D&D and the rising pandemic

[MoonSong]

America should as well, but Fauci says we will be examining info on it first. The problem with that is that by the time we finish examining the information on it, if we need to shut down it will be too late. For new variants travel should be shut down immediately, and then study to see when we should reopen the travel.

America should suspend all flights ASAP and "force" key trade partners to follow suit... I mean it is the only way. The ones in charge of my country aren't going to do it themselves otherwise. u.u

 

[Eltab]

America should as well, but Fauci says we will be examining info on it first. The problem with that is that by the time we finish examining the information on it, if we need to shut down it will be too late. For new variants travel should be shut down immediately, and then study to see when we should reopen the travel.

Per Dr. Gottlieb's (prior FDA Commissioner) book, a lot of the US public health bureaucracy is rear-view-mirror oriented, not future-oriented. Taking action to prevent an upcoming problem is unfamiliar territory, but analysis after the fact is their forte.

 

[J.Quondam]

America should as well, but Fauci says we will be examining info on it first. The problem with that is that by the time we finish examining the information on it, if we need to shut down it will be too late. For new variants travel should be shut down immediately, and then study to see when we should reopen the travel.

If we do examine it, it takes too long, and people get sick and die. If we don't "examine" it, it's "unscientific" and/or too "tyrannical."
Either way, someone somewhere is "playing politics" with the pandemic.
Damned if we do, damned if we don't.
It's maddening.

 

[Maxperson]

If we do examine it, it takes too long, and people get sick and die. If we don't "examine" it, it's "unscientific" and/or too "tyrannical."
Either way, someone somewhere is "playing politics" with the pandemic.
Damned if we do, damned if we don't.
It's maddening.

I don't care about politics when it comes to something like the pandemic. My view is that if one way saves lives and people are going to be upset either way it goes, go the way that saves lives. It's a really easy decision.

 

[J.Quondam]

I don't care about politics when it comes to something like the pandemic. My view is that if one way saves lives and people are going to be upset either way it goes, go the way that saves lives. It's a really easy decision.

Oh, I absolutely agree. Unfortunately, the decision-makers, lobbyists, media talking heads, etc, do not.
Hence the mess we're in!

 

[Umbran]

For new variants travel should be shut down immediately, and then study to see when we should reopen the travel.

But, "new variants" come up all the time. Constantly, because anything with the slightest genetic difference is, technically speaking, a new variant. Like, statistically, every person who gets covid probably produces a new variant. If you shut down travel for every new variant, then travel is shut down permanently. If you trigger on every single new variant, you will be paralyzed.

So, we need some other threshold for a new variant that we need to be concerned about. But, evaluating the threat presented is complicated, and requires some judgement by experts... which is what you have now.

Edit to add: And oh, look, after consideration, the US is stopping travel to some African nations of this. Almost like the system works as intended!

And, interestingly, they are calling this one Omicron. If they've been naming sequentially, then, and the one we've generally hearing about has been Delta, that means there have been ten other variants named since Delta, but that turned out to not be a big deal.

 

[Umbran]

Well, this is just lovely if it ends up being true: A new Covid-19 variant could show immune evasion and enhanced transmissibility, South African scientists warn

So, let us be very clear. The article says it "could show immune evasion..." and that sounds scary. But in the next words it says, "it is too soon to tell". (emphasis mine)

That "could" does a huge amount of heavy lifting. It is not, "We have preliminary evidence that suggests this to be true". It is merely, "this is theoretically possible." It is a line intended to raise anxiety, likely worded that way to get you to keep coming back to the news source to learn more - in other words, clickbait.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

One of my cousins literally just returned from a missionary trip to South Africa. She’s fully vaxed- in fact, that was a prerequisite for going in the mission- and feeling fine, but she’s still going to self-quarantine for a couple of weeks, just to be sure.

 

[Mannahnin]

And, interestingly, they are calling this one Omicron. If they've been naming sequentially, then, and the one we've generally hearing about has been Delta, that means there have been ten other variants named since Delta, but that turned out to not be a big deal.

Yup. I remember specifically hearing about Lambda being inferior compared to Delta and being unable to compete against it.

 

[Zardnaar]

Well we need that more virulent less fatal strain.