Hot topics close

MSNBC's Chris Hayes says 'this moment is, in some ways, one of the weirdest of the pandemic'

MSNBCs Chris Hayes says this moment is in some ways one of the weirdest  of the pandemic

SETTINGS

OFF

HD

HQ

SD

LO

Skip Ad

Duration: 01:38 22 hrs ago

On All In With Chris Hayes Wednesday, Chris Hayes discussed why he believes the COVID-19 Omicron variant's contagiousness is changing the pandemic normal. As the U.S. set a new record high for coronavirus infections this week, Hayes cited a professor of emerging infectious diseases at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who estimated that the R-naught of Omicron could be as high as 10, which means every person infected with Omicron infects another 10 people. In simpler terms, Omicron is way more contagious and transmissible than the original strain with an R-naught of 2.5 and the Delta variant with 7. Hayes stated, "To stop something that infectious, something with an R-naught of 10. You would need, essentially, 100% vaccination. It's like stamping out measles. You'd basically have everyone, to get to herd immunity. We don't have that. So short of instituting just extremely dramatic lockdowns, things like we had in March and April, where every business and school closes? This variant's going to spread like crazy and that's exactly what we're seeing. And, so, this moment is, in some ways, one of the weirdest of the pandemic. We're nearing the two-year mark, and all of a sudden dealing with a somewhat different beast in some ways." Hayes then pointed out how the CDC recently amended their isolation and quarantine to just five days, before comparing Omicron's rate of transmission to the flu. "We haven't quite had an illness this infectious and this possible to cause serious illness," explained Hayes, adding that this "does look more like the flu. Flu, of course, can still be dangerous, kills tens of thousands of Americans every year, but we don't orient our lives around the flu. That's closer to the level of risk that 200 million Americans, or less than that, are now dealing with. And then when you add in the sheer exhaustion many people feel, and I don't have to tell you this I'm sure, because you're feeling this yourself, many of you. The lengths of this disruption in our lives, obviously the politics of the pandemic are just completely different than they were earlier in the pandemic."

Similar news
News Archive
  • Josh Taylor
    Josh Taylor
    Josh Taylor vs Teofimo Lopez LIVE updates
    25 May 2024
    26
  • Drought
    Drought
    Drought declared for all of South West England after driest conditions in nearly 90 years
    30 Aug 2022
    1
  • Superdrug antibody test
    Superdrug antibody test
    'Free' coronavirus antibody tests to be available for 'people who need them', No10 confirms
    20 May 2020
    10
  • Johnny Depp
    Johnny Depp
    Johnny Depp and Rod Stewart team up to perform at private benefit to raise $300k for Sixties supermodel Celia
    7 Feb 2024
    60
  • Olly murs twin
    Olly murs twin
    The Voice UK: Olly Murs reminded of twin brother in sweet moment
    13 Feb 2021
    3
  • LOL dolls
    LOL dolls
    Scots parents' outrage at LOL Surprise Dolls 'hidden lingerie' only revealed when dipped in cold water
    17 Aug 2020
    5
This week's most popular news