Omicron

[finnbear270]

Just made it back into UK from Germany, you try more than three paces without a mask in airport matey .............. Firearms shindig was worse than Manchester at Berlin on return, .... place was packed with people escaping from the Tuesday deadline, loads with their dogs, .. And I am pi**ed about the £18 I was charged for the LFT that was deemed defunct / obsolete, £50 for a PCR waiting at home. Still, cheaper than a £1K's worth of scruffy hotel for ten days.

 

[Mungo]

FYI I've been a microbiologist for 30yrs so you're probably correct in your assumption

Excellent.

So you’ll be able to explain how flu or hiv genes could have ended up in Covid, because as a mere evolutionary ecologist, I really don’t see how.

Yes - I get that splicing happens in viruses to create hybrids (flu does this quite a lot), but my limited understanding is that it’s restricted to quite closely related viruses - one strain of flu to another. Not from across completely different viral clades.

Quite apart from anything else, the viral genomes are so small that incorporating chunks from a completely different clade would seem likely to create something that doesn’t work as a virus?

And as far as I’m aware, all the omicron mutations are small - not whole regions, as you’d expect from splicing.

 

[glasshalffull]

Excellent.

So you’ll be able to explain how flu or hiv genes could have ended up in Covid, because as a mere evolutionary ecologist, I really don’t see how.

Yes - I get that splicing happens in viruses to create hybrids (flu does this quite a lot), but my limited understanding is that it’s restricted to quite closely related viruses - one strain of flu to another. Not from across completely different viral clades.

Quite apart from anything else, the viral genomes are so small that incorporating chunks from a completely different clade would seem likely to create something that doesn’t work as a virus?

And as far as I’m aware, all the omicron mutations are small - not whole regions, as you’d expect from splicing

Just in from a 6 miles dander over the fields with the dogs and a m8 rough shooting so really this is the last thing I want to ponder. As they say, it is what it is

 

[Safari Hunter]

The last 2 viruses are called Delta, Omicron. This is an anagram of Media Control.

 

[willowbank]

Excellent.

So you’ll be able to explain how flu or hiv genes could have ended up in Covid, because as a mere evolutionary ecologist, I really don’t see how.

Yes - I get that splicing happens in viruses to create hybrids (flu does this quite a lot), but my limited understanding is that it’s restricted to quite closely related viruses - one strain of flu to another. Not from across completely different viral clades.

Quite apart from anything else, the viral genomes are so small that incorporating chunks from a completely different clade would seem likely to create something that doesn’t work as a virus?

And as far as I’m aware, all the omicron mutations are small - not whole regions, as you’d expect from splicing.

Lordy I only logged on for some wind down time

WB

 

[glasshalffull]

Lordy I only logged on for some wind down time

WB

I feel your pain

 

[Freeforester]

The word she’s struggling to find is ‘anagram’, but she’s on point in all other respects.

 

[glasshalffull]

Excellent.

So you’ll be able to explain how flu or hiv genes could have ended up in Covid, because as a mere evolutionary ecologist, I really don’t see how.

Yes - I get that splicing happens in viruses to create hybrids (flu does this quite a lot), but my limited understanding is that it’s restricted to quite closely related viruses - one strain of flu to another. Not from across completely different viral clades.

Quite apart from anything else, the viral genomes are so small that incorporating chunks from a completely different clade would seem likely to create something that doesn’t work as a virus?

And as far as I’m aware, all the omicron mutations are small - not whole regions, as you’d expect from splicing.

Reading this last night and I thought of you and it may go some way in explaining why covid is evolving so rapidly, see below extract

"The paper proffers that Omicron picked up this newly acquired snip of genetic material from either another virus that infected the same host cells as SARS-CoV-2, or the human transcriptome of host cells infected with SARS-CoV-2. Whether acquired from the common cold, another virus, or the human genome, the new insertion mutation on the spike protein makes Omicron look “more human” according to the lead author of the study, Venky Soundararajan.

Other researchers must now determine whether Omicron’s newly inserted mutation on the spike protein – with similar attributes to the human genome – will lead to a gain in function and competitive advantage compared to the Delta variant. The WHO reports in its update on Omicron that studies are underway to determine if this new insertion mutation, along with the more than 30 other mutations to the spike protein, may lead to an increase in transmissibility, an escape of our vaccines or infection-induced immunity, or an increase in severity of COVID-19 disease."

To myself that makes worrying reading as who knows what the next variants may bring?

 

[Freeforester]

From the lady at the coalface, presumably not scary enough news for the BBC. You’re probably more at risk from migrating geese, or so it seems:

 

[KentL]

More interesting is how media has concerns on deers getting tested

 

[dartmoordog]

A recently interviewed Matron from a leading London hospital, stated they had 11 severely ill patients with COVID 19, 9 had not been vaccinated. She called them “selfish” , the lady was being very diplomatic, could have continued with “idiotic fools”

 

[Apthorpe]

A recently interviewed Matron from a leading London hospital, stated they had 11 severely ill patients with COVID 19, 9 had not been vaccinated. She called them “selfish” , the lady was being very diplomatic, could have continued with “idiotic fools”

I think they should continue the series of interviews and find out what the nurses have to say about their patients with diabetes, cancer, heart disease and obesity. She should be more worried about the disproportionately high percentage of her colleagues who refused the vaccine spreading it around the hospitals.

 

[stevec]

Just an observation but I think round here by me the Dunkirk Spirit has taken over,
I think everybody has stopped believing everything they’re told about this pandemic and are just getting on with their lives as they did before it all.
I’ve just come out of a huge Tesco and I only saw two people with masks on, not even the staff are wearing them, not a single one.
Two fingers from Yorkshire it seems.

A lot of people I speak to called it a day when the WHO said actually the vaccines not a vaccine and it doesn’t stop you giving it people, Yorkshire folk are like, “Well that’s bloody rubbish then”
No spike in deaths round here and this attitude has been going on a while so make of it what you will.

My mother has just told me the same thing. She said there is almost no observance of covid rules and mask wearing in Yorkshire, whereas I would say 90%+ follow the rules in the Borders

 

[Jgray]

 

[Rasputin]

A fit and healthy pensioner who was also a recluse and never worked a day in his life by the sounds of it. Where does this rationalising of fit and healthy end the guy was old as hell and quite clearly not fit and healthy if he never left the house.

 

[SussexSteve]

 

[GeoffWood]

Watch out when they start with the new covid pill.
They are making it big so they can secretly install Alexa
Quote
Reply

 

[timbrayford]

A recently interviewed Matron from a leading London hospital, stated they had 11 severely ill patients with COVID 19, 9 had not been vaccinated. She called them “selfish” , the lady was being very diplomatic, could have continued with “idiotic fools”

Poor old Jethro had 2 jabs plus the booster, look what happened to him!

 

[Bavarianbrit]

One death proves your point eh?
RIP truth.

 

[Rewulf]

One death proves your point eh?
RIP truth.

You know very well it's not just one person tripled jabbed who's died, so don't be silly.

The government has publicly stated triple jabs are only around 30 % 'effective.'
But try finding figures for deaths, and how many jabs each had.
If the figure made it look like it prevented death by a favourable level, you can bet they would be on the front page.
But they are not.