Ann: TGA Registration Update, page-549

This is not new news .
BA.2 omicron has existed all along and just got to Europe & then elsewhere , second, after BA.1 was first to emigrate out of Africa .
It is now dominant in Europe (Denmark’s case load is the most accurate picture as they have or had high rates of testing for Covid throughout. Testing has all but ceased, unfortunately, in large majority of countries now. Cases are now not so visible - hospitalisation rates more )
It definitely was dominant in the UK last month and is the most prolific in the US - who again are still woefully under- vaccinated and prepared for this rise in cases. New York experienced already and it’s across America & will see more hospitalisations and deaths spike again . The US but even places like Central Europe, even Switzerland, and definitely where refugees from Ukraine arriving, under- protected — going to be significant Spring spike again for Europe , the US , and this news article is meant as a warning for here in Australia.
Esp NSW where everyone prefer to finally move forwards and forget about covid.

But it isn’t new. And BA.2 isn’t benign.
People are doing very well relatively - if they have had 3 doses of vaccine ( 2 doses + very important booster dose) . Bad cold type illness is what hope be ones maximum.

Vulnerable and aged and at risk people - are in real danger still.

Everyone wants the narrative of a smooth path now to ‘endemicity ‘ . There still is no such thing. But we are moving forwards.
Really everyone still needs to exercise commonsense & masks where crowded spaces ( particularly after a nice more free March, Easter time to come & mingling) - going to see spread in the months ahead.
People who have had omicron hopefully be immune and 3 dosed people have good protection from serious illness or hospital or need for intervention.
Under 5 year olds of course have no protection. For everyone else - everyone has had huge time and every pressure to be vaccinated, been given every warning to get vaccinated and a percentage refuse and are truly intransigent to receiving vaccine. Hopefully more might come around and especially with nasal vaccination, or the hope of a true broadly effective vaccine against all variants to come - might be developed .

Only with vaccination will we ultimately get past covid fully. Continuing evolution of the virus is going to occur. People will not retain immunity enough to avoid fully new infections down the track.

Governments and public health have taken the position to not focus as much on covid (we all cannot take it anymore), move forward- population hopefully gradually develop more resistance.

Globally - extremely high rates of vaccination are really needed.
Things are better than a year ago.
Hopefully BA.2 also , which is likely to and is extinguishing even the utterly virulent BA.1 — be not associated with long- covid or the really enduring risks of delta and earlier variants .

But please everyone needs be careful ongoing.
No 1 - be vaccinated. The more of us who are - decreases the spread and helps limit the risks ultimately to us all.
Also decreases opportunities for the virus to mutate.
When it runs rampant is exponentially greater risks with mutations. Hence the lockdown everyone was made to endure around the world .

Its more personal responsibility now. All take care.
We will continue to get through it
Certainly can’t turn it back.
(apologies- was not proofread. )