Australia detects the first case of the highly transmissible COVID-19 strain dubbed XEC

Submitted ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨zero_gravitas@aussie.zone⁩ to ⁨news@aussie.zone⁩

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-08/covid-19-variant-xec-australia-explainer/104439718

In short:

Australia has recorded its first cases of the XEC COVID-19 variant that has been spreading in Europe this year.

The mutation is a “recombinant” variant that is a mix of two previous Omicron subvariants called KS 1.1 and KP 3.3.

What’s next?

An infectious disease expert says the strain has the hallmarks of something that could lead to a “summer wave” of infections.

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Comments

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Tooden@aus.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
@zero_gravitas Are we going to treat it like all the previous summer Covid waves?
🙈If I can't see it, it's not there.
🙉 Lalalalala I can't hear you!
🙊 What virus? Nah, nah. Not happening.
(you didn't hear it from me)
The Three Censored Monkeys.
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- threeduck@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  What’s the purpose of having the three monkeys that basically all say the same thing?
  
  Like, from a rhetoric standpoint?
  
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  - Tooden@aus.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    @threeduck Good question.
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Mittens_meow@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I’m so over having yo wear a mask everywhere… and not being able to take part in life activities. Everyone has moved on, except those who are vulnerable. And society doesn’t care about those people, unfortunately.

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- No1@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  It blows my mind that when you think about it, those that are vulnerable etc were probably at their safest when covid was at it’s height…
  
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maniacalmanicmania@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Surf’s up dude.

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- jonne@infosec.pub ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I don’t see it going away anytime soon, so this will probably end up being like the annual flu shot, or even rolled into one shot eventually.
  
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- unemployedclaquer@sopuli.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  My impression from predictions was that covid would get weaker over time, but more persistent, and become an extra thing aside influenza.
  
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  - rtxn@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Remember when we thought people would realize the dangers of a global pandemic, and through a shared responsibility, we could do to COVID what we’ve done to smallpox and measles, and it would blow over in a few months?
    
    Fuck you, humans.
    
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- NaevaTheRat@vegantheoryclub.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  
  Are we meant to get annual boosters forever?
  
  Realistically the best case scenario is it mellows out to something like the flu that kills a few hundred people a year. So yes, like the flu you should be getting vaccinated.
  
  We don’t have a good grasp over what repeat viral exposure does though, SARS-2 appears to cause cumulative heart and brain damage, someone mitigated by vaccination, so the likely outcome is probably worse than the flu.
  
  I keep an eye on infection rates and get more wary about indoor spaces when it’s rising again. I live on the periphery of the city though which makes it easier to limit exposure. Urbanites can probably just embrace early onset dementia. Welcome to the world eating animals hath wrought, worse awaits us :)
  
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- corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Are we meant to get annual boosters forever?
  
  How often do you get a flu shot?
  
  How often does COVID mutate?
  
  Didn’t we finally kill polio, almost?
  
  You like being healthy?
  
  The answer to those questions should answer your question.
  
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- No1@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  
  I’m meant to be on a waiting list at my local clinic. Maybe I should just pop in elsewhere.
  
  I got a jab recently at Chemist Warehouse. Other chemists will do it too.
  
  Booked online in the morning, and got it in the afternoon. Free. No dramas.
  
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stoy@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Oh shit, here we go again…

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threeduck@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
I caught covid at PAX last weekend, but I couldn’t figure out how to report it. Even if the populace has stopped caring about covid, you’d think the government would still be putting in some effort.

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- zero_gravitas@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  Apparently they no longer want to know about it:
  
  You’re no longer required to report your positive rapid antigen test (RAT) in Victoria. Due to this, the reporting form has been deactivated.
  
  from: …vic.gov.au/…/checklist-covid-19-cases
  
  So it looks like the best you can do is this: info.flutracking.net
  
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TehBamski@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
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