(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
 . . . . . . . . . .



Covid ALERT! 10 LARGE Problems: [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags']

Date: 2022-11-14  

Very nasty variants drifted in on little spiky dendrils, clouding America. (Graphic by European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.)

HIDDEN IN THE GLARE AND DIN of election coverage, dangerous developments in the covid attack could mean disastrous holidays for Americans. All the pieces are in place for a huge viral spike that could cost very large numbers of lives and dollars.

“53 million Americans expected to travel on roads and in the skies this Thanksgiving holiday,” ABC reported last year at this time. This month, travelers and gatherings face:

1. Two viciously contagious covids, the BQ variants, have taken the lead in U.S. infections, and the monster XBB virus has a foothold in New York City and elsewhere.

2. Those three have rendered many antibodies and treatments useless. “Notably, XBB.1 escaped all NTD-targeting NAbs tested here,” stated a massive Peking University study. [ NAbs = Neutralizing Antibodies that fight covid. ]

3. On the eve of intense Thanksgiving travel and crowded family gatherings, the vast majority of Americans are not wearing quality masks or even social distancing, making themselves and everyone around them open to superspreader covid attacks.

4. About 90 percent of Americans have used up their covid immunities, which fade at the rate of about 20 percent per month.

5. Just 10 percent of Americans have gotten the latest free vaccine, which is about the only thing that can help, and it needs two weeks to take effect.

6. The maker of Paxlovid, which hinders the virus from reproducing, indicated its product does not work very well for “patients who aren’t at high risk of severe disease,” Time magazine reported. Paxlovid “does not help reduce symptoms in people who are considered ‘standard risk’ for a severe COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, or death.” [ Bummer. That was going to be my ace in the hole. ]

None of the Pfizer results were worse than taking nothing, but Paxlovid’s goods were so marginal to be “non-significant” by scientific standards. [ I’d still take it because I’ll use every weapon I can against covid, but it’s gone from an ace-in-the-hole down to a jack. However, it interacts badly with a lot of other drugs, so be careful. ]

7. Pfizer also reported “Paxlovid did not have a significant impact on high-risk people who have been vaccinated,” msn.com stated. [ Ouch! ] So it’s only good for unvaccinated high-risk people. [ What? Anti-vaxxers only? That doesn’t seem right. I’m jealous. On the other hand, that shows vaccines raised immunity so high that Paxlovid can’t lift them higher. ]

But Paxlovid has to be started within five days of symptoms—and almost all covid symptoms resemble a cold, RSV, or the flu—which started in October this year, the earliest since 2010. Many people will lose a few days with what appears to be a cold or flu, then hesitate and miss the deadline for Paxlovid to help.

8. Young children and older adults are susceptible to RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) right now, and are filling hospital wards. Flu hospitalization rates are “the highest for this time of year in more than a decade.” Adding covid victims could stress hospitals beyond their capacity, leading to “tent-city” levels of care. [ Remember 2020’s long lines with people collapsing? ]

9. In addition to the one-million-funerals American death count, Long Covid has been exposed as a painfully debilitating disease of mind and body, including severe fatigue and “brain fog.” It has affected between 22 and 43 million Americans, and 7 to 14 million are expected to suffer for years, descending into poverty and overwhelming physical and mental distress from “disabling long covid” (DLC) that withers them for who knows how long—they’re the first to get it, and it could be for life.

10. Financial damage to the full Disabling Long Covid (DLC) U.S. population is estimated at almost $400 billion as of January 2022. That is only the short-term financial carnage to American victims of disabling long covid, not including pain and suffering, loss of self-esteem, and frequent prolonged symptoms of persistent fatigue, brain fog, and depleted energy. [ Probably a heap of depression, too. ]

Those 10 covid problems may sour your holiday outlook or cause anxiety, but if not dealt with, they seem sure to cause even worse problems.

I’ll be following this for the foreseeable future, exploring both political and strictly-selfish strategies you can use to help your loved ones escape covid & climate change.

I’LL KEEP POSTING HERE AT KOS, but you can subscribe to this “Restless” substack now to help keep me in coffee, a crucial part of my writing process. < restless2024.substack.com > [ I’ve lost count of the cups this essay has taken me in two weeks of wading through articles and scientific studies! ]

N.B: If you're traveling and masks are not mandatory at airports, bus depots, and train stations, your chances are probably better than 50-50 you're going to get covid if you don't wear a good mask, a tight-fitting N95 mask.

“The most dangerous part of the flight where you are more likely to catch coronavirus,” stated a German study, “is when passengers are boarding and disembarking,” because ventilation is usually turned off then.

During the flight, a window seat is best to avoid spray from coughs, sneezes, and loud talkers.

P.S.: Covid Tests: If you got the free covid tests in the mail earlier this year—the red-and-white boxes—they are probably still good, even if their expiration date has passed. Most of them are good for six additional months [ bottom of that page ].

You can check any at-home covid test by its brand and expiration date. [ I wrote the new dates right on my boxes. ] Click here for the page listing the brands and new dates.

P.P.S.: You should test everybody at your Thanksgiving gathering, and make every sick one leave. No exceptions. If people refuse or claim they’ve already tested, it’s best to get out of there yourself. After all, what good is Thanksgiving if it’s your last one? That would be thanks for nothingness.

Better yet, have them agree in advance to be tested by you before they’re allowed into the house. Think of the kids. Don’t make the kids grow up weak and stupid from disabling long covid. You’d have to take care of them for the rest of your life! Home-schooling was bad enough.

LINKS [ so you can fact-check me, instead of trusting clever talkers with special microphones ]:

< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCecZaawzA0 >

< https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/a41791457/xbb-covid-nightmare-variant-symptoms/ >

< https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.19.512891v1.full >

< https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.09.15.507787v4 >

< https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMc2210546 >

< https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/index.html#variant-proportions >

< https://time.com/6187765/covid-19-paxlovid-healthy-patients/ >

< https://www.msn.com/en-US/news/medical/pfizer-says-paxlovid-doesn-t-help-covid-19-patients-unless-they-are-high-risk/ar-AAYvi2x >

< https://news.yahoo.com/cold-rsv-flu-covid-not-100000265.html >

< https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/early-signs-point-to-this-years-flu-season-being-the-worst-one-in-years/ar-AA12CEyf >

< https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2022/11/three-viruses-to-watch-for.php >

< https://www.wsj.com/articles/flu-hospitalizations-hit-decade-plus-high-for-october-11666979776 >

< https://khn.org/news/article/long-covid-barriers-government-disability-benefits/ >

< https://www.milkenreview.org/articles/paying-a-second-time >

< https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/11/07/world/science-health-world/long-covid-paxlovid-study/ >

< https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/travel-old/1154166/flights-coronavirus-boarding-risk-ventilation/ >

< https://www.covid.gov/tests/faq >

< https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-covid-19-and-medical-devices/home-otc-covid-19-diagnostic-tests#list >

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/14/2135976/-Covid-ALERT-10-LARGE-Problems

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/