schlich for moving this conversation if it continues to politics. No need to get snippy in here.

When I saw a notification that my post was quoted I clicked it and didn't see which thread I was on. I definitely support keeping a general covid thread that has latest info.

Side note, I petition to rename politics subforum The Parking Lot so we can say, "Let's finish this in the parking lot."

We could also rename it Outside. "Guys, take it Outside."

Obligatory, er wait, I can’t post pics from my phone. Regardless, obligatory, cash me ousside, how bah dah?

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

[G. Keenan]

I'm off today so I figured I'd saunter over to the testing site a couple blocks away and get a PCR test just to see if I do have this thing. The antigen self-test I took yesterday was negative. But at 10:15 the line was already 30 people deep so I said forget it.

What say you GRB hive mind? Should I be getting a PCR test just to know one way or the other? My thinking was that I should just assume I have it since my wife does (pretty much asymptomatically) and unless the antigen tests are coming back positive I can assume I'm not contagious since I don't have symptoms and am triple vaxxed.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

I'm off today so I figured I'd saunter over to the testing site a couple blocks away and get a PCR test just to see if I do have this thing. The antigen self-test I took yesterday was negative. But at 10:15 the line was already 30 people deep so I said forget it.

What say you GRB hive mind? Should I be getting a PCR test just to know one way or the other? My thinking was that I should just assume I have it since my wife does (pretty much asymptomatically) and unless the antigen tests are coming back positive I can assume I'm not contagious since I don't have symptoms and am triple vaxxed.

Unless you have a group outing coming up, I’d not worry about it. If you’re going to be at home for the next few days hanging with Mrs GK anyway, I’d skip it. Get tested before rejoining society in that event.

Only thing to worry about is the timeline. With no positive test, you really don’t have a guideline of how long to isolate/quarantine which is unnecessary if you test negative when you go back to work or whatever will be getting you out of the house.