The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 204 (704)

I don't know whether to laugh or cry when it comes to BA.2. I read things such as the one I shared yesterday and the one right here 

BA2: looks likely to get its own Greek letter as it's so different from BA1: has been found to be better at causing disease, more infectious, and better at evading immunity than BA1.  

'Risk of BA.2  for global health is potentially higher than that of BA.1' massive study says

and then read a story that comments (not for the first time) that even if BA.2 is more transmissible that the original Omicron, BA.1, it is not more lethal nor is it resistant to vaccine or natural immunity. I'd be more comfortable if states and other entities would hold off on relaxing things such as mask mandates until we know for sure whether BA.2 is worth worrying about. Re-starting such mandates will not be easy.

From the White House coronavirus response coordinator: "As a result of all this progress and the tools we now have, we are moving to a time where covid isn't a crisis but is something we can protect against and treat." This, as the CDC director hints at upcoming changes to their mask guidance, saying it will be based on measures of community transmission. hospitalization rates or other measures of severity, and available bed space in hospitals. And as the government is planning to make high-quality masks available for children as part of their plan to distribute 400 million free N95 masks. It's looking as if someone thinks we're about there.

Thirty percent of children between the ages of five and 11 have received at least one dose of vaccine. Many parents of children under five have been calling for off-label use of the vaccines because of the delay in getting federal approval. When a physician or office is given permission to vaccinate those who are eligible to be vaccinated, they agree not to use it off-label. In addition, doctors who give off-label shots can be held liable for any adverse reactions suffered by the recipients. 

A new study suggests that having covid can increase one's risk of developing mental health problems including depression, stress and adjustment disorders, cognitive problems such as brain fog, and confusion and forgetfulness. They are also 34 percent more likely to develop opioid use disorders and 20 percent more likely to develop non-opioid disorders such as alcoholism. Finally, people hospitalized for covid are more apt to have such problems than people who suffer from mild covid. Both covid groups are more apt to have such problems that people who have not been infected. 

Quickies: No covid cases were detected within the Olympics closed loop on Wednesday, the first time that has happened. Here's hoping it's not the last. Many experts caution that a drop in covid testing may be coloring global case numbers. Finally, the attorney general of Texas has sued the federal government to strike down federal mask mandates for air travelers, people at airports and passengers on commuter bus and rail systems.