Study finds Pfizer doses offer less protection against Omicron than against Delta – The Wall Street Journal
Last night, shortly after I replicated the BizNews Shyft share portfolio, share prices on the US stock market started to recover after an initial slide. By the close, my $10,000 was $190 into the green (see above). That means absolutely nothing for our five year-plus project. But it does show rational investors paid attention to Discovery's data-based analysis of Omicron, released yesterday. Mr Market has been fretting the new variant would deliver another disruptive shock to global supply chains, consumer confidence and economies generally. He may now start to relax. A sober assessment of Discovery's analysis suggests this is unlikely. The SA group's number crunching support other credible evidence that's emerging. While many, like the headline writer at the Wall Street Journal (below) will focus on Discovery's finding that vaccines are far less effective against Omicron, a much more relevant issue for investors is the relatively benign nature of the new variant. Living as we do in the Omicron epicentre of Gauteng, we observe many otherwise totally healthy and happy people who tested positive. As Netcare's CEO Richard Friedland explained, his group's hospitals had to create a new category for "coincidentally" Covid positive patients, those who on admission had no idea they were infected. Officialdom can be expected to take the cautious line and float reasons to depress Omicron optimism. But for those who live in the real world, the signs are clear. Covid-19 is mutating in the same way other viruses always have. Evidence we can all see is clear – the worst is behind us. – Alec Hogg
Use Spotify? Access BizNews podcasts here.
___STEADY_PAYWALL___