As covid cases rise in 40 states, some US health officials just don't seem to care. The health department commissioner in Chicago said that reinstating any restrictions would be tantamount to "crying wolf." A state health official in Louisiana said that the ongoing rise in cases is "concerning" but "not alarming." Some places are reacting to the current wave, though. Los Angeles County is planning to reinstate its indoor mask mandates on July 29. Besides the wave of covid, there is a wave of pandemic fatigue. At the same time, there are scientists warning that the current wave could be something of "a giant petri dish" in which new variants might develop.
WHO is calling on Europe to reinforce, not reduce covid-19 monitoring, a current blind spot in assessing the state of the virus. They warn that winter will be difficult. There are already some 3,000 people dying every week. The waves are coming closer and closer together. There may well be a fourth wave in the autumn followed by the expected winter wave. There was a hope that the pattern of cases would become regular as that of influenza is, tough winter months but little the rest of the year. The reverse appears to be happening with covid. Needless to say, this was not expected.
At the start of the pandemic, waves were created by new variants. Waves now are driven in large part by immune escape. Vaccines offer much-needed protection against severe illness and deaths but do not do much against infection, and what protection they do offer wanes quickly. An immunologist at Imperial College London says that if we let nature follow its course, we'll "reach some sort of equilibrium, but it may mean coexisting at a lower level of overall health." It's not a pleasant option to consider, but 78 percent of people in a recent survey think that we won't be rid of covid in our lifetimes. The biggest concern expressed was "spreading the virus to people who are at higher risk of serious illness," cited by 27 percent of the respondents.
As I typed "Day 855" in the title, I could not help but think what if this gets to Day 1,000? If covid has become truly endemic, there may not be much news coming out by then. I'm not sure how "same old same old" is going to pass as a new way of life.
2 comments:
The phrase "coexisting at a lower level of overall health" makes me think that that's what we've been doing for years, due to the basic unhealthiness of our diets for generations, compounded by the unavailability of good and fresh foods at a decent price. You want to watch a scary and depressing show? "The G Word" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_G_Word) It's listed as a comedy, and hosted by the same guy who did "Adam Ruins Everything" (Adam Conover) and it is dark a.f.
Not sure how 'kids these days' are abbreviating "as fuck".
Bird 'Pie
@Bird Pie: I've mostly seen af, without the periods. The things we need to learn these days!
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