Thread by @DrEricDing

📍NEW RECORD holder: Denmark🇩🇰 has now surpassed UK🇬🇧 in #Omicron growth rate—🇩🇰 now doubling every **1.6 days**, while 🇬🇧 doubling every 1.7 days. Meanwhile, 🇿🇦 is doubling every 3 days—still fast. But we may have to revise how fast Omicron truly is.

HT @DrWilliamKu #COVID19

2) To be clear, Denmark & UK are world leaders in genome 🧬 sequencing to confirm #Omicron. Hence their rates stand above the rest of the 🌍 in Omicron tracking. But their number numbers are indeed more accurate because of high sequencing—thus gives true Omicron speed. Forecast—

3) KEEP IN MIND— Speed of spread is >> importance than severity in a pandemic—a lower severity won’t prevent mass hospitalization deaths if the virus is more contagious / evasive against past immunity. Exponential math will catch up ultimately much faster in the end. See 🧵 below

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1469723185084084225

4) Hospitalizations are increasing across UK, especially in London (up ⬆️ 30% in one week) where #Omicron is most prevalent so far.

https://twitter.com/covid19actuary/status/1470439096124325892

5) Denmark’s total cases have been increasing a while — but the latest jump is due to #Omicron. Deaths will eventually follow once Omicron is dominant for a while.

6) Hospitalizations are rising fast in UK. And one death from #Omicron already. And it’s not even a few weeks yet.

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1470438101164216323

7) Also, are #Omicron cases hospitalized faster than non-Omicron #COVID19 cases??? Yes. Omicron hospitalizations in Denmark 🇩🇰 rising faster than after other variants. That’s not exactly “milder”.

https://twitter.com/nuritbaytch/status/1470448875685224451

8) Omicron seems to be infecting age 20-29 year olds a lot in Denmark. The nightclub age effect perhaps.
files.ssi.dk/covid19/omikro…

9) Furthermore, Denmark 🇩🇰 is seeing record #Omicron growth despite 76.9% 2-shot vaccinated and ~20% boosted. Clearly not enough to prevent a 1.6 days per doubling Omicron rate… this is what troubles me so much.

10) And moreover, the wave of cases is already inbound to become a wave of hospitalizations soon 🔜 its already coming and we can’t really stop 🛑 it. Short of major societal political action, we can only react quickly and warn people to stay safe and mask, boost, and ventilate

https://twitter.com/yaneerbaryam/status/1470566030615498753

11) If some of you want to dismiss #Omicron or #COVID19 as no biggie— then will you complain when the hospital is full later when you or your family actually need medical care? This man’s wife has breast cancer. Let his message sink in 👇 🧵

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1425649918102974467