Imagine attending a Christmas or New Year’s party, learning the next day that someone there had COVID, then waking up the day after that with a sore throat, sniffles, and achiness. It wouldn’t take a genius to piece together what happened. But you’d want to be sure, so you’d reach for that rapid test you wisely purchased last month after the news about Omicron first broke, knowing that the new variant would soon be on your doorstep.
Ontario reported more than 9,400 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, as demand for diagnostic testing continues to outstrip available supply.
The seven-day rolling average of new cases now stands at 7,550, up from 2,863 one week ago.
Experts concerned about hospital capacity as Omicron spread continues
OTTAWA — A rise in COVID-19 cases driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant of the virus has renewed concerns among experts about the capacity of Canada’s hospitals and health-care workers to handle another wave of the pandemic.
Paul-Emile Cloutier, president of HealthCareCAN, said the latest wave could make the existing health-care worker shortage worse. HealthCareCAN represents research hospitals and regional health authorities.
Interesting observations by this ER doc
So what are the take-home points?
1. The Omicron wave will not come anywhere near the initially modeled worst case scenario in terms of hospitalization and ICU utilization.
— David Jacobs (@DrJacobsRad) December 26, 2021
In case you missed any Faucisms because you were busy during the holiday, we have a few here to lift your day.
Natalie Philippe, a public health nurse for Public Health Sudbury and Districts, says that a school outbreak does not always involve transmission within the school. Instead, it is declared when two cases are reported in a single classroom. Often, she says, “outbreaks that occur in schools are actually from contact that occurred outside of school.” Her region has been a hotspot since the end of October — and the city’s schools have not been spared. “We know that with Omicron, we are going to be dealing with something even stronger,” Philippe says.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Health has confirmed that patients suffering from the Wuhan coronavirus could be eligible for a right to a lethal injection under the nation’s new euthanasia law.
You understand, of course, that Western Civ’s mass formation psychosis, like a horror movie franchise, requires the constant re-invention of its monsters and hobgoblins, and a constantly refreshed arsenal of weapons to defeat them. Covid is our mutating monster, but Big Pharma’s silver bullets and wooden stakes have proven quite lame. So, the resourceful superhero, Dr. Fauci (“The Science”), has induced his magic messenger, Santa Claus (a.k.a. the FDA), to deliver two brand-new light-sabers to humankind to keep millions of disordered minds churning with hope of slaying the object of their fear.
As a Christmas present to statistics lovers, the Census Bureau has released its estimates of the population of the nation and the 50 states as of July 1, 2021. The Bureau admits up front that, due to COVID, its numbers are subject to more than usual uncertainty. But overall, they provide important clues as to how the public has coped with the pandemic and how COVID may have changed the trajectory of national growth — and contraction.
… This year, the German cities of Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich canceled their fireworks celebrations and prohibited large gatherings due to Omicron. Celebrations have been canceled in Paris, France; Rome, Italy; Edinburgh, Scotland; London, England; and New Delhi, India.
“Due to the surge in Covid cases, we’ve taken the difficult decision to cancel our NYE event in Trafalgar Square,” Mayor of London Sadiq Khan wrote on his Twitter account. “The safety of all Londoners must come first.”
Scientists are cautiously optimistic that the variant may be a sign the virus is losing its power, despite the high infection figures
Once again, Britain is experiencing a festive season hit by waves of Covid-19 infections. Last year, Christmas and New Year were spoiled by the appearance of the Alpha variant. This time, it is Omicron that has sent case numbers soaring. Christmas cancellations have swept through Britain’s restaurants, pubs and clubs and left the country on the brink of another bleak New Year as the NHS warns once more that it is facing the threat of being overwhelmed by spiralling numbers of seriously ill patients.
The scenario has raised fears that this now represents the shape of Christmases to come. Social restrictions and lockdown threats could become our normal festive fare.
A majority of Canadians will not be travelling over the holiday period, according to a new poll, as the highly-transmissible Omicron variant continues to drive a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases at home and abroad.
In a survey published Thursday by RedFlagDeals.com, 79 per cent said they don’t plan to travel by plane during the 2021 holiday season. But almost 22 per cent said they would.
What will Christmas look like next year?
The Omicron variant could have been called the Xi variant if the World Health Organization hadn’t decided to skip a couple letters of the Greek alphabet to avoid stigmatizing a common name. But with the Chinese Olympics coming up, it’s fair to ask how China is going to be able to deal with Omicron.
Writing in the Wall Street Journal late last week, Karol Markowicz noted, “Covid is suddenly funny and cool now that all the right people are getting it.”
Sadly, there’s truth in that claim.
Ontario is reporting nearly 10,000 new COVID-19 cases Sunday.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said there were 9,826 new infections, which is the second-highest single-day increase in Ontario since the pandemic began.
On Saturday, a record 10,412 cases were reported.
And the descent into madness gains pace
Delta flight from Tampa to Atlanta got crazy‼️ pic.twitter.com/I9BZUKv3LB
— ATL Uncensored | Atlanta News (@ATLUncensored) December 25, 2021
h/t SDMATT
Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has been at the forefront of the senseless agenda to push masks on schoolchildren in America – whether they need them or not.
The Spectator editor Fraser Nelson recently had an exchange with Graham Medley, chair of SPI-M, a committee of Sage Modeling, who came up with a pretty grim outlook for the “Omicron” (Moronic) variant of the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19). It turns out that Sage only churns out worst-case scenarios, Moronic included, that sidestep any possibility of a positive outcome because this is what politicians expect in order to impose more fascism.
