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from the ten-percent-of-the-US-population-lives-in-California dept.
Omicron is now in the U.S., with first case found in California:
The first U.S. case of the omicron variant has been identified in California in a traveler who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
The patient had mild symptoms that were improving and was in isolation, officials said.
Much remains unknown about the highly mutated variant, which scientists fear could be more transmissible and more resistant to vaccines. The new variant has been identified in more than 20 countries since it was first identified in southern Africa last week.
[...] Federal health officials are expanding a program that offers free coronavirus testing at key U.S. airports, part of strengthened efforts to monitor international arrivals amid growing concerns about the omicron variant.
Under the program, visitors from eight African nations, including those connecting through Europe, who arrive at New York’s John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, San Francisco International and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International airports, will be given the option of taking a test when they arrive. Those who volunteer also will be given the option of an at-home test to take three to five days after arrival.
International arrivals already are required to show proof of a negative virus test before boarding U.S.-bound flights, but Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said during a White House briefing this week that the screening program at four of the nation’s busiest airports will provide additional data that can aid in the agency’s monitoring efforts.
First case of omicron COVID variant identified in the US:
The first confirmed US case of the omicron variant of COVID-19 has been identified in California, Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a White House briefing Wednesday. The infected person arrived in the US from South Africa on Nov. 22 and tested positive on Nov. 29, Fauci said.
"Genomic sequencing was conducted at the University of California at San Francisco, and the sequence was confirmed at the CDC as being consistent with the omicron variant," said Fauci, the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden.
[...] The person was fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine -- but had not had a booster shot -- and experienced only mild symptoms that are now improving. They are quarantining, and all close contacts have so far tested negative, Fauci said. The person is a resident of San Francisco between the ages of 18 and 49, and was not hospitalized, California Governor Gavin Newsom said during a press conference Wednesday.
"We knew that it was just a matter of time before the first case of omicron would be detected in the United States," Fauci said.
Fauci reiterated that within the next three weeks, there will be a lot more information about the transmissibility and severity of this strain of the disease, as well as the effectiveness of vaccinations and booster shots against the omicron variant. The new variant was first identified in South Africa in late November.
Also at Ars Technica and www.aljazeera.com
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 02 2021, @09:55AM (13 children)
The next letter in line was Nu, which they skipped because it might be confused with the word "new."
They also skipped Xi, because they don't want it to be associated with someone who might happen to be named Xi. But totally not the Chinese dictator who the WHO totally doesn't take their marching orders from.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Opportunist on Thursday December 02 2021, @10:51AM (5 children)
Xi is a common name in China. How'd you feel if you had a common name and they named a virus strain after you?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 02 2021, @01:23PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 02 2021, @07:37PM (3 children)
I do have a common name, common enough that there actually is a disease named after me, because lots of diseases are named after people. Of course, it's not actually named after me, it's named after a doctor that has the same name. And I live in a place that has a completely different disease named after it.
It doesn't matter at all. Of course, I'm also not the one person most responsible for creating a worldwide pandemic.
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Friday December 03 2021, @05:42AM
Well, we can only take your word for that...
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Friday December 03 2021, @07:18AM (1 child)
You might want to tell that to Corona Beer [metro.co.uk]. There's always going to be some dimwit who thinks you're responsible by association or just by having a name reminding them of the problem at hand.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 03 2021, @01:25PM
That's fake news.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/corona-beer-fear-coronavirus/ [snopes.com]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Thexalon on Thursday December 02 2021, @01:27PM (6 children)
WHO doesn't take their marching orders from Xi Jingping any more than they take them from Vladimir Putin or Donald Trump/Joe Biden. And you can bet that the rest of the G7 and/or UN Security Council get more say than most.
That's the thing about international organizations: Not all national governments are run by nice people, and sometimes said international organizations have to deal with that in order to get something done. And this isn't limited to inter-governmental bodies: Lots of multinational corporations do this too.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 02 2021, @04:13PM (5 children)
The WHO has been one fück up after another. Time for countries to develop alternative means of communication rather than dependence on a seriously flawed political organization.
The WHO is a central point of failure. And it continued to fail throughout the pandemic. Delayed the call of a pandemic way beyond what it should have to protect investors of WHO pandemic bonds, Didn't push back when China first tried to blame other countries as the source, outright wrong advice on how masks "aren't necessary for the general public", absolutely wrong advice claiming the the virus was only transmitted by droplets that would not be suspended in the air more than 6 feet, and no worry about aerosols, lies about the efficacy of masks when we had proof they worked for the general public from the 198 flu pandemic , lies, lies, lies. But what do you expect from career politicians? Time to bypass them, and route around the damage.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Thursday December 02 2021, @07:09PM (4 children)
What exactly do you suggest as an alternative? Keeping in mind that the behavior of diseases nor the properties of the various tools available to combat them does not magically change depending on which country they're in.
For example, if you were to create your own international medical network with blackjack and hookers, how do you handle all the countries that aren't willing to join it, some of which border countries that are part of it? Imagine you have some sort of US-led international system, but the Canadians don't want to go along with it and just keep doing their own thing, how does that affect Montana and other states bordering Canada?
The WHO definitely isn't perfect. But nobody has come up with anything that is both demonstrably better and actually exists outside of the imagination.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 02 2021, @07:21PM
There's always the mafia.. Oh wait, they're already running the show. I think it's time to toss aside the idealism and just accept the truth.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 02 2021, @09:26PM (2 children)
Same with the bullshit they're pushing about vaccine inequity being behind the current mutation. Countries like Nigeria and Papau New Guinea don't want more vaccines because most of the population doesn't want them. Half believe covid is a hoax. They don't have the infrastructure to deliver enough shots in arms either.
While the first omicron patient was identified in South Africa, it appears Nigeria was the true source and hub. So an infinite supply of vaccines wouldn't have made a difference; neither would removing patent protection. The WHO are lying politicians or they would start placing guilt where it belongs (in this case Nigeria, not patents and not lack of vaccines).
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Thursday December 02 2021, @10:17PM (1 child)
At this point, I think it's worth pointing out that the WHO has zero actual power to do anything other than politely ask governments to pretty please do XYZ, and ship supplies from point A to point B. Political leaders can choose to follow their recommendations, or tell them to fuck off as they like.
Your idea about what they do is basically complete fantasy.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 03 2021, @01:32AM
Butbutbut muh NWO UN soldiers black helicopters JADE HELM!
JADE HELM, MAN! JADE HELM!
Also for the record, I have no problem sending the US army to Portland and Seattle to stop lefties from burning them down.