Thread by @kylamb8

Today most can't spell Omicron.

Yesterday they thought it was the Nu variant.

Two days ago most didn't know it existed.

The only reports on the ground is that it's mild so far.

Yet global leaders are threatening restrictions over a coming surge. Pure evil manipulation.

There is nothing profound about variants. They're natural permutations of a respiratory virus. The media has attempted to exaggerate every single one, and none have been remarkably different other than Delta being a little more transmissible. Branding them is a fear tactic.

Think about it: they're already trying to link the upcoming winter wave with Omicron, even though we literally have zero data supporting it is any more transmissible and anecdotes suggest it's milder. And the winter wave has already started, but they'll blame it on the "variant."

The red line is exactly why Fauci was quick to point out Omicron is already here in the U.S. While he's like right, technically, they need to explain why this Delta winter wave happened despite high vaccinations. It's easier to blame a new variant they didn't account for.

When it happened to the southern states, they blamed low vaccination rates. But when it is happening everywhere else, even including states that have the highest vaccination rates, they need an excuse. So just blame it on a scary new variant that escaped vaccines.

If you split up the U.S. + DC into three groups of 17 states each, based on percent of population that are fully vaccinated, the case rates per 100,000 are 35 for the most vaccinated states, 36 for the middle group, and 25 for the least vaccinated. They know. They hope you don't.

And just to clarify, as I know someone will try to spin this into something it's not: no, this is not saying that these rates are higher BECAUSE OF vaccines. Rather, vaccines aren't stopping transmission and seasonal patterns are the cause, in spite of them. See: summer wave.