The CDC director, Rochelle Walensky, has tested positive for covid. I’m waiting to see if she abides by the CDC guidance to consider yourself ready to rock and roll after only five days if symptoms are improving or gone and there’s no fever. I’m sure she’s been vaccinated, but I’ll go ahead and throw out the figure that there is a 96 percent reduction in death for two boosters versus unvaccinated.
“It’s going to be a rough winter” says one of the medical talking heads. Influenza cases are rising earlier than usual and are expected to soar in the coming weeks. The travel and crowds associated with winter holidays are certainly not going to help; flu cases are predicted to soar in the coming weeks. Besides covid and influenza, experts are also watching a surge in Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), which can be fatal in children and those over the age of 65. An infectious disease expert in Seattle notes, "We're seeing everything come back with a vengeance." This means that, according to an evolutionary microbiologist at Penn State, "We're in uncharted territory." Masks and social distancing sent influenza waning in the last two years. Sadly, those no longer fit into the equation. The twindemic some experts have warned of could become a tridemic. On a related note, there is a new proprietary genetic test that can identify SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and RSV A and B varieties in one PCR test. Someone may be laughing all the way to the bank on that one.
I have no idea how many children have been given flu shots, but fewer than one in three children ages five through 11 has finished even the basic series of covid shots. Yep, it's going to be a rough winter.
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