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[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by SteveM85

The next mutation? Like it's a given. So we're all in agreement there will be another mutation, and another after that, and another. The first perma-pandemic in the history of mankind.

While I wouldn't discount it, I'll agree with you in that Spanish Flu 1918 did eventually diminish and maybe this is the mutation that does it. I do hope you're right.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by 7 Wishes

While I wouldn't discount it, I'll agree with you in that Spanish Flu 1918 did eventually diminish and maybe this is the mutation that does it. I do hope you're right.

History tells us viruses evolve to be more contagious, not more deadly.

[Vetgirl2014]

Originally Posted by Stylo

History tells us viruses evolve to be more contagious, not more deadly.

It’s typically not a linear path but the general trend of viral mutations is more contagious and less severe. Viruses that cause truly severe illness (with a few exceptions) tend to be short lived issues on a global and historical scale as they incapacitate or kill their host before the host can spread it to a sufficient number of people. The common cold is the world greatest viral cohort in terms of success.

[WouldLoveTo]

Originally Posted by Stylo

It's hard to tell how many though, as Delta was still circulating widely a month ago, and deaths tend to have a major reporting lag.

A friend had confirmed Delta after New Years. But she only knows which variant because she was tested in the hospital.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by adamz

Some of you need to adjust your tin-foil hats or up your meds. Seriously.

I hope that tin foil hat keeps you out of the hospital. I wouldn’t want to have a heart attack or a stroke right now. It’s third world-level medical care. The anti vaxers and high risk people who didn’t get around to getting boosted have managed to crash the public health system.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

I hope that tin foil hat keeps you out of the hospital. I wouldn’t want to have a heart attack or a stroke right now. It’s third world-level medical care. The anti vaxers and high risk people who didn’t get around to getting boosted have managed to crash the public health system.

The main reason hospitals aren’t able to keep up isn’t because ICU beds are overrun - it’s because Omicron has forced so much staff out sick. And the majority of the hospital staff out sick are *gasp* boosted!

Facts matter.

[JGBigGreen]

Add to that the fact that large numbers of health care workers have left the field since the beginning of the pandemic. I read an article that claimed 1 in 5 health care workers have left since 2020. Regardless of one's opinion on who is at fault for the full (or understaffed ICU's,) I fully agree with GeoffD on the following 100%- I wouldn't want to have to go to an ER right now for anything serious!

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

The main reason hospitals aren’t able to keep up isn’t because ICU beds are overrun - it’s because Omicron has forced so much staff out sick. And the majority of the hospital staff out sick are *gasp* boosted!

Facts matter.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by kidyankee764

The main reason hospitals aren’t able to keep up isn’t because ICU beds are overrun - it’s because Omicron has forced so much staff out sick. And the majority of the hospital staff out sick are *gasp* boosted!

Facts matter.

Those are alternative facts. This has little to do with ICU capacity. The hospitals are short staffed even without having employees out sick. A huge wave of Boomer nurses and physicians retired. Trump shut down medical worker immigration for 4 years adding to the shortage. With the labor shortage, job shops sent mailers to every licensed RN in the country to be a contract nurse at 4x the pay. Everyone quit to take contracting jobs. If it were mafia and trash pickup, it would be racketeering. The hospitals are paying the job shops $6k to $8k/week for contract staff. It’s not like the hospitals can renegotiate all their insurance contracts so they’re getting crushed by high labor costs in addition to having a tough time filling any job openings because nobody wants to work in a plague building.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Those are alternative facts. This has little to do with ICU capacity. The hospitals are short staffed even without having employees out sick. A huge wave of Boomer nurses and physicians retired. Trump shut down medical worker immigration for 4 years adding to the shortage. With the labor shortage, job shops sent mailers to every licensed RN in the country to be a contract nurse at 4x the pay. Everyone quit to take contracting jobs. If it were mafia and trash pickup, it would be racketeering. The hospitals are paying the job shops $6k to $8k/week for contract staff. It’s not like the hospitals can renegotiate all their insurance contracts so they’re getting crushed by high labor costs in addition to having a tough time filling any job openings because nobody wants to work in a plague building.

A “plague building” is an excessive and dramatization of what’s actually happening, especially considering the minuscule hospitalization and even lesser death rate. Even the leftest of the left has realized COVID hospitalization numbers are those hospitalized WITH COVID, not BECAUSE of COVID. It’s surprising this even has to be reiterated given it’s been widely publicized to be the case, and “experts” still trying to maintain relevancy have acknowledged it.

So, no, it’s not the “unvaccinated” and “unboosted” as you originally accused. It’s lesser healthcare workers due to the rate of spread, which can also be a direct result of firing many medical staff turning down the vaccine.

Again, facts.