Coronavirus: how bad is the new Omicron variant?

Ғылым және технология

A new variant of coronavirus has been identified and named Omicron. The question is: should we be worried?
This video is a low-down on what we know about the Omicron variant, and should have a slightly longer shelf-life because it’s also a guide to understanding what questions to ask when the next new variant is discovered. I may have missed the mark slightly with guessing what Greek letter they’d use, but I hope the rest of it will stand the test of time… :)
Video chapters
00:00 The new (not Nu) variant
01:47 Identifying variants
03:55 Understanding variants
08:12 Stopping variants
Sources and further reading
Heavily mutated Omicron variant puts scientists on alert from Nature News www.nature.com/articles/d4158...
My Twitter thread about Omicron, which is mainly a collection of other informative threads / 1463905858174259210
The variant was first flagged up online on GitHub! In spite of the awful circumstances, it’s really cool that this science is being done so openly github.com/cov-lineages/pango...
Important thread from South African epidemiologist, Tulio de Oliveira / 1463911554538160130
Press conference from South Africa about what we know so far • WATCH LIVE | Urgent br...
FAQ on Omicron from South African public health experts www.nicd.ac.za/frequently-ask...
The mutations in Omicron covariants.org/variants/21K
Thread about the worrying mutations in the spike protein from Jeffrey Barrett / 1463975708770897923
Vaccine statistics via the excellent Our World in Data. Get the latest numbers here: ourworldindata.org/explorers/...
Botswana vs Spain sequencing statistic spotted by Theo Sanderson / 1463568873844785155
And finally…
Follow me on Twitter / statto
Follow me on Instagram / andrewjsteele
Like my page on Facebook / drandrewsteele
Read my book, Ageless: The new science of getting older without getting old ageless.link/

Пікірлер: 36

  • @DrAndrewSteele
    @DrAndrewSteele2 жыл бұрын

    I made this video at breakneck speed, and it was only possible thanks to the amazing work of scientists all around the world, and particularly South Africa, making their data available rapidly and in the open. As well as KZread videos, this allows (slightly more important!) rapid public health responses. Thanks, science, thanks, amazing scientists-and let’s not squander our head start this time. You might also be interested in a Twitter thread I’ve been collating (mainly of other threads) on Twitter in which I’ll try to keep up with developments post-this-video: twitter.com/statto/status/1463905858174259210

  • @msaditu
    @msaditu2 жыл бұрын

    When I first heard the news about the omicron variant I thought of you and hoped you would do a video about the new mutations. However, I wasn't expecting one so soon. Thank you for an excellent overview.

  • @DrAndrewSteele

    @DrAndrewSteele

    2 жыл бұрын

    You’re welcome! :)

  • @fr3zer677
    @fr3zer6772 жыл бұрын

    Please keep making these videos. They're highly informative and interesting. It's just sad to see that they don't get the recognition they deserve. Although this time it might be because most people are tired of hearing about new corona virus variants.

  • @DrAndrewSteele

    @DrAndrewSteele

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much! I’ll definitely keep at it, don’t worry! :)

  • @davetreadwell
    @davetreadwell2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, as ever, for well communicated, accurate scientific content

  • @DrAndrewSteele

    @DrAndrewSteele

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @danjoseph9857
    @danjoseph98572 жыл бұрын

    Excellent overview of this Nu (oops) variant. Keep up the great work

  • @DrAndrewSteele

    @DrAndrewSteele

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @happyundertaker6255
    @happyundertaker62552 жыл бұрын

    If this goes on, in six months we’ll have the Omega strain. What happens then?

  • @mrlarrybobjr

    @mrlarrybobjr

    2 жыл бұрын

    Ha ha that’s what my brother and I just said.

  • @luner9033
    @luner90332 жыл бұрын

    Nice talk in Emmanuel Center

  • @DrAndrewSteele

    @DrAndrewSteele

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it :)

  • @leungveronica6144
    @leungveronica61442 жыл бұрын

    Nice Biology talk in the Emmanuel centre

  • @DrAndrewSteele

    @DrAndrewSteele

    2 жыл бұрын

    Haha thanks!

  • @mypivotanimations8623
    @mypivotanimations86232 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for another very informative video! Kinda scary whenever news of a new variant start spreading, but this video tranquilized me in a way. Masks still on for some more time, I guess...

  • @nopara73
    @nopara732 жыл бұрын

    Great video. Correction: If you're a politician, it's probably better to NOT do anything.

  • @GervaisRioux
    @GervaisRioux2 жыл бұрын

    It is really incredible that we are able to sequence virus variants so rapidly! If you think about it, it's one of the first time we use PCR to test for a disease at this scale! Even sequencing is done quite often. During the 1918 flu pandemic, they thought it was a bacterium that caused the disease and we finally sequenced the virus in the 2000s. Truly amazing work by all the scientists out there. 🤯

  • @DrAndrewSteele

    @DrAndrewSteele

    2 жыл бұрын

    We really do live in the future…

  • @kieron1659
    @kieron16592 жыл бұрын

    Lol look at the background looks it’s being projected by one of them old school projectors 😂😂

  • @JuozasKontvainis
    @JuozasKontvainis2 жыл бұрын

    I’m not sure if your Botswana vs Spain comparison is fair. As I understand, current vaccines are good at preventing hospitalizations, not infections or transmissions. While vaccinated people provide less fertile ground of opportunities for this virus to mutate, vaccines don’t stop it from spreading and ultimately finding a way to spread easier among vaccinated.

  • @DrAndrewSteele

    @DrAndrewSteele

    2 жыл бұрын

    Vaccines do reduce infection and transmission-just not by as much as they reduce serious illness and death. People who are vaccinated are less likely to get infected in the first place, have lower viral loads, and clear the virus more quickly than those who aren’t, which sadly doesn’t translate into entirely stopping transmission, but does reduce it. Plus, the reduced viral loads result in fewer chances for the virus to mutate. It’s a shame they’re not better at this, of course, but I think it’s pretty clear that higher rates of vaccination are helpful based on what we know about current variants. :)

  • @grimaffiliations3671
    @grimaffiliations36712 жыл бұрын

    Ohmywhat? when will this end?

  • @DrAndrewSteele

    @DrAndrewSteele

    2 жыл бұрын

    I know right :(

  • @ArtistUpdatesGlobal
    @ArtistUpdatesGlobal2 жыл бұрын

    Someone sum this up fo me thanks

  • @dreddy_g
    @dreddy_g2 жыл бұрын

    It's been about 21 months since this plan... err... pandemic started, and I have yet to see any person or group of authority recommend a balanced diet and regular exercise as a defense mechanism against any sort of disease. But that's really none of my business.

  • @DrAndrewSteele

    @DrAndrewSteele

    2 жыл бұрын

    This is just total nonsense. I’ve seen loads of scientists and public health authorities recommending diet and exercise to prevent disease, just as they have been for many years. Here’s a video I made in the last year advocating exactly that: kzread.info/dash/bejne/a31luKufpdOrlrw.html

  • @ThuUyenPhamThi-iy2cz
    @ThuUyenPhamThi-iy2czАй бұрын

    10:28

  • @leenylady4703
    @leenylady47032 жыл бұрын

    omicron does not mean anything. It is simply the O varient. And since testing is not being utilized the lazy countries are using travel blocks.

  • @kieron1659
    @kieron16592 жыл бұрын

    Lol what a joke I can’t believe this is real I slap myself everyday and it really is reality hahaha all you can is laugh I suppose

  • @melgrant7404
    @melgrant74042 жыл бұрын

    I'm done with it

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