Has Omicron changed the path of the pandemic

I don't exactly know what has happened to the previous variants which seemed to be much more dangerous. All I hear mentioned now is Omicron but I feel certain the others can't just have disappeared. My medical/scientific ignorance knows no bounds.

Me either Kim. I don't get how one drives the other out. I thought Delta would still be around, and the original, but it doesn't seem to work like that and I dunno why.

Heard 'Russian Flu' was a killer when it first appeared in the 19th century but is now just one of tge common cold viruses. Maybe COVID is heading that way, hopefully...

My youngest son has covid, his LFT was negative but as he had a cough I ordered a PCR which has come back positive. Husband has 'a cold' but is testing negative...on seems fine, is resting in his room, coughing a bit but not too bad (day 5)

I believe it is because Omicron is more transmissible so it naturally takes over

not Omicrom that has changed the path but surely the vaccine has

Delta is still around as are others:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-variants-genomically-confirmed-case-numbers/variants-distribution-of-case-data-7-january-2022

Although we’d all tested negative right before meeting up for Christmas (24th - 27th), 8 adults, 3 young children, we’d all tested positive by the end of the 28th.

Only one adult (not the sole CEV one) had anything but the mildest of symptoms, and even then it was more like a nasty cold for several days. Children had no symptoms at all.

Interestingly, I first knew I’d got it when I suddenly felt very cold and shivery - almost exactly the same reaction as after the first AZ jab. It was only for that afternoon and evening though.

It's not 'the' Covid (or pandemic) as it's a lottery which variant you'd catch. So many people have been isolating that it's slowed the transmission of Delta - for now.

I don't like the 'just a cold' phrase at all. I know someone who said that, about Omicron, in December, yet still has brain fog and severe fatigue. Long Covid seems to bear no relation to how disabling the initial virus infection was.

I'm just hoping that people continue to be cautious, we have no difficult new variants - and the warmer weather helps reduce transmission - as people spend more time outdoors.

rosie1959

I believe it is because Omicron is more transmissible so it naturally takes over

But in theory you can get Delta and Omicron together. So is that actually happening?

Yes I suppose you could get both GagaJo but I think one of the worse fears was that people could catch flu as well as Covid fortunately we have vacinnes for both
Describing it as a cold may not be accurate but the symptoms are similar

There must surely be a connection between reduced numbers of infections and reduced testing because of unavailability of testing kits. Not sure what the conclusion is, but have long thought the whole notion of 'unsymptomatic' cases very strange, and latterly the vast numbers testing positive and being shut away while feeling as fit as fiddles has seemed absurd.

I don’t see why the notion of unsymptomatic cases is strange. My dd1 and son in law (both in their 40s) tested clear positive, while having no symptoms at all, ditto their 3 children, but presumably would still have been infectious.
Same went for dd2’s partner - zero symptoms, but dd did feel rough for several days.

winterwhite

There must surely be a connection between reduced numbers of infections and reduced testing because of unavailability of testing kits. Not sure what the conclusion is, but have long thought the whole notion of 'unsymptomatic' cases very strange, and latterly the vast numbers testing positive and being shut away while feeling as fit as fiddles has seemed absurd.

I must admit I have not found it difficult to get testing kits just had to go on line a few times in a day until they came available
I am presuming some have zero symptoms because their vaccination is working to the optimum
Under normal circumstances my husband and daughter would have just thought they had a cold and would have carried on with normal life. I felt off for a day with occasional feelings of being too hot or too cold but not unusual for my menopausal state