[Petrochemicals]

No mention of a "gene which suppresses the immune system" in either article. It's proteins which which do that.

Where are the proteins produced, by what?

In the ribodomes by the ribosomes.

There are several proteins in CoV2 which disrupt with the interferon response.

How are the ribodomes and the  ribosomes created?

How do ypu think the ribosokes ae created?

I do not know what they are, but I think that the corona virus influences them somehow? Please clarify upon them.

Ribosomes are organelles in our cells which synthesis  proteins, Viruses highjack them to produce their proteins. Some viruses also do a good job of stopping them making our own proteins others try to do it on the quiet.

What control process in the viruses allow them to hijack ribosomes?

[evan_au]

What control process in the viruses allow them to hijack ribosomes?

Viruses produce messenger RNA.
Ribosomes translate messenger RNA into proteins.
- The Ribosome does not check whether the mRNA came from the cell's own DNA, an invading virus, or a mRNA vaccine, but will start transcribing mRNA into proteins.
- So effectively, the virus (and mRNA vaccines) hijack the cell's protein-making machinery for their own use.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribosome

[evan_au]

why no new variants being reported

There are new variants arising continually - every chain of infection has a mutation about every 2 weeks, and there are hundreds of thousands of chains of infection.
- However, most of these variants are less infectious than Delta, and so they don't spread very far.
- There is an active network of researchers looking for new variants that seem more transmissible, or more lethal, or which might evade immunity (whether natural or vaccine-induced)

A new variant has arisen in South Africa which seems to be more transmissible than Delta, and WHO is holding a conference to review what is known about it.
- If they consider it a "Variant of Concern", they will give it a Greek letter, instead of the current B.1.1.529
- It does have a lot of mutations, including about 30 in the spike protein alone, which makes it a risk for evading immunity.
- Some countries have blocked flights from Southern Africa, to reduce the chance of it entering their country

See, for example: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03552-w

[Bored chemist]

Sars CoV-2 doesn't have "a gene which suppresses the immune system", rather it  some genes which code for proteins which have the sole purpose of...

That's like saying there's no gene for brown eyes because the brown pigment isn't made of DNA.

[alancalverd]

And here it is.....https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59424269

Be careful what you wish for.

[set fair]

What control process in the viruses allow them to hijack ribosomes?

You might try this

I haven't watched this episode, He has a (bad?) habit of using too many abbreviations but otherwise I find him a good source.

[Petrochemicals]

What control process in the viruses allow them to hijack ribosomes?

You might try this

I haven't watched this episode, He has a (bad?) habit of using too many abbreviations but otherwise I find him a good source.

No, I don't think that

What control process in the viruses allow them to hijack ribosomes?

You might try this

I haven't watched this episode, He has a (bad?) habit of using too many abbreviations but otherwise I find him a good source.

No I don't think that youtube Google alphabet, as powerful as they are control viruses ability to hijack cell commu ications. Is it perhaps a quality produced by genetic information?

[evan_au]

B.1.1.529 is now officially dubbed "Omicron", Greek letter "ο".

They skipped 2 Greek letters; some claim the reasons are:
- Nu "ν" because it could be confused as a "New Variant" instead of "ν Variant" (by English speakers)
- Xi "χ", because it is the name of the Chinese head of state

[Colin2B]

- Nu "ν" because it could be confused as a "New Variant" instead of "ν Variant" (by English speakers)

Gutting. It would have been fun to have a nu new variant.

[vhfpmr]

B.1.1.529 is now officially dubbed "Omicron", Greek letter "ο".

It's arrived in the UK. Two cases found, in Chelmsford (12 miles away) and Nottingham. I wonder if we've got a test & trace system that's actually capable of finding the contacts this time around?

[Petrochemicals]

- Nu "ν" because it could be confused as a "New Variant" instead of "ν Variant" (by English speakers)

Gutting. It would have been fun to have a nu new variant.

Yes, or the new xi variant, it must have fallen victim to the feminists. I think they could have called this variant 'omicron 5', that would have softened the blow

[evan_au]

omicron 5

I assume that is a geeky reference to Star Wars?

A week ago, that would have been an easy find on Google. This week, any mention of 'omicron' brings up stories about COVID variants...
See: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Omicron_5

[Bored chemist]

it must have fallen victim to the feminists.

What?

[alancalverd]

Could happen to anyone. It used to turn up in B movies - last man on the planet, captured by bikini-clad savages to repopulate.... Or was that last night's meaningful dream? 

[Petrochemicals]

omicron 5

I assume that is a geeky reference to Star Wars?

A week ago, that would have been an easy find on Google. This week, any mention of 'omicron' brings up stories about COVID variants...
See: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Omicron_5

Pure chance, but that was the point, it is the 5th variant and it sounds exotic, you could type pretty much anything concerning Greeks or Romans into Google and come up with a sifi link.

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt4230950/

[Colin2B]

B.1.1.529 is now officially dubbed "Omicron", Greek letter "ο".

It's arrived in the UK. Two cases found, in Chelmsford (12 miles away) and Nottingham. I wonder if we've got a test & trace system that's actually capable of finding the contacts this time around?

3rd case in England, 6 in Scotland.
Some of the Scottish cases have no travel connection so it must have already be in the community.

Initial reports from SA suggest symptoms are mild with only unvaccinated going into hospital.
Very idle speculation - if this turns out to be very mild symptoms is it possible that this could be the first move towards CV19 becoming a low impact cold/flu type illness. This could be interesting if it then became the dominant strain. Will be interesting to see the impact on vulnerable groups and consequent effect on hospitals.

[evan_au]

One of the doctors treating Omicron patients in Africa said that symptoms were different from Delta, and  "infected do not suffer the loss of taste or smell"
In Delta, about 40% of infected people lose their sense of smell (which impacts taste).
If proven, that would be promising. Nerve-supporting cells (astrocytes and microglia) are susceptible to COVID infection as they express the ACE2 receptor; death of these cells is suspected of causing the loss of smell nerves.

These astrocytes and microglia cells also exist in the brain, and death of neurons in the brain is thought to cause the "brain fog" reported by many victims of long-COVID.

Neurons in the nose regenerate after damage; most neurons in the brain do not regenerate. A study of people recovered from COVID infection showed a faster-than-normal loss of brain tissue.

[Colin2B]

One of the doctors treating Omicron patients in Africa said that symptoms were different from Delta, and  "infected do not suffer the loss of taste or smell"

Early reports of a ‘typical patient’ aged 33 who said that he’d been extremely tired for a few days with body aches and pains with a bit of a headache, The patient didn’t have a sore throat, but more of a “scratchy throat” but no cough or loss of taste or smell.

Certainly very different from Alpha and Delta, will be interesting to see the effect on vulnerable patients.
It would certainly be good news if this variant results in less brain fog and less long Covid.

[evan_au]

will be interesting to see the effect on vulnerable patients

I heard that African countries don't tend to have as many elderly people as "Western" countries (as a % of population).
That may make it hard to extrapolate to those elderly people who have been the majority of COVID victims to date in Western countries.

[Colin2B]

will be interesting to see the effect on vulnerable patients

I heard that African countries don't tend to have as many elderly people as "Western" countries (as a % of population).

That seems to be true for most poorer countries and even poorer areas in so called richer nations eg Glasgow tenements.
I was thinking that it might be a while before can we see any meaningful effect over here.
I think you said earlier that SA Is mainly unvaccinated, so again big difference.
Wait & see!