Covid Update: August, 2023

Apparently, based on hospitalizations and wastewater concentrations, we are once again experiencing a Covid surge which, according to the NY Times and other MSM is not much to worry about, but rather a slight fluctuation within what they call the "new normal."  and the WSJ terms more of a "nuisance"then serious problem except for those who are immunocompromised or suffer from problematic preexisting conditions (diabetes, cardiovascular and other types of illnesses). The most prevalent variant is a new one, EG.5 dubbed "Eris," which is in the Omicron family. The virus continues to evolve, and as it has from the beginning, it poses very real dangers for the public. Unfortunately, these dangers do not disappear as easily as policies or declarations of emergency. Actually, we've known for some time that the causal arrow runs both ways as far as diabetes and cardio vascular illness go.  Those with no prior history who get infected are at an increased risk of getting diabetes or other cardiovascular illnesses. Many (even if infections are asymptomatic) will develop chronic illnesses, many of which are disabling. We've learned that Covid is now a significant driver of various neurological and brain-related problems. Autopsies reveal that all Covid variants are neuroinvasive and affect the brain in a variety of different ways, many of which are far from being merely a "nuisance." 

The CDC says 1 out of every 5 Americans who have had Covid have Long Covid. That's a huge #. Long Covid is found less in the elderly than young and middle age adults.The CDC estimates (see link) that 1 in 13 adults in the US (i.e. ~8% of pop.) have Long Covid (= symptoms lasting 3 or more months).  Again, Covid is not merely respiratory, but neuroinvasive both in acute and post-acute phases and  increases risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, as explained in the video from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center below.

 

I write these things, and provide the links because media and gov't have abandoned citizens and hidden the ugly truth about Covid with words like "new normal"and "nuisance." Further, when comparing the this surge with past ones quantitatively, they have no strong empirical basis since they stopped tracking infections when the state of emergency ended (and tracking was always sloppy anyway).  Whatever inferences they do draw are now based on extrapolations from concentrations of the virus in wastewater and hospitalizations.

 

Based on what we know about this virus, we can expect a medium to long term uptick in neurological, cardiovascular and other conditions that diminish  life-expectancy. Such a trend can, unfortunately,  be expected if we don't commit ourselves to significantly increasing the  funding research into this extremely pervasive and complex disease-- especially the aspects that are chronic or lumped into the category "Long Covid." 

The government and media may be done with Covid, but that doesn't mean Covid is done with us. When I'm indoors in small or somewhat crowded places, I am often one of the few  (even in hospital settings) wearing a respirator or mask. I'm sorry about those who might wear one if they knew the facts so conspicuously left out of the few articles on Covid that still appear in MSM. The gov't and media have an obligation to-- at a minimum-- get all this info out there in PSAs, front-and-center mass media coverage, infographics,  etc. Sadly, they have failed to meet that responsibility. Be careful, folks.