The Road goes ever on and on ... Day 495 (995)

My Mom just called. They have a COVID case on the memory care floor of her assisted living facility. Residents of that floor don't mix with residents of the other floors, though staff may go to both areas. As a result, staff are now required to wear masks. Residents don't have to wear masks since it's figured they would not get exposed. (Yeah, right.) My Mom has had both a flu shot and the bivalent booster; I hope that's enough to keep her 90-year-old self safe. 

As for respiratory ailments in general, it's the worst flu season in over 10 years. Evidently, the care taken during the pandemic has left us "immunologically naive" and more vulnerable to the viruses out there. RSV, flu, and COVID are all rising at the same time, though RSV may be peaking in some regions of the country. It appears to have peaked in the South but is still rising rapidly in the West. Flu is rising fast and shows no sign of slowing down. COVID is rising everywhere, driven by seasonal changes, behavioral changes, and a broad mix of variants. It takes about two weeks to see the epidemiological impact of holidays, and Thursday will be two weeks from Thanksgiving. Canada tracks hospitalizations by age; the highest risk groups are those ages four and under or adults over the age of 65.

Federal funding for COVID care will be ending soon, and the effect on about 30 million uninsured people will not be pretty. They may end up having to pay for COVID testing and treatment; it would not be surprising if some stopped seeking care altogether. Evidently, some people have so far been charged over $3,000 for a basic COVID test. Hospitalization with COVID can top a million dollars. So far, treatments such as Paxlovid have been free, though seeing a doctor to get a prescription may not be. Both vaccines and treatments will be on the commercial market by summer and there is no telling what companies will charge for them. The White House has proposed a Vaccines for Adults program mirroring the program for childhood vaccines. The program supplies vaccines and reimburses providers for any administrative fees that arise. Whether such a program will be approved is hard to say and might even depend on the outcome of the special Senate election taking place in Georgia today.