February 20, 2022

It ain't over till its over

Even though mask mandates are easing, many people still feel vulnerable and will continue to mask. There are good reasons for that, as evidenced by Queen Elizabeth’s positive test. Presumably she will do OK but at 96, infection is risky. She has access to medical care and will have access to treatments such as the monoclonal antibodies, remdesivir infusions, or other treatments shown to prevent serious COVID-19 in those at highest risk. Vaccinations help but their effectiveness goes down with age and other medical conditions. Omicron has caused more deaths than the Delta surge did, especially in the un-immunized. And that’s what makes the next stage difficult for so many of us.

We all want to have this be done. None of us really want to wear masks, we yearn for travel and eating in restaurants and playing tunes knee to knee. Interestingly, some scientists are wondering if the “Russian Flu” pandemic that started in 1889 was a coronavirus. There are eery similarities. It killed the elderly more than the young, unlike the 1918 Influenza pandemic which targeted the young. With the Russian Flu, people lost their sense of taste and smell, and some people had long lasting exhaustion post-infection. It spread throughout the world and had at least 3 waves. Some scientists wonder if it eventually changed enough to become one of the 4 coronaviruses which are among the viruses that cause the common cold. This is an intriguing idea.

Many people complain about masks mandates because they feel 99% of those infected survive COVID-19. I wonder what they think about Long Covid or “Post-Acute Sequela of COVID-19 (PASC)”? This is a real entity and affects survivors at an unknown rate since there isn’t a specific test for it. Many may not be seeking care. Long Covid will effect many survivors long-term. Their lives will not return to normal anytime soon. We are learning more including what the risk factors are for getting Long Covid.

An article in the New York Times explains better than I can:

“One of the four factors researchers identified is the level of coronavirus RNA in the blood early in the infection, an indicator of viral load. Another is the presence of certain autoantibodies — antibodies that mistakenly attack tissues in the body as they do in conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. A third factor is the reactivation of Epstein-Barr virus, a virus that infects most people, often when they are young, and then usually becomes dormant. The final factor is having Type 2 diabetes, although the researchers and other experts said that in studies involving larger numbers of patients, it might turn out that diabetes is only one of several medical conditions that increase the risk of long Covid.”

Research is being done and understanding these factors can point towards treatments. We don’t know if you can get Long Covid after Omicron or if you have been boosted. The data is not clear yet, although the booster does seem to lower the viral load. What we do know is that Long Covid takes a toll on the body, causing exhaustion and other symptoms. Exercise seems to worsen symptoms, rather than helping.

All of this makes me grateful that I have been boosted and that I live in an area I can continue to wear masks and not be given grief about it. I worry less about myself, hoping the vaccines protect from Long Covid. I still want to avoid infecting anyone else for those same reasons.

Wash your hands, cover your nose indoors when needed, make good choices for yourself, get that booster, and know how to find treatments in your area if you have risk factors.

And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available, and not related to the organization I work for. Thanks for reading.

https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/queen-elizabeth-ii-tests-positive-for-covid-mild-symptoms/

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/omicron-wave-accounts-for-more-u-s-deaths-than-delta-surge/

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/14/health/russian-flu-coronavirus.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/25/health/long-covid-risk-factors.html

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/can-you-get-long-covid-after-an-infection-with-omicron

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/02/20/world/covid-19-tests-cases-vaccine#heres-how-long-covid-takes-a-toll-on-the-body

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/how-long-covid-exhausts-the-body/

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/12/well/move/long-covid-exercise.html