January 8, 2024

winter blues

Jan 08, 2024

It’s winter and feels like it. Most of the US is chilly right now. The days are still dark here in the Northwest with rain. Snow predicted in a few days, not common here. Fortunately, I have good rain gear. Barlow, my dog, gets me out for daily walks, key to winter survival. Once I get outside, I feel better and don’t mind the cold so much. Plus, my neighborhood has gardens that have added “Winter Interest”. That means I see red twig dogwoods, paper bark maple with peeling red bark, coral bark maple that glows red in the weak sun, and winter flowering plants like witch hazel. Anna’s hummingbirds drink voraciously from the feeders that Jamie faithfully keeps filled. My walks become scavenger hunts, looking for these surprises. Reminds me to be grateful.

I hope you are keeping warm and safe. Don’t forget to wear traction cleats on your shoes if it’s icy. Falls are a big risk in the winter, especially for us older folks. Worth having a pair of Cleats if you live where it ices.

Winter is notorious for being flu and cold season and this year is no exception. Hospitals are getting busier. Influenza, COVID-19, and RSV are all peaking and causing increased hospitalizations, especially when a patient has two infections at once. People who get co-infected get hit harder than if they just had one. Not fun. Recent holidays haven't helped with these double exposures. Vaccines can help prevent complications. Still not too late to get yours if you haven’t yet.

The JN.1 variant of COVID-19 is now the main cause of infections in the US. In fact, wastewater testing shows that this is the second highest wave of COVID-19 we’ve had since the beginning. Fortunately, immunizations and prior infections seem to be preventing serious illness in many. Although there is some data that those who have only had the early shots and not the updated booster are more likely to get sicker. Tracking infections is harder because people aren’t reporting when they have a positive test, but the waste water testing shows the trends.

The main worry is that increased COVID infections mean there will be an increase in long covid, a serious matter. That’s why avoiding re-infection is a reasonable goal, as well as decreasing severity risk with a booster.

I’ve included links to two Substack newsletter that give good science based, epidemiological updates, if you are interested.

And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available. Thanks for reading.

Share this post if you know of others who may be interested. All links are listed at the bottom of this post.

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https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-traction-cleats.html

https://www.consumerreports.org/health/ice-cleats/best-ice-cleats-a8085230677/