[FRIAM] Omicron--what we know now

[Marcus Daniels]

In the words of Hannibal Lecter, “We begin by coveting what we see every day.”
That is, scientists study the North Americans and Europeans.  Africans not so much.   HIV variants, for example, have very different properties in Africa than in the U.S. because Africans expert a different kind of immune pressure.
From: Friam <friam-bounces at redfish.com> On Behalf Of Gillian Densmore
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2021 10:59 AM
To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam at redfish.com>
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Omicron--what we know now

lol 😂  yeah it feels like they're going: ok  this is bad. Um um we didn't study! quick! off to the bat cave and find the cliffnotes!.

On Mon, Nov 29, 2021 at 11:32 AM Marcus Daniels <marcus at snoutfarm.com<mailto:marcus at snoutfarm.com>> wrote:
Kind of get the feeling that surveillance deep in Africa isn’t close to telling the whole story, eh?  How many chapters of this story have just been missed completely?

From: Friam <friam-bounces at redfish.com<mailto:friam-bounces at redfish.com>> On Behalf Of Merle Lefkoff
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2021 10:12 AM
To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam at redfish.com<mailto:friam at redfish.com>>
Subject: [FRIAM] Omicron--what we know now


Omicron’s genetic profile is unique from other circulating variants, meaning it represents a new lineage of the virus.



It is distinct from other variants in another crucial way: There are a greater number of mutations. Tulio de Oliveira, director of the Center for Epidemic Response and Innovation in South Africa, said there are more than 30 mutations in the spike protein, the part of the virus that binds to human cells, allowing it to gain entry.



Scientists are worried that those mutations could make omicron more transmissible and potentially equipped to defy immune defenses, making vaccines less effective. The WHO said last week that preliminary evidence suggests an “increased risk of reinfection” compared with other variants.

--
Merle Lefkoff, Ph.D.
Center for Emergent Diplomacy
emergentdiplomacy.org<http://emergentdiplomacy.org>
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA



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