Originally published in The Chattanooga Times Free Press
I freaked when I saw this article online, “The Covid extremists can’t bear that nobody is listening to them”. I’d just recovered from Covid and then, something called Covid Rebound. Having escaped Covid for years, and been thoroughly vaccinated, I thought I was safe. I complained to my daughter, the doctor. After briefly expressing sympathy, she said, “You’re old! Be grateful for those vaccinations. Otherwise you could be dead.”
When a good friend then came down with Covid, and it looks like long Covid, I was definitely paying attention. Talking to my physician’s office, I discovered that we weren’t alone. Lots of folks were coming down with Covid, and its new highly infectious variant. I even had a friend on Face Book offer to create a Covid Rebound group. I just laughed, but maybe it’s not as funny as I thought.
Understand that the current surge is world wide. The World Health Organization (WHO) explained that JN.1 is the dominant variant in Europe and estimates that viral levels are 2-19 times higher than what’s being reported around the world. You know what that means…more to come locally! Projections from university medical centers show that 1 in 3 people Americans could be infected with COVID and up to 2 million people could be infected in a single day.
The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that this new variant called JN.1 may be “intensifying the spread of COVID-19 this winter.” And while hospitalizations and death are lower than last year, wastewater data shows a rapid rise in infections. Our current surge is the 2nd largest since the pandemic began. The omicron surge in late 2021 infected more people than even the early days of the pandemic. I’m hopeful that the severity will be much less the time.
The most recent CDC update shows that emergency department visits, and hospitalizations rates regarding COVID-19 have stabilized, even decreasing in some places. But please note that emergency department visits for COVID-19 remain high among infants and older adults and are still elevated for young kids. No specific ages were defined for older adults or youngsters, so it would be wise to pay attention if you even come close to either category or have friends and loved ones who do. I guess that means most, if not all, of us.
For those of you who are still not listening, if you are an “older adult” read what one of your cohorts has to say.
“I’ve been very careful to avoid Covid. Once it found me, I learned several things. Firstly, it can sneak up on a person and and cause them to fall Face-Plant style, resulting in a possible concussion and loss of vision, plus many scrapes and bruises. Secondly, it can quickly turn into a painful sinus infection requiring antibiotics. Thirdly and Fourthly, see secondly twice. Fifthly, the amount of energy required to recover from all this did teach me that I could easily sleep 20 hours a day. Sixthly, I had to leave my job (my employer required me to be awake at work). Finally, I get to keep alert for Long Covid. Last of all I learned the it is highly contagious even you test negative in the beginning. Sorry to family members.”
Remember when Covid first started and we were told that the most vulnerable folks were the older people and the very young? And then it spread to so many. Sound familiar?
I’m delighted to have recovered and have hope for better days. Please ignore those calls of “Covid Extremist” and take care of yourself and your loved ones.
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