Oh, my goodness! This dreadful outbreak has now lasted two years. A total of over 53 million instances counted in the U.S. thus far, with more cases occurring each day than ever as new waves break over us. Airplanes canceling, health care workers decreasing, Broadway is closed, vaccination and mask regulations looming. Authorities' suggestions on how to effectively govern themselves are shifting and often ambiguous. Uncertainty. Mistrust. Pandemic exhaustion. There is no conclusion in sight.
So, what are we to make of it all? For what it's worth, here's how I feel about certain key current events.
The omicron version is gaining popularity across the country. It's terrifying, given how many people are sick, how overburdened our hospitals are, and how frayed our nerves are. But take note: this tidal wave may also be considered as a step toward containing the epidemic. A few facts. To begin with, while it is extremely infectious, it is also less harmful than the delta form. With HIV in our midst, the chances of you becoming infected are quite high, particularly if you are not adept at disguising and social distance. However, if you catch it, especially if you've been vaccinated, you're less likely to become ill or die. Even if you are sick and show no signs or symptoms, you might still transfer the infection.
Next facts: the research of prior pandemics over millennia informs us that it is common for changes to occur regularly in a viral infection, and usual for mutations to drive the pandemic toward a more transmissible and less severe sickness. The evolution eventually leads to a relatively benign dominant strain that becomes endemic throughout the planet. As a result, we still have a descendent of the "Spanish" influenza that wiped out the whole globe in 1918. It presently produces an annual small outbreak of "the flu." We will live for decades, if not centuries, with a descendent of present variations that have mutated into a highly infectious but mild common cold-like sickness, according to COVID-19. Omicron is a step in that direction. But how are we going to deal with this awful new wave right now? How can we keep ourselves safe, avoid overcrowding in hospitals, and maintain our society open for at least some business?
COVID-19 must undoubtedly be taken seriously in the future. Even though omicron is less toxic, it will still make a lot of people sick. Some of us will still die as a result of it. Because so many more people will catch it, the number of sick and dead people will continue to rise. Furthermore, it is having a greater impact on our children than prior versions. Our hospitals are on the verge of collapsing under the strain. COVID-19 is infecting a growing number of healthcare personnel. Others are running out of steam. As a result, there is a severe public health crisis that is still ongoing.
However, as horrible as the situation is, we do have a good idea of how to mitigate the pandemic's effects. It's still being conveyed in the same method, and the countermeasures we need to take are still the same. Vaccines. Masks. Distancing from others on a social level. Hand hygiene is really important. They're effective! Please complete them. I've been vaccinated and given a boost. When I'm out and about, shopping, etc., I'm cautious. But, no matter how cautious I am, I can still become sick. I'm elderly and weak, and I'm afraid I'll get sicker than stink. In addition, I now have a baby grandchild. I'm not interested in your germs at all.
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