Yes, but the point is that omicron could establish herd immunity by then, providing a built-in defense for further variants. Think of omicron as a natural vaccine for the unvaccinated. and herd immunity statistically decreases the odds of new mutants as less of population are incubation machines.
Yeah I’ve heard conflicting takes from professionals on this. I’ve heard that when it mutates the virus holds onto the most transmissible parts which makes it more potent. Then I’ve heard that if it mutates more aggressively faster that it can lose its potency in the process. I really don’t think too many people understand at this point what is coming next in regards to mutations, but the consensus seems to be that they can continue to sequence vaccines to match the proteins the new variants need in order to attach. Id like to certainly learn more about this but I think they are being cautious about setting expectations for the virus mutations being less lethal so people don’t let down their guard.
It's always possible, but the way it usually goes is more contagious and less harmful to the host. Just think of it from an evolutionary standpoint, the viruses that spread rapidly and don't harm the host as much are less likely to kill the host or be attacked by the immune system as strongly meaning they have a better chance of spreading. If a virus knocks you on your ass or kills you, the less chance it has to spread because you won't be going anywhere and interacting with other people as much. That doesn't mean it can't go the other way, it certainly can, it's just there's no evolutionary advantage to killing the host so that's why it is less common.
This is assuming if you get covid once, you won't get it again. The virus evolves and changes over time as we've seen with Omicron. I know several people who got covid in the past few months (probably Delta) and they got covid again with Omicron. Also it is questionable how feasible herd immunity is with humans. The science behind herd immunity applies to livestock, which are kept in enclosed pens restricting their movement. Humans do not live or travel in the same confinement as livestock.
Finished my required daily testing for Singapore. Have gone 0-11 in COVID-19 tests the past two weeks even though I've had a lot of exposure on planes, airports and public transport in four countries. Also including that I found out someone that I was in close contact with just before I left the US had come down with COVID-19 two days into my trip. I am strongly convinced that its due to having three shots of Moderna including the booster just before Thanksgiving why I haven't tested positive.
I was in Portugal for about 10 days and also had to get tested every two days, but honestly the vaccination rate there is the highest among all countries, so I felt the safest there than here in Texas. The anxiety for the very last test to go back home was pretty high; I have some friends who are currently stuck in Barcelona and Dubai due to testing positive during their trips....
Who knows what the future holds but before omicron each dominant variant became more infectious and more virulent. Hopefully it continues down the omicron path of evolution.
Yeah I'm going to have to take one more test before I head back. Singapore's numbers are actually down from when they had a Delta surge in the Fall. Also they are still keeping masking and tracing protocols in place. I fly back through Amsterdam which has a lot of restrictions so I think at this point my chances of getting infected and testing positive when I head back are low.
I’m waiting for my mom to get her booster here in Singapore. She was thinking about getting the Sinovac vaccine as she heard it was less hard physically but I talked her into getting Moderna.
In addition to all the other restrictions in Singapore at Starbucks they have assigned seating. watching the staff harangue someone who put down a backpack to try reserve a seat and get back in line.
