August 30, 2022
We're still here
Summer is winding down. Even though it was “hot” in Seattle today (84 degrees, for those wondering. Yes, we are heat wimps). I can feel the change. The sun is setting earlier. After a nice long break, I am rested and ready to tackle some questions and concerns people might have.
We all hoped that the “pandemic” would be over, but here we still are. Wondering what to do about masking, travel, boosters, and so forth. I feel we are entering a new phase where we can have less fear and more fun. I did, after all, go to a big old time music campout for a week and came home healthy. So needed for my soul!
Staying sensible is the key.
Many more of us have had COVID and survived, most without issues. Some have had it more than once, due to mutations and new variants. Questions change when wondering about re-infection.
The NYT tracker quotes 1,040,298 deaths as of today with an average of 475 people still dying daily. Mostly un-vaccinated or high-risk immunocompromised, although not all. Some are unboosted.
The concept of long COVID is real and not getting the attention it deserves. Zeynep Tufekci has a good analysis in the New York Times and her blog “Insight.” She is brilliant and points out that post viral syndromes are common with information about people who suffered with similar symptoms after the 1918 Influenza epidemic. She is worth a read.
I worry that many people may have complications of Long Covid if they get re-infected, even if they did OK with the first infection. The good news is that boosters seem to help prevent re-infection and complications even after an infection. Researchers are getting closer to assess how our immunity is holding up, which may helpful in assessing our risks.
Treatments can help higher risk people avoid getting sicker. Accessing it is now easier in Washington state. Our Department of Health is offering free Telehealth (video) visits , which is so awesome! Figuring out how to take the meds can be challenging. The dosing is 3 pills at one time two times a day. Two of the pills are the same and one is different. This is a change from usual dosing of meds, because one of the pills raises medication levels of the active medication to therapeutic range.
A new updated “bivalent” vaccine is coming soon. Bivalent means it will add mRNA to target the new Omicron variants to the original vaccine, making it more effective for Omicron. This article in The Seattle Times has a good graphic that shows the difference. It can help you decide when to get your updated booster. The Atlantic has a good article about it as well.
I am ending with a description go how to make an effective home filtration system, the Corsi-Rosenthal Box. This can help clear the air, cutting down on exposure risk and inoculant.
Stay sensible, cover your nose when needed, get your booster, remember ventilation works, and know how to get meds if needed.
https://www.centraliacampout.com
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases-deaths-tracker.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/25/opinion/long-covid-pandemic.html
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/will-all-those-omicron-infections-and-reinfections-trigger-lots-more-long-covid/
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220729/Vaccination-after-COVID-19-recovery-reduces-reinfection-risk-by-almost-5025.aspx
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/08/05/fauci-vaccine-covid-trouble/
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/mit-researchers-create-test-to-predict-covid-immunity-harvard-scientists-develop-test-for-both-virus-and-antibodies/
https://www.nytimes.com/explain/2022/03/21/well/covid-antiviral-pills
https://doh.wa.gov/emergencies/covid-19/treatments/free-telehealth
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/your-first-brush-with-covid-could-affect-how-a-fall-booster-works/
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/08/fall-covid-vaccine-new-booster-shot-omicron/671265/
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/how-to-build-corsi-rosenthal-box-to-protect-against-covid-for-under-100/