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Eric Feigl-Ding Profile picture
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26 Nov, 9 tweets, 6 min read
⚠️FIRST #OmicronVariant EUROPE CASE DID **NOT** TRAVEL TO SOUTHERN AFRICA—Tracing details of the Belgium #B11529 case reveals only travel to Egypt🇪🇬 & Turkey 🇹🇷—but not Sub-Saharan Africa at all. I’m concerned #Omicron is global 🌍 already—very worried. 🧵
assets.uzleuven.be/files/2021-11/…
2) Travel restrictions — many countries implementing them to Southern Africa. But is that enough? This is why international arrival testing + quarantine is likely much better safety net against variant border incursion.
3) The two #B11529 cases in Hong Kong were interesting too. The second HK case acquired it from the first traveler from South Africa in hotel quarantine! Both were vaccinated.
4) More cases from South Africa 🇿🇦 (Cape Town and Johannesburg) on two flights ✈️ to Amsterdam rolling in… potentially #OmicronVariant—awaiting more tests.
5) because the Belgian case returned in early November, but we don’t know about #Omicron spread since then, Belgian scientists are now retroactively combing past PCR positives for S-Gene dropout signals (SGTF is a proxy for #B11529)… they have found 47 candidates! More coming.
6) How aggressive should we be against #OmicronVariant? Well I think precautionary principle should always be paramount to save lives…. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the…
7) Omicron has definitely become a problem. Many scientists use even stronger language of concern, and even now advising UK leaders on the same. See below 👇
8) CAT IT OUT OF THE BAG— #Omicron has definitely gone global at this point with so many countries with confirmed or suspected cases of #B11529.
9) It seems #Omicron gone global and to a new continent now—Australia 🇦🇺

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More from @DrEricDing

Eric Feigl-Ding Profile picture
28 Nov
⚠️TRIPLING HOSPITALIZATIONS IN 2 WEEKS—In #Omicron epicenter of Gauteng Province, South Africa🇿🇦, there is more than **tripling of #COVID19 hospitalizations** in 2 weeks—➡️ from 135 hospital admissions to 418. This is data directly from 🇿🇦’s CDC @nicd_sa🧵
nicd.ac.za/diseases-a-z-i… Image
2) here is the exact #COVID19 hospitalizations breakdown for Gauteng Province by both public and private hospitals. It’s increasing equally - tripling in both classes of hospitals. This is not just a surveillance issue. Trust the @nicd_sa data first. nicd.ac.za/diseases-a-z-i… Image
3) breakdown many #COVID19 patients currently hospitalized / in ICU / on ventilator in Gauteng 🇿🇦—747 hospitalized, 57 in ICU, and 23 on a ventilator. @nicd_sa doesn’t give the time series for all of these. It’s still early. Less hope it doesn’t rise further. Image
Read 11 tweets
Eric Feigl-Ding Profile picture
28 Nov
📍”MARKED CHANGE”—In South Africa 🇿🇦: “Young people, in their 20s to late 30s, are coming in with moderate to severe disease, some needing intensive care. About 65% are not vaccinated—most of the rest are only half-vaccinated”. ➡️#GetVaccinatedNow #Omicron pbs.org/newshour/healt… Image
2) Yes I’m aware of conflicting reports. But I’m citing PBS / AP - reputable sources. The disinfo on other side saying it’s “mild” is from manipulating quotes.
3) Here is the full context of those who claimed it was “mild”. Different doctors see diff patients. I know for a fact that hospitalizations are rising in the Gauteng epicenter province. I’ll share a graph later.
Read 4 tweets
Eric Feigl-Ding Profile picture
28 Nov
BREAKING—13 #Omicron variant cases now confirmed from 61 #COVID19 cases among ~600 passengers on two flights from South Africa to Amsterdam 🇳🇱(that took off and was mid-air when EU travel limits added). Dutch government warns there will likely be more. bbc.co.uk/news/world-eur… Image
2) Overnight, Germany also added a confirmed case (suspected yesterday) along with Italy 🇮🇹, and previously Australia just recently. Austria and Denmark now have probables. bnonews.com/index.php/2021… Image
3) the two Australia 🇦🇺 cases also just came off of Qatar Airways flights from South Africa 🇿🇦 via Doha. The earlier Hong Kong 🇭🇰 cases also were on @qatarairways via Doha. ➡️ I think @DohaAirport needs to do more screenings as well.
Read 5 tweets
Eric Feigl-Ding Profile picture
28 Nov
NEW—Australia 🇦🇺 confirms its first 2 cases of #Omicron variant in New South Wales (Sydney region) among flight ✈️ passengers returning from South Africa 🇿🇦, aboard a Qatar Airways flight via Doha. All 260 aboard now isolating. 14 days hotel quarantine for those from S Africa. 🧵 Image
2) This adds to the flurry of new / probable #Omicron cases identified in the past 2 days. It’s definitely global now
3) I warned that it was already global outside of SubSaharan Africa when we immediately noticed the Belgium 🇧🇪 case has zero travel to Southern Africa. And it was weeks ago. Millions fly out every week in Africa. It was inevitable if we respond so late.
Read 4 tweets
Eric Feigl-Ding Profile picture
28 Nov
Lots of misinformation now being floated that #Omicron is “mild”. That’s nonsense — based on out-of-context quote. Don’t fall for it — nobody know that much yet. And hospitalizations are still rising in the hardest hit #B11529 dominant provinces in South Africa 🇿🇦
2) I agree with this a lot - that is we don’t know enough about severity yet. And “clinical observation” is just anecdotal — not systematic— it’s anti epidemiology and anti evidence based. Let’s wait for severity data.
3) scientists are worried. There’s no way to sugar coat it. Let’s hope to contain it as much as we can while we learn more. 👇
Read 7 tweets
Eric Feigl-Ding Profile picture
27 Nov
BREAKING—🇬🇧PM warns: “The #Omicron spreads very rapidly & can be spread between people double vaccinated. There is very extensive mutation—diverges quite significantly from previous, and as a result, might in part reduce the protection of our vaccines over time”. 👀 #BoosterShots
2) “we will require all contacts of those who test positive with a suspected case of Omicron to self-isolate for 10 days regardless of your vaccination status."

cnn.com/world/live-new…
3) This follows UK discovery for 2 cases of #Omicron this morning.
Read 10 tweets

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