The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 428 (928)

Australia will end its mandated five-day isolation period for confirmed covid infections beginning on October 14. The Netherlands does not require such isolation; it merely advises it. Needless to say, not everyone views these as positive steps in dealing with the coronavirus. Given that I was symptomatic for two weeks and tested positive for almost three, I'd say I was likely still contagious after five days. So maybe shortening or ending isolation for confirmed cases is not so good an idea.

Work continues on mucosal covid vaccines that could be delivered nasally, orally, or transdermally. These have the potential to prevent even mild infections and stop transmission. Some candidate vaccines still need trials to determine efficacy; of the 12 candidates under study, four are in phase III clinical trials. Because SARS-CoV-2 enters the body through mucous membranes such as those found in the mouth, nose, and throat, a mucosal vaccine would add immunity at the virus's entry points. The desired result would be to stop the virus from implanting, multiplying, and moving throughout the body. The current injectable vaccines do induce some level of mucosal immunity, though that level is low. A factor complicating testins is that a very large proportion of the population has already been exposed to covid. 

It is still strongly recommended that pregnant and breastfeeding people get a covid vaccine. [Aside: the source used the term "people" not "women." Have we had a pregnant or breastfeeding man yet?] Covid apparently increases the risk of miscarriage. Preterm birth and stillbirth occur more often in pregnant patients with covid. Babies born to someone with covid are more likely to need intensive care. The vaccine or covid spike protein appears not to cross the placenta. Antibodies cross, however, offering newborns some protection. Finally, there is no known risk for breastfeeding; in fact, breastfeeding also gives the baby some protection. 

My planned weekend activities were canceled due to the remnants of Hurricane or Tropical Storm Ian as it travels north from the coast. The weekend forecast, for here, includes wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour and possible flooding. We will have it easy compared with people in Florida or South Carolina. We have had storm remnants do significant damage here, but this should not be one of them. 

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 427 (927)

Both Moderna and Pfizer are seeking authorization to offer their bivalent boosters to children as young as five (Pfizer) or six (Moderna). Right now, the Pfizer booster can only be given to children ages 12 and older. Moderna can only be given to adults ages 18 and older.

There are more than a few covid symptoms related to a person's mental health. The one we hear the most about is probably cognitive and affective deficits or, in popular jargon, brain fog. Other mental health links include anxiety and depression, seizures, and suicidal behavior. There are some covid factors that may have affected children more than adults: changes to routine, virtual schooling, mask wearing, the absence of loss of a caregiver, and a family's financial instability. Besides children, there are other groups more likely to have experienced symptoms of mental illness during the pandemic. These include people from racial and ethnic minority groups, mothers and pregnant women, people with disabilities, people with pre-existing mental illness or substance use problems, and healthcare workers. Membership in more than one group may make a person more likely to contract covid.

 There is research ongoing on the interplay of covid and mental health. The National Institute of Mental Health is studying the use of mobile apps to address mental health disparities. NIMH is also looking at the impacts of the pandemic on under-served and vulnerable populations and on cognitive, social, and emotional development of children. The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is looking at the effects of mask wearing on children including its effect of emotional and brain development. Finally, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is studying how the pandemic has affected both the causes and the consequences of alcohol misuse. 

Omicron variants BA.2.75.2 and BQ.1.1 have not officially been labeled variants of concern, but the former is spreading in India, Singapore, and parts of Europe. The latter has been see in multiple countries around the world. Researchers in China and Sweden say that the spike protein from BA.2.75.2 can effectively evade nearly all monoclonal antibodies used to treat covid. In other words, these treatments could end up being no good. A small study of 18 blood samples showed that an immune system was less than one-sixth as effective at neutralizing BA.2.75.2 as with BA.5. A Swedish immunologist called BA.2.75.2 the "most resistant variant we've ever evaluated." A Chinese immunologist noted, "The scale of immune evasion has never been seen before, and the virus is still rapidly evolving. It's very bad." The Chinese researchers are more pessimistic than the Swedish. The next--coming--wave could suggest what factors might trigger or prevent severe disease. One researcher summed it up as "I think we're going to learn a lot this winter."

I' hope that we do learn a lot about the coronavirus this winter. Our initial interactions with it were somewhat ragged as we figured out what would work when, where, and how. The more we've learned, the better we've been able to protect ourselves and others. I hope we continue learning. 

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 426 (926)

The CDC has dropped its universal masking recommendation for healthcare settings with the exception of areas with high covid transmission or other special circumstances. Currently, 70 percent of the country is at high transmission levels. Testing patients pre-procedure or pre-admission is at the discretion of each facility. The Local University's hospital is still requiring masks to enter any area; I'll have to see if that changes in the next couple of days. Both the city and the surrounding county are at low transmission levels according to the CDC website. 

We may be heading toward a "twindemic" of coronavirus and influenza. The coronavirus mitigation measures taken in the last three years mean that people in general may be more susceptible to this year's mix of flu variants having not encountered flu recently. I hope the people out there who are avoiding coronavirus vaccines will at least get a flu shot. 

In the course of the coronavirus, the US has been about a month behind the UK in terms of what things develop when. Alpha, Delta, Omicron, and Omicron's subvariants appeared in the UK before appearing here. We will have to hope that the fall covid wave apparently now starting in the UK is not driven by a new variant, though there is a possibility that it could easily be driven by another Omicron offshoot such as BA.2.75.2 or BQ.1.1. The seven-day average number of new cases in England and Wales rose by 13 percent in one week. The seven-day average of hospitalizations rose 17 percent. Some experts here are saying any US wave will be lessened by the fact that most of the population has some underlying immunity from vaccination and/or infection. We can only hope. 

I'm reading more articles that advise waiting four to six months after a bout of covid or a non-bivalent vaccination before getting the bivalent vaccination. That suggests I should wait until late January at the earliest. As long as whatever immunity I got from my case of covid lasts long enough to help me stave off a second infection, I'm with that advice. I can certainly do without another two weeks on the couch. To help avoid that, from infection or long covid, I am being very cautious about just how much activity I let myself do. Pre-covid, I was walking several miles a day wearing 20 pounds in a weight vest plus doing 30 minutes of general aerobics. I'm still walking a couple of miles in the company of The Family Dog, without the weight vest and any added aerobics. after That's probably going to be my limit for a while. 

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 425 (925)

Setting up My Mom's Jitterbug smartphone took longer than anticipated. Then there was re-organizing a basket of stuff that got emptied as well as admiring my new passport, renewed totally online as part of a pilot program. I did find one article in The Washington Post about the coronavirus, but it was something of old news, the things we still don't know about the virus. In other words, I'm going to take a nap. I would not be surprised if my body is still recovering from my own bout of covid.

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 424 (924)

A slow day news-wise on the coronavirus front. Hurricane Fiona did her damage and left, and Hurricane Ian is getting up to steam. Our mystery potluck came off splendidly last night; we had an Indian chicken and rice dish, stromboli, my black bean and corn salad, with my maple walnut pie and a fig tart for dessert. I followed last night's dinner with my second negative covid test this morning. The 48 hours in between the first and second means the CDC thinks I'm okay in public without a mask. I disagree, but that's okay.

As of October 1, there will be no covid border restrictions to enter Canada. Even uploading health documents will become optional. The US's restrictions remain in place meaning vaccinations are required for non-citizens. 

The proportion of BA.5 covid cases is dropping in the US. It is being edged out by new Omicron variants that have more immune escape (a technical term for being more transmissible). Experts say we should keep an eye on two in particular, BA.2.75.2 and BQ.1.1.

The Ebola outbreak in Uganda continues. The medical staff at one hospital have gone on strike saying that they are not being given suitable protective gear. Some are in quarantine having already been exposed. As for monkeypox, some experts are saying that it can be contained, while others are saying we will need to learn to live with it. We're hearing lots of that these days, eh?

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 423 (923)

The black bean and corn salad is done, and the maple walnut pie just came out of the oven. Two other couples are coming for dinner, and we decided to do a mystery potluck. We may end up with three desserts, but is there anything really wrong with that? Since I still have some straightening up and vacuuming to do, this post will be short.

There is a movement afoot to skip all childhood vaccinations. If you're skipping the covid one, why not skip the others as well? Here's why. Because of a decline in childhood immunizations, over 700 children have died in Zimbabwe as a result of a measles outbreak. Measles is more transmissible than even the most transmissible (so far) covid variant. Yes, the covid vaccines are brand-new; the other childhood vaccines required for school aren't. They've stood the test of time and saved countless lives. And there is no link between childhood immunizations and autism.

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 422 (922)

Advisors at NIH are calling for better oversight of experiments with viruses that could turn out to be harmful. More harmful would not necessarily mean more lethal; it could mean more transmissible. I had to wonder as I read this whether such oversight would hamper research into those viruses, research that might be potentially as worthwhile as it could be some negative aspect.

The New York City mayor is ending the private employer vaccine mandate on November 1 but keeping in place the mandate for city employees. The city is setting up a campaign to encourage people to get covid boosters as well as other needed vaccinations. The mandate for K-12 students participating in extracurricular activities is also ending. 

The UK may be starting an autumn covid wave; covid hospitalizations rose 20 percent in one week. Some experts think this wave could be worse than the last one. In the week ending September 14, one in 70 people had covid; that would be a total of around 766,500. UK experts are monitoring BA 4.6, BF.7, BA.2.75.2, and BQ.1.1. Cases of those last two variants are growing quickly, and a wave of multiple variants could prove problematic. As I typed all those letters and numbers, I was thinking names, Greek or otherwise, would greatly simplify reporting.

And that's it from here, where I have to get on some cleaning and straightening up for company tomorrow. And wonder of wonders, the morning's covid test was a big fat nothing. I'm hoping the one in 48 hours will be as well.

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 421 (921)

Nature Medicine just published the results of a year-long study that looked at 44 disorders of brain health using millions of Veterans Administration medical records with no identification numbers. Brain and other neurological disorders were seven percent higher in people who had had covid than in people who had not. The most common neurological disorder was brain fog; people who had had covid had a 77 percent higher risk of developing memory problems. They were 50 percent more likely to have a stroke caused by blood clots, 80 percent more likely to develop seizures, and 43 percent more likely to develop mental health problems such as anxiety or depression. Finally, the covid sufferers were 35 percent more likely to develop headaches and 42 percent more likely to suffer movement disorders such as tremors.

Omicron was the 13th named variant in one one-year period. There have been no new named variants in the last 10 months. Right now, the most significant variations are arising from Omicron. The one we should watch closely is BA.2.75.2, which evades immunity better than any other Omicron variant. It currently accounts for only .05 percent of viruses sequenced worldwide in the last three months. Overall, Omicron has given rise to over 50 new mutations. I admit to wondering if that is a good or bad thing. Will an understanding of related Omicron mutations help us adapt to later ones? And should a non-Omicron (the next Greek letter is Pi) variant arise, will we be at all prepared to handle it?

As of October 11, Japan will lift restrictions on foreign tourists. Visa-free travel from certain countries will resume as will individual travel. Right now, only organized tour groups or groups that hire an in-country guide are allowed. Hong Kong is ending its mandatory hotel quarantine for travelers arriving "from overseas and Taiwan." That specific language makes me wonder if tourists coming from mainland China will still be expected to quarantine. Your guess is probably as good as mine. 

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 420 (920)

The New York Times' Virus Briefing today was on pandemic data; it was not pretty. It seems that each health department has its own system that may or may not connect to other departments' systems or even to the CDC's system. There is more hand-entering of data than the public knows. And the data entered is often not specified by variant. When Omicron first appeared, it took more time than it should have to assess just how deadly it might be. No national data has been collected on breakthrough infections. Because I am a quilter, I loved the descriptors "bewildering patchwork of information" and "big jumble of different studies and different subsets that were stitched together." Fixing the problems will be costly. I was not too pleased to read that much of the data sharing between states and the CDC is on a voluntary basis. Unfortunately, the only time problems such as this come to light is during emergencies. After the emergency is over, it's out of sight, out of mind.

Quickies: WHO reports that up to 20 percent of infected people in Europe have developed long covid. Doctors and immunologists are saying that, in general, a person should wait four to six months after a covid shot or case before getting a booster. That's longer than I've seen elsewhere.

Some background on covid vaccinations for children: Over 1,400 children have died from covid, at least 533 of those under the age of five. This makes covid one of the top 10 causes of childhood mortality. Children under the age of five became eligible for vaccination on June 18. Vaccinations peaked within two weeks. Some 6.2 percent of children under five have been vaccinated compared with around 40 percent for children between the ages of five and 11. A survey analyst with the Kaiser Family Foundation notes. "One of the most commonly cited things was the sense that the vaccine is too new, that there's not been enough testing, especially for young children, and that more research is needed." Families said things such as "...if there's something bad that's gonna happen, I just don't want to know about it." Over half of the parents surveyed said they believed that the vaccine is a bigger health risk than covid. The big "however," though, is that 40 percent of parents of unvaccinated children said that they would get the children vaccinated if they were required to do so. School vaccine mandates appear long-gone unfortunately.

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 419 (919)

Biden says that "the pandemic is over," while WHO's director-general says that "We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic." So what does "end the pandemic" really mean? Is it containing the virus? How about seeing it get to some standard of endemicity? Those standards aren't really set. The formal end to the pandemic will be decided bu an 18-member WHO committee. A Harvard infectious disease specialist explains, "There's not going to be a scientific threshold. There's going to be an opinion-based consensus." Isn't this what we spent the first year(s) of the pandemic debating? Do we follow the science or the opinions of some talking heads? Or is it opinions about the science that matter?

A study of over six million people aged 65 or older found that those who had covid had a substantially higher risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's within a year of contracting covid. I found that not so very encouraging. People who suffer from some common psychiatric disorders including anxiety, depression or loneliness may have an up to 50 percent higher risk of developing long covid according to an article in JAMA Psychiatry. I really loved reading that one, too, given that I suffer from the middle one. 

When does one become "old" or a "senior citizen"? Is it AARP's 50? Social Security's 66 years plus four months? Between April and June of this year, people over 50 accounted for 86 percent of covid hospitalizations and 96 percent of in-hospital deaths according to a CDC study. Should we all break into a chorus of "I don't want to grow up..."?

I read an article concerning Paxlovid rebound in which several experts held that it was likely due to Paxlovid's working as it should have just not for long enough. Studies with immuno-compromised people are underway evaluating seven- or 10-day courses rather than the currently used five. Right now, a second course of Paxlovid is not recommended for a rebound case, though Dr. Fauci's doctors prescribed one for him. 

Coronavirus, monkeypox, polio, and, now, Ebola. Uganda has declared an outbreak. Unfortunately, it is not the strain for which a vaccine has been developed and approved. I wonder what's coming next. And for those counting, I tested positive for the 17th day this morning but have been cleared to be with other people. I supposedly would not need to mask, but I will anyway. 

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 418 (918)

Is "the pandemic is over" Biden's "Mission Accomplished" banner? I wish I could take credit for that thought, but I can't. It came from one of several tweets or blogs of various doctors and scientists. Leana S. Wen, medical consultant to CNN and columnist for The Washington Post was the only commentator I read who agreed with POTUS. Most everyone else disagreed. It has not been overlooked that even though the pandemic may be over, the public health emergency remains in effect, the emergency that gives the government various powers it would not otherwise have.

As for the finished pandemic, we are still seeing over two million confirmed new cases in the last month, with the caveat that the actual total could be five times that. Every other rich country has double the booster rate we do, and being told that the pandemic is over is only going to encourage vaccine hesitancy or refusal. If the pandemic is over, why does a person need a vaccination or booster? Well, new variants continue to surface. One, BA.2.75.2, cases of which are growing, is better at evading the immune system than any other variant. 

Covid remains the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer, Infectious disease experts say that covid will be a leading cause of death indefinitely. That does not sound to me like a pandemic on its way out the door. And while it may be that covid has become truly endemic in one country, that does not end the pandemic. The world will be coping with covid for some time now. Since the declaration of a pandemic was for the whole world, let's not say we're done with it and wave good-bye to the rest of the world, you know, the countries that are handling things better than we are.

As for my personal experience with covid, my personal doctor agrees with the CDC that given I am no longer feeling the symptoms I was two weeks ago, I am no longer contagious despite testing positive for 16 days in a row.  

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 417 (917)

Guess what! The pandemic is over! Yeah, right. I must disagree with POTUS on this one. I did not watch 60 Minutes last night, so I missed yelling at the screen when he said, "We still have a problem with covid. We're still doing a lotta work on it. But the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one's wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And so I think it's changing." With around 400 people in the US dying each day, the US government still has covid listed as a Public Health Emergency. WHO lists it as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. So one reason the pandemic is over is that people are not wearing masks? Not everyone is, but some of us are and would even if we weren't still testing positive for covid. The 400 deaths combined with around 70,000 new cases each day suggests that the pandemic hasn't gone away just yet, at least not from where I sit at the dining room table.

Vaccine hesitancy is quite high for children under the ago of five. Only six percent have gotten a single dose of vaccine. For children between five and 11, the rate is 38 percent. Finally, it goes up to 70 percent for those between the ages of 12 and 17. An infectious disease specialist from Baylor explains, "We haven't done a good job explaining tje long-term consequences of long covid for younger children. And future coronavirus variants are a very likely possibility."  I would think that parents of children in day care or preschool, around other children of a similar age, would want those children vaccinated as a layer of protection around them. 

Meanwhile, in China, zero covid is alive and well. In Beijing, 21 million people are required to take PCR tests every three days if they want to access public buildings or even neighborhood shops. A bus taking people to a quarantine center overturned, killing 20 people. Hey--they didn't die of covid but because of covid. In the wake of reporting the first death from monkeypox, China has ordered people not to touch foreigners or other Chinese who may have had contact with foreigners. The death apparently happened to someone who had returned from travel outside the country. Zero covid ... zero monkeypox?

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 416 (916)

We're averaging about 70,000 new cases of covid daily. Still, early numbers show the response to the bivalent booster as "methodical but muted." While 68 percent of Americans are "fully vaccinated" with the original shots, only a third have gotten any booster. People appear to be taking something of a lackadaisical attitude toward the new booster. One woman declining the booster said life left her no time for it. "I know covid is coming back around, but I don't think its necessary. I'm fine." Said another woman, "I think we've plateaued. It's no biggie anymore." Amid news of covid disappearing some people say they had not heard about a new booster. Unlike earlier shots or boosters, locating and scheduling the new booster is essentially every person for themselves. Some of the locating and scheduling can only be done over the internet, meaning that people with no cellphone or internet can't do it. Vaccination sites are few and far between. In New York City, there are eight mobile vaccination sites out in the field. In July, 2021, there were 70. 

I'm feeling quite recovered today but am making sure not to overdo things. The difference in how I felt Saturday versus Friday was striking. It was as if covid flew away. At the same time, covid seemed to come on like a light switch two weeks ago. I tested negative in the morning but in mid-afternoon felt as if a bad cold had come on in 15 or 20 minutes. The test I took at that point was positive. I have never had a cold come on all at once. Usually, it builds over the course of a couple of days. I've heard that some other people also had an almost instantaneous onset. Fascinating. 

And I'm still testing positive meaning I'm still wearing a mask in the presence of other people. A friend told me that her sister and brother-in-law tested positive for two months. I am not going to keep testing myself daily, but I'm interested in just how long this is going to go on. One more week? Two? At this point, anyone's guess is as good as mine. 

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 415 (915)

I again tested positive for covid this morning. Looking at the CDC guidelines, I am okay for interacting with the world as long as I wear a high-quality mask. Once I test negative twice, 48 hours apart, I can ditch the mask. The caveats are that I interact with the world as little as possible anyway and will keep wearing the mask for an as-yet-determined amount of time. 

Positive test aside, my morning energy level felt almost as good as in the pre-positive days. I did not go out of my way to do things. I walked The Family Dog, worked on setting up a new laptop (it's an HP refurbished model that has been christened Harry Potter), and sewed a bit on a quilt. Around 2:00, I crashed. My energy level went down to what it has felt like the last several days. A short nap helped, but I expect to feel energy-less for the rest of the day. 

Boring, I know, but my usual walk through news sites yielded nothing of interest. If this keeps up, I might have to find something else to fill some time in the day,

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 414 (914)

I looked for covid news; I really did. All I could find easily were numbers of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in various geographic entities (states, countries, etc.) or things that were so medically technical that I could not explain what little I understood of them. So, let's fall back on "my negative test two days ago may have been positive." Son #1 looked at it this morning and said he would have read it as positive. The Professor held his position that it had been negative. (The question has to deal with was it a straight "positive" line or a line left behind by the flowing liquid.) I tested myself this morning thinking that if I tested negative, I'd have the two negative tests 48 hours apart that the CDC likes. You saw this coming, right? Very clearly positive. 

I sent a message to my doctor's office and asked whether another course of Paxlovid might be called for. They informed me rather quickly that they did not give second courses of Paxlovid and I should treat the symptoms I am still having with OTC medications. Given that those symptoms are primarily fatigue, chest congestion, and a sore throat, we'd be talking OTC cold medicines. They also noted that symptoms could last for a month and that I might test positive for 90 days. That's one I hadn't heard before. Ninety days?!? They offered no guidance on whether I should consider myself contagious and stay in quarantine for those 90 days if I continue to test positive. I just know that the activities planned for the beginning of next week may need to be shifted. If I test negative tomorrow, the second negative would have to come on Monday. She throws up her hands in a futile gesture.

One interesting point before I retire to a napping position. I had noticed during the first week of the covid that my emotions were closer to the surface than usual. My eyes would tear up watching something on TV or reading an article. It seemed somewhat hormonal, as when I went through menopause. I had not read anything about this being connected with covid until I read the Facebook post of someone who had recently tested positive. They mentioned feeling very emotional as their case progressed. I guess there's something going on after all.

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 413 (913)

Various people have, on Facebook, advised me to take it easy as I emerge from covid. They evidently think--or know--just how Type A I am. I'm actually not sure I could do too much right now. This morning, I read the newspapers, printed information for The Professor on the 100-miler The Sons are running this weekend, started a load of laundry, sewed six short seams on a quilt, and was exhausted. A post-lunch nap has helped immensely. 

The head of WHO says that the end of covid is "in sight." The number of deaths worldwide last week was the lowest it has been since March 2020. Comparing it to a race, the WHO director warned, "Now is the worst time to stop running. Now is the time to run harder and make sure we cross the line and reap all the rewards of out hard work." I am glad he did not suggest that we stop running and rest on our laurels.

The Lancet covid-19 commission released its report and blamed WHO, the US government, and others for failures in international responses. The chair of the commission said, "What we saw--rather than a cooperative global strategy--was basically each country on its own. National leaders deciding ... the strategy and fates of their countries in an incredibly haphazard way." An editorial accompanying the report summarized the pandemic as "...nothing less than a massive global failure--a failure of rationality, transparency, norms of public health practice, operational coordination, and international solidarity." There was some controversy within the commission on the origins of the coronavirus. I loved the words of a Baylor virologist who served on the commission: "Along with a couple of other commissioners, I helped lead efforts to keep the conspiracy nonsense and the whacka-doodle out of the final report." Whacka-doodle. I like that.

The commission proposed five pillars as essential in fighting emerging infectious diseases:

                    Prevention

                    Containment

                    Health services

                    Equity

                    Global innovation and diffusion

Finally, the commission's report warned that "long covid might itself be an emerging pandemic." If that's not reason enough to take it easy, I'm not sure what would be. 

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 412 (912)

Let's hear it for testing negative this morning! That does not mean I'm running back to whatever life I was living pre-covid. I did some paperwork this morning for one of my volunteer gigs which led to a post-lunch nap followed by some couch-time with a book. I'd say that assuming I test negative again on Friday (the CDC's two tests 48 hours apart), I'll do absolutely nothing in response to it for the weekend. I may see about some sewing or knitting, but anything physical other than walking The Family Dog can wait.

I did take notes on two coronavirus articles this morning. Zero covid is alive and well, and a city in Western China has been locked down now for over 40 days. Food and medicine supplies are dwindling along with supplies of other daily necessities. Local police have been arresting people for "spreading rumors" about lockdown, rumors that have "incited opposition" and "disrupted social order." 

The last scheduled installment of the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index was just conducted. Americans' concern about covid is at the lowest level since the pandemic began. Only 57 percent of people are concerned. Some 65 percent say that there is small or no risk in returning to normal, pre-covid life. In fact, 46 percent of respondents say that they already have returned to pre-covid life. Interestingly, while 65 percent of respondents support ending covid restrictions, 83 percent think that the program of federally funded at-home testing should continue and 87 percent want free access to vaccines and treatments to continue. Both of those programs no longer get federal funding. As for wearing masks, 63 percent of respondents say they never or only occasionally wear masks outside their homes, and only 33 percent report wearing masks at all times or sometimes in grocery stores. Finally, 88 percent say that covid has changed lives forever, while 85 percent say they will never be rid of the virus in their lifetimes. If we can't live without it, we need to learn how to live with it no matter how much that might suck.

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 411 (911)

There are still two lines on the covid test strip. The important one is fainter than yesterday, though. I'll keep testing daily until I get a negative one. After that I'll wait 48 hours and hope for a second negative test. The world is moving on without me and there are those things I seem to think I should be doing. Being under-the-weather tired is not good for type A people. I did go on a slow family walk this morning. It felt good to do something, anything physical. I'm not going to do a second one this afternoon, but I'm glad I got the first one in. Weather permitting, I'll see about a walk tomorrow morning as well. 

It will be interesting to see how POTUS and FLOTUS get to the Queen's funeral. The British government is telling world leaders to fly commercial, that there will not be room at Heathrow for all the private planes that would be coming. No helicopters are allowed, or I'd guess at Air Force One's landing in Paris, and POTUS taking Marine One from there. They may also be loading people on buses to get to the cathedral. Of course, what's even better is thinking how those regulations would fly were the previous POTUS still POTUS. Can you imagine him on a bus not to mention only bringing one person? I wonder if he would have taken FLOTUS.

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 410 (910)

I tested positive again this morning, eight days in. I figured I might given the lack of energy upon getting up. My chest is still congested, too, though it's my upper chest not the lower. I'd read that one of the reasons the Omicron strains are milder than the earlier strains is that they hit the upper rather than lower chest. I'd have to support that observation. I keep thinking of little things I should do or feel as if I should do, but I can't motivate myself to get up and do them. I just want to be, not to do. I'll test again tomorrow morning and add that test strip to the growing pile.

The Professor still feels tired but returned to the grounds of The Local University and taught in person after four lectures he taped here or did via Zoom. He assures me that he wore a mask as did some of the students. He says that he's still getting emails from students reporting they will be or have been absent because of covid. We may well have moved into the "not if but when" world of covid. 

I have been glancing at news websites and emails. While there has been plenty of news about the death of the Queen, the US Open tennis tournament, and the Ukrainian counteroffensive, there hasn't been much about covid. It makes me wonder if there will be materials on which to take notes when I again have the energy to do so. I guess we'll see.

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 409 (909)

I'll do another test tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I feel a bit better probably because I slept a bit better last night. The Professor and The Family Dog got me outside yesterday afternoon for a very slow walk. That may have helped on last night's sleep front. I still feel very drained, though. Interestingly, today I have also felt cold even wearing multiple layers and lying under a quilt. I expect my body will tell me when it's better.

Looking at the coverage of the Queen's death and the mourning going on, the lack of masks is jarring. Yes, people are outdoors, but they're standing shoulder to shoulder. I saw a tweet suggesting that the funeral proper, scheduled for a week from tomorrow, could be quite the superspreader event. There was also a long thread questioning whether the Queen's death might have been in large part due to long covid. She might have, but she was also 96. I see a number of obituaries for people in their 90s or older that indicate no cause of death had been reported. How about "old age"?

But back to the lack of masks. Don't get me started.

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 408 (908)

As I was lying in bed last night, unable to fall asleep, it occurred to me that I had not posted yesterday. Given that this occasionally concerns people, I am still alive. I am also still testing positive for covid. I have no idea if it means anything--it likely doesn't--but the covid-positive line that took almost 15 minutes to appear, and then faintly, on my first positive test last weekend popped out in less than three this morning. As I work my way through this, I have to keep reminding myself that while this virus initially appeared to be a primarily respiratory one, it affects other systems as well. In retrospect, yesterday was a brain fog day. I realized when I went to bed last night that I had totally skipped the multiple pills, prescription and non-, that I take every morning, nor had I popped open the new inhaler I was supposed to start. I did manage to finish a book, but even that was in fits and starts. As for sleeping last night, the dog and cat slept well, at least until the cat woke up at 4:15. The Professor apparently slept well in the basement guest room as well. I hope to make up for some of the lost sleep in a nap later. 

I finished the Paxlovid yesterday so at least I can  avoid the awful taste it left in my mouth. I'm assuming the drug helped though the after-taste certainly didn't. At least I don't need to stress about the infamous Paxlovid rebound as long as I'm still positive from the original viral course. Sometimes, it's the little things that matter. 

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 406 (906)

Ukraine is still at war, but London Bridge has fallen. The Queen is dead; long live the King. Being an American, I don't know what living in a monarchy might be like. I can say, though, that a head of state whose term of service included every minute of my own long life would boggle even a non-fogged brain. The Queen evidently went out on her own terms, gracefully, with her family gathered around. We should all be so lucky. 

Just when I think I am feeling even better, my body manages to tell me not to hurry. While my chest no longer feels congested, occasional coughs assure me that it is. Monday's headache comes back in fits and starts but does not last for long. Tomorrow will be my last day of Paxlovid; hard candy does help offset its somewhat bitter after-taste. There is always the possibility of the Paxlovid rebound; that seems to happen between two and eight days after finishing the five-day course. I'd cross my fingers, but that didn't help keep me from getting the covid in the first place. If it happens, it happens.

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 405 (905)

I'm slowly feeling better. The big thing right now is feeling physically drained. I have no energy beyond what it takes to get tea from the kitchen to take back to the couch. I've been outside only once since Sunday; I emptied the water out of the cat's fountain yesterday, water that can't be poured down the drain because of the clumping litter the cat leaves when she plays. The US Open tennis is nice, mindless TV that doesn't require close attention. That and reading a bit make up how I spend a day. The Professor tested negative last night. If he tests negative again tomorrow night, the CDC says he can re-enter the world if he stays masked. He's shooting for waiting until Monday just to be safe. I fall back on if what I have is a milder case, playing hermit through the early days was well worth it. 

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 404 (904)

I feel better today since the Headache from Hell has returned home or gone off seeking a new victim. I do still lack energy and am paying great attention to how my chest feels. A few other observations: Paxlovid does, indeed, leave an awful taste in your mouth, and that taste lasts longer than you might think. Cherry Pedialyte tastes better than grape, and the taste of grape is improved by adding a bit of sweetener. Covid sucks. If you have not already gotten it, you do not want to. Of course, I didn't want to and managed to do it anyway.

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 403 (903)

I've read that Omicron and subvariants, while more transmissible, are milder than the earlier forms of covid were. If what I'm feeling is milder than something else, I do not want to meet that something else. I had influenza about 35 years ago and felt as if a truck ran over me. I cannot think of anything in the years between then and now that has made me feel as bad as I do now. The headache may be the worst, though the trucks are back to running over my whole body; my chest and respiratory system actually feel worse than they did during 2019's bout with pneumonia. I do not want to discuss what the peak flow meter I use to measure my asthma says; it's enough to say that I'm glad I also have a medical-grade pulse oximeter for a second opinion. 

As you might have gathered, this is it for today's post. If I knew which student transmitted covid to The Professor, I'd ask that they fail the class. The Professor also accepts that he will now be teaching and meeting with students if and only if he is wearing a high-quality mask. Saying that it sucks to be me would be fairly accurate.

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 402 (902)

I had some stuff written down, but after feeling more and more as if I am getting a bad cold, I took my temperature. 98.9F passes for a low-grade fever in me, so I did a second covid test. This morning's negative is this afternoon's positive. While The Professor said that other than wanting to nap more than usual he felt no ill effects, I'm starting to feel like shit. After I notify my PCP electronically, I'm going to bed. The Professor zoo-sat for Son #2 last night but will be back this evening. Right now, I'd say I won't be posting for a few days, but I'll play that by ear.

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 401 (901)

Having given up two hours of my life to a quilt guild board meeting on Zoom this morning (I am webmaster, not a seat on the board, but the current president seems to think I should be there), I'm not posting anything here today other than that I tested negative again this morning. Here's hoping that continues.

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 400 (900)

It's going to be something of a short one today but not because I've succumbed to the coronavirus. I tested negative this morning and feel much better than I did yesterday. The problem yesterday was that I did not sleep at all well having banished The Professor to the basement but not a boatload of anxieties about what might happen in the coming days. I slept much better last night, and it shows today. I'll keep testing myself daily or more often should I get at all symptomatic. We've been serious about living apart in the same house. If The Professor needs to leave the basement going, for example, to his home office to tape a lecture, I go outside or otherwise "hide." He gets his breakfast while I'm upstairs showering. I think we've actually seen each other for a cumulative two minutes since his test and both of us have been masked.

The Professor is in town right now. The doc with whom he spoke about getting Paxlovid wanted to check his renal levels before deciding on a dosage. Not wanting to be too optimistic about escaping the possibility of a Paxlovid rebound, I just emailed and put on hold a dinner with friends scheduled for next weekend.

The CDC has authorized the new booster and recommends all people over the age of 12 get it. There is a bit of disagreement about how soon to get it after infection or previous vaccination. Some experts say to wait two months after an earlier booster; others, four to six months. One report said to wait three months after having had covid. Epidemiologists estimate that having the booster available now, based on studies on mice, as opposed to mid-November when human results will be available will save between 7,500 and 18,000 lives by spring. That little fact about clinical trials in mice rather than humans sparked the one CDC vote against authorizing the booster now. A pediatrics professor at Ohio State University said he could not "make a recommendation for a vaccine that has not been studied in humans."

An article from the latest issue of the British Medical Journal looks at the social and political underpinnings of how and why WHO overlooked and even denied airborne transmission of the coronavirus for over two years. If you want to look at the article, let me say that it contains virtually no medical jargon that a non-medical person might not recognize. It's long and centered as you might expect on Britain, but I found it interesting.

I'm obviously hoping for another negative test tomorrow morning. 

The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 399 (899)

It's going to be an interesting week or more. A couple nights ago, The Professor complained of a sore throat. I suggested he use one of our home testing kits. The negative result made him think maybe he'd just talked too much; it was, after all, early in the semester and he hadn't done lectures in a while. He came home from work yesterday and mentioned the cold symptoms he was feeling. I handed him another covid test kit. Yep, he got the second line indicating he had covid. It seems that he's been lecturing and talking with students after class without wearing a mask. Really, Prof? Really? I've banished him to the basement where there's a guest bedroom and a full bathroom. His being down there means I can't go work on the quilts in progress, but I'd rather forego that than catch covid. I tested negative last night but will test myself tomorrow. If I'm still negative, I'll test again the next day. I'd like to think I won't get it from him, but I'm realistic enough to know that the odds are against that. Do something every day that scares you? I'd say that these next few days count in that regard. 

China is sticking with its zero-covid policy. The city of Chengdu, population 21.1 million, has been locked down. Businesses have closed. One member of each family who has tested negative in the last 24 hours is allowed out each day to buy necessities. People may otherwise only leave their homes for mandatory covid testing or some other "special need."

More evidence has hit the media of the educational setbacks in response to the pandemic. Fourth-grade reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress saw their biggest decrease in 30 years. Math scores fell for the first time in history, otherwise known as when the testing started, in the 1970s. These declines were seen in all regions and affected students of most races. Some of the steepest declines were for students of color. Experts say it could take a generation to rebound from the covid declines, and that could easily affect economic output for years. The Professor has commented that the undergraduates he teaches don't seem to be of the same quality as students in earlier years. I pointed out that the students he was teaching had likely done their last year or year-and-a-half virtually, something that likely affected the math foundation needed to master physics. 

A couple of number items to close on, one of which is related to the coronavirus. North Carolina has the nation's lowest booster rate. The federal government is recommending that people get the new covid booster by the end of October. Finally, and worryingly, a new Quinnipiac Poll reports that 69 percent of each political party (the two main ones, Democrat and Republican) think that "the nation's democracy is in danger of collapse."