The Pandemic Isn't Over, So Why Are We Acting Like It Is?

Stop FLiRTing with danger and mask up to keep your family and your community safe.

The latest dominant Covid variants (collectively referred to as the FLiRT variants) have become more infectious than their predecessors and can evade vaccine-induced antibodies. The Northern Hemisphere is now entering yet another Covid wave.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recorded an uptick in positive Covid tests, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths in recent weeks.

In California, coronavirus levels in sewage levels have hovered in the “very high” range for weeks, according to the CDC. Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia — home to nearly 75% of Americans — have either “high” or “very high” coronavirus levels in wastewater. The United Kingdom is also facing a critical surge, and Japan is dealing with its worst outbreak in years.

As reported in the LA Times, Last summer’s wave lasted eight weeks, while the wave from the summer of 2022 played out over 16 weeks. While the current surge isn’t yet at 2022 levels, it is increasingly likely that it will reach or surpass those levels this year.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Covid-19 deaths are still reported nationally every week, and we know from a recent study that Covid deaths have been severely undercounted. Nearly 1,170,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the United States according to official federal counts, but multiple excess mortality studies suggest these totals are vastly larger — to say nothing of the way Covid-19 acts upon healthy tissue to increase comorbidities — getting sick with Covid-19 literally makes you more prone to autoimmune inflammation, which comes with a host of potentially gnarly consequences down the road.

And, for those of you wondering… yes, Covid-19 is still causing more cases and more severe disease than influenza or RSV. A person’s risk for severe infection varies based on several factors, including age and health conditions, but it’s basically a good idea to avoid getting sick if you can. And, if you’ve already caught Covid in the past, trying to avoid subsequent infections is good too — because repeat infections make the repercussions worse.

Unfortunately, keeping an eye on the wastewater levels of Covid is now the only real tracking aid we have to understand the disease because the CDC and local governments have largely stopped tracking it. This is idiotic considering the million-plus death toll Covid has taken and the fact that it is still mutating.

How to Protect Yourself

The first step is to ensure that you have an updated Covid-19 vaccine this fall. The new variants can largely bypass the immunities created from previous infections and vaccines. Paxlovid is still recommended for high-risk individuals and can help dramatically lower the risk of dying from the disease (including, the data suggests, the latest variants).

You should take additional precautions, however, like wearing a mask or gathering only in well-ventilated areas. If you feel sick, wear a mask at all times in public spaces for the wellbeing of your community and family. But remember, you are infectious at least two days prior to showing symptoms. This is especially important to remember if you plan to spend time with friends or family who are at higher risk of severe illness.

The government’s failures in tracking and reporting on Covid-19 have left us with limited tools to understand and combat the virus, so we must stay vigilant and continue to take necessary precautions to protect ourselves and our communities. Whatever will come, will come… but we don’t have to sit idly by and take it.

Hi there! I’m Odin Halvorson, a librarian, independent scholar, film fanatic, fiction author, and tech enthusiast. If you like my work and want to support me, please consider becoming a paid subscriber to my newsletter for as little as $2.50 a month!

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