New York City's official covid case numbers are holding steady at around 2,000 per day, but hospitalizations are on the rise, up to 1,100 on October 24 versus 750 in mid-September. Influenza came early this year along with RSV. Cases of both of these were down during the last two years when people were masking more and distancing themselves more. Some children's hospitals are already at capacity. Emergency room visits for children under the age of five for respiratory issues are at the highest they have been since the initial Omicron surge last winter. A children's hospital in Queens, New York that normally has 175 to 200 patients is up to 250. Some children are spending nights in the emergency room or operating room recovery units.
A study shows that the rebound effect happens in people not taking Paxlovid. The study tracked participants in a clinical trial and found that 44 percent of those who recovered had symptoms flare up at various times during the four weeks after the infection. While 85 percent said that the symptoms were mild, the other 15 percent reported having at least one symptom that was moderate as opposed to mild. Common rebound symptoms were cough, fatigue, and headache.
Two not-yet-peer-reviewed studies suggest that the protection provided by the bivalent booster and the original booster was roughly equivalent. There was no real advantage to receiving the bivalent one. Don't let this discourage you from getting the bivalent booster, though; either booster is better than no booster. And as one expert put it, "Don't drop your guard just because you've been boosted."
Working at early voting again this afternoon. In the past sessions I've worked, about half of the election officials have worn masks. I was doing paperwork for one couple on Wednesday; they said they were fine with my removing my mask unless it was an issue I had. Needless to say, the mask stayed in place, as it will this afternoon. I can't say that four to five hours of wearing an N95 mask are particularly pleasant, but it beats the options of my getting it again or my giving it to someone else. At least some of us are in this together.
2 comments:
What do you say when made that "offer"? The last time someone made a point of telling me I needn't wear my mask around him, I told him I had a cold (I did) and the extra humidity on my face felt good (it did).
Bird 'Pie
I haven't been asked in public, but I'm thinking I would say something along the lines of "I wear a mask for my health as well as for yours." Most folks just ignore my mask. If they look at me funny, I don't notice.
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