It is estimated that bivalent vaccines could prevent around 90,000 deaths in the US. Obviously, this will not come to pass unless enough people get the booster. Although two-thirds of the US population is fully vaccinated with at least their initial series, only one-third of the population has gotten a booster dose, according to the CDC.
Nearly 24 million US adults have long covid, and over 80 percent of them have some trouble carrying out daily tasks. Over 25 percent report significant limitations on daily activities, and up to four million people are estimated to be out-of-work because of long covid symptoms. Almost 30 percent of adults who had covid have reported having long covid symptoms at some time. We know the concept of long covid and the wide range of symptoms, but it's still not clear how to treat it. There also are no diagnostic tools for it. While it is classified as a disability, qualifying for Social Security benefits requires proof that it has lasted or will last for over one year.
The 25 percent of adults with long covid who report significant limitations? About 40 percent of Black, Latino, or disabled respondents reported significant limitations. Those groups have been hit harder than others in many pandemic-related ways. Age, race, gender, or previous disability don't seem to figure when it comes to developing long covid, but some of those factors may come into play in how severe one's case of long covid is.
There were seven of us working the early voting polls yesterday afternoon; three of us wore masks. One worker said she did not need a mask since she was a nurse and had had all the boosters as well as a mild case of covid some months ago. I did not want to get into an argument over breakthrough infections and whether mask-wearing might be worthwhile. A fair number of voters came in who were wearing masks; most appeared to be in the age 60-plus group. I'll be working again tomorrow afternoon, and will see how things might change on a Friday.
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