Hopefully more people will start paying attention to the dangers of Covid and wear a simple N95 to protect themselves and others now that JN.1 seems to be in the news more. But leadership would help.
The concern with JN.1 is that the "variant appears to have an increased affinity for lung tissue, potentially leading to more severe cases of pneumonia compared to earlier strains. . . . Monitoring symptoms such as persistent cough, difficulty breathing, and fever is crucial, as timely intervention can help prevent the progression to severe pneumonia." But the article just advocates for more vaccinations, without mentioning prevention through respirators beyond "wear masks in crowded places or when required." That type of message is almost worse than just not mentioning masks at all, as it convinces people they're safe in a room with just a few people, when it can only takes one person across the room who appears perfectly healthy to exhale in order to get this variant if you're in there without a mask on. Or you could be the person spreading it.
But definitely get vaccinated. Gregory Travis graphed disease fatalities in school-aged children against vaccination status to find an inverse correlation: "In other words, The more you vaccinate your children, the fewer of them that die."
On top of the continued pandemic with an even more transmissible variant, Ontario is suffering a critical nursing shortage, delaying surgeries, with many patients waiting in hallways to be seen, and many emergency departments being closed. "As the health care crisis rages unabated across the country, it is nurses who are holding our health systems together through grit, determination and a shocking amount of overtime. . . . Research shows that fatigue has effects similar to alcohol intoxication. . . . Alarmingly, there are no regulatory limits to the hours a nurse can work continuously. "
Yikes!
David Christopher posted,
"I try to stay measured when talking about SARS-CoV-2. However, after what I've seen in one of the busiest hospitals on the planet and personally experienced the last four years I am extremely worried about our future. This virus can infect us 2, 3, 4, 5 × a year and it is airborne. It can persist, replicate and mutate for months, perhaps even years in our organs, brain and bone marrow. It is constantly mutating and staying ahead of current vaccines, our therapeutics are very limited and both do very little if nothing to prevent long covid. The damage done by convincing most of the general public that this virus is mild or harmless for all but the most vulnerable among us is irreversible. How many mild or asymptomatic infections are causing silent or unnoticed damage that will show up months or years from now?
I've seen what this virus does both in the acute phase and for months after when looking at thousands upon thousands of laboratory test results the last four years. It attacks every organ, including the brain and circulatory system. Oncology patients are becoming more fragile. Diabetics are struggling to keep their A1C levels down. The number of cardiac patients has exploded. More and more patients in renal failure are going on dialysis. Abnormal hepatic function test numbers are skyrocketing. Lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia and abnormal coags are ⏫. In summary, this virus has become a Trojan horse that most of society ignores. Even most of our medical institutions want to normalize it like influenza where a yearly vaccine is all you need. The push to go back to 2019 has largely succeeded at the expense of our future."
In 1918, people didn't just wait for the flu to run its course; they fought hard against continued waves of the Spanish Flu despite having no vaccination. A big component of that success was ventilation, which included running classrooms outside all winter long. In my board, opening a window a crack was a concern because, according to my admin, "Kids can't learn when they're cold." We've chosen immediate comfort over long term survival. In my current university, there is nothing in place for people who want to avoid getting Covid. Nothing was done except to pretend it ended. Classes start Monday with full knowledge that we are in one of the worst peaks of the pandemic, and nothing is happening in schools except minimizing. Teachers still can't bring in their own CR boxes. Most people aren't masked. The comms has been a nightmare leading to many many preventable deaths. The death rate further increased for kids 5-19 in 2023. Vaccinations help reduce severity, but too few are being vaccinated (only 15%).
We need a big move, right now, to get more people wearing N95s in all public places, especially places people have to be: schools, healthcare, public transportation, grocery stores. At the very least we should make it possible for anyone to buy a loaf of bread without contracting a fatal disease! I've been in arguments with people who are all or nothing about this -- that allowing unmasked dining or bars means it will still spread, and that's true. (And yes, some people are even more extreme than I am about all this!!) But legislating masks everywhere again will be met with far too much vitriol and rage. At least legislate them in public buildings and transportation that can't be avoided. Let the few up in arms off the hook with a note, and everyone else in masks will protect them from illness. N95s work, but they work much better if more people wear them. I'm not hopeful that things will change voluntarily despite 7 million deaths and an unknowable amount of disability from it all.
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