Nothing Changed but the Rules

I might never get used to being the only masked person in a store, but I might never stop, either. 

Original art: 'Cassandra' by Evelyn De Moran' (1898, London); Cassandra in front of the burning city of Troy, depicted with disheveled hair denoting the insanity ascribed to her by the trojans. Words, mask, and viruses added by KayElle.

From #9 Dream:

Trying to warn or inform others now of the dangers of C19 feels like screaming "Fire!" in a burning theater and people saying, "Can you keep it down? I want to see the rest of this movie."

Covid didn't go away; it's still a bio-safety level 3 virus, and it's still brain invasive, causing severe brain damage in almost 20% of people with a mild or asymptomatic case and in almost 60% of people with Long Covid. I flippin' love my brain!! I exercise, eat well, and do tons of reading and puzzles and play music, all - at least in part - to stave off Alzheimer's. So of course I'm also going to wear an N95 when I'm inside public buildings, a bike helmet when I'm on my bike, and a seatbelt when I'm in a car. 

I would be beside myself if I ever gave this virus to my kids. 

Chalis Montgomery uses LitCovid to stay informed. She explains the basics here in 24 points. It's largely American, but we often blindly follow behind. 

Nothing adds up about the latest Covid news. Apologies to those who think this may be overly conspiratorial, but here’s what we know:
1. Covid is not “milder,” though fewer people are dying in the acute stage due to vaccines. It still causes long term harm.
2. We know Covid damages the immune system, shows viral persistence, can cross the blood brain barrier and damage brain function, and can cause a range of other autoimmune diseases and leave people susceptible to rare fungal infections and cancers. That hasn’t changed, either.
3. We know Covid is airborne like smoke. People who read scientific papers translated from overseas knew that from at least January of 2020, and the rest have been lying to you. If six feet doesn’t work for second hand smoke, it doesn’t work for this.
4. We know that the average time for someone to be infectious is around 10 days, though it can frequently be 14 or more.
5. We know the five-day isolation guideline was lobbied for by Delta Airlines due to staffing issues, not science.
6. We know isolation guidelines in absence of supportive payments and policies encouraging remote work are not feasible for the majority of working class people. The right thing would have been to create generous paid leave and stop funding schools based on ableist attendance.
7. We know that two Vichy Dems in the senate who were the holdouts on most progressive policy have been held up as the excuse for a lack of advocacy for these reforms especially between 20-22. Leaders should have used their podiums to rally behind the right thing. Instead: Narrator: just because something is difficult to pass doesn’t mean you don’t keep fighting for it. Public opinion is powerful. Instead of the GOP being seen as the obstacle here, it’s the Dems themselves. Again even if you think you’ll lose, there are still fights worth having.
8. We know that ventilation is extremely important for airborne disease control. We also know we sent money to schools who bought hand sanitizer instead of DavosSafe ventilation upgrades. We know many offices have also not seen the kinds of upgrades needed.
9. We know (based on basic PHYSICS) that masks with gaps are bad for preventing airborne viruses. Brownian motion, an electrostatic fibers, and barrier all work together to make N95s effective protection against Covid. Public health thought it was too hard to explain.
10. Those of us doing the homework our leaders should have been doing and weren’t knew it was likely the vaccines provided temporary, incomplete protection and do not prevent transmission or Long Covid to the degree promised. Vax only is not enough.
11. Testing is no longer free because the Biden administration limited how many tests could be sent out per household and then claimed people were not requesting them.
12. Whatever you do, don’t Google “Covid placenta.” Suffice it to say, still a problem for mothers and babies. You know, the ones we claim to care about so much?
13. We know that children DO spread Covid. This was one of the more bizarre lies of the past few years. They may appear fine (except for the extra tiredness that lingers, the difficulty concentrating, the moodiness, the constant illness….).
13b: We don’t know what repeat infections will do to kids. We do know each infection can cause damage. We have infected most children and continue to do so. That doesn’t seem smart.
14. We know that some jobs require a high level of focus which may be in jeopardy with repeat infections. There are profound implications for medicine, national security, and the airline industry. 
15. We know that a five day course of Paxlovid is typically not enough, and that rebound effects happen. We likely need a 28 day course of a different antiviral that targets the thymus and preserves T cell function. We could at least start with 10 days Paxlovid as the norm.
16. We know that reinfections are not only NOT RARE but the norm. Failing to mitigate the spread of this thing means faster viral evolution and new variants your body doesn’t recognize.
17. See above every time people claim there is herd immunity. It’s obviously not the case.
18. And so for these and many more reasons, the CDC guidance to YOLO on Covid only makes sense if you’re part of the managerial class. The only thing that matters to you is money, not people. Not lives, not health, not futures.
19. You should also know that should you become disabled by Covid, it will be seen as your moral failing. It is NOT. But, you’ll be blamed for not staying current on a vax that wanes, not masking though the CDC is relatively silent about it, and not having paid leave.
20. In the U.S., we are returning to an era of institutionalization, and it takes on average three years to be approved for social security disability payments. We are letting Covid have entirely free rein and there is functionally NO SECURITY NET for millions.
21. We’ve made terrible policy choices in the face of abundant information warning us to take a different path. And so I am particularly curious as to why our POTUS is now also said to be adhering to new CDC guidelines.
22. He doesn’t have time to spend four years neck deep in research. So, whose advice is this? Does the WH make use of FarUV technology and increased ventilation? Probably. But not at a cafe in Iowa. Not on the campaign trail. Does he use a daily antiviral? Which one(s)?
23. As a matter of national security, we are owed answers as to what prevention methods outside of vaccines the president is using. Because if there is no longer testing, he’ll likely get sick. The person whose job it is to know this is negligent or needs a visit from Commander
24. And while some are relishing the possibility of FAFO here for a variety of valid reasons, I really want to know who is calling the shots - especially on Covid prevention at the White House. Because they’re effectively determining policy for all of us, and they’re wrong.

And the end game: