#Omicron news

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) has signed a bill that bans state and local governments from mandating COVID-19 vaccines for workers after a similar ban expired last month.

The legislation signed Thursday is aimed at defending citizens’ “individual liberty,” Sanders said at a press conference prior to its signing.

The legislation also prohibits COVID-19 vaccinations from being required as a condition of education, or for obtaining a service or licensure, permit or certificate of some kind. Any potential risks and harms associated with the shots must also be recorded and published by the state.

The bill is different from the state’s prior ban on vaccine mandates, which first went into effect in 2021, in that it covers vaccines or immunizations for any subvariants of the coronavirus, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The latest COVID-19 vaccine, which was federally authorized for use this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, is specially designed to reduce major illness and illness from omicron virus variants that are currently circulating.

In total, Sanders signed 11 bills on Thursday.

A separate bill she signed restricts the public release of her travel and security records. That bill, which went into immediate effect, shields details about the security that the Governor and other constitutional officers receive.

These details include who travels on the State Police airplane and the cost of individual trips. Sanders argued that it was needed for her and her family’s safety, though some critics said it eliminates government transparency.

State Sen. Bart Hester (R), who co-sponsored the bill, said at Thursday’s press conference that all of the state’s elected government leaders are still able to see the travel receipts through audit. The law also requires the state to file a quarterly report listing the monthly costs of protecting the Governor.

[fooltofancy]

g'raha "no fucking chill" tia

[ricisidro]

The new COVID-19 strain XEC might not be as severe, but is part of the more contagious variant class, experts say.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines XEC as recombinant or hybrid of the Omicron strains KS.1.1 and KP.3.3.

The XEC variant, which first appeared in Berlin in late June, has increasingly seen hundreds of cases across #Europe notably in Germany, France, Denmark and Netherlands and in Asia. It has also been reported in at least 25 U. S. states.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/09/21/covid-xec-variant/75303152007/

[rjmbaboonbooks]

Daily Comic Journal: December 2, 2021: "A Virus From Another Planet?"

For those of you who’ve never seen the animated show “Futurama” (and if you haven’t, why not? It’s great!) Lrrr is the bombastic villain who rules the planet Omicron Persei 8. Lrrr is voiced by the voice actor Maurice LaMarche and every time Lrrr appears on the show he announces who he is. “I am Lrrr! Ruler of the planet Omicron Persei 8!” I’ve heard that so many times it’s burned into my brain.…

[intelligentchristianlady]

"All of us wish this was behind us, but it’s not. Facing that fact this virus, in one version or another, will be with us for many years to come, rather than denialism and complacency, is critical."

This is a long article, but it contains what you want to know, if you want to know about BA.2.86

[trans-estinien]

I dont know if i want to post the rest of these but. you all have to see this. hes so pretty i CANT

[ruairiee]

CW Covid

It’s started again. This time last year, I was scrolling past post after post about omicron. It was only a few days into the year and it happened, I tested positive. There are parts of having Covid I remember and there are parts entirely absent from my memory. I spent the next month in my bed. The month following crawling up and down the stairs in my apartment to feed myself. The third sweating from the effort of sitting up right. It wasn’t until May I felt okay again. Okay enough. I was already disabled before Covid, someone “unwell to begin with anyways.” I’m on year 3 of near total isolation. And now, the posts are starting again. About the new omicron sub variant. I just hope this time I make it out of the winter months without another round of this illness.

[asteriuszenith]

At its very core, FFXIV is a game about love and hope and journey.

[meowww-ffxiv]

It's 5:50am and I'm waking up to say that I half asleep formulated a whole side branch of things where after 6.0 Meowdred went back to Elpis with Meteion and called Hermes.

Well, he ran into his Azem first. Who dialed Venat. So Meowdred could tell her everything was daijobu.

Then Meowdred said, "So listen. We kinda suck balls at crisis responses and management. And I understand the thought experiment but this is like asking a hamster to put out a fire. Let's not do that OK. It's cruel. Let's not subject our whole race to the apocalypse. Write a thesis and be branded a heretic or something."

In order to solve the Endsinger Crisis before it began, Venat eventually decided to call Hermes. Meteion then told HIM everything was daijobu. And he was like [after crying] "But I cannot remote-deactivate the Meteia."

"Then transmit the data," Meowdred said. "From homegirl here. Tell them to rephrase the question you've sent them out to ask. Not the meaning of life, but rather what gives life meaning? The small joys in the lives of those beyond this star that bears them from one day to the next. And for fuck's sake ask more than 5 people per planet. Oh, and in the case of post-apocalypse worlds, ask Meteion to stay there till she senses new life growing. Even if it takes your lifetime."

So Hermes did that and the Meteia set out on the new mission, and were dispersed.

Then the Omicron invaded because they used one of the birds to trace a way back to Eitherys.

This, funnily enough, would spare the Dragonstar...because instead of going for the Dragonstar first they went for Eitherys first.

Meowdred: I fixed it! But now it broke in a new and interesting way.

[sharemarketinsider]

Stock Market Update: What to Expect from the Indian Markets for the Week of October 21-27, 2024

[riverofrainbows]

It becomes clear that the last covid wave (brought on by spring festivals and carnevals and such where I live) has left people with both a stubborn cough (classical) and/or with thoroughly stubborn mucus in their sinuses. So stubborn that most medication that normally clears that up has not worked more than partially or temporarily.

So, if you had a ""cold"" and now have issues with mucus in your sinuses:

Consider wearing a mask in public. You probably had covid, and now have a compromised immune system for at least the next 6 months and probably longer. Consider avoiding super spreader events (EM, concerts, bars, conventions) or at least wear a mask so you're less likely to both get and spread covid at those events. Consider also getting the new covid vaccine come fall, or now if you hadn't before. It's not just a booster, it's based on the omicron variant instead. You should get it, because you now have a higher chance of getting disabled by long covid with your next covid infection, and any protection from getting infected helps lower that risk, as well as vaccination lowering the risk for developing long covid.

And if you're scared of social repercussions: At least wear it when you're sick or anyone close to you is sick. I'm begging actually.

I remember all the people during lockdown who said they would definitely wear a mask even for the regular cold after the pandemic has ended, because they now have the knowledge and means to not breath germs onto other people while actively infectious.

Where are y'all now? The pandemic hasn't even ended yet and almost no one is wearing a mask when sick.

Where is everyone who said that masks while sick should become the new normal?

Please don't even bother to feel guilty for not doing it so far, you fell for worldwide misinformation campaigns. Just start wearing a mask again and get all your covid vaccines.

Your actions are more important and way more impactful than your moral purity. Please just make wearing FFP2/N95 masks when sick and/or in high risk situations your new normal.

PS: (Edit to add my tags)

The worldwide misinformation campaigns are by capitalism. If anyone adds anything antisemitic on my post you're getting reported.

[imagitory]

Clearly when it rains, it pours. First I had to call out of work for two days because of car trouble, and now I've come down with the Eris variant. 😒

[xtruss]

A detail view of a face mask on September 24, 2021, in Kohler, Wisconsin. Donald Trump and conservatives across social media are heightening awareness to potential mask mandates due to new cases stemming from coronavirus variants. Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

United States: Mask Mandate Comeback Sparks 'We Will Not Comply' Movement

— By Nick Mordowanec | August 31, 2023

will not comply' movement is slowly formulating across social media, spurred by Donald Trump's renewed focus on mask mandates and COVID-affiliated lockdowns that he initiated at the pandemic's inception.

Trump, in a video posted Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter, vowed to reject any "fearmongering" of new coronavirus variants and if elected president pledged to cut federal funding for entities like schools and airlines that follow such protocols.

Trump was the individual who set the original mandates and lockdowns in motion, however, when coronavirus cases escalated exponentially starting in March 2020. At the time, he urged individuals to avoid bars, restaurants and other areas where 10 or more people were gathered in the hope that the virus would dissipate by that summer.

"'Do not comply' means your [sic] not going to go to work if your employer requires a mask as part of the 'mandate' not law; your [sic] not going to wear one at the Dr, Dentist, restaurant or stores," wrote one Facebook user. "Imagine if everyone did not comply how that would hurt our government or economy.

"If every American did not go to work or buy anything at all for one or two days things would get real. We are all slaves to our Government until we stop conforming to the demands and dollar."

New coronavirus variants now emerging with case spikes in certain parts of the United States include EG.5 and BA.2.86. Major companies like Pfizer and Moderna who were highly involved in the swift rollout of vaccines at the height of the pandemic are scheduled to release a new vaccine in mid-September to combat the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, pending approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A CDC spokesperson told Newsweek on Thursday via email that the center's advice for individual and community actions around COVID-19 is tied to hospital admission levels, which are currently low for more than 97 percent of the country.

"CDC continues to recommend that all people are up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines and take steps to themselves and others," the spokesperson said. "Anyone may choose to wear a mask at any time."

Time may tell whether the discussion around mandates and lockdowns is alarmist considering that very few places in the country have COVID-related measures currently in place.

One, for example, is Morris Brown College, a small Atlanta-based historically Black college, which told students to adhere to mask-wearing for a two-week period due to an influx of COVID-related cases.

"Dear Atlanta College, Regarding your precautionary mask mandate... I have a precautionary Foot I'd like to shove up you're a**!" wrote comedian and former Saturday Night Live actor Rob Schneider on X, in response to the Morris Brown mandate. "But don't worry, it's just for the next 14 days! For your own protection! Ps. Students WAKE UP, SHEEPLE! SAY NO!"

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin released a video on X of her literally shaking her head when confronted with hypothetical mandates, even burning some masks outdoors.

Libs of Tik Tok, which has 2.4 million followers on X, is encouraging individuals to ignore all mandates and pledges to support impacted businesses—and even pay any fines for noncompliance.

One X user posted that she would ignore mandates instituted by Trump, President Joe Biden or anyone else.

"I won't mask again," the user wrote. "I don't care what Trump or Fauci or Birx or Biden or any other governmental agency try and push again. I won't deal with the anxiety mask wearing brings me again. Not going to cover my daughter's beautiful face or force her to deal with the frequent painful breakouts again. Nope. For my child, I say, never again."

[banglakhobor]

New COVID Variant: গলা ও মাথা ব্যথা, সঙ্গে হাঁচি? করোনার নতুন ভ্যারিয়েন্টে আক্রান্ত নন তো!

জি ২৪ ঘণ্টা ডিজিটাল ব্যুরো: করোনা এখন নিয়ন্ত্রণে বলেই জানা ছিল। কিন্তু এরই মধ্যে ছন্দপতন। ফের মিলল করোনার খবর। এবার আর এক নতুন ভ্যারিয়েন্ট। ২০২৩ সালের গোড়া থেকেই নিম্নমুখী করোনার গ্রাফ। সম্প্রতিই বিশ্ব স্বাস্থ্য সংস্থার (World Health Organization) প্রধান টেডরস অধানম ঘেব্রেয়াসুস জানিয়েছিলেন, করোনার শেষের শুরু হয়ে গিয়েছে। প্রাণঘাতী এই সংক্রম�� নিয়ে চিন্তা কমতেও তাই শুরু করেছিল। কিন্তু এরই মধ্যে…

[rjmbaboonbooks]

Daily Comic Journal: December 20, 2021: "Gathering Information."

I’m sure this information isn’t a revelation. That the things you read on the internet, the divisive posts and comments, the harsh, insulting (nearly always anonymous) language are prevalent everywhere. The best thing to do is either avoid them completely, give them no credence, or if you’re going to read any of them, do so in small doses. Cause they can really get you down.

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

By Anthony Robledo

The side effects of newly discovered COVID-19 strain XEC might not be as severe, but is part of the more contagious variant class, experts say.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines XEC as recombinant or hybrid of the strains KS.1.1 and KP.3.3., both from the Omicron family that became the predominant strain in the U.S. late December 2022.

The variant, which first appeared in Berlin in late June, has increasingly seen hundreds of cases in Germany, France, Denmark and Netherlands, according to a report by Australia-based data integration specialist Mike Honey.

XEC has also been reported in at least 25 U.S. states though there could be more as genetic testing is not done on every positive test, RTI International epidemiologist Joëlla W. Adams said.

"We often use what happens in Europe as a good indication of what might happen here," Adams told USA TODAY Friday. "Whenever we're entering into a season where we have multiple viruses occurring at the same time, like we're entering into flu season, that obviously complicates things."

What is the XEC variant? New COVID strain XEC is a recombinant strain of two variants in the Omicron family: KS.1.1 and KP.3.3.

The hybrid strain was first reported in Berlin late June but has spread across Europe, North America and Asia with the countries Germany, France, the Netherlands and Denmark leading cases.

Is the XEC variant more contagious? While there's no indication the XEC strain will increase the severity of virus, it could potentially become a dominant strain as Omicron variants are more contagious. However, current available COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots are particularly protective against XEC as it is a hybrid of two Omicron strains.

"These strains do have the advantage in the fact that they are more transmissible compared to other families, and so the vaccines that are currently being offered were not based off of the XEC variant, but they are related," Adams said.

Like other respiratory infections, COVID-19 and its recent Omicron variants will increasingly spread during the fall and winter seasons as students return to classes, kids spend more time inside and people visit family for the holidays, according to Adams.

How can we protect ourselves from XEC and other variants? The CDC continues to monitor the emergence of variants in the population, according to spokesperson Rosa Norman.

"At this time, we anticipate that COVID-19 treatments and vaccines will continue to work against all circulating variants," Norman said in a statement to USA TODAY. "CDC will continue to monitor the effectiveness of treatment and vaccines against circulating variants."

The CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older, with some exceptions, receive an updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the virus, regardless whether or not you have previously been vaccinated or infected.

Norman urged Americans to monitor the agency's COVID Data Tracker for updates to new variants.

KP.3.1.1:This dominant COVID-19 variant accounts for over 50% of cases, new CDC data shows

What is the dominant strain of COVID in the US? COVID-19 variant KP.3.1.1 is currently the dominant strain accounting for more than half of positive infections in the U.S. according to recent CDC projections.

Between Sept. 1 and Sept. 14, 52.7% of positive infections were of the KP.3.1.1 strain, followed by KP.2.3 at 12.2%, according to the agency's Nowcast data tracker, which displays COVID-19 estimates and projections for two-week periods.

KP.3.1.1 first became the dominant strain in the two-week period, starting on July 21st and ending on August 3rd.

"The KP.3.1.1 variant is very similar to other circulating variants in the United States. All current lineages are descendants of JN.1, which emerged in late 2023," Norman previously told USA TODAY.

COVID XEC symptoms There is no indication that the XEC variant comes with its own unique symptoms.

The CDC continues to outline the basic COVID-19 symptoms, which can appear between two to 14 days after exposure to the virus and can range from mild to severe.

These are some of the symptoms of COVID-19:

Fever or chills Cough Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing Fatigue Muscle or body aches Headache Loss of taste or smell Sore throat Congestion or runny nose Nausea or vomiting Diarrhea

The CDC said you should seek medical attention if you have the following symptoms:

Trouble breathing Persistent pain or pressure in the chest New confusion Inability to wake or stay awake Pale, gray or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds