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Matty G's avatar

As I'm sure most on here are aware, The Atlantic "Covid response team" has some good articles coming out on all things Omicron, though I their tone is coming across as more alarming than yours Zynep. It's interesting because it really reads the same in regard to general messaging.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on The Insight back to back with Omicron, we know you are busy with all of your other tasks.

I remain cautiously optimistic personally (as a bosted vax'er 46 y.o.), less so globally, but not panicked thanks to your analysis. The fast spread of Omicron does have me focused on the possibility of the next mutation. Pandemics suck, but they come and they go. Health, Strength, Luck and Joy for 2022 all.

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blaine wishart's avatar

As always, I'm deeply appreciative of Insight. Thank you.

I'd like to focus on what I think we can be sure of...

1) We, US and world, are not collecting enough data. The US could change this, especially with help from EU.

2) We, US and world, need mask education, mask production, and mask utilization. This need is independent of what we do or don't know about Omicron. Or Delta. It was true and obvious as soon as we knew Covid-19 is largely airborne.

3) We, US and world, need to rethink our approach to architecture—much as we once rethought systems for providing water and removing sewage. Air filtering, circulation, maximum access to sunlight, etc. should not be afterthoughts.

4) It looks like a qualitative improvement in anti-virals is near, or at least possible. We know that needs investigation and funding.

5) We, US and world, know not everyone will get jabs and that the vaccine itself is not enough when we consider the population as a whole and that putting all hope in vaccines has been and continues to be giving into needless deaths—especially among those who are vulnerable because of age, health, occupation, access to medical care, etc.

This note is already too long, so I will cut it here. In summary: advice to individuals in rich nations does not substitute for social and political policy on a national or international basis. We, the US, know that and we, the US, should act on that knowledge.

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