Thought of the Day - December 26 2021 - By the Numbers

Today we are going to take a look at Omicron.

World cases are up close to 20% this past week (in Canada by close to 150%), due to the much more, 3-5x, transmissible variant. Some world governments are telling their citizens that this is the apocalypse, that we all need to hunker down? get boosters? stay away from medical facilities? order rapid tests? hope? believe in our authorities? pray? . . .

Meanwhile, there is an alternative view. Omicron could be the best thing that has happened since SARS-CoV-2 was unleashed on the world. Coronaviruses of the past tended to become more infectious and way less deadly over time (as you know the common cold is a coronavirus). After all, if you are a virus trying to make your way in the world, what would be a better natural selection strategy?

Just take a look at South Africa, now over a month into the Omicron wave.

Cases from their greatest wave are now dropping, and yes, while deaths are now increasing, slightly, they pale in comparison to what has transpired.

And in the UK, the same thing, they are just a week or two behind South Africa. They will also peak in cases early in the new year, and, unfortunately, yes, they will see a few additional fatalities in January.

And so, what does this mean?

1. Unless you totally isolate you will be exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant early in 2022.

2. Masks are still a great idea, to limit viral load, giving your body the best fighting chance.

3. Time to boost your health with Vitamin-D, Zinc and whatever else you may be short of.

4. Against Omicron current vaccines look to be about 70% effective in improving your chance of your Omicron infection being asymptomatic.

5. For most, symptomatic infection will mean common cold-like symptoms.

6. And, most importantly, it is now time to make sure this pandemic moves into an endemic stage - as it becomes just another seasonal disease.

Face it. This is great news. Of course, we need to still protect our vulnerable, we need to have stringent measures concerning care-homes for example. But, hopefully, this will be the end of the insane amount of money spent on administering vaccines, on the locking down of businesses, and on crazy vaccine-passport procedures. Hopefully, government money can now be reinvested to save lives in the other areas that have been so sadly neglected in recent years, small businesses can once again flourish and "Restriction-Free '23" will come early.

Hopefully.

Cheers

Cliff