So then....'Omicron' | Vital Football

So then....'Omicron'

Grayblade

Grayblade

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Why do we think this little beastie has been given it's own unique name after all the other Covid 19 variants so far have been simply labelled Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta followed by a number?

Is it something new to be concerned about or is it just the powers that be and the media trying to put us all back in our boxes for winter?
 
I thought I knew this but need to look it up......its the 15th letter in the Greek alphabet Gray.
 
Chips1889 said:
I thought I knew this but need to look it up......its the 15th letter in the Greek alphabet Gray.
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Ahh right, I only know the top ten Chippy. So i wonder what happened to Epsilon, Eta, Zeta and Theta etc. ?

EDIT I've answered my own question, there are other variants (K and N for example) but the they're not generally referred to by their Greek alphabet names like Alpha and Beta etc. because they're not as common. So I suppose is does make you wonder why one that's still so rare is already being referred to as Omicron?
 
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Grayblade said:
Ahh right, I only know the top ten Chippy. So i wonder what happened to Epsilon, Eta, Zeta and Theta etc. ?

EDIT I've answered my own question, there are other variants (K and N for example) but the they're not generally referred to by their Greek alphabet names like Alpha and Beta etc. because they're not as common. So I suppose is does make you wonder why one that's still so rare is already being referred to as Omicron?
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A good point, well made Gray.
 
Grayblade said:
Why do we think this little beastie has been given it's own unique name after all the other Covid 19 variants so far have been simply labelled Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta followed by a number?

Is it something new to be concerned about or is it just the powers that be and the media trying to put us all back in our boxes for winter?
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The full details aren't known yet, but Professor Chris Whitty says that it looks less of an issue than the Delta variant from what he's seen so far. Naturally, almost all of the newspapers have begun their attempts to provoke mass panic already, rather than wait for more information. The only exception seems to be the Telegraph, who have reported Whitty's calls for calm instead. I wonder if that's because they're the only actual Tory backing paper left and the others are preparing for a new government bashing session (the "sleaze" nonsense has gone a bit quiet recently, so they'll need some new material...)
 
50% of us - OMG.! Wheres my mask? We'll have to lockdown again and shut the schools..!

50% of us - So what...?

Viruses develop variants, usually less harmful but easier to catch. Flu and the common cold have done it since there were human beings. If I had to worry that tens of thousands of people might die if I didn't do something, I might think differently, but to me its just 'Meh'.
 
I'll leave it to the scientists and medical experts and they can call it what they want who cares. I've had my three jabs and if my medical centre contacts me for another jab I'll have it and get on with my life.
 
I have been reading an article on this Gray which suggests that the World Health Organisation were originally considering calling it the ‘nu’ ( equivalent of the Greek letter N) variant instead of the ‘omicron’ (equivalent of the Greek letter O) variant.

However there was some concern that to American ears ‘nu’ would sound identical to ‘new’ because in the US they pronounce both as ‘noo’.

It was thought that this could lead to problems when the ‘nu’ variant became the old variant because a new strain had been discovered.

Hence the decision to use ‘omicron’ instead.
 
Silentjourneyhome said:
I have been reading an article on this Gray which suggests that the World Health Organisation were originally considering calling it the ‘nu’ ( equivalent of the Greek letter N) variant instead of the ‘omicron’ (equivalent of the Greek letter O) variant.

However there was some concern that to American ears ‘nu’ would sound identical to ‘new’ because in the US they pronounce both as ‘noo’.

It was thought that this could lead to problems when the ‘nu’ variant became the old variant because a new strain had been discovered.

Hence the decision to use ‘omicron’ instead.
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Not unlike changing "The Madness of King George III" to "The Madness of King George" because US audiences wouldn't understand that it wasn't part of an ongoing series of movies, or changing "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" because Yankee kids are too stupid or lazy to look up what a philosopher is in the dictionary. The latter is especially annoying, as the story of the Philosopher's Stone is a real life urban legend from medieval London, and not something invented by JK Rowling...
 
SirRodneyEffing said:
Not unlike changing "The Madness of King George III" to "The Madness of King George" because US audiences wouldn't understand that it wasn't part of an ongoing series of movies, or changing "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" because Yankee kids are too stupid or lazy to look up what a philosopher is in the dictionary. The latter is especially annoying, as the story of the Philosopher's Stone is a real life urban legend from medieval London, and not something invented by JK Rowling...
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I think it would have been impossible for JKR to write Potter, if she hadn't read 'Lord of the Rings' first..

Anyway...the panic to impose PCR testing. Understandable given the delays to testing for the Indian variant. Masks in shops? FFS, the epitome of stupid. It is 'doing something' to appease the panic mongers and I wont be wearing one.

I have a friend who is an independent travel agent, and his business is totally fecked, clients cancelling left, right and centre. Ski-ing season is knackered. Poor lad. He only barely survived the last lot to go bust this time. Troubling times for us too, and our fragile business recovery. If the confidence goes, we're knackered too.
 
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FatherKnowsBest said:
I think it would have been impossible for JKR to write Potter, if she hadn't read 'Lord of the Rings' first..

Anyway...the panic to impose PCR testing. Understandable given the delays to testing for the Indian variant. Masks in shops? FFS, the epitome of stupid. It is 'doing something' to appease the panic mongers and I wont be wearing one.

I have a friend who is an independent travel agent, and his business is totally fecked, clients cancelling left, right and centre. Ski-ing season is knackered. Poor lad. He only barely survived the last lot to go bust this time. Troubling times for us too, and our fragile business recovery. If the confidence goes, we're knackered too.
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Sorry to hear that FKB and very much hope things go up not down.

Re the current situation, I'm sick to death of Stammer saying black to Boris' white on covid. Does the retard not get you're damned if you do and damned if you don't and if he were to lift his eyes for one second from Diane Abbotts butt crack he'd see we are light years ahead of the rest of Europe under its Stalinist cartel. We acted first on this new variant and everyone else is climbing over each other to follow, except the Swiss but then all they've ever been good at is yodelling,making cuckoo clocks and stealing gold from Jews after they let the Nazis stash it with them.
 
seanbeanstattoo said:
Sorry to hear that FKB and very much hope things go up not down.
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We'll find a way forward. Plenty of jobs about, if it comes to that.

The biggest problem is the media who have become hysterical based on nothing, pushing fear onto already anxious people with little or no basis in fact. Boris has had to 'do something', because the personal cost of finding out this is a deadlier version of Delta (it isn't) would be the end of him politically. I get that. I understand why the suggestion of masks for public transport and shops in the run up to Christmas even though they're feckin useless... I don't get this rush by the Labour party and half the population to make everything worse that it appears. Fear based on anxiety, based on pessimism... We need to get our confidence back as a nation, but it has gone the opposite way.
 
FatherKnowsBest said:
We'll find a way forward. Plenty of jobs about, if it comes to that.

The biggest problem is the media who have become hysterical based on nothing, pushing fear onto already anxious people with little or no basis in fact. Boris has had to 'do something', because the personal cost of finding out this is a deadlier version of Delta (it isn't) would be the end of him politically. I get that. I understand why the suggestion of masks for public transport and shops in the run up to Christmas even though they're feckin useless... I don't get this rush by the Labour party and half the population to make everything worse that it appears. Fear based on anxiety, based on pessimism... We need to get our confidence back as a nation, but it has gone the opposite way.
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Absolutely. If Stammer, instead of demanding the Govt goes to the more oppressive Plan B said we need to trust our citizens, remain vigilant at borders and by all means red list half of Africa no problem. He slagged the Govt for being too slow at the outset, now its because theyre not hard enough. Thank god the moron will never occupy the seats accross the dispatch box. Utter, utter ladygarden in absolutely every respect.
 
Hope you and your m8 pull through FKB
as for the media they’ve always tried to control the population and governments have done the same through whatever media outlets were available to them at the time so that’s nowt new it never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to control a horde of people we should be known as a flock of people like with religion who have controlled people for centuries and took the piss by calling them their flock just like the sheep that they are.
i stopped buying newspapers last century and stopped listening to the news where I could over a yr ago and although I know rod wouldn’t believe it as he says Im always moaning overall I’m a lot happier the only thing upsetting me atm is United but that’s hardly a surprise but I’ve already turned that round to this could be the start of a great new beginning looking forward to today as confirmation of that hopefully
 
Bulmer1889 said:
Hope you and your m8 pull through FKB
as for the media they’ve always tried to control the population and governments have done the same through whatever media outlets were available to them at the time so that’s nowt new it never ceases to amaze me how easy it is to control a horde of people we should be known as a flock of people like with religion who have controlled people for centuries and took the piss by calling them their flock just like the sheep that they are.
i stopped buying newspapers last century and stopped listening to the news where I could over a yr ago and although I know rod wouldn’t believe it as he says Im always moaning overall I’m a lot happier the only thing upsetting me atm is United but that’s hardly a surprise but I’ve already turned that round to this could be the start of a great new beginning looking forward to today as confirmation of that hopefully
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There is a tendency to avoid the news Bully.
It's gloom and doom for snowflakes who react with 'amazing,awesome or atrocious' dependent on how they perceive it affecting them when, often, it has little if any effect on their day to day business.
Their faux outrage at anything social media tells them to be insulted by only fans the flames and the vicious circle then widens so that everyone is affronted by everything no matter how trivial or vaguely relatedto their life it maybe.
I didn't watch any news yesterday and only found out this morning that masks were back on for shopping- I just hope there's one in the car for when the wife gets the knock back at Tesco's!!
 
Me and Mr Spurs off to Tavira (15 miles from Ayamonte on the Portuguese side) for 10 weeks in 10 days time.
Still going unless someone stops us - can't keep cancelling our lives for this
 
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