Got to say I'm surprised the number of deaths aren't 250+ higher. Perhaps the new anti Covid drugs are having an effect.
I think this is on track with my own expectations when we started to understand Omicron and is around one eighth of the peak this time last year. Well in line with the vaccine effectiveness data.
The vaccines are the major reason. But the way in which Omicron does not get into the lungs as easily as Delta is also a key to the difference. The visibly stunning way in which numbers on ventilators have fallen rapidly over the past month in mid winter when you would expect them to rise - close to soon halving in 5 or 6 weeks since Omicron took over - is very good evidence of that key difference that makes it less dangerous and is critical to why this wave is less threatening than all worst fears.
The new drugs you mention will be adding to the success as well, hopefully. Science has proved itself in the last two years several times over.
Everything else is little changed There are still far more people over 60 dying than under 60. Though there are not zero even under the age of 20 in most weeks. Just happily usually single figure numbers. The age distribution of death has barely altered in the past 2 years.
So the over 80s were and always will be the ones with most other problems that Covid can trigger but if you avoid needing icu ventilation even then your chances escalate. And these are the people now not succumbing who with a different variant - even in our vaccinated nation - possibly would more often have done.
And the raw stats that there are thousands testing positive under the age of 10 - where happily this disease is not irrelevant but rarely serious - and just a few hundred aged over 70 - each week.
The most noticeable thing about the ones over the age of 40 in hospital now seems to be the rising percentage of those unvaccinated by the accounts of medics. Though by statistics there will always be more vaccinated ones as they far outnumber the rest. Happily these hold outs are in the minority of the population now but enough to top up the risk of serious cases and deaths sadly.
Plus natural antibodies after two years of people catching it - increasingly more than once - is a rising factor too as we go along.
So as the pandemic has progressed we are just in a much better place than we were this time last year when many of these things were yet to happen.
Does not mean another bad variant might not emerge from the largely unvaccinated regions of the world. Very likely it could until we stop talking about vaccinating the planet and go do it ASAP. We might get away with it and the next one cannot out compete Omicron or to do so also trade off level of risk. We could get lucky. Or not.
But as with most pandemics the general trend is to progress towards a liveable with version that suits both virus and humanity. Most - though - means it does not always work out like that as this is not a divine plan and largely trial and error of nature - which is why it is a trend not a rule.
So we are not without risk but we are in a clearly better place than we were and are allowed now to be hopeful but also have to temper that with not being complacent AND see why it really matters to vaccinate the world - which we are still only jabbering a lot about doing and not actually jabbing a lot.
These are purely my views and I am not an expert in any way on these things so very happy to be corrected by those more knowledgeable on the science.
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