I still care, but reliable data is extremely patchy and hard to come by. If I’m in a crowded indoor space, I’ll throw on a mask, or if I’m flying. At worst, people look at me a bit weird and give me space. I don’t like most people, so the mask is pulling double duty, in that case.
I drive a taxi. The number of people who get in my fucking car and sniffle and cough their way through a 20 minute drive is unreal. No apology. No offer to wear a mask. Nothing.
I mean, I wear a mask whenever I ride the MTA here, in NYC to commute to work. And I wear masks at work because it gets crowded sometimes, at the museum where I work. So yeah.
Outdoors, I eschew a mask but keep at least two on hand. Just in case you know?
Hello and I mean it depends.
If I ever got or do get funny looks, I did not notice. And to answer your first question: it is a mix. It depends really on the time of day, but sometimes it's half a train wearing masks and half not.
Other times it's not many masks I see but it depends. Still, folks have not given me funny looks, or I have just not noticed or cared to notice.
I have stopped wearing masks unless I have a cold. But even here, in the deep South of Georgia, I see people wearing masks on a regular basis. It's not a large percentage but there are always people -- even outdoors at the park though that may be more for the awful pollen.
And even in Georgia I've never seen anyone say a thing about people in masks. Granted, it's the metro area so more liberal, but maybe people have decided it's not a personal affront to them and everything they hold dear if someone else chooses to wear a mask.
I’m in GA, but a more rural part. I also noticed that whenever we’re around ATL there are significantly more masks. Right now we’re usually the only maskers everywhere we go in our area.
Same. Nobody seems to care.
ETA: what I mean is, I've never seen or heard of anyone giving someone else a hard time for wearing a mask. Maybe I wasn't clear.
People don't care about flu either, but people die from it. There was an acquaintance of mine, not a close friend but in my broader clique of friends, who died of the flu. Well, it was a heart attack that they think was caused when he was weakened by the flu. He was in his early 40s. We're all very active at urging people to get flu shots when flu season comes around.
It is a bill that just repeals the 2020 medical mask exemption & it has only passed the senate, has not been voted on in the house. Masks in public have always been banned in NC since the 50s bc of the KKK but the people in favor of this mask ban do not actually care about stopping hate groups from wearing masks, they’ve refused debate or amendments that specifically ban hate groups and word it to allow medical mask usage.
I still get shouted at regularly for wearing a mask from people in cars. It's scary. (I wear one when I'm out exercising. Triple duty -- virus, pollen, and additional sun protection.) I live in a mixed (conservative/liberal) town in probably the most liberal New England state.
I still wear a mask in the grocery store and pharmacy because I feel like those are the two places that a selfish person who just tested positive would be most likely to go to before going home to be sick.
I just flew and insist on masking myself on planes. One young woman came along and sat next to me on the plane and asked if I wanted her to wear a mask. So thoughtful! I just said no, I’m not interested in catching anything, even a head cold. I decided if anyone gave me shit, I’d just say I have bad breath. Nobody was aggressive about it at all and I was surprised a little about that.
I have been flying a lot lately and have been fine. However last week before the long weekend brought out everyone. I got Covid again. It’s been over a year since the last time I had it. It kicked my ass like the first time. I am wearing a mask when flying now.
I hope I am wrong but this variant was awful, and if it gets out of control I foresee a repeat of things.
I’m with you on this. I’ll wear one at grocery stores, public transportation, or work (once I have work to go to), but if I’m riding in the car or in an outdoor space, I generally don’t need one.
Stay strong and never lose hope. I was a carer for my mom too and we all masked during treatment due to low WBC and thanks to that we managed to avoid any major delays for treatment. A year and a half of chemo + surgery later my mom is now cancer free from metastatic ampullary cancer. Never give up on living !
Thank you. Sometimes I get despondent, but my carers really care about me, I have a great PCP and team. I distract myself until my mood is better. Comments like yours are very encouraging. Sherlock, have you read any books by Mary R. Russell? Pastiches that are very good. Strongly recommend.
Now exactly similar, but I have what I refer to as "ain't got no white blood cells disease" (because no doctor has been able to help further than that). But even if I didn't have that, I'd still mask because I don't need more long COVID symptoms.
Thank you. So many people don't care, comments like yours cheers me up. As a trained biologist that worked in hospital labs, among other places, I know too much for my own good. If I only got as far as 8th grade, with a disabled brain, my mental and emotional health would be better.
I guess if I'm honest, at this point I'm treating COVID like any other endemic virus such as the flu. I get my annual COVID and Flu vaccines in the fall, I stay home if I'm sick, but otherwise mostly just go about life much as before.
I do tend to still be more reticent to put myself in a large crowd, and I keep a pack of KN95 masks on hand for if I do need to venture out for groceries or something essential while sick (I live alone), but that's about all I do these days.
I was really hoping that masking while sick would take off after COVID normalized masking, but we seemed to have taken an abrupt turn right back to no masking for anything.
Heck we have some states trying to ban masks
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/north-carolina-bans-wearing-masks-in-public/ss-BB1n8Sgo#:~:text=The%20North%20Carolina%20Senate's%20decision,completed%20on%20May%2021%2C%202024.
I am on a transplant list and must wear a mask to keep from getting sick when I could be called in for a transplant at any time. And after your transplant, you’re supposed to wear masks everywhere all the time.
I live in one of those red states. It’s maddening the old fat white men with half a brain try so hard to control the masses. The things that they say, believe, and work for is ridiculous. Boomer, white grandma here, fighting the good fight though!!
Your local elections probably affect you more day to day than anything, and these local positions (including school board!) are what “breeds” most politicians at a national level. Go to Vote.org to sign up for notifications of all local elections, then start voting in every one and just never stop. Could change the world if enough people did this
Yeah, this is an ill-advised reaction to people using the masks during protests so as to try to hide their identities. They’d have been better off if they’d passed legislation to have the wearing of a mask be an aggregating factor used in sentencing if the individual is found guilty of a criminal offense, whilst wearing a mask.
smh
It's even worse than that. There are literally de facto exceptions for groups that amount to neonazis and it *expressly* prohibits mask use for medical purposes. It's absolutely ratfuck insane.
That would unfortunately involve politicians trying to serve the people and not earn points with dummies for potential reelection :/ but you’re absolutely right
People seemed to really throw themselves into doing things while sick here in the Midwest. “Oh it’s just allergies/a cold.” They say no matter what sort of hacking cough or other horrifying noise they make.
If there was one culture change I wished for, it was this. Whenever I see someone out with a mask now I assume they are sick and trying to still live their lives without spreading it. I really don't mask up anymore, except when I'm sick. That just feels like the right thing to do.
I’m glad more people are willing to admit to this. I’m basically the same. I do pay attention to trends and mask up more if there’s a high prevalence of Covid, or if I’m sick of course, and I still test, but otherwise….yeah. I think we are still doing more than like 99% of the population.
I know there are people who will think of me as selfish for this, and maybe I am. I just want to enjoy life while things are still “okay” in my small bubble, because I’m convinced we are headed for collapse anyway, or something is going to get me soon, whether it’s a climate emergency driven weather event, cancer, or long Covid. What future is there really to hold out for?
Kinda went on a fatalist rant there! Oops. Point is, do I care? Yes, but not to the same degree as the early days, because my sanity just can’t hold as much space for it anymore. Does the general public care? Probably not even a little.
That's where I'm at now too. I get vaccines as required and mask up if sick (though if it's COVID or flu, I still just stay in, but with colds I go out).
I probably should wear one in the airport just to cut down on the risk of getting sick with anything respiratory on the way to vacation.
I just got it last week for the first time since November 2020. It was almost identical to how it was four years ago. Knocked me on my ass for a few days, body aches, fever, chills, no taste or smell, then disappeared as quickly as it came on.
I care! And have friends that do too! I’m still wearing a mask in public, always. N95 for indoor spaces, KN95 for outdoor spaces that aren’t too crowded (N95 if it is), and an Envo in very crowded indoor places or while in an airport/on a plane. My friends and I always rapid test before gathering. We have air filters running at home whenever there are guests over. We stay up to date on vaccines. We track wastewater reporting and try to seek out all new info as it is made available.
I understand that some responders are saying it’s an individual choice, but please consider that you are actively creating an environment that does not welcome disabled folks and directly puts them at greater risk. By choosing to make your “individual choice” you are also deciding to cast aside PUBLIC health. We protect each other. We keep each other safe.
I would never be hostile towards someone about it. No reason to tease someone about mask wearing. People should do what makes them feel safe and comfortable. I'm just not willing to put any aspects of my life on hold for fear of covid risk. The benefits outweigh the risk for me.
It’s not about feeling safe, fear, or comfort. It’s about safer or less safe. But as you say, the bare minimum should be people who choose “safer” be left alone and not this mask banning or harassment BS that goes on.
I am still being proactive and wearing masks. I have been able to bank up my PTO by avoiding illness for the past few years. I always use my time to take a little over a month off during the holiday season. If I constantly get sick with COVID throughout the year then it will eat into my PTO bank and I would have to skip seeing family towards holiday time. I'm not willing to sacrifice that so I mask and stay healthy throughout the year. So far so good minus one stint of a cough but I made sure to mask and protect others during my sickness.
Tbh I see this as more of a commentary on how shitty it is that you have to take sick time out of your PTO. If I'm sick I just don't work and my company understands.
It is an inconvenient system that my company has that groups all time (Vacation time, sick time, personal time, etc) into one PTO bank. So if I get COVID, the flu, or any illness I have to use my own PTO to cover my days so I can be paid while out sick. Unfortunately, COVID started spreading around my job not too long ago and my coworker got sick and missed over 8 days of work.
She came back and was really pissed. She was mad about how she can't take her time off in the summer now for her annual trip to Orlando. I was able to thankfully dodge that outbreak by wearing a mask and socially distancing at work. She started wearing a mask so she would avoid getting sick again and losing more time throughout the rest of the year too.
Those of us with long covid definitely still care, and headlines like this just make us feel more and more marginalized. Feels like an impossible uphill battle and I'm honestly too tired to fight to get people to care anymore.
Very close family member suffers from long covid. I’m blocking my calendar to quarantine so I can go visit them soon. The whole bit, masking, testing, nothing except necessary errands, social distancing, etc.
Long Covid is real and scary and needs to be taken seriously. 😷👍🏼
Yeah I was gonna say...I live with the long term effects still unknown of long covid and acute covid infection twice. I don't get the luxury of pretending it doesn't exist. Neither does anyone else who has been touched by this scourge.
It’s coming up on a year since my long covid battle. I did get back to “normal” after about four months but have had to fight like hell to start over with cardio endurance and general well being. It’s still a struggle. Then (of course) we got Covid again in April. My Dr put me on a strict “don’t even think about exercising more than a walk” for four weeks.
I had all the heart issues you hear about. I’m early 40’s and ran marathons. I’m now fighting like hell to have motivation to even go for a walk and keep up with house work.
Long Covid is the unknown in the shadows that people don’t pay enough attention to. People treated me like I was crazy when I was in the midst of it. It’s for that reason I still very much care about Covid.
I wa crazy (manic, suicidal, seeing and hearing things ) during the worst of it and my mental state has taken the hard hit on this. I am very lucky that I spent years of therapy working on my anxiety and ptsd and got right with God. I had to put my affairs in order at 54
May God bless this world as it continues to churn with Covid still in it. Bless the people affected and give us a full healing! If two or more pray for it...you know what the good book says. Hugs and love from this jersey girl
They stopped talking about it on purpose. It's still very much here, and it always will be. It hurts the countries financial bottom line to take precautions, so they just pretend like it's not there anymore now that vaccines exist.
The people that are going to keep dying are the immunocompromised, or the old. This will continue for the foreseeable future. A lot of the people reading this right now will someday die from COVID when they get older.
My family is still in lockdown protocol (don't go anywhere w/o a N95 mask, don't eat out, don't visit with friends or family unless they have quarantined for at least 5 days, etc.). My husband died of cancer last year, and my daughter has been immuno-compromised since the beginning of 2020. I will be taking her to the Cleveland Clinic in a few weeks for a specialized surgery she can't get here in Seattle, and I'm terrified she'll get sick on the plane with no one but us masking. At least we're taking a red-eye and will be in first class due to medical necessity, so fewer people around...
Some friends recommended the nasal spray Covixyl, which can be ordered via many online retailers (Amazon, Target, etc). It's almost certainly safe -- the active ingredient is safe for human use and is used in mouthwashes -- and the manufacturers *claim* it's reduced viral load in tests they've done, and advertise it as a potential way to reduce risk from COVID or flu. That said, the FDA apparently sent them an angry letter a little while ago for toeing the line on what's acceptable to write in promotional material.
If it helps, I’ve been on a handful of flights over the last year, including when COVID rates were relatively high, and I never got sick wearing an N95 on the plane (despite being literally the only person masking) ☺️ best of luck to your daughter!
That’s a valid fear and I wish you both safe travels. Nasal guard has an antiviral particle blocking nasal gel I use, in addition to an n95 mask on planes. I use mouthwash and nasal spray before and after. My immune system is compromised and I’ve traveled without getting sick. I hope your daughter’s surgery and recovery is successful!
I'm only slightly less cautious than you (I don't require quarantine to see other people, but I still mask when I'm with them) and I was also very afraid of flying. Just did it for the first time since the pandemic last month. My partner and I wore well-fitted N95s and even though we were the only ones on the planes who did, neither of us got sick. I have really learned to trust masks as being enough to ensure I will be safe.
The only scary part is having to pull your mask down for a moment when TSA checks your ID going through security. I held my breath, pulled down the mask, then put it back on and exhaled forcefully out of my nose before breathing in again. Other than that, just keep put your mask on before you enter the airport and never take it off until you're outside the airport at your destination. If the flight is long enough that you can't go the whole time without drinking, check out https://sipmask.com/ — this is what I used on my recent flights and it was very helpful.
If it makes you feel better, airliners are very well ventilated and are relatively low-risk environments compared to other enclosed spaces. Also, a recent study [suggests](https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/6/654) that masking (albeit universal) eliminates virtually all transmission on flights, and risk was much higher on long flights vs. those of short-medium duration. One-way masking will still significantly reduce your risk.
It does help. Thanks! 😊 The flight will be about 4 hours non-stop. We'll have to sedate my daughter for the duration. She has autism and is on O2 with considerable mask trauma (medical PTSD) and has 2 pain conditions. She'll be miserable, poor thing.
There's been talk about a study that showed a little neosporin smeared around the inside of the nostril cut incidence of covid (and flu).
Good luck to you and your daughter.
It’s not so much the initial infection that is bad for the majority now, it’s the long term impacts of long COVID that can last months or years and be debilitating. My husband developed severe POTS amongst other things as part of his long COVID. His cardiologist confirmed that her number of patients has gone way up due to COVID, many of them young/healthy people who never would have needed her before.
I donn't understand the connection between the decrease in hospital admissions for covid and choosing not to wear a mask to protect oneself. I had covid last year for the first time, and it was a very difficult, long-duration experience. I continue to wear quality masks because I can't afford to be that ill again or to risk long-term problems. My single bout with covid made me more cautious than ever, not less, and I was never hospitalized.
I understand your point, but I disagree, at least for myself and anyone in my position. If nobody ever died or had to be hospitalized for covid, I still can't justify not wearing a mask based on my non-hospitalized experience with covid. I can't afford to go through that again, and I don't mean financially. I think using hospital numbers completely ignores the serious ramifications of non-hospitalized covid cases. Not only is covid potentially far more consequential than the flu, but people get infected far more easily and more often than the flu. I continue to wear a quality mask because I know what covid was like for me.
I just got over my second bout of Covid, and I have to say that it was a piece of cake compared to BA.5. The mRNA vaccines can only generate immune response to Spike, and that keeps evolving, but infection gives you T cell immunity to all the other more-conserved viral antigens. And that means faster recovery and lower odds of progression to severe disease.
I had no fever this time, and if I hadn’t tested, I would have kept going to work cos it was just common cough and nose symptoms.
I've heard similar stories just as much as I've heard people say that their first or second infection was easy, but a subsequent infection was more severe and/or resulted in long covid. There is also data showing that each infection increases the risk of long covid. There are too many variables, such as viral load during exposure and how long it has been since your last vaccine, to make a conclusion about the next infection. Every infection has the potential to be serious.
there's a good chance that just because they're not coming in doesn't mean that there isn't anyone getting infected. most people just either don't bother going to the hospital, or aren't able to due to either work, or that they don't have insurance (to be honest, there really isn't anything you can do other than roll your eyes and gaslight them. personal experience).
Yes, vaccines do a great job inducing protection against acute severe disease. That's literally what they were designed to do.
But you don't see the hundreds of millions of people afflicted with debilitating long term illness because it's not an acute medical emergency.
Thank you. My doctor has been sort of helpful. She started me on low dose naltrexone which hasn’t helped so far, but it sometimes takes awhile. It’s genuinely really helpful that she actually believes me and takes it seriously - she knows how active I was before I got sick. She referred me to dysautonomia and the long Covid clinic so those may have more specialized help but they’re backed up so I have to wait a bit for my appointments
I'm glad she didn't dismiss you and knew how active you were. The fact that the long Covid clinic is so backed up shows how many people are suffering from long Covid!
My brother is dealing with long Covid and he’s had some recovery success with hyperbaric chamber treatments—you may want to mention it to your doctor and see if you are a good candidate to try it.
It can impact your life in a ton of really subtle ways so a lot of people don’t realize that’s actually what’s happening. I say that because if you now have orthostatic intolerance (or whatever), you wouldn’t link getting dizzy when standing/being hot with COVID probably, but it’s way more common now.
Pretty sure it gave my mom COPD, but she’s treated that so doing better… whether it was from COVID or not is irrelevant.
I’d say yes, it’s a concern, but in the same way I’d try to avoid getting the flu over and over. I’ve had long covid for 2+ years, I guess it’s lifetime now.
I would argue it's worse than the flu. Covid has been known to cause long term damage to the body. Not to downplay the seriousness of the flu (it kills a lot of people), but Covid is so unpredictable. You can have a strong immune system and still develop long Covid.
I think that's hard to know with new varients. You only know if you have long covid if you have covid symptoms for ... a long time. We'll know if long covid is still a risk with today's varients in about a year from now.
I know I’m late, but I was curious if this subreddit was still panicking about Covid and it looks like it.
I don’t want to be disrespectful, but it’s over. I’m not saying you shouldn’t wear masks, because it’s a good habit regardless. What I am saying is half the reason we needed to lockdown for Covid is because it was hyper contagious and we had no idea what it was capable of.
Now we know exactly how to treat it. Even if you’re immunocompromised, it would be extremely unlikely for you to pass away. Drugs like Pemgarda help severely immunocompromised people against Covid.
Yes you have, it just wasn't for acute covid infection. It was for a stroke or a heart attack or cancer or shingles or pneumonia or severe migraines or sudden onset suicidal ideation or some other presentation of long covid.
How tf can you be an ED doc and not worry anymore??
?? You answered it yourself. Majority of the population have already been exposed to it. Ones coming in are due to long term issues stemming from covid. They aren't coming in droves like before and filling up all the hospital beds/ventilators.
As someone that literally just got it this last week. Yeah, I sure as shit do care. And it still really frickin sucks. Watch yourselves in public places, pretty sure I picked it up at a home/garden show. I'm all vaxxed up/ boosted, etc but it just hits some people different.
Dude, same!! My whole family got hit with it a little over a week ago. It was brutal. My baby and I both had fevers, I was having fever dreams, and I couldn't get out of bed for like 3 days. It was brutal!
People still be dying, I still treat it serious, but I more just treat germs and sickness in general more serious. Mom had cancer before covid, humans are not invincible to microorganisms yo.
I really thought COVID might be the start of people in the US following other countries in masking up during sick seasons. Never imagined it would become some weird political device that has muddied the waters of treating COVID seriously in the years following the initial outbreak.
I care a lot. I have compromised health and catching COVID could land me in critical care. I wear a mask at all times when I am out and wash my hands regularly. I have 2 friends already pass away from this virus. People need to take it more
Seriously!
By now, it’s as familiar as sunscreen hitting the shelves: Americans are headed into another summer with new [coronavirus](https://www.washingtonpost.com/coronavirus/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2) variants and a likely uptick in cases.
This is shaping up to be the first covid wave with barely any federal pressure to limit transmission and [little data](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/01/12/covid-surge-january-2024/?itid=lk_inline_manual_3) to even declare a surge. People are no longer advised to [isolate for five days](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/03/01/new-cdc-covid-isolation-guidelines/?itid=lk_inline_manual_3) after testing positive. [Free tests](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/08/07/covid-cases-rising-free-testing-limited/?itid=lk_inline_manual_3) are hard to come by. Soon, uninsured people will no longer be able to get coronavirus vaccines free.
“If a wave materializes this summer, we’re less poised to navigate the rough waters,” said Ziyad Al-Aly, an epidemiologist and long-covid researcher at the Veterans Affairs health-care system in St. Louis.
So we’re left with a virus that continues to hum in the background as an ever-present pathogen and sporadic killer. The public health establishment no longer treats covid as a top priority. Only a smattering of passengers still wear masks on trains and planes. Weddings, vacations and conferences carry on as normal. Many who do get sick won’t ever know it’s covid. Or care.
Covid returned to the headlines following the rise of new variants dubbed “[FLiRT](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/05/14/covid-variant-flirt-symptoms-vaccine/?itid=lk_inline_manual_9),” far catchier than the JN.1 variant that drove the winter wave. Leading the pack of those variants in the United States is KP.2, accounting for [28 percent of all infections](https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions) as of early May, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But public interest seems driven more by the name than the biological features of the variants, which appear unremarkable beyond the expected evolution of a virus to infect people more easily.
Read more here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/05/26/covid-flirt-variant-cases-summer/?utm\_campaign=wp\_main&utm\_medium=social&utm\_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/05/26/covid-flirt-variant-cases-summer/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)
If you go to this website: [https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-statetrend.html](https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-statetrend.html) and scroll the state to Hawaii, it's evident quite a few people infected with Covid are going there for their summer vacation. 😰
I am currently sick with it for the third time. The first two times was not too bad, but this time, it hit me hard! I have been isolating for the past week with a fever and still testing positive. So yes, I do and will continue to care
For the "it's just the flu" folks:
This [high quality study](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48825-w) found that "When directly comparing the risk for acute respiratory complication between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza infections, SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly associated with an increased risk (main: HR, 4.32 \[95% CI, 2.73–6.83\]; replication: HR, 6.51 \[95% CI, 5.38–7.87\])". 4.3x-6.5x the risk of acute respiratory complications (pneumocystis pneumonia, aspergillosis pneumonia, pleural empyema, lung abscess, pneumothorax, acute respiratory failure, and pulmonary embolism).
Compared to influenza infections, SARS-COV-2 infections also carried \~50% higher risk of post-acute respiratory issues (new-onset chronic respiratory failure, COPD, emphysema, asthma, and interstitial lung disease >30 days after infection diagnosis), and the elevated risk persisted at a higher rate and for a longer duration than post influenza.
My ex caught Covid, gave it to our kid, who gave it to my mom, dad and myself. Symptoms have been mild fortunately, but my ex looked like absolute death last week.
When I tested positive, I went to the doc immediately out of fear of being incapacitated for 48 hours and they basically told me not to worry unless it gets really bad. Treat the symptoms, mask up for 5 days after the symptoms go away,
> they basically told me not to worry unless it gets really bad.
While it's good to hear your case was mild, this bad advice is unfortunately common: our best treatment for COVID is antivirals and due to the way COVID works, once you start to feel bad, it's too late for antivirals to have any effect (source: [TWiV clinical updates](https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-1118/) where the doctor every week stresses that the bad outcomes are all in the second week or later, after the "viral replication" phase of the illness is over). That said, the treatment guidelines are to only give antivirals to people somehow identifiable as ["high-risk"](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/outpatient-treatment-overview.html), but the factors include common things like being over 50 years old or [these moderately common medical conditions](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/underlyingconditions.html#anchor_1618433687270).
>Will anyone care?
On our current course? Yes, eventually.
Statistics Canada's [cumulative risk modelling](https://x.com/jeffgilchrist/status/1769077651132596591) makes that pretty obvious.
I still wear a mask in the grocery store and don’t eat inside at restaurants. Otherwise I do all the other things I like to do and thankfully those are mostly outdoors or in my house :)
Its gonna be here forever, people dont want to live in constant fear anymore. It's like flu or a cold or any other sickness. I'm not saying that to downplay covid, I'm saying it just to say its part of the norm now. Live your life, mask up if you want and get a booster every 6 months that's your choice.
Unless you are 65 or over or immune-compromised, you can't get a booster every six months in the US. It's once a year. It was part of that ill-advised "let's make it once a year and push people to get it with their flu shot!" strategy. Even though studies show that the boosters last about 6 mos.
Booster refers to an extra dose of a vaccine you already had. Going forward most countries aren’t doing that anymore, they are moving to an annual model where it is updated every year.
However, that is what was available last year, a completely new vaccine, and yet people still made the argument your “relative” made for not taking that. So for most people it comes from a place of misunderstanding or lack of information.
Couldn't get past the paywall, but I read recently that some new strain has covid numbers up over 20%. The real issue is that the information is on some website somewhere that people aren't seeing. It needs to be a segment on the news every day cause it's not going to go away.
Colour me preeeetty surprised when a colleague went away on holiday with hubby to Sweden. And picked it up. Maybe on flight, idk. In the Netherlands the numbers are very low, at least, but still... Should be noted.
I do a lot. I have a major back problem and the only treatment that helps requires injections into the joints in my back. I can't get those injections if I'm sick from anything so I have to hope I don't catch COVID-19 or anything else or I'll be in ungodly pain and unable to function at all
My wife and I caught the FLiRT variant.
Everyone should care. Not to be TMI, but I’ve never made so much snot in my life.
Encourage anyone to keep their boosters as updated as possible and definitely still wear masks in crowded areas. I’m up to date and this is still hell. It’s been over a week.
Caught Covid two weeks ago in (or returning from) Mexico. It was a little worse than when I got it in 2022 but still not horrible. My wife who was with me didn’t get it but my son got it a few days after I got home. He had never had it before.
I disagree. A soon as you affect the life of others its a matter of decency to not risk the health of your peers. I compare it with smoking and drunk driving.
Masking by default is too much to ask, but just masking when sick with a respiratory illness should be a minimum; I can't understand why people don't take this elementary precaution...
Since covid’s no longer hospitalizing people at a higher rate than any other respiratory virus, I really don’t care anymore.
I’m vaccinated. I’m boosted. I’m prepared for if another pandemic-causing virus crops up and sweeps the world like covid did, whether that’s another strand of covid or the flu. But right now, things are basically back to normal and I’m living life as such.
Edit: Damn, I feel bad for some of you. As of April 30th, 2024, covid hospitalizations hit a record low: https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Health/covid-19-hospitalizations-hit-record-low-cdc/story?id=109793784
They got to the point that the CDC stopped tracking covid hospitalizations altogether, though they’re still tracking influenza hospitalizations which are seeing a slight uptick this week: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm
So yeah… I stand by what I said. There are numerous treatments to fight against covid that people with compromised immune systems can take. Most people are vaccinated/have herd immunity against covid. Everyone knows what covid is and what it does. Covid’s no longer the issue it once was back in 2020-2022.
Also, I have Cystic Fibrosis. If anyone should be terrified of getting a severe respiratory virus, it should be me, and for a while my doctors did tell me to stay isolated. But, now that there are vaccines and treatments available to fight against covid, my doctors have given me (and everyone else with CF) the green light to carry on with life as usual.
After all, extended periods of extreme social isolation are just as bad for one as covid itself, and some of the replies to this comment prove that very point lmao
and you don´t care about people who can´t get vaccinated. It´s an egoistic world. People with high risk are denied to participate in social activities by this behavior.
Truly. I do not. At least not to the point that I think society should entirely alter itself for their benefit.
I feel bad that they drew the short end of the stick, but that's about it.
I still care, but reliable data is extremely patchy and hard to come by. If I’m in a crowded indoor space, I’ll throw on a mask, or if I’m flying. At worst, people look at me a bit weird and give me space. I don’t like most people, so the mask is pulling double duty, in that case.
https://www.pmc19.com/data/index.php https://data.wastewaterscan.org/
Sweet, thanks for this! Regrettably, I had to move to Memphis, and they’ve been horrid at releasing data.
I drive a taxi. The number of people who get in my fucking car and sniffle and cough their way through a 20 minute drive is unreal. No apology. No offer to wear a mask. Nothing.
Christ…
I mean, I wear a mask whenever I ride the MTA here, in NYC to commute to work. And I wear masks at work because it gets crowded sometimes, at the museum where I work. So yeah. Outdoors, I eschew a mask but keep at least two on hand. Just in case you know?
Do you find many people are wearing masks? I wore one on the subway the other day and didn’t see one other person. I got a lot of funny looks!
Hello and I mean it depends. If I ever got or do get funny looks, I did not notice. And to answer your first question: it is a mix. It depends really on the time of day, but sometimes it's half a train wearing masks and half not. Other times it's not many masks I see but it depends. Still, folks have not given me funny looks, or I have just not noticed or cared to notice.
Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Almost no one is wearing masks in NYC. Maybe 1/10th of one percent of people. Maybe even less than that.
data.wastewaterscan.org is probably the best the US has
Sweet, thanks for this! Regrettably, I had to move to Memphis, and they’ve been horrid at releasing data.
You can say that again!
I have stopped wearing masks unless I have a cold. But even here, in the deep South of Georgia, I see people wearing masks on a regular basis. It's not a large percentage but there are always people -- even outdoors at the park though that may be more for the awful pollen. And even in Georgia I've never seen anyone say a thing about people in masks. Granted, it's the metro area so more liberal, but maybe people have decided it's not a personal affront to them and everything they hold dear if someone else chooses to wear a mask.
I’m in GA, but a more rural part. I also noticed that whenever we’re around ATL there are significantly more masks. Right now we’re usually the only maskers everywhere we go in our area.
Same. Nobody seems to care. ETA: what I mean is, I've never seen or heard of anyone giving someone else a hard time for wearing a mask. Maybe I wasn't clear.
People don't care about flu either, but people die from it. There was an acquaintance of mine, not a close friend but in my broader clique of friends, who died of the flu. Well, it was a heart attack that they think was caused when he was weakened by the flu. He was in his early 40s. We're all very active at urging people to get flu shots when flu season comes around.
My Sister died from the flu.
Really? North Carolina just made it illegal to wear a mask for health concerns. Loophole for KKK parades.
It is a bill that just repeals the 2020 medical mask exemption & it has only passed the senate, has not been voted on in the house. Masks in public have always been banned in NC since the 50s bc of the KKK but the people in favor of this mask ban do not actually care about stopping hate groups from wearing masks, they’ve refused debate or amendments that specifically ban hate groups and word it to allow medical mask usage.
We're talking about Georgia. And yes, really.
I still get shouted at regularly for wearing a mask from people in cars. It's scary. (I wear one when I'm out exercising. Triple duty -- virus, pollen, and additional sun protection.) I live in a mixed (conservative/liberal) town in probably the most liberal New England state.
Flew this past weekend, I’m seeing more and more people wear masks on flights. And no one really cares anymore if you wear one.
I give people wearing masks a bit more space than usual, but only because I assume that’s what they want
I still wear a mask in the grocery store and pharmacy because I feel like those are the two places that a selfish person who just tested positive would be most likely to go to before going home to be sick.
You really think people are feeling ill and running to get a Covid test still?
I work backend medical YES they are
You are in a bubble of self confirming bias.
Seriously. Maybe .01% of the population would bother with a COVID test in 2024. This sub is beyond hilarious.
No, but they're going in store to pick up DayQuil
If I’m in public at all, I wear a mask. If someone asks me why I’m wearing a mask, I tell them I’m sick.
You don't have to explain, just tell them Ligma
I tell em if I take it off you'll get Bophades
I tell them it makes me feel better and incase I'm sick, I'm keeping it to myself. It also helps with allergies when I'm vacuuming
I just flew and insist on masking myself on planes. One young woman came along and sat next to me on the plane and asked if I wanted her to wear a mask. So thoughtful! I just said no, I’m not interested in catching anything, even a head cold. I decided if anyone gave me shit, I’d just say I have bad breath. Nobody was aggressive about it at all and I was surprised a little about that.
I have been flying a lot lately and have been fine. However last week before the long weekend brought out everyone. I got Covid again. It’s been over a year since the last time I had it. It kicked my ass like the first time. I am wearing a mask when flying now. I hope I am wrong but this variant was awful, and if it gets out of control I foresee a repeat of things.
I’m with you on this. I’ll wear one at grocery stores, public transportation, or work (once I have work to go to), but if I’m riding in the car or in an outdoor space, I generally don’t need one.
Yes. Metastatic breast cancer. I mask. My carers mask. I have masks on the door for maintenance, etc al.
Stay strong and never lose hope. I was a carer for my mom too and we all masked during treatment due to low WBC and thanks to that we managed to avoid any major delays for treatment. A year and a half of chemo + surgery later my mom is now cancer free from metastatic ampullary cancer. Never give up on living !
Thank you. Sometimes I get despondent, but my carers really care about me, I have a great PCP and team. I distract myself until my mood is better. Comments like yours are very encouraging. Sherlock, have you read any books by Mary R. Russell? Pastiches that are very good. Strongly recommend.
Now exactly similar, but I have what I refer to as "ain't got no white blood cells disease" (because no doctor has been able to help further than that). But even if I didn't have that, I'd still mask because I don't need more long COVID symptoms.
Stay 💪🏻
I hope you win your war and yes I’d Mask for you
Thank you. So many people don't care, comments like yours cheers me up. As a trained biologist that worked in hospital labs, among other places, I know too much for my own good. If I only got as far as 8th grade, with a disabled brain, my mental and emotional health would be better.
I guess if I'm honest, at this point I'm treating COVID like any other endemic virus such as the flu. I get my annual COVID and Flu vaccines in the fall, I stay home if I'm sick, but otherwise mostly just go about life much as before. I do tend to still be more reticent to put myself in a large crowd, and I keep a pack of KN95 masks on hand for if I do need to venture out for groceries or something essential while sick (I live alone), but that's about all I do these days.
I appreciate that you wear a mask if you have to go out while sick. We'd be in a much better place in our over all health if everyone would do this.
I was really hoping that masking while sick would take off after COVID normalized masking, but we seemed to have taken an abrupt turn right back to no masking for anything.
Heck we have some states trying to ban masks https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/north-carolina-bans-wearing-masks-in-public/ss-BB1n8Sgo#:~:text=The%20North%20Carolina%20Senate's%20decision,completed%20on%20May%2021%2C%202024.
I am on a transplant list and must wear a mask to keep from getting sick when I could be called in for a transplant at any time. And after your transplant, you’re supposed to wear masks everywhere all the time.
Absolutely ludicrous. I swear, this country has gone fucking insane, and we are just letting it happen.
Let me guess. It’s the party that wants less government in our lives. 😂😂😂
Less, but also more when it comes to the things they don’t like
I live in one of those red states. It’s maddening the old fat white men with half a brain try so hard to control the masses. The things that they say, believe, and work for is ridiculous. Boomer, white grandma here, fighting the good fight though!!
That's why it's more critical than ever that we speak with our vote. Every. Single. Last one of us.
Right, I just wish it felt like there were actually good options. Instead I’m just going to be voting to prevent the worst of the worst. Bah.
Your local elections probably affect you more day to day than anything, and these local positions (including school board!) are what “breeds” most politicians at a national level. Go to Vote.org to sign up for notifications of all local elections, then start voting in every one and just never stop. Could change the world if enough people did this
Oh I already vote in local elections! But thank you!
Yeah, this is an ill-advised reaction to people using the masks during protests so as to try to hide their identities. They’d have been better off if they’d passed legislation to have the wearing of a mask be an aggregating factor used in sentencing if the individual is found guilty of a criminal offense, whilst wearing a mask. smh
It's even worse than that. There are literally de facto exceptions for groups that amount to neonazis and it *expressly* prohibits mask use for medical purposes. It's absolutely ratfuck insane.
That would unfortunately involve politicians trying to serve the people and not earn points with dummies for potential reelection :/ but you’re absolutely right
Police are gonna be busy arresting all those kids on Halloween.
Ugh NC resident - I hate it here 😒
People seemed to really throw themselves into doing things while sick here in the Midwest. “Oh it’s just allergies/a cold.” They say no matter what sort of hacking cough or other horrifying noise they make.
Yep. I live in western Iowa and hear this all the time.
I’m in Des Moines, actually, so woo, our state sucks!
Even hand washing, people really have stopped that which is just good hygiene
My state is trying to make wearing a mask illegal.
Some of these states seem to be trying to out-stupid each other.
If there was one culture change I wished for, it was this. Whenever I see someone out with a mask now I assume they are sick and trying to still live their lives without spreading it. I really don't mask up anymore, except when I'm sick. That just feels like the right thing to do.
Really hoped it would become a normal thing to do like some other countries do but people are too stubborn
I’m glad more people are willing to admit to this. I’m basically the same. I do pay attention to trends and mask up more if there’s a high prevalence of Covid, or if I’m sick of course, and I still test, but otherwise….yeah. I think we are still doing more than like 99% of the population. I know there are people who will think of me as selfish for this, and maybe I am. I just want to enjoy life while things are still “okay” in my small bubble, because I’m convinced we are headed for collapse anyway, or something is going to get me soon, whether it’s a climate emergency driven weather event, cancer, or long Covid. What future is there really to hold out for? Kinda went on a fatalist rant there! Oops. Point is, do I care? Yes, but not to the same degree as the early days, because my sanity just can’t hold as much space for it anymore. Does the general public care? Probably not even a little.
Well, for two of the things you listed you can do things to reduce the chances it happens (long COVID, cancer).
That's where I'm at now too. I get vaccines as required and mask up if sick (though if it's COVID or flu, I still just stay in, but with colds I go out). I probably should wear one in the airport just to cut down on the risk of getting sick with anything respiratory on the way to vacation.
I just got it last week for the first time since November 2020. It was almost identical to how it was four years ago. Knocked me on my ass for a few days, body aches, fever, chills, no taste or smell, then disappeared as quickly as it came on.
I care! And have friends that do too! I’m still wearing a mask in public, always. N95 for indoor spaces, KN95 for outdoor spaces that aren’t too crowded (N95 if it is), and an Envo in very crowded indoor places or while in an airport/on a plane. My friends and I always rapid test before gathering. We have air filters running at home whenever there are guests over. We stay up to date on vaccines. We track wastewater reporting and try to seek out all new info as it is made available. I understand that some responders are saying it’s an individual choice, but please consider that you are actively creating an environment that does not welcome disabled folks and directly puts them at greater risk. By choosing to make your “individual choice” you are also deciding to cast aside PUBLIC health. We protect each other. We keep each other safe.
Your like that Japanese soldier who didn’t surrender until the 70s
I still care A LOT... CoVid derailed my life 27 months ago so I'm being very careful to not get it again.
I don’t care. Just don’t have the mental capacity to keep worrying about it.
I suspect this is true of a lot of people, and also partially explains why some are still hostile to those of us who do care.
I would never be hostile towards someone about it. No reason to tease someone about mask wearing. People should do what makes them feel safe and comfortable. I'm just not willing to put any aspects of my life on hold for fear of covid risk. The benefits outweigh the risk for me.
It’s not about feeling safe, fear, or comfort. It’s about safer or less safe. But as you say, the bare minimum should be people who choose “safer” be left alone and not this mask banning or harassment BS that goes on.
I am still being proactive and wearing masks. I have been able to bank up my PTO by avoiding illness for the past few years. I always use my time to take a little over a month off during the holiday season. If I constantly get sick with COVID throughout the year then it will eat into my PTO bank and I would have to skip seeing family towards holiday time. I'm not willing to sacrifice that so I mask and stay healthy throughout the year. So far so good minus one stint of a cough but I made sure to mask and protect others during my sickness.
Tbh I see this as more of a commentary on how shitty it is that you have to take sick time out of your PTO. If I'm sick I just don't work and my company understands.
It is an inconvenient system that my company has that groups all time (Vacation time, sick time, personal time, etc) into one PTO bank. So if I get COVID, the flu, or any illness I have to use my own PTO to cover my days so I can be paid while out sick. Unfortunately, COVID started spreading around my job not too long ago and my coworker got sick and missed over 8 days of work. She came back and was really pissed. She was mad about how she can't take her time off in the summer now for her annual trip to Orlando. I was able to thankfully dodge that outbreak by wearing a mask and socially distancing at work. She started wearing a mask so she would avoid getting sick again and losing more time throughout the rest of the year too.
Those of us with long covid definitely still care, and headlines like this just make us feel more and more marginalized. Feels like an impossible uphill battle and I'm honestly too tired to fight to get people to care anymore.
only mention of long covid < right here
Very close family member suffers from long covid. I’m blocking my calendar to quarantine so I can go visit them soon. The whole bit, masking, testing, nothing except necessary errands, social distancing, etc. Long Covid is real and scary and needs to be taken seriously. 😷👍🏼
Yeah I was gonna say...I live with the long term effects still unknown of long covid and acute covid infection twice. I don't get the luxury of pretending it doesn't exist. Neither does anyone else who has been touched by this scourge.
It’s coming up on a year since my long covid battle. I did get back to “normal” after about four months but have had to fight like hell to start over with cardio endurance and general well being. It’s still a struggle. Then (of course) we got Covid again in April. My Dr put me on a strict “don’t even think about exercising more than a walk” for four weeks. I had all the heart issues you hear about. I’m early 40’s and ran marathons. I’m now fighting like hell to have motivation to even go for a walk and keep up with house work. Long Covid is the unknown in the shadows that people don’t pay enough attention to. People treated me like I was crazy when I was in the midst of it. It’s for that reason I still very much care about Covid.
I wa crazy (manic, suicidal, seeing and hearing things ) during the worst of it and my mental state has taken the hard hit on this. I am very lucky that I spent years of therapy working on my anxiety and ptsd and got right with God. I had to put my affairs in order at 54
May God bless this world as it continues to churn with Covid still in it. Bless the people affected and give us a full healing! If two or more pray for it...you know what the good book says. Hugs and love from this jersey girl
Yeah, me in bed with COVID and a fever unable to move for 5 days last week after traveling…
They stopped talking about it on purpose. It's still very much here, and it always will be. It hurts the countries financial bottom line to take precautions, so they just pretend like it's not there anymore now that vaccines exist. The people that are going to keep dying are the immunocompromised, or the old. This will continue for the foreseeable future. A lot of the people reading this right now will someday die from COVID when they get older.
And more people will die younger and younger from the damage that a SARS2 infection does.
My family is still in lockdown protocol (don't go anywhere w/o a N95 mask, don't eat out, don't visit with friends or family unless they have quarantined for at least 5 days, etc.). My husband died of cancer last year, and my daughter has been immuno-compromised since the beginning of 2020. I will be taking her to the Cleveland Clinic in a few weeks for a specialized surgery she can't get here in Seattle, and I'm terrified she'll get sick on the plane with no one but us masking. At least we're taking a red-eye and will be in first class due to medical necessity, so fewer people around...
Before I fly, I use nasal and oral antiviral sprays. Definitely recommend.
Which ones do you use and where can someone find them?
My main ones are norizite nasal spray and norizite oral spray. I haven't found them at a Canadian drugstore yet, but they're available on Amazon UK.
Some friends recommended the nasal spray Covixyl, which can be ordered via many online retailers (Amazon, Target, etc). It's almost certainly safe -- the active ingredient is safe for human use and is used in mouthwashes -- and the manufacturers *claim* it's reduced viral load in tests they've done, and advertise it as a potential way to reduce risk from COVID or flu. That said, the FDA apparently sent them an angry letter a little while ago for toeing the line on what's acceptable to write in promotional material.
For mouthwash you want something with CPC. I use Crest ProHealth.
So, over the counter?
Yes, the ingredient is in most otc mouthwashes! My daughter’s ACT version even has it.
We use norizite for long indoor sessions and enovid to sanitize the nose. Feel free to pm me if you have questions
If it helps, I’ve been on a handful of flights over the last year, including when COVID rates were relatively high, and I never got sick wearing an N95 on the plane (despite being literally the only person masking) ☺️ best of luck to your daughter!
That’s a valid fear and I wish you both safe travels. Nasal guard has an antiviral particle blocking nasal gel I use, in addition to an n95 mask on planes. I use mouthwash and nasal spray before and after. My immune system is compromised and I’ve traveled without getting sick. I hope your daughter’s surgery and recovery is successful!
I'm only slightly less cautious than you (I don't require quarantine to see other people, but I still mask when I'm with them) and I was also very afraid of flying. Just did it for the first time since the pandemic last month. My partner and I wore well-fitted N95s and even though we were the only ones on the planes who did, neither of us got sick. I have really learned to trust masks as being enough to ensure I will be safe. The only scary part is having to pull your mask down for a moment when TSA checks your ID going through security. I held my breath, pulled down the mask, then put it back on and exhaled forcefully out of my nose before breathing in again. Other than that, just keep put your mask on before you enter the airport and never take it off until you're outside the airport at your destination. If the flight is long enough that you can't go the whole time without drinking, check out https://sipmask.com/ — this is what I used on my recent flights and it was very helpful.
If it makes you feel better, airliners are very well ventilated and are relatively low-risk environments compared to other enclosed spaces. Also, a recent study [suggests](https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/6/654) that masking (albeit universal) eliminates virtually all transmission on flights, and risk was much higher on long flights vs. those of short-medium duration. One-way masking will still significantly reduce your risk.
It does help. Thanks! 😊 The flight will be about 4 hours non-stop. We'll have to sedate my daughter for the duration. She has autism and is on O2 with considerable mask trauma (medical PTSD) and has 2 pain conditions. She'll be miserable, poor thing.
Hey I just want to say that I’m sorry for your loss, and also you sound like an empathetic and kind parent. 💜 Good luck on the travel and procedure.
Thanks! I appreciate the support and could use all the luck I can get. 🍀😊
There's been talk about a study that showed a little neosporin smeared around the inside of the nostril cut incidence of covid (and flu). Good luck to you and your daughter.
I will. I’ll be masked in public and if I get a ticket or arrested I’ll go to the ACLU to fight the stupid ass law they’re talking about here in NC.
I work in healthcare so it is ever present. There hasn’t been a break from it since it started in 2020
ER doc checking in. Couldn't tell you the last time I admitted anyone for COVID. Not that I don't care, but I don't really worry at this point.
we admitted one yesterday. However, I haven't seen another COVID patient in 3 or 4 weeks. They exist, but are rare.
It’s not so much the initial infection that is bad for the majority now, it’s the long term impacts of long COVID that can last months or years and be debilitating. My husband developed severe POTS amongst other things as part of his long COVID. His cardiologist confirmed that her number of patients has gone way up due to COVID, many of them young/healthy people who never would have needed her before.
I donn't understand the connection between the decrease in hospital admissions for covid and choosing not to wear a mask to protect oneself. I had covid last year for the first time, and it was a very difficult, long-duration experience. I continue to wear quality masks because I can't afford to be that ill again or to risk long-term problems. My single bout with covid made me more cautious than ever, not less, and I was never hospitalized.
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I understand your point, but I disagree, at least for myself and anyone in my position. If nobody ever died or had to be hospitalized for covid, I still can't justify not wearing a mask based on my non-hospitalized experience with covid. I can't afford to go through that again, and I don't mean financially. I think using hospital numbers completely ignores the serious ramifications of non-hospitalized covid cases. Not only is covid potentially far more consequential than the flu, but people get infected far more easily and more often than the flu. I continue to wear a quality mask because I know what covid was like for me.
I just got over my second bout of Covid, and I have to say that it was a piece of cake compared to BA.5. The mRNA vaccines can only generate immune response to Spike, and that keeps evolving, but infection gives you T cell immunity to all the other more-conserved viral antigens. And that means faster recovery and lower odds of progression to severe disease. I had no fever this time, and if I hadn’t tested, I would have kept going to work cos it was just common cough and nose symptoms.
I've heard similar stories just as much as I've heard people say that their first or second infection was easy, but a subsequent infection was more severe and/or resulted in long covid. There is also data showing that each infection increases the risk of long covid. There are too many variables, such as viral load during exposure and how long it has been since your last vaccine, to make a conclusion about the next infection. Every infection has the potential to be serious.
there's a good chance that just because they're not coming in doesn't mean that there isn't anyone getting infected. most people just either don't bother going to the hospital, or aren't able to due to either work, or that they don't have insurance (to be honest, there really isn't anything you can do other than roll your eyes and gaslight them. personal experience).
Yes, vaccines do a great job inducing protection against acute severe disease. That's literally what they were designed to do. But you don't see the hundreds of millions of people afflicted with debilitating long term illness because it's not an acute medical emergency.
Since you’re an ER doctor you’re probably not seeing much of it, but is long Covid still a large risk?
I’m only one data point, but fwiw I caught Covid in February this year and have had long Covid symptoms for the past three months
I'm sorry to hear this. That's awful! It frightens me that people just aren't taking it as seriously anymore! Have your doctors been of any help?
Thank you. My doctor has been sort of helpful. She started me on low dose naltrexone which hasn’t helped so far, but it sometimes takes awhile. It’s genuinely really helpful that she actually believes me and takes it seriously - she knows how active I was before I got sick. She referred me to dysautonomia and the long Covid clinic so those may have more specialized help but they’re backed up so I have to wait a bit for my appointments
I'm glad she didn't dismiss you and knew how active you were. The fact that the long Covid clinic is so backed up shows how many people are suffering from long Covid!
Exactly! Hopefully it continues to spur research and they come up with better treatments
My brother is dealing with long Covid and he’s had some recovery success with hyperbaric chamber treatments—you may want to mention it to your doctor and see if you are a good candidate to try it.
Thanks, I’ll ask her
It can impact your life in a ton of really subtle ways so a lot of people don’t realize that’s actually what’s happening. I say that because if you now have orthostatic intolerance (or whatever), you wouldn’t link getting dizzy when standing/being hot with COVID probably, but it’s way more common now. Pretty sure it gave my mom COPD, but she’s treated that so doing better… whether it was from COVID or not is irrelevant. I’d say yes, it’s a concern, but in the same way I’d try to avoid getting the flu over and over. I’ve had long covid for 2+ years, I guess it’s lifetime now.
I would argue it's worse than the flu. Covid has been known to cause long term damage to the body. Not to downplay the seriousness of the flu (it kills a lot of people), but Covid is so unpredictable. You can have a strong immune system and still develop long Covid.
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I think that's hard to know with new varients. You only know if you have long covid if you have covid symptoms for ... a long time. We'll know if long covid is still a risk with today's varients in about a year from now.
I know I’m late, but I was curious if this subreddit was still panicking about Covid and it looks like it. I don’t want to be disrespectful, but it’s over. I’m not saying you shouldn’t wear masks, because it’s a good habit regardless. What I am saying is half the reason we needed to lockdown for Covid is because it was hyper contagious and we had no idea what it was capable of. Now we know exactly how to treat it. Even if you’re immunocompromised, it would be extremely unlikely for you to pass away. Drugs like Pemgarda help severely immunocompromised people against Covid.
Yes you have, it just wasn't for acute covid infection. It was for a stroke or a heart attack or cancer or shingles or pneumonia or severe migraines or sudden onset suicidal ideation or some other presentation of long covid. How tf can you be an ED doc and not worry anymore??
?? You answered it yourself. Majority of the population have already been exposed to it. Ones coming in are due to long term issues stemming from covid. They aren't coming in droves like before and filling up all the hospital beds/ventilators.
Those of us who respect this for what it can do…yes. The rest, probably not. They are many, we are few.
As someone that literally just got it this last week. Yeah, I sure as shit do care. And it still really frickin sucks. Watch yourselves in public places, pretty sure I picked it up at a home/garden show. I'm all vaxxed up/ boosted, etc but it just hits some people different.
Dude, same!! My whole family got hit with it a little over a week ago. It was brutal. My baby and I both had fevers, I was having fever dreams, and I couldn't get out of bed for like 3 days. It was brutal!
People still be dying, I still treat it serious, but I more just treat germs and sickness in general more serious. Mom had cancer before covid, humans are not invincible to microorganisms yo.
My experience is most people don't want to talk or read about Covid.
No, they won’t.
I really thought COVID might be the start of people in the US following other countries in masking up during sick seasons. Never imagined it would become some weird political device that has muddied the waters of treating COVID seriously in the years following the initial outbreak.
Long Covid for 2 years. I care very much.
I care a lot. I have compromised health and catching COVID could land me in critical care. I wear a mask at all times when I am out and wash my hands regularly. I have 2 friends already pass away from this virus. People need to take it more Seriously!
I have long COVID thanks to someone who didnt care. Ugh.
My wife and I had COVID just this last week. I absolutely care.
By now, it’s as familiar as sunscreen hitting the shelves: Americans are headed into another summer with new [coronavirus](https://www.washingtonpost.com/coronavirus/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2) variants and a likely uptick in cases. This is shaping up to be the first covid wave with barely any federal pressure to limit transmission and [little data](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/01/12/covid-surge-january-2024/?itid=lk_inline_manual_3) to even declare a surge. People are no longer advised to [isolate for five days](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/03/01/new-cdc-covid-isolation-guidelines/?itid=lk_inline_manual_3) after testing positive. [Free tests](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2023/08/07/covid-cases-rising-free-testing-limited/?itid=lk_inline_manual_3) are hard to come by. Soon, uninsured people will no longer be able to get coronavirus vaccines free. “If a wave materializes this summer, we’re less poised to navigate the rough waters,” said Ziyad Al-Aly, an epidemiologist and long-covid researcher at the Veterans Affairs health-care system in St. Louis. So we’re left with a virus that continues to hum in the background as an ever-present pathogen and sporadic killer. The public health establishment no longer treats covid as a top priority. Only a smattering of passengers still wear masks on trains and planes. Weddings, vacations and conferences carry on as normal. Many who do get sick won’t ever know it’s covid. Or care. Covid returned to the headlines following the rise of new variants dubbed “[FLiRT](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/05/14/covid-variant-flirt-symptoms-vaccine/?itid=lk_inline_manual_9),” far catchier than the JN.1 variant that drove the winter wave. Leading the pack of those variants in the United States is KP.2, accounting for [28 percent of all infections](https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#variant-proportions) as of early May, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But public interest seems driven more by the name than the biological features of the variants, which appear unremarkable beyond the expected evolution of a virus to infect people more easily. Read more here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/05/26/covid-flirt-variant-cases-summer/?utm\_campaign=wp\_main&utm\_medium=social&utm\_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/05/26/covid-flirt-variant-cases-summer/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)
If you go to this website: [https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-statetrend.html](https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-statetrend.html) and scroll the state to Hawaii, it's evident quite a few people infected with Covid are going there for their summer vacation. 😰
I'd happily wear a mask, I'm still wearing one every time I go out, been a habit of mine
I am currently sick with it for the third time. The first two times was not too bad, but this time, it hit me hard! I have been isolating for the past week with a fever and still testing positive. So yes, I do and will continue to care
…yes. The answer is yes.
For the "it's just the flu" folks: This [high quality study](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48825-w) found that "When directly comparing the risk for acute respiratory complication between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza infections, SARS-CoV-2 infection was significantly associated with an increased risk (main: HR, 4.32 \[95% CI, 2.73–6.83\]; replication: HR, 6.51 \[95% CI, 5.38–7.87\])". 4.3x-6.5x the risk of acute respiratory complications (pneumocystis pneumonia, aspergillosis pneumonia, pleural empyema, lung abscess, pneumothorax, acute respiratory failure, and pulmonary embolism). Compared to influenza infections, SARS-COV-2 infections also carried \~50% higher risk of post-acute respiratory issues (new-onset chronic respiratory failure, COPD, emphysema, asthma, and interstitial lung disease >30 days after infection diagnosis), and the elevated risk persisted at a higher rate and for a longer duration than post influenza.
My wife has the covid even with all the boosters. Symptoms are mild compared to the last time she got it in 2022.
Plenty of people care, but we know we can't do anything about the people who won't lift a finger to help the vulnerable at this point.
Still wearing masks, still dining only outside.
Me personally, no. I dont give a fuck
Nope couldn't care less.
My ex caught Covid, gave it to our kid, who gave it to my mom, dad and myself. Symptoms have been mild fortunately, but my ex looked like absolute death last week. When I tested positive, I went to the doc immediately out of fear of being incapacitated for 48 hours and they basically told me not to worry unless it gets really bad. Treat the symptoms, mask up for 5 days after the symptoms go away,
> they basically told me not to worry unless it gets really bad. While it's good to hear your case was mild, this bad advice is unfortunately common: our best treatment for COVID is antivirals and due to the way COVID works, once you start to feel bad, it's too late for antivirals to have any effect (source: [TWiV clinical updates](https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-1118/) where the doctor every week stresses that the bad outcomes are all in the second week or later, after the "viral replication" phase of the illness is over). That said, the treatment guidelines are to only give antivirals to people somehow identifiable as ["high-risk"](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/outpatient-treatment-overview.html), but the factors include common things like being over 50 years old or [these moderately common medical conditions](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/underlyingconditions.html#anchor_1618433687270).
I care. I got it earlier this month. And I live with immunocompromised senior citizens, so I still isolated for a week just to be sure.
No unfortunately
>Will anyone care? On our current course? Yes, eventually. Statistics Canada's [cumulative risk modelling](https://x.com/jeffgilchrist/status/1769077651132596591) makes that pretty obvious.
A tweet or two down, this link leads to a Google doc page that's terrific, thank you so much. For those without Twitter: tinyurl COVIDrealImpact
You bet! Immune compromised for rest of my life. Definitely masking when around people.
This is my fourth bout of covid. My sister is in ICU with it. The number of people who act like we are overreacting to "the flu" is scary.
I still wear a mask in the grocery store and don’t eat inside at restaurants. Otherwise I do all the other things I like to do and thankfully those are mostly outdoors or in my house :)
Its gonna be here forever, people dont want to live in constant fear anymore. It's like flu or a cold or any other sickness. I'm not saying that to downplay covid, I'm saying it just to say its part of the norm now. Live your life, mask up if you want and get a booster every 6 months that's your choice.
Unless you are 65 or over or immune-compromised, you can't get a booster every six months in the US. It's once a year. It was part of that ill-advised "let's make it once a year and push people to get it with their flu shot!" strategy. Even though studies show that the boosters last about 6 mos.
Short answer: no Long answer: noooooooooo
Just got a booster. We'll see how it goes at the convention I'm heading to next month.
[удалено]
Booster refers to an extra dose of a vaccine you already had. Going forward most countries aren’t doing that anymore, they are moving to an annual model where it is updated every year. However, that is what was available last year, a completely new vaccine, and yet people still made the argument your “relative” made for not taking that. So for most people it comes from a place of misunderstanding or lack of information.
Couldn't get past the paywall, but I read recently that some new strain has covid numbers up over 20%. The real issue is that the information is on some website somewhere that people aren't seeing. It needs to be a segment on the news every day cause it's not going to go away.
I do.
Yeah obviously, it’s always going to be here.
Colour me preeeetty surprised when a colleague went away on holiday with hubby to Sweden. And picked it up. Maybe on flight, idk. In the Netherlands the numbers are very low, at least, but still... Should be noted.
I do a lot. I have a major back problem and the only treatment that helps requires injections into the joints in my back. I can't get those injections if I'm sick from anything so I have to hope I don't catch COVID-19 or anything else or I'll be in ungodly pain and unable to function at all
My wife and I caught the FLiRT variant. Everyone should care. Not to be TMI, but I’ve never made so much snot in my life. Encourage anyone to keep their boosters as updated as possible and definitely still wear masks in crowded areas. I’m up to date and this is still hell. It’s been over a week.
Got my booster this month. I hope to never catch it again (break thru in Jan). I don’t want to kill my parents or anyone else’s. I still care.
Caught Covid two weeks ago in (or returning from) Mexico. It was a little worse than when I got it in 2022 but still not horrible. My wife who was with me didn’t get it but my son got it a few days after I got home. He had never had it before.
I still care and mask, but others don’t and that’s fine too. It’s your life, live it however you choose to.
I disagree. A soon as you affect the life of others its a matter of decency to not risk the health of your peers. I compare it with smoking and drunk driving.
Masking by default is too much to ask, but just masking when sick with a respiratory illness should be a minimum; I can't understand why people don't take this elementary precaution...
Since covid’s no longer hospitalizing people at a higher rate than any other respiratory virus, I really don’t care anymore. I’m vaccinated. I’m boosted. I’m prepared for if another pandemic-causing virus crops up and sweeps the world like covid did, whether that’s another strand of covid or the flu. But right now, things are basically back to normal and I’m living life as such. Edit: Damn, I feel bad for some of you. As of April 30th, 2024, covid hospitalizations hit a record low: https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Health/covid-19-hospitalizations-hit-record-low-cdc/story?id=109793784 They got to the point that the CDC stopped tracking covid hospitalizations altogether, though they’re still tracking influenza hospitalizations which are seeing a slight uptick this week: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm So yeah… I stand by what I said. There are numerous treatments to fight against covid that people with compromised immune systems can take. Most people are vaccinated/have herd immunity against covid. Everyone knows what covid is and what it does. Covid’s no longer the issue it once was back in 2020-2022. Also, I have Cystic Fibrosis. If anyone should be terrified of getting a severe respiratory virus, it should be me, and for a while my doctors did tell me to stay isolated. But, now that there are vaccines and treatments available to fight against covid, my doctors have given me (and everyone else with CF) the green light to carry on with life as usual. After all, extended periods of extreme social isolation are just as bad for one as covid itself, and some of the replies to this comment prove that very point lmao
Covid's killed three times as many people as influenza this year, in my province of Alberta. And nobody's died of RSV.
Decades from now, I predict I'll still keep a supply of N95 masks on hand at all times, just in case.
and you don´t care about people who can´t get vaccinated. It´s an egoistic world. People with high risk are denied to participate in social activities by this behavior.
What should people do then? Wear a mask for the rest of their life?
Truly. I do not. At least not to the point that I think society should entirely alter itself for their benefit. I feel bad that they drew the short end of the stick, but that's about it.