Omicron Menaces Hippos, Maybe Not So Much Humans
Zookeepers in Antwerp, Belgium noticed these happy hippos had runny noses. They checked for viruses and the rest is history.
It is not clear if the affectionate beasts have the omicron strain, but they are mildly ill and are now in quarantine. Get well soon, friends.
Every Day With No News is Good News
Most of the new cases in the US are probably still the nasty delta variant. South Africa is probably mostly omicron.
South Africa is in red, the US is blue. The incidence of new cases is steeply rising in both countries.
The lower graph shows deaths.
In the US, deaths rise along with new cases. In South Africa, deaths remain low. Perhaps the milder omicron isn’t killing people as fast as the nasty delta.
Doubting Thomases like my brother Thomas, may object that it takes a week or so to die, so deaths are a lagging indicator.
Maybe. But then we have to explain why why are deaths rising in the US and not in South Africa.
The next couple of weeks will tell.
I’m with the hippos.
New cases are rising more steeply in the US. Next, look at the deaths.
Paging Dr. Coetzee, Covid Expert Par Exellence
Dr. Coatzee, chairperson of the South African Medical Association, first discovered the omicron variant in several patients on November 18. According to a timely tweet from CNBC affiliate TV18, most patients had mild cold-like symptoms, just like the Belgian hippos.
More recent information continues to show mild symptoms in people of all ages. Early reports that the disease strikes children more than other age groups may not be borne out.
More breathless news flashes will follow as data flow in. For now, the hippos remain healthy. Hopefully you will too.
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