Ask HN: What will happen if omicron infects too many people simultaneously?

It would seem to me that unless we start to see commensurate increases in hospitalizations that we don't really have much to worry about when it comes to Omicron.

EDIT: There was so little data coming out of SA that it was too hard to tell if this variant was following the trend of more infectious but less severe that is typical with viral mutation. I would imagine that question is going to be answered pretty quickly.

I live in Algiers, Algeria. Practically nobody wears masks, not even the physicians I know. Everything is open. People have just had enough of this and the rationale is that, after almost two years, whatever could have happened would have happened. I've had it about a year ago (with extreme measures, staying at home, wearing masks, rinsing groceries, changing clothes). I knew because I was doing a BBQ and smelled nothing with a clear nose. I still haven't fully recovered my senses of taste and smell. I spend a lot of time in closed environments at establishments with around a hundred people indoors and close proximity and extreme promiscuity.

People are just at the stage of thinking curfews-lockdowns-masks is not a way to live and unwilling to give more years than the two they've already given to this way of life.

I don’t know if it is Omicron but New York is freaking out.

Cornell had 2 days in a row with 200+ positives. (Previously 50 would be a big day and not too long ago it was usually less than 10.). Tompkins County had a 300+ cases day ex. Cornell.

I was surprised to see they were requiring masks at my local rural gas station, but the Governor announced a mask mandate over the weekend.

Britain has declared it an emergency:

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/13/uk/uk-omicron-infections-...