Omicron

[Oldfellah]

Michael Baker says "we can keep this one out" Do you think we can?

  I personally don't think so, If the government couldn't keep Delta out
  I don't think Omicron will be kept out Its just a matter of time.

[Lilith7]

Michael Baker says "we can keep this one out" Do you think we can?

  I personally don't think so, If the government couldn't keep Delta out
  I don't think Omicron will be kept out Its just a matter of time.

I'd really like to think you're wrong, but I think you're probably right & sooner or later its going to turn up here.

[Olive]

The most urgent worry is that it is not known if Omicron is resistant to our existing vaccines.  Therefore I think strict measures need to be put in place until there is more information.

Our present measures rely too much on trust and we have already seen that some people are not trustworthy when it comes to their own convenience.

[Oldfellah]

Michael Baker says "we can keep this one out" Do you think we can?

  I personally don't think so, If the government couldn't keep Delta out
  I don't think Omicron will be kept out Its just a matter of time.

I'd really like to think you're wrong, but I think you're probably right & sooner or later its going to turn up here.

I certainly don't mind eating humble pie if I'm wrong

[king1]

As long we don't do stupid things like open up borders to Australia when they are in the middle of an outbreak. Where we went wrong with Delta was assuming that Australians would do the right thing and stay put in their states, not jumping borders etc (unlike our honourable Aucklanders). People are not to be trusted, sadly...
I feel sorry for the tourist operators but more important we look after ourselves in a global pandemic...

[Lilith7]

Its all a bit worrying really, given the rate it gets around so fast.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I'd put money on it getting here just as delta did. I hope it proves less bulletproof than the doomspreaders are predicting, but either way, I am very glad I live here.

I just wish the family did too. Our ocean moat does give us an enormous advantage...

[Lilith7]

We're an ingenious species though - among other things - so if some means of coping with this new strain can be found then sooner or later we'll probably find it.
I'm hoping for sooner.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Preferably after the virus has dealt to the stupid people.
And yes, I know how that sounds, but I am so sick of stupid people costing the rest of us...

[harm_less]

If Omicron does turn out to be both highly transmissible and more lethal than the incumbent that combination will result in it burning itself a lot quicker, but that will be as a result of running out of surviving susceptable hosts which isn't a promising outlook for humans.

[crafters_corner]

I worry for my family and my country right now. Most of my family are either in Pretoria or Johannesburg.
We are all waiting and hoping that the borders will be put in place, surrounding Gautang province, to try and keep it contained.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59432579

[Lilith7]

That has to be concerning; according to the article vaccination has slowed down over the past few months, so perhaps this new variant might encourage more to get the vaccination.

[namtak]

Michael Baker says "we can keep this one out" Do you think we can?

  I personally don't think so, If the government couldn't keep Delta out
  I don't think Omicron will be kept out Its just a matter of time.

We won't keep it out. Some people in NZ have already proved they don't give a fig about anybody but themselves so why would that change for a new variant? Do you really think people (Kiwis or tourists) returning/ visiting to NZ will be any different?

[Oh_hunnihunni]

It is a virus. It will come no matter what we do.

Mask up kiddies.

[Praktica]

There is a lot of hype and speculation about omicron - I'm just going to wait, and watch what happens.

[Lilith7]

Possibly though, this might have the effect of changing the views of those anti vaxxers since it seems quite a lot worse. Maybe something good might come from it.

Just noticed I'm now an 'elder' - I was a sodding superstar last time I looked! Clearly some of you have led me astray....

[Me+Me]

Preferably after the virus has dealt to the stupid people.
And yes, I know how that sounds, but I am so sick of stupid people costing the rest of us...

100% agree

[crafters_corner]

Possibly though, this might have the effect of changing the views of those anti vaxxers since it seems quite a lot worse. Maybe something good might come from it.

Just noticed I'm now an 'elder' - I was a sodding superstar last time I looked! Clearly some of you have led me astray....

How the mighty fall so easily. From superstar to a mere 'elder'. lol I noted it a few days ago.

[Underwhelmed]

Possibly though, this might have the effect of changing the views of those anti vaxxers since it seems quite a lot worse. Maybe something good might come from it.

Perhaps if Delta hits that group hard in the next few months, they may revise their opinions. Or they might just claim the death rate is exaggerated and/or includes non-Covid deaths. You know, like they claimed a man down South died from vaccine side effects when he had a heart attack on the way to his first vaccination appointment.

One of the "Freedom org" leaflets was in my letterbox today. Not for the first time but I do live in a low vaccination area surrounded by non-masking, non-distance observant buffoons.

[Outsider]

UK, USA and EU have closed borders to South Africa, but we're 'keeping an eye on it'!! How the heck do you do that? It's a virus - you can't see it and people bring it in.
Close our borders to South Africans like everyone else.