Coronavirus (No Politics)

Originally Posted by Zloth

Oh? What about an X3Box?

I clicked on the link, got excited for a split second when I saw "Gold Box", then disappointed as I realized it had nothing to do with the D&D cRPGs.

There might be a new strain that combines Delta and Omicron.

I present…Deltacron!

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/08/cypr…and-delta.html

Originally Posted by JDR13
There might be a new strain that combines Delta and Omicron.

I present…Deltacron!

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/08/cypr…and-delta.html

Omicron like genetic structure inside the delta genome?!

Woah, woah, woah, slow down, Einstein! Just tell me when to get the booster!

Originally Posted by SirJames
Omicron like genetic structure inside the delta genome?!

It's more than meets the eye, like the Transformers. That's why the name sounds like the newest leader of the Decepticons.

Originally Posted by JDR13
There might be a new strain that combines Delta and Omicron.

I present…Deltacron!

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/08/cypr…and-delta.html

Things like that can happen if a paitient is infected by two viruses. Then a combination may arise. Don't know if that's the case here, but it's well known among influenza viruses, which is why we are a bit anxious when a patient is infected by bird flu (dangerous, but not very infections in humans) and swine flu (not as dangerous, but far more infective)

A combination of these two coronas may be just as infectious as the "pure" omicron, combined with the delta's higher risk of severe symptoms. Time will tell.

Run like hell!!!

pibbuR who sometimes likes to scare people. Admittedly usually by showing them horror movies.

Originally Posted by pibbuR
A combination of these two coronas may be just as infectious as the "pure" omicron, combined with the delta's higher risk of severe symptoms. Time will tell.

Run like hell!!!

If it's just as infectious as "pure" omicron, and not more so, it's unlikely to spread very far. Omicron has too much of a headstart on it.

And Omicron might give some protection against Delta (so probably against Deltacron as well):

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1….27.21268439v1

Besides, there's also some discussion now about whether Deltacron might just be due to sample contamination in the lab:

https://twitter.com/PeacockFlu/statu…10337730293774
https://twitter.com/mvankerkhove/sta…45415094898701

Deltacron seems to be lab contamination more than anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2k-bVcjiX4

Where's my fraggin' Pi variant?? Or am I just being irrational?

Originally Posted by Zloth
Where's my fraggin' Pi variant?? Or am I just being irrational?

There will definitely be more variants but it's possible that Pi won't be a noteworthy one or perhaps the next one won't be named Pi as people will hear "pie" and want to get it, because who doesn't like pie? The WHO has already skipped over two letters.

I've heard once they get to the end of the Greek alphabet they're considering using constellation names. Looking forward to the Big Dipper variant!

Originally Posted by Atrachasis
If it's just as infectious as "pure" omicron, and not more so, it's unlikely to spread very far. Omicron has too much of a headstart on it.

I'm not sure it's that simple. But… you seem to know what you are talking about, and you're also more up-to-date than I am. So I really can't argue here.

…Besides, there's also some discussion now about whether Deltacron might just be due to sample contamination in the lab:

https://twitter.com/PeacockFlu/statu…10337730293774
https://twitter.com/mvankerkhove/sta…45415094898701

Yepp, you're more up to date that I am.

pibbuR who feels old.

Originally Posted by daveyd
There will definitely be more variants but it's possible that Pi won't be a noteworthy one or perhaps the next one won't be named Pi as people will hear "pie" and want to get it, because who doesn't like pie? The WHO has already skipped over two letters.

I've heard once they get to the end of the Greek alphabet they're considering using constellation names. Looking forward to the Big Dipper variant!

There are also all the hurricane names to choose from. Especially if a more dangerous strain might come.

pibbuR who hopes that there won't be a strain called "pibbuR".

Originally Posted by daveyd
There will definitely be more variants but it's possible that Pi won't be a noteworthy one or perhaps the next one won't be named Pi as people will hear "pie" and want to get it, because who doesn't like pie?

Oh, there could be trouble the other way, too. People keep hearing "pie" mentioned, buy more pie, and video card manufacturers can't build their cards because all the aluminum is going to making pie tins.

I've heard once they get to the end of the Greek alphabet they're considering using constellation names. Looking forward to the Big Dipper variant!

Please, this is scientific stuff, it will be Ursa Major!

They could simply start using two Greek letters: alpha alpha, then alpha beta, and so on. Eventually, though, the variants are going to be different enough that COVID-19 will need to become COVID-20 (or whatever is next).

Originally Posted by Zloth
They could simply start using two Greek letters: alpha alpha, then alpha beta, and so on. Eventually, though, the variants are going to be different enough that COVID-19 will need to become COVID-20 (or whatever is next).

At university I once visited a course in stochastic theory. Lots of integral calculus and stuff. At one point, my mind was already in a haze, the professor wrote a formula on the blackboard. It consisted of a doubly nested function and if I recall correctly, it started with a latin alphabet A, followed by a greek α or somesuch, and since he had, apparently, run out of alphabets, a Sütterlin A.

It was at that point that I questioned some of my life choices.

Unfortunately it doesn't really make sense to pronounce differently written A's differently, so I guess it wouldn't work well with the naming of Covid variants.

It would be nice to have a evolutionary biologist at hand for this topic. I am not entirely sure a Covid 19 strain can have bot the severity of delta and the infectiousness of Omicron, at least not yet. Considering what it took for the virus to become more infectious in the first place from the delta strain itself(40x less in the lungs for 70x more in the bronchus), i would assume the mutation into something that can do both would take some time?

Total noob here just speculating.

My seven year old son just tested positive on an antigen test. And my daughter got some symptoms as well since today, but haven't tested her yet. Very weak symptoms in both and us adults are vaccinated, so no big worries.

We have isolated ourselves and are trying to get a pcr test done, but everything is fully booked at the moment.

Anyone know if the antigen tests are good for true positive results, or if they are just as unreliable as with the negative ones?

Originally Posted by SveNitoR
Anyone know if the antigen tests are good for true positive results, or if they are just as unreliable as with the negative ones?

They are generally good on reliable positives - false negatives tend to be the problem.

Originally Posted by Ripper
They are generally good on reliable positives - false negatives tend to be the problem.

Thanks. Then it seems likely that he (and likely the rest of the family as well) really has it. Good to know.

My brother and his family flew to Hawaii this week to reward their daughter on her upcoming graduation. I get the whole " virus is here to stay, we've got to get on with our lives", yet this flies in the face of everything I would currently do at the moment. All I can do is hope everyone stays healthy.

Originally Posted by Carnifex
My brother and his family flew to Hawaii this week to reward their daughter on her upcoming graduation. I get the whole " virus is here to stay, we've got to get on with our lives", yet this flies in the face of everything I would currently do at the moment. All I can do is hope everyone stays healthy.

Just anecdotally, what I'm seeing fits with the pattern the broader evidence suggests - a lot more people catching it, but almost exclusively as fairly minor illness. I know one guy who his in his 80s, with serious OPD, and his family thought that catching it would be the end of him. He was admitted on that basis, but he brushed it off like a light cold.

We should be cautious, of course - there will still be a lot of people being hospitalised and dying, and we could still be unlucky and get sideswiped by an aggressive new variant. But over here the policy is shifting towards basic precautions, but pretty much starting to live with it. Between the somewhat milder Omicron, and the proportion of the population with vaccination and/or previous infection, it looks like the beginning of becoming a tolerable endemic.

The signs are all over - the data protection dept and civil rights charities are starting to talk about ensuring the tracking systems are verifiably decommissioned. Let's just hope we're not being premature!

Everyone should have accepted by now this virus is now part of our lives. It isn't going away anytime soon. We'll need a shot every year just like the Flu shot from now on.

Anyway I refuse to keep living in constant fear over this virus.