October 9, 2023
Geniuses
Lately, it seems like I’m hearing more and more about people getting infected. Exposures are frequent for most of us. I had one last week but luckily was wearing my mask. Whew, I dodged that one. Convinced me to mask up more, especially when I go to indoor events. Masking works.
Be thankful for geniuses. Remember in the beginning of the COVID times, before we were told to wear masks and stop gathering indoors? When the understanding of this new virus was incomplete? The MacArthur Foundation announced their “genius grants” this week, giving one to Linsey Marr, an aerosols expert and professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech. She helped change the message about how SARS-CoV-2 spreads, showing proof that it is airborne. This got us to pay attention to indoor air quality, using filters, ventilation, and masking, saving lives in the process. So cool that she got this grant!
I hope I didn’t confuse many of you by talking about the new updated Novavax that was approved last week. It is an alternative but you can stick with the Pfizer or Moderna boosters, if you can find one. Things aren’t quite as smooth since the emergency declaration was dismissed. Insurance companies are confused, Kaiser patients are having delays because of the strike, finding an available vaccine is a challenge. Vaccines.gov can help.
I’ve been diving deep into this website from Washington’s department of health, It is a dashboard with info about respiratory infections in Washington state, comparing COVID, Flu, and RSV. The CDC has a useful site too. It even shows the amount of virus in the sewage which can show increased infections.
I know I’ve talked about using Paxlovid with a COVID infection. Some interesting data came this week that shows if you are healthy, taking it won’t really make a difference, so you probably don’t need it. But it did make a difference in people with weakened immune systems. Even older healthy people did ok without it. What that means to me is that if I were young and healthy, I’d skip taking it. If I had risks for serious illness, I’d work hard to get the meds. If I weren’t immunized, I’d want it.
Much of the data regarding positive tests is not as reliable as it was, since most people aren’t reporting their positive tests or they aren’t even bothering to test. That may improve now that free tests are available again. Order them here: https://www.covid.gov/tests They can be helpful in ruling out how infectious you are by how quickly the line turns positive. The faster the line turns dark the more virus, the darker the line, the more virus. The CDC also has a cool on line calculator to help you decide how long to isolate after a positive test.
Finally, I’d like to acknowledge the dreadful and horrific news from Israel. My heart is with all who are suffering. I mourn for the world. For many, this hits close. Be kind to yourself and others this week. Take a break from the news, cut back on doom scrolling, go for a walk, visit a friend. Please take care.
A reminder that my caveat is this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available. Thanks for reading.
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https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449
https://www.macfound.org
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/10/04/1203496967/this-macarthur-genius-knew-the-initial-theory-of-covid-transmission-was-flawed
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19vaccine/106618
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/what-to-know-about-covid-levels-masking-as-updated-vaccine-lands-in-wa/
https://doh.wa.gov/data-and-statistical-reports/diseases-and-chronic-conditions/communicable-disease-surveillance-data/respiratory-illness-data-dashboard
https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/index.html
https://www.jwatch.org/na56642/2023/10/05/nirmatrelvir-ritonavir-benefitted-immunocompromised
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/study-paxlovid-cuts-hospitalization-death-only-risk-covid-patients-weak-immune-systems
https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/106679
https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/faustfiles/106530
https://www.covid.gov/tests
https://twitter.com/michaelmina_lab/status/1706545922857992354
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/isolation.html