Mike HoneyHere's the latest variant picture for New Zealand, to the end of February.
NB.1.8.1 "Nimbus" was dominant, growing to 47%, while XFG.* "Stratus" also rebounded to 33%.
BA.3.2.* "Cicada" finished at 13%.
A fairly significant wave is underway - the wastewater concentrations reported at poops.nz have exceeded the level of the prior wave in mid-2025.
It’s now the 4th-highest wave since the start of 2023.
🧵
It seems a bit odd that there is no clear variant driving this wave. The sequencing data looks fairly representative to me, roughly in proportion to the DHB population sizes (apart from "Capital and Coast").
Perhaps the current soup is offering something tailored to anyone* ?
* anyone who is relying on waning disease-acquired immunity
🧵
PostcardsFromParadiseThere was a time when waves, and the sequence in which they rolled in, seemed to have a pattern. Now waves seem all over the place.
Joe 
@mike_honey_ , I guess the 'everything's back to normal'
attitude isn't working out that well.
(Also how much would it take for media, RNZ for example, to broadcast highest concentration centers for all bigger cities so people could be alerted to take precautions?
I guess we'd need a government that cares.)
attitude isn't working out that well.
(Also how much would it take for media, RNZ for example, to broadcast highest concentration centers for all bigger cities so people could be alerted to take precautions?
I guess we'd need a government that cares.)
Conny with a Y @Antigrav @mike_honey_ To be fair to RNZ, they ran articles on the different aspects of the new wave every day last week.
I think, the much bigger problem is that the risks and long-term effects of the virus have been downplayed by govts around the world for so long now, that people don't understand the actual risk unless they're affected themselves or have people in their lives who have Long Covid. And even then I've seen high complacency. 🤷🏻♀️
For Simeon Brown, Covid is just another infectious disease that doesn't need extra attention. Unfortunately, I don't have much hope that Labour would be doing much better if elected.
@ConnyChiwa @mike_honey_ , that's the really sad part, that an insane National led coalition (how could a sane government still want to go ahead with an LNG import plant in present time) is going to be most likely replaced with a hapless Labour led government with little to no clear direction.
Robyn@Antigrav
We are testing at far fewer sites now than we used to, so I seriously doubt there's any way of knowing where the highest concentration centers in any of our cities are. It's down to 11 sites nationwide.
@mike_honey_
We are testing at far fewer sites now than we used to, so I seriously doubt there's any way of knowing where the highest concentration centers in any of our cities are. It's down to 11 sites nationwide.
@mike_honey_
zl2todJuliet Gerrard was the best Chief Science Advisor we've had.
Does anyone even know who is wearing that lable now?
@zl2tod
Dr John Roche, an agricultural scientist. He looks very much like a Nat appointment with a [edit: previous research] focus on agricultural productivity
Though he did do the science advice on eliminating M bovis when he was with MPI. Maybe our productivity is seen as less important than cows' by his advisee and his infectious disease advice is tailored accordingly to the audience