Coronavirus Vaccine in Taiwan - 2022

[BiggusDickus]

@yinggeaussie

I was vaccinated against Polio at age 6, does that count?

Highly predictable.

[TaipAmy]

Yes, but everything I’ve seen talks about vaccines before Covid. My niece and nephew have already recovered from Omicron but are eligible for the coming vaccines. I just wonder if there is any benefit for them being somewhat immune at this point. They are 6 and 7.

[Marco]

@TaipAmy

Yes, but everything I’ve seen talks about vaccines before Covid. My niece and nephew have already recovered from Omicron but are eligible for the coming vaccines. I just wonder if there is any benefit for them being somewhat immune at this point. They are 6 and 7.

Right. But the vaccines were developed for the original and maintain protection of the original variant. We may not hear about original and alpha and delta, but they still exist.

And you still need the shots for many countries if travelling.

[TaipAmy]

Ok, but I thought I read Omicron prevented severe infections from earlier variants too.

Traveling is a good point for sure. They go to the US, China and Japan occasionally.

[Marco]

@TaipAmy

Ok, but I thought I read Omicron prevented severe infections from earlier variants too.

Traveling is a good point for sure. They go to the US, China and Japan occasionally.

Maybe, but I don’t think that has been studied all that well.

[yinggeaussie]

@Marco

And you still need the shots for many countries if travelling.

Rather surprisingly, the former Peoples Republic of Australia now allows the Unvaccinated to enter and not have to do Quarantine. Even Novak could get in, except for the fact that he was deported which usually results on an entry ban for a few years.

And no more pre-departure testing as from April 18.

[Wombat]

@Marco

And you still need the shots for many countries if travelling.

Which Countries do you need shots? for my interest… Yes, I know its a lazy question!

[Marco]

I’ll look it up when I get home, but off the top of my head QT is still mandatory in Canada without vaxxes.

[DrewC]

@BigDave

My daughter was telling me that she heard from a few of her grade four classmates that they are going to wait for BNT.

She asked why. They just said that their parents said it is better.

Moderna hasn’t been properly tested on kids, I guess? I don’t know. My wife and I are waiting for Pfizer too. I’m also torn. For a 5 year old, is Omicron riskier or the vaccine?

[afterspivak]

@Marco

QT is still mandatory in Canada without vaxxes.

Yes it is.

Guy

[DrewC]

@Marco

We may not hear about original and alpha and delta, but they still exist.

Not really. Wuhan OG strain, and Alpha are definitely extinct. Delta may be circulating at VERY low levels somewhere or in some wild animal populations, but if it’s around it’s an extremely small fraction of a percentage of cases. Almost negligible. And it could also be extinct as well. I haven’t read anything about Delta since January at least.

[Marco]

@DrewC

Wuhan OG strain, and Alpha are definitely extinct.

None of the countries are even testing. Rapid tests don’t tell you the strain. You can’t know that for sure.

[DrewC]

@Marco

None of the countries are even testing. Rapid tests don’t tell you the strain. You can’t know tha for sure.

Ah, but they have been testing. Countries constantly do studies to find new variants and in those studies they’re also finding how much of the current cases are made up by the present variants. In Chicago (actually this is the last article I read about Delta) they genome sequenced a few thousand cases in January only a month after Omicron came to the states. They found Delta only made up 00.03% of cases. The rest was all Omicron. 4 months later and I’m sure Omicron has completely outcompeted it there and elsewhere. OG and Alpha are definitely gone. OG hasn’t been sequenced in over a year. Alpha hasn’t been seen since last year.

[Marco]

@DrewC

@Marco

None of the countries are even testing. Rapid tests don’t tell you the strain. You can’t know tha for sure.

Ah, but they have been testing. Countries constantly do studies to find new variants and in those studies they’re also finding how much of the current cases are made up by the present variants. In Chicago (actually this is the last article I read about Delta) they genome sequenced a few thousand cases in January only a month after Omicron came to the states. They found Delta only made up 00.03% of cases. The rest was all Omicron. 4 months later and I’m sure Omicron has completely outcompeted it there and elsewhere. OG and Alpha are definitely gone. OG hasn’t been sequenced in over a year. Alpha hasn’t been seen since last year.

I know that when half my family caught it a couple months ago, they took rapid tests and were told to quarantine at home.

They didn’t submit any samples to labs.

Unless they’re testing wastewater, it’s hard to tell.

[afterspivak]

@DrewC

Alpha hasn’t been seen since last year.

Based on what we saw in Taiwan in 2021: good riddance!

Guy

[BigDave]

Uk tests a lot, well they did, and omercron wiped out delta real fast.

There is evidence ( I’m not going to look for it) that omercron infection protects you from other strains but delta doesn’t protect you from catching omercron.

Basically a bloke down the pub told me that delta’s days are numbered.

[DrewC]

@Marco

I know that when half my family caught it a couple months ago, they took rapid tests and were told to quarantine at home.

They didn’t submit any samples to labs.

I’m just saying if Delta was still around it would be popping up enough to be observed by hospitals and studies. The symptoms also present differently enough from Omicron that it would be noticeable if there was a Delta outbreak. Remember the case:death ratio of Alpha last year… we were getting about 20-30 deaths a day when we were diagnosing about 300 to 500 cases. Now we have tens of thousands of cases and are getting 3-5 fatalities a day (yes, vaccines, but it doesn’t completely account for that kind of huge gap).

Delta and Alpha being gone is a GOOD thing. I’ll eat my hat if there’s ever a huge Delta or Alpha outbreak in Taiwan again (and my hat is gross). Those variants are deader than Disco.

[Marco]

I get that, but I don’t think it’s gone 100%. When Omicron starts sputtering out, will Delta replace it? I don’t know. Colds and flus were also barely here during the pandemic as we know. Will the removal of restrictions cause more cold and flu cases? I’d rather err on the side of caution.

[DrewC]

@Marco

When Omicron starts sputtering out, will Delta replace it?

No. It’s not around. Unfortunately Omicron won’t “sputter out” unless it’s replaced by an even more contagious variant just like Omicron replaced Delta, Delta replaced Alpha, Alpha replaced OG.,.

[Marco]

I’m gonna have to disagree on this one.

I don’t think they’re fully extinct just quite yet.