you know what would be more beneficial than panicking? sharing links on where to get boosters, sharing best practices for masking, sharing tips to keep safe while traveling, not tweeting at all, literally anything other than tweeting about being on the verge of panic

— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachi) December 3, 2021

Analysis: The most-vaccinated big counties in America are beating the worst of the coronavirus https://t.co/ORqERbRsxp

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 4, 2021

A rush of vaccine-seeking customers and staff shortages are squeezing drugstores around the U.S., leading to frazzled workers and temporary pharmacy closures. Pharmacists are doling out a growing number of COVID-19 shots and giving coronavirus tests. https://t.co/qL3JYxUJnr

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 4, 2021

https://t.co/pY3wvJlnGF

— Virginia Heffernan (@page88) December 4, 2021

New coronavirus testing rules for international travel begin Monday https://t.co/XZD0Of9pWl

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 4, 2021

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Despite #OmnicronVariant's global spread, the WHO says there are no Omicron deaths so far. The agency warns it may take weeks to determine how infectious the variant is, whether it causes more severe illness & how effective antivirals & vaccines are https://t.co/NSN6Ysf3gc pic.twitter.com/Wnp90HvUng

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 4, 2021

The OECD says it would cost $50 billion to vaccinate the world—a sum that pales in comparison to the $10 trillion G-20 countries have spent mitigating the economic impact of Covid-19 https://t.co/HUxPRqZdZn via @business

— Kevin Whitelaw (@KevinWhitelaw1) December 1, 2021

Omicron proves we’re not in control of Covid – only global action can stop this pandemic https://t.co/qyPuPAlpGj

— Crawford Kilian (@Crof) December 4, 2021

S.Korea reports 3 more Omicron cases https://t.co/GXZn6KLRqt pic.twitter.com/ef0Th1FAR7

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 5, 2021

WHO urges Asia-Pacific to ready for Omicron-driven surge in infections https://t.co/cYRNypos48 pic.twitter.com/DDSDoc7AyH

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 3, 2021

Nearly 2 years into the pandemic, Cook Islands reports first case of Covid https://t.co/qI0udEDlfc pic.twitter.com/jQ4qQGrThh

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 4, 2021

"A devastating blow for aviation and tourism": Travel industry officials worried after Britain tightens virus testing rules amid concerns about the omicron variant. https://t.co/4BmTjpsM2W

— AP Europe (@AP_Europe) December 4, 2021

‘For now, South Africa is the latest proof of the adage that no good deed goes unpunished.’https://t.co/P00ONlgn2u

— Sarah Emily Duff (@sarahemilyduff) December 1, 2021

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Lots of caveats; too soon to know. But early info from South Africa provide tantalizing hints that #Omicron may trigger milder illness. With thoughts from @MarionKoopmans, @AmeshAA & @PeterHotez. https://t.co/AOE215ZxTT

— Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) December 5, 2021

Omicron variant may have picked up a piece of common-cold virus https://t.co/okhl2QYo3A pic.twitter.com/T6rAoXSTvx

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 4, 2021

… By inserting this particular snippet into itself, Omicron might be making itself look “more human,” which would help it evade attack by the human immune system, said Venky Soundararajan of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based data analytics firm nference, who led the study posted on Thursday on the website OSF Preprints.

This could mean the virus transmits more easily, while only causing mild or asymptomatic disease. Scientists do not yet know whether Omicron is more infectious than other variants, whether it causes more severe disease or whether it will overtake Delta as the most prevalent variant. It may take several weeks to get answers to these questions…

The same genetic sequence appears many times in one of the coronaviruses that causes colds in people – known as HCoV-229E – and in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS, Soundararajan said.

South Africa, where Omicron was first identified, has the world’s highest rate of HIV, which weakens the immune system and increases a person’s vulnerability to infections with common-cold viruses and other pathogens. In that part of the world, there are many people in whom the recombination that added this ubiquitous set of genes to Omicron might have occurred, Soundararajan said…

More research is needed to confirm the origins of Omicron’s mutations and their effects on function and transmissibility. There are competing hypotheses that the latest variant might have spent some time evolving in an animal host.

In the meantime, Soundararajan said, the new findings underscore the importance of people getting the currently available COVID-19 vaccines.

“You have to vaccinate to reduce the odds that other people, who are immunocompromised, will encounter the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” Soundararajan said.

New research examines the maximum risks of SARSCoV2 infection with & without masks. Investigation by scientists at Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation in Göttingen Germany https://t.co/xM0oOTkNDU via @medical_xpress

— delthia ricks 🔬 (@DelthiaRicks) December 4, 2021

… “In our study we found that the risk of infection without wearing masks is enormously high after only a few minutes, even at a distance of three meters, if the infected persons have the high viral load of the delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” says Eberhard Bodenschatz. And such encounters are unavoidable in schools, restaurants, clubs or even outdoors.

As high as the risk of infection is without mouth-nose protection, medical or FFP2 masks protect effectively. The Göttingen study confirms that FFP2 or KN95 masks are particularly effective in filtering infectious particles from the air breathed—especially if they are as tightly sealed as possible at the face. If both the infected and the non-infected person wear well-fitting FFP2 masks, the maximum risk of infection after 20 minutes is hardly more than one per thousand, even at the shortest distance. If their masks fit poorly, the probability of infection increases to about four percent. If both wear well-fitting medical masks, the virus is likely to be transmitted within 20 minutes with a maximum probability of ten percent. The study also confirms the intuitive assumption that for effective protection against infection, in particular the infected person should wear a mask that filters as well as possible and fits tightly to the face…

It always amazes me how promiscuous SARS-CoV-2 is. https://t.co/2JGPAAssDX

— Florian Krammer (@florian_krammer) December 4, 2021

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New York has announced three more cases of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, bringing to eight the number of state cases linked to the new variant. Gov. Kathy Hochul said the cases appear to be unrelated. https://t.co/u9lNUuQW6t

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 4, 2021

Nevada to make unvaccinated state workers pay insurance surcharge https://t.co/rmmTNdYl32

— Healthcare-Global?? (@HealthcareGlob1) December 3, 2021

Analysis: Aaron Rodgers flaunts the NFL/NFLPA coronavirus protocols and gets a fine that barely shows up in his paycheck.

Antonio Brown and two others do the same and get three-game suspensions.

What gives? It’s complicated. https://t.co/KSvQGEfDL1

— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) December 3, 2021

A man bragged he was “gonna be rich” off fake coronavirus vaccine cards, prosecutors say. Then he got charged. https://t.co/NxkG6ttEoe

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 4, 2021

heaven help us they have a new joke pic.twitter.com/BjWl1vHKXL

— Michael Hobbes (@RottenInDenmark) December 4, 2021

As others pointed out, not much point arguing with someone who believes in ‘Jewish space lasers’…

If it cancer was contagious, we sure as hell would take precautions to prevent it from spreading. https://t.co/DwlTtsxfEi

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) December 4, 2021