True or False:
1. Covid is still killing hundreds of Americans every day, and countless more elsewhere, as in, it’s not “over,” far from it, sorry.
2. Covid is still spreading locally with outbreaks in/from schools, concerts, films, all kinds of public indoor gatherings, but we don’t really know exactly how much of it is around, so at least indoors, it’s safest to act like it’s right there in your face.
3. Covid virus mutates rapidly to spread easier faster and newer variants get names like “Kraken” because even virologists have a macabre sense of humor/survival.
4. Covid is usually much less serious/lethal than before - unless you are over, say, 65 years old, immune-compromised, unvaccinated/boosted, malnourished, a smoker, or just genetically or otherwise unlucky in the crapshoot that is life.
5. “Red” States or regions where Covid vaccination rates are lower have much higher death rates than those where vaccination rates are high, a weird example of what might sadly be called “political epidemiology” or even “Covid belief Darwinism.”
6. Over a billion people have been Covid-vaccinated and it has not been shown to sicken any but a tiny minority, like other vaccinations most of us got for schooling without problem or protest, and then only for a while, and no, it doesn’t mess with our genes or contain microchips or other nefarious non-science fictions.
7. Boosters are now a complicated thing and individual recommendations vary so it’s best to talk with informed medical pros about what you might now need.
8. Masks DO work to decrease Covid transmission if properly used on your face and indoors, and while you might have read of a big report saying that’s not so, said report was so flawed the otherwise-respected group that issued it had to crawl it back and say Oops, sorry, we didn’t really mean that. Plus they are cheap and we wear them for others, not just ourselves, right?
9. If you do get infected with Covid, Paxlovid is a truly great medication you should get ASAP, within days, to prevent serious illness and maybe longer-term effects too. And there are more meds coming for this too. And you should isolate for at least 5-10 days too. Again, for others, if you’re feeling non-selfish.
10. Some other famous medications like Ivermectin, HCQ, etc., still promoted in some quarters for bizarre reasons, have now been researched very conclusively and don’t help with Covid, but can render you sick or even dead if they keep you from proven therapies. But if you have worms, ivermectin can be very helpful.
11. Boosting your immune system is a good idea even without Covid flying around so look to trusted sources on how to do that (selected hints: sleep, exercise, Vit. D, zinc, and more with decreasing evidence but your results may vary). Alas it seems we can’t count on “natural” immunity from previous infection very long.
12. Even if you are young and brutally healthy, it’s looking like that for some folks repeated infections can constitute an “assault” on our health, with many unknown but potentially serious long-term effects, aka, “long covid,” a still-murky but too often serious condition that can seriously mess up one’s life; so, everyone should avoid the bad bug if at all possible.
13. We don’t truly know 100% where Covid came from, lab or animals or outer space or whatnot; Science keeps an open mind. That said, the bulk of evidence and precedent points to animal vectors. We should treat animals a lot more humanely and safely AND improve lab research safety policies and practices. In any event, wherever it came from doesn’t alter any of the smartest recommendations on prevention and treatment.
14. Covid misinformation was/is a big factor in the spread and toll of this disease, sadly, and while there are always minority voices, even credentialed ones. But eventually truth wins out and they are discredited, as happened with the many AIDS “theories” about origin, spread, treatment, etc., now confined to historical shame and obscurity for all but a few true believers who most see as nuts, but not always harmless ones. And so many clinicians have indeed been heroic in helping their patients, at risk to themselves from both Covid and delusional attacks, even violent ones. Remember howling out windows at 8pm to honor them? Seems like ancient history already, but maybe we should be doing that always.
15. Welcome to the Pandemicine, our era of common and recurring new epidemics of spreading diseases of various severity; it’s always been this way, historically, but the modern world spreads both bugs and (mis)information faster than ever and there will be more and worse pandemics coming, sorry. Hopefully we can all learn from this one, for the benefit of us all. One can dream, right?
(ANSWERS: 1-15: True.)
Fab
Great blog post! It’s important to remember that Covid is still a significant threat and preventive measures are key. I have a logical question to ask regarding point 12: you mention long covid and potential long-term effects of repeated infections, but do we have any information on the duration of immunity after getting vaccinated or contracting Covid?
Annie
Hi. Good question, and the best wisdom keeps evolving, with immunity dependent on multiple factors, such as age, past infections/vaccinations, type of virus, etc. In general it’s seeming more and more that there doesn’t seem to be much difference between “natural” immunity from infection vs. vaccination, at least for a time, could be up to a year, but again, variable. “Hybrid” immunity from both seems to be best of all – but not worth intentional infection.
But the potential longer impact of repeated infection might not be wholly prevented by immunity, thus, as you say, trying to avoid that is prudent.
Here’s two good recent posts that might be helpful.
https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2023/02/21/covid-immunity
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-often-should-people-get-covid-boosters1/
#16. Long-Covid-Obsession is yet another little understood phenomenon, though at least the virtue-signaling aspect is familiar. Luckily, like Long-Covid itself, LCO affects mainly the sufferer and cannot be transmitted to others; however, it can go beyond amusing to become downright annoying.
(Snark over– I would point out that the vulnerable people described in point #4 may benefit from the reminders here. Or not; people who are older, immuno-compromised, overweight, etc., likely already understand that protecting themselves is still important. They’ll be masked up and boostered repeatedly for the rest of their lives. But as has been the case since the beginning of the pandemic, that was always their prerogative, and in my opinion, encouraging those who especially needed the protection to take advantage of it, and leaving everyone else alone, would have been the right response all along.)
As an elderly overweight immunocompromised unvaxxed smoker and drinker who has high blood pressure and has had Covid I can assure you it is not the death sentence you describe. I’ve noticed my vaxxed and boosted friends getting sick repeatedly while my unvaxxed friends seem to be doing just fine.
I’d take this nonsense on item by item but unfortunately I’d be pissing in the wind. At this point the Google-parrotry is so entrenched there is no overcoming it but I have to say to you, Mr. Heilig, you seem to be more infected than most.
There is a simple cure for your disease. Put down your phone. Turn off your TV. Stay away from your computer. Try it for two weeks and see if those CH (Covid Hysteria) symptoms don’t go down.
I know it’ll be tough but with great effort comes great reward. Imagine being able to talk to a friend face-to-face without freaking out over a bug you have little to no chance of suffering any ill effects from. Imagine being free from those feelings of self-righteous indignation whenever you see a normie!
I realize you’ll have to find a new obsession, but may I suggest one that doesn’t involve being a busy-body, doing your damndest to get people to conform to your Google-driven standards of behavior?
Speaking of Google, for believing everything you were shown on the internet for the last three years, I hereby award you with the Google-parrot of the day award. Have a cracker.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Google-parrot
Simply put, you are an idiot, Mr. Parr. And you’ve proven it with way too many words…
One person’s luck is not sufficient to counter the truths in this article. Approximately 1,300 people each week currently die from covid. So, Steve Parr, I call you out. Counter the truths in this article item by item, with accurate, verifiable evidence, or be known as a liar.
Thanks. But I wouldn’t call Mr. Parr, or others who believe likewise, liars – they actually believe what they say and type. The irony is that he seems to hate Google and the internet but that’s where most of the misinformation originates (recall the anti-vax actress who said she “got her degree from the university of Google”).
I don’t usually add in such pieces that I’m trained in epidemiology and public health at top universities as nowadays expertise and credentials somehow make some folks MORE resistant to actual science. It almost makes one wish they actually WERE liars. Alas, the “fake news” strategy of Trump et al will have lasting damage in many arenas beyond our health.
Thanks again,
SH
Mr. Heilig, you are correct. Mr. Parr and his ilk believe misinformation. He is lucky not to be one of those covid patients, who in their last hours on a ventilator before dying, were thinking, “I believed the wrong people.”