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There is no suggestion that DR will add any new measures this festive season in preparation for a possible/probable Omicron wave.

Daily positivity is low as are the number of cases and active cases and hospital occupation is also low.

Yet there is concern at how very fast the variant has been spreading and multiplying elsewhere in the few shorts weeks since it was named.

In all the South African countries, the rate growth of new cases is an almost vertical line. And now in European countries with the highest testing regimes such as Denmark and the UK they are seeing  a similar growth in new cases and with Omicron taking over as the main variant. The UK was ripe for rapid spread being a densely populated country with few controls. It looks like sporting events will be taking a hit soon as vaccinated players get infected. They are planning a rapid booster programme and more controls as are other countries.

WHO are issuing warnings today:

Omicron probably in most countries, WHO says



The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the new coronavirus variant Omicron is probably already present in most countries around the world.

Cases of the heavily mutated variant have been confirmed in 77 countries.

But WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was probably in many others that had yet to detect it, and was spreading at an unprecedented rate.

Dr Tedros said he was concerned that Omicron was being underestimated.

"Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. Even if Omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems," he said.

There is zero sense of worry here in DR and Omicron is probably already here - it is in Cuba and many South American countries and most US states plus Canada. So if it multiplies like in UK and Denmark with doubling every two days it will be soon show up in daily numbers in many more places.

It appears booster shots are a good course of action but they take a few weeks to become effective so time to act is now if that is in your thinking.

I hope DR fares well like it did with Delta but the festive season parties might negate the benefits of open air living.

Our testing is too low to show much of anything.  Sadly it's likely here and spreading. If it's not, it soon will be.

This reported spread rate of Omicron doubling every two and a half days is frightening if you think about it.

The CDC says they are now finding Omicron represents 2.9% of sequenced cases. If USA was as densely populated as say the UK, that would indicate that the variant would represent almost all cases by Christmas. But USA has large lowly populated areas so in cities and denser states it will expand rapidly but elsewhere slower.

In DR if we had say 1% of cases now as Omicron, by the beginning of January it would be dominant almost totally.

It may seem calm today but as the UK has seen in the past week, a week is a long time in Omicron terms.

To make matters worse for DR, we are about to see a wave of Dominican dispora invade all parts of DR and mix with extended families. And a wave of tourists too but restricted to certain areas so perhaps less of a problem.

I am hoping the news stays muted. But fear we could all be on a slippery slope already unknowingly.

I agree.  Worst time of year for this to be happening.

You & I Lennox are out in the campo a bit.... different lifestyles than many

The metropolitan areas will feel this badly if it invades them.

Willie it wont be if it will be when. This is spreading so fast!

I am amazed at the lack of attention that many pay this.  Out of an abundance of caution I sent my employees home to self isolate, we had been exposed!    The concept is beyond them.  STAY AT HOME.  That does not mean go out on the street and chat with friend,  It does not mean go out twice a day to buy food on the streets etc etc. 

The response when I called them out on their behavior: But I feel fine!!!!!!!!  Its like bashing your head into the wall!

My son in law got something at his NYC office Christmas party last week....
Been in bed since Friday.... very ill

Yes, CV19 but don't know which strain

2 babies in the house and a nursing mother

Going back to the CDC figures to explain this incredibly rapid rate of spread:

Last week they found 0.4% of cases in sequencing, with doubling every 2 to 3 days it probably went 0.8%, 1.6% to 2.9% in a week. And it could go 5.8%, 11.6% and 23.2% in the coming week then 46.4% and 92.4% the wekk after at those rates of change. It won't happen exactly like that because USA is a big diverse country but more densely populated areas could see huge increases in cases without tougher measures. See what is happening in UK and Denmark and beginning in other European countries.

Here in DR we may or may not have a couple of cases. But 1% would be 3 and that could bring problems for the new year based on doubling rapidly. But on the postive side DR did not see a big wave with Delta, so something is working for us compared with Europe and North America. I hope so.

This next 10 days may be an eye opener for all of Europe and North America and signal the beginning of problems here.

In the campo we are more isolated from transmission situatiins but the Dominican dispora will be amongst us in the coming days and some will probably carry Omicron.

Willie I am sorry about your son in law! Hope he gets better soon!

I am currently in Punta Cana.  Does anyone know if I can get a booster shot of Pfizer vaccine and where?  someone said go to the airport but its not best just to go to the jumbo pharmacy?  I am not a resident, just a tourist.  Would I have to pay?

KarinyCarlos wrote:

I am currently in Punta Cana.  Does anyone know if I can get a booster shot of Pfizer vaccine and where?  someone said go to the airport but its not best just to go to the jumbo pharmacy?  I am not a resident, just a tourist.  Would I have to pay?

They are no longer giving the shots at the airport, they moved it to Blue mall. Check the website for more locations:

ok thanks

planner wrote:

Willie I am sorry about your son in law! Hope he gets better soon!

Oh it gets better

The 22 mo old has it now..... and my UK daughter too
She won't be coming for Christmas.

Tough year - I'm sure I'm not alone in this mess

Here's a look at how we are doing vs the rest of the world.
Actually, how well the non- mRNA vax is doing...

Remember where the mRNA was the vax of choice - Pfizer & Moderna

Sorry, won't take my 'paste'

In short, outside of Europe and No America the Delta variant is not a force.
I suspect it's the vax - Sinovac - that is saving the day.

Lennox feels that Sinovac provides strong T and B cell defence rather than high anti bodies in healthy people and  has been very helpful in keeping DR numbers low so far including very low death rates.

Big question is why DR has had a small Delta wave compared to many other developed countries and Asia in general? Why is the death rate so low? Entry cotrols are very limited and sanitary measures are not enforced extensively. We should have been ripe for a serious wave.

I am sure the outdoor living style of many who live beyond the main cities is a factor in DR as is the higher consumption of fruits - vitamin C and sunlight being a source of Vitamin D (both were common in cocktails used to treat covid19). I also think beyond the cities people have stronger immunitity to many germs through lifestyle.

There was a high uptake of vaccine in Santo Domingo and in the hospitality sector and  Sinovac was by far the most used vaccine. Sinovac is a traditional and safe whole virus vaccine and whilst it may not be as efficient at preventing symptomatic covid19 as others, it has been proven to offer very similar protection against serious illness. Studies publicised in the press tell us of anti body decline in about 6 months. Anti bodies are the first line of the bodies defence - rather like the storm troppers. But the body also has T and B cells as the regular army for longer term recognition of the virus and it's derivatives. There are not enough studies of vaccines effect on these defences and all the headlines relate to anti-bodies which mRNA vaccines are designed to develop. Hence, the lower rates of Delta transmission in DR, Asia and South America countries which have used Sinovac extensively needs consideration. It is a good vaccine as the large scale studies in Chile show as is AZ. The mRNA vaccines are good too and some say better, but now with Omicron we are seeing that the anti body generation is very low for Pfizer and Moderna also and so just targeting the protein spike is perhaps not working and perhaps a whole virus approach designed for Omicron and the future variants may be better.

Anyhow, best advice now is to get a booster for whatever vaccine you have had. Your body needs to be able to recognize the invading virus and use all of it's defences if Omicron arrives here and spreads massively as it has done in South African countries, UK, Denmark and a few other EU countries evading twice vaccinated and the past infected.

Add to your comments that world focuses on certain populations.
Do they monitor So America and central America much?     No?

They serve their market..... Sinovac is under the radar for their eyes/concerns

South Africa is building a Sinovac manufacturing plant and approved that vaccine in July but does not use it. Another hotspot using Pfizer, J&J and AZ and source of  Omicron.

Is the western dominated press manipulated by big pharm?

Quite possibly - Yes

They would argue they are just serving their readers

Lets not go there. Stick to facts please.

They have run down AZ and J & J over a few blood clot cases, hammered Sinovac and Sinopharm over lower efficacy yet what does one hear about the reported mRNA induced heart problems?

We have a choice in DR of whole virus, viral vector and mRNA and that is good.

DR is certainly experiencing a very low rate of current infection with a day positivity of just 2.11% and 88 cases with ICU occupancy at 16% and is a far cry from the UK now where daily new case records are being driven upwards skywards by Omicron which was only identified on 24th November!

It seems  much of the world will be seing a similar crazy infection spread of the both the vaccinated and recovered very soon. Based on what we are seeing across the 'pond' sport is going to suffer badly and Premier League players are going down with covid19 despite full vaccination and games are being cancelled and maybe the whole league too shortly. Perhaps my last live stream for some time is coming up in 15 minutes.

DR may be weeks away from that scenario but just a few cases quickly become many with this variant. People are now queueing for boosters here.

DR Vaccination Update:

Plan Nacional de Vacunación

Acumulados al 16 de Diciembre de 2021

6,919,616 Primera dosis First  Dose
5,672,049 Segunda dosis Second Dose
1,394,728 Dosis refuerzo  Booster Dose
13,986,393 Total dosis aplicadas Total Doses Given. DR must still have at least 8m doses in stock!

According to Our World in Data DR now has:

51.74% of the total population vaccinated with two doses
11.14% have only received one dose
.....and just under 12% with a booster shot

These are decent but not high levels of vaccination.

For Omicron, based on what we have been told, it would appear about 52% of the population will have some protection with two doses but can transmit and at least half could get infected maybe mildly. The 48% unvaccinated are at higher risk of getting infected and seriously too with this rampant variant even if they have had a prior infection and all can transmit. The 12% with boosters are more likely to avoid infection and the worst effects.

Another piece of disturbing news is that Regeneron therapy - the treatment that DR has purchased- is not very effective against Omicron so it may not be a good time to be so ill as to need ICU treatment.

It would appear DR is ripe for Omicron spread early next year but that was the case with Delta too.

My wife, her aunts and grandmother all got their Sinovac boosters today without queues. I would encourage others to do the same and get any booster of your choice. Getting a booster shot is what government are now encouraging as a course of action in preparartion for Omicron.

It is generally agreed Omicron grows exponentially and the consensus now is that cases double every two days.

But most people cannot grasp what exponential growths is like.

I read this earlier in an omicron article and it is worth noting to appreciate what could and is probably going to happen everywhere worldwide in the next several weeks with omicron cases as they explode upon many:

American physics professor Albert Allen Bartlett would repeat over and over that the biggest limitation of human beings is their inability to understand exponential growth. This ability, however, is essential to appreciate the scale of the challenge that omicron poses. The concept can be understood with the classic example of folding a piece of paper. If you take a sheet of newsprint, let’s say it is 0.01 centimeters thick for the sake of this example, when you fold it, it will measure 0.02 centimeters. When you fold it again, it will measure 0.04 centimeters. Every time its width will double. If it could be folded 10 times, it would measure more than five centimeters. If it could be folded 15 times, it would be the height of a person. Nineteen times and it would exceed the height of an eight-story building. And with just 23 folds, it would be taller than the Eiffel Tower. That is exponential growth. And that’s the challenge posed by omicron.

Being so incredibly transmittable many will get infected it appears.

Excellent plain language explanation!!!

For all those with two Sinovac shots on DR, this is very encouraging early news that a Sinovac booster is very effective against Omicron:

Sinovac booster shots 94% effective against Omicron



Perhaps a whole virus vaccine comes into it's own when a variant mutates to make spike action designed vaccines less effective?

This should be good news for many Domicans who have had the two dose Sinovac regime but only if the government promotes it. And right now they are saying very little about Omicron as the variant spreads like lightning elsewhere. So much so that they are discontinuing their weekly news conferences now the cases and positinity has dropped in DR:

Covid-19 press conference suspended until further notice



The health authorities will take "a break" in the traditional covid press conference, suspended from December 15 until further notice.

It is a space where every Wednesday journalists and health sector officials interact on information related to the evolution of the pandemic in the country.

Last Wednesday the 15th, amid applause and highlighting the low positivity and control of the disease indicators, the last press conference of 2021 was held at the facilities of the Ministry of Public Health.........

Word of caution.

Anyone thinking Omicron may be milder, take note that in the UK London hospitalisations are up nearly 30% in the past week and up everywhere in that country!

While it may be milder, by shear numbers of infected, a small % getting really sick will fill hospitals

Here is a good article explaining in simple terms why booster jabs can be very effective against Omicron and so recommended, when two jabs have virtiually zilch effect - it is a learning process:

Omicron: Why do boosters work if two doses struggle?



The heavily mutated Omicron variant has led to a serious dent in the ability of vaccines to protect us from catching the Covid virus.

Two doses of some vaccines offer almost no protection from an Omicron infection, although they should still greatly reduce the risk of becoming so ill you need hospital care.

The vaccines were all developed to fight the first form of the virus that emerged two years ago.

So can a third or "booster" dose of those original vaccines make the difference or has Omicron already outwitted the protection they can give?

Fortunately for us - while the contents of the syringe may be identical, a booster is not just more of the same for the immune system.

The protection you're left with after the third dose is bigger, broader and more memorable than you had before.

Covid school

Fighting coronavirus is something your immune system has to learn.

One option is to figure it out on the job when you encounter the virus for real. However, there is a risk of getting it wrong and ending up seriously ill.

Vaccines are more like a school - a safer environment to further your immune system's Covid education.

The first dose is the primary school education that nails the fundamentals.

Your second and third doses are comparable to sending your immune system to secondary school and then university to dramatically deepen its understanding. It's not just repeating primary school over and over.

"The immune system is left with a richer knowledge and understanding of the virus," said Prof Jonathan Ball, a virologist from the University of Nottingham.

He said for all the talk of the dastardly tricks of Omicron, a highly-trained immune system is "an incredibly difficult and hostile environment" for the virus and its variants.

Antibodies are a major beneficiary of this education.

These are the sticky proteins that attach themselves to the outside of the coronavirus. Neutralising antibodies can gum up the virus so it can't invade your cells. Others sit there as the biological equivalent of a flashing neon sign spelling out "kill this virus".

A flurry of laboratory studies and real world data showed the neutralising antibodies you have after two doses of a Covid vaccine were far less effective against Omicron.

Prof Danny Altmann, an immunologist from Imperial College London, said you were left with "absolutely zilch" and were a "sitting duck for infection".

So back to school.

Every dose of the vaccine triggers another round of antibody evolution within the immune system. It seeks out better antibodies that attach themselves more firmly to the virus. It's a process called affinity maturation.

"Your antibodies are a better fit as time goes on, they are getting fancier and more sophisticated," said Prof Altmann.

If the antibodies are able to bind more tightly to the coronavirus then it will be harder for Omicron's mutations to help it wriggle free. And while the new variant is heavily mutated, it is still the same fundamental virus and has parts that have not changed at all.

Further rounds of vaccination also lead to the immune system broadening its antibody repertoire as it finds new ways of attacking the virus.

Numbers game

It's not just about the quality of antibodies, the quantity goes up with boosting too.

Prof Charles Bangham, from Imperial, said: "You get more of them, the concentration in the blood increases and we don't know how long this is going to last, but the more times you're vaccinated the longer-lasting the immune memory is."

The impact of all this is clear in the same studies that showed two doses were weaker against Omicron. The protection against getting any Covid symptoms shot up to around 75% after the booster.

Elsewhere in the immune system, boosting is giving our bodies the upper hand against future variants too.

B-cells are the part of the body that mass produce antibodies. Some mature to produce those super-sticky, highly refined antibodies after boosting. Others can spot coronavirus, but remain half-baked and flexible.

"These can go off in different directions and when they proliferate they start to go after the new variant," said Prof Ball.

And then there's T-cells, which again become more plentiful and better at attacking Covid viruses in response to boosting.

T-cells use a different trick to spot the virus and patrol our body looking for any sign of cells being infected with Covid. T-cells recognise parts of the coronavirus that the virus finds harder to mutate.

So while Omicron is squirming away from our immune system, each vaccine dose and indeed each infection is giving our body's defences more tools to hunt it down.

All this bodes well for vaccines protecting us from becoming seriously ill.

"Immunity against a virus is almost never absolute - you can almost always get re-infected and what you want to do is get re-infection so trivial you don't know you've got it or it's very mild," said Prof Bangham.

This article begs the question if one should stay with the same vaccine so the body learning process is not disrupted?

I like your analogy Lennoxnev. You should have been a teacher. In Canada they are calling for a third booster shot and talking about a fourth. Cases of Covid with the Omicron variant are skyrocketing, especially in the non vaccinated.

Booster shot recommendations for Omicron are coming too late to have much effect.

It takes at least two weeks for a booster to take effect and omicron is spreading so fast.

USA now say it is the dominant variant at 73% of new cases which is much faster than theoretically posted above.

People are dying in the UK from Omicron and with hospital staff not protected by vaccine anymore this expected huge surge could be chaotic quickly.

Who would have thought this variant would be affecting Christmas a few weeks ago?

We need to be worried for the unvaccinated.

DR needs to be ready for New Year, Kings Day!

It's looking much worse by the day. 

Doctor today told me they are preparing for the crush and expecting it to start before new years.  She said they know it's here already!

Interesting to hear a doctor knows omicron is already here!

Expected for sure.

If here already give it 2 weeks and we could see dramatic growth in cases.

I agree. She works at a very large hospital and frankly I believed her.

Is it possible to get a Sinovac booster?  I went today, in Sosua, for a 3rd Sinovac, and was turned away.  They were only giving Pfizer as boosters, but I'd rather not go that route, unless I have to.  Anybody able to get a 3rd Sinovac, without pretending it's your first?

My first attempt to get a Sinovac booster failed. The vaccination centre in Cevicos had moved from a clinic to the local hospital and they - hospital staff - said that they had to comply with government rules and give an alternative booster.

So I went to Sabana and the brigade there didn't have a problem and asked me to sign a form saying I had an allergy to give me the 3rd Sinovac shot. My wife, aunts and grandmother have had no problems getting Sinovac boosters at the same location.

Sinovac still is the most applied shot in my part of DR. It has done the population good so far.

You could ask for an AZ booster which according to studies in Chile was marginally the best mix and match with two shots of Sinovac.

They are recommending a different vaccine for third. I got Pfizer booster for my two Astra zeneca shots.

I got the Sinovac booster (#3).... no questions asked, end of October

They had Pfizer & Sinovac in Cabrera

Presently, I am in a house where Omicron is -
My son-in-law brought it from his NYC office party- many cases reported from the party.
My daughter and wife got it subsequently..... and a 22mo old, can't speak for the 8 week old baby.

I arrived last Friday night....said hello & went to a hotel

Sat/Sun/Mon, I visited 3x a day - maskless and in the same room as they were..... ate dinner together each night
Moved in Tuesday

Nothing for me so far... they have all recovered.

Daughter & SIL were Pfizer vaxed.
My wife was Sinovac last April and Pfizer boosted in October - to me, she's a Pfizer.... Sinovac gone after those months

I am 3x Sinovac............ April & early November

Contrary to some on this board, I firmly believe the mRNA vax is useless against the variants.
I might be living proof of it !!

I am booked to return RD on Monday.

Hope I haven't jinxed myself !!

Firstly I think 3 jabs for all vaccines is now the new normal (2 for J&J) with regular boosters going forward unless new modified vaccines are developed.

There is increasing evidence now that 3 shots in Israel, USA and Europe don't provide adequate protection from symptomatic Omicron but that doesnt mean they are useless. The banter to date has been that Sinovac is less than effective but WW you may be providing evidence of the company's early projection a 3rd shot of the same provides good protection. I hope so.

You have a few more days with higher risk of infection then flying which is estimated to be 3 times more likely as a source of infection compared to previous strains, so best of luck.

lennoxnev wrote:

Firstly I think 3 jabs for all vaccines is now the new normal (2 for J&J) with regular boosters going forward unless new modified vaccines are developed.

There is increasing evidence now that 3 shots in Israel, USA and Europe don't provide adequate protection from symptomatic Omicron but that doesnt mean they are useless. The banter to date has been that Sinovac is less than effective but WW you may be providing evidence of the company's early projection a 3rd shot of the same provides good protection. I hope so.

You have a few more days with higher risk of infection then flying which is estimated to be 3 times more likely as a source of infection compared to previous strains, so best of luck.

Also they are telling the inmunity last long for 6 months,  wich I think we will have to deal with more  3 doses sooner than later.   I have 3 already and Im planning to travel in Arpil, so my thoghs are in march to go to get another dose of Pfizer, will be 8 months after my booster.