covid: omicron has 1/2 the hospitalization rate vs delta; futility of lockdowns
A new Technical Briefing was released from the UK on vaccine effectiveness for omicron, finding that omicron had about ½ the rate of severe covid vs delta (see https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1044481/Technical-Briefing-31-Dec-2021-Omicron_severity_update.pdf ) Details: -- this report covered omicron cases, hospitalizations, and deaths until 29 December 2021 -- 198,348 confirmed omicron cases in the UK, identified through sequencing or genotyping in England; and 451,194 probable cases, identified through S-gene target failure (SGTF) [for more info on SGTF, see http://gmodestmedblogs.blogspot.com/2021/04/covid-uk-variant-likely-responds-to.html ] -- two studies were reported, as noted below Results: -- Study 1: approximately half a million omicron cases (including all cases diagnosed in the community and in the first day of hospital admission, and for all...