Omicron sounds like a Greek god I might have learned about in high school. Or, maybe the villain in some Captain America sequel. What it doesn't sound like is we are out of the virus woods...not by a long shot.
In what feels like being trapped in a house of mirrors, a new Covid variant spooked the stock markets, worried the Federal Reserve, and sent many businesses into a new panic during the holiday shopping frenzy. Normally placid school board meetings became literal battlegrounds. Parents are left to figure out the best way for their children to be safe.
I think we can assume that those who are vaccine-adverse are not going to suddenly line up for protection. Whether driven by politics, religious issues, possible reactions due to underlying health issues, or the "freedom" banner, there will be a large minority of the U.S. population who would rather risk serious illness or death than change their stance. The only time someone in this camp is likely to reconsider is when they, someone in their family, or a friend contracts the virus.
There is no chance the government will try another nationwide lockdown. Enforced shots appear to be a non-starter in many instances. Several federal courts have put a stop to mandatory vaccinations as a condition of employment, even in hospitals.
So where does this leave us? I am afraid the answer is not very reassuring. In all likelihood, some form of Covid is going to be with us for years to come. Until natural herd immunity is reached, a rather constant state of higher death rates, various countries closing their borders to others, instability in our economic life, fights over masks and protection, plus an overall feeling of life being at least partially out of control will be our lot.
Personally, I have grown exhausted by watching the battles to convince otherwise rational people to not take horse deworming medicines, or blame the virus on cell phone towers. The conspiracy theories have become so bizarre that after a bemused shake of the head, I turn my attention to anything else.
I don't see any other way to continue living in a strange world where up is down and right isn't. I understand that some resistance to the vaccines is caused by fear, by the bandwagon effect, and by humans being very uncomfortable changing their position once their flag has been planted.
I will likely stock up the pantry again because of supply problems. At least for the moment what I won't do is barricade myself in the house again. As Omicron, or Covid-B's effect becomes clearer I may go back to masks in public spaces. We will stock up again on hand sanitizer.
Both my wife and I have had our shots and our booster. While that doesn't ensure our total safety, I am not going to stay huddled in a corner again. And, I am not going to waste any more time or energy trying to figure out why so many of my fellow citizens want to roll the dice with their health, and mine. That ship has left the dock.
I think you are right, Bob. We need to think of this virus as long-term. It will likely be with us in much the same way as the common cold. There are just too many people on the wrong side of this battle, and I am kinda tired of doing everything to mainly protect them, when they won't protect themselves. I just pray that our government keeps funding the research to keep us one step ahead of this killer. I see a pill is on the horizon to keep serious illness and death at bay, at least for those of us who choose to take them. Maybe it will end up like the annual flu shot but two or more times a year.
ReplyDeleteI agree that longterm there will be a pill that does what the shot is doing now. Of course, the unanswerable question is whether the same people who see the vaccination as a tool of oppression will be more likely to swallow a pill.
DeleteThat pill is not a replacement for vaccines. It is an oral treatment once you have symptoms of covid that have become serious enough that hospitalization is on the horizon.
DeleteI wear a mask when I go into stores routinely. We vaccinated can contract and spread Covid. I really don't want to get sick, so masking it is for this girl. That said, the only thing I haven't done this year is attended our college football tailgates and games. I'm in the lowest vaccination state.
Many that won't do the shot now, beg for it when they have to go into the hospital very ill with COVID. Too late then. The ones that live often do the shot after they get well.
DeleteWhen sick they also will take whatever medications the doctors want to use, no questions asked. Amazing change in attitude. Too bad it can't happen BEFORE they get sick.
I suspect if they are sick enough they will take the pill to treat COVID once it is released.
I use a mask whenever I am out, as well as hand sanitizer (which I have done for years, long before COVID).
Sadly, many that are not vaccinated will get sick at some point, some of those will be severe cases, and some will die. However, they have the freedom to make choices. The bad part is they are making it harder for medical workers, and the rest of us.
Some states are requiring vaccination proof to do things. When we were in New York and Los Angles we had to show proof to be able to do things. It was nice to do to know that all in the museum were vaccinated (maybe other that kids). If all states/business that have larger groups did this, it could help with the spread, and maybe convince some that they want to get vaccinated so they can do the things they want.
We were just discussing this topic over coffee this morning. It's hard some days to stay positive when we see the changes around us, the virus continuing to mutate, and the world changed in ways that won't ever go back to whatever we thought was normal a couple years ago. And then add the anti-science crowd and it's hard not to be discouraged. We have done what we can (vax and boosters) and don't hang out with anyone who isn't vaxxed. But the insanity swirls around us, and here in Michigan, the doctors and hospitals are crying for mercy.
ReplyDeleteYesterday for the first time ever, we encountered a lack of help in our favorite grocery store. One poor woman was trying to keep with helping about 15 self check lanes in an area that normally has three people working. Needless to say, she was playing whack-a-mole and losing. When we finally got checked out, I wrote a note to the company and they responded within an hour. Sadly, it was to say they are having trouble staffing, understand my frustration, and hope to solve that problem before my next visit. I was surprised, as they have been pretty fully staffed throughout the pandemic. So the lesson I took from it is that patience is called for on every front. And we're clearly in it for the long haul.
Good summary, Hope. Yes, think of this sort of like war time, with shortages of people and goods. The long haul is the name of this game.
DeleteI know. It's exhausting. Oregon has maintained the mask requirement in public places, and some places require proof of vaccination in addition to masks. So I expect that reality to continue indefinitely. The possibility of things "going back to how they were before" seems to be fading. So we move forward and adapt.
ReplyDeleteI hate the cliche, the new normal, but that is what our life is right now and for the foreseeable future.
DeleteI was thinking a bit more about my war analogy in a previous comment. The difference is we are killing each other instead facing a common enemy in another country.
Bob, I agree with your point about the war analogy. Following September 11th, Americans banded together in outrage under the war cry of "Never forget!" Sales of American flags skyrocketed as we circled the wagons to protect and avenge our own. Seems to me that "never forget" transitioned into "never remember" as we now seem to spend more time fighting each other than any common enemy, including this pandemic. With Americans no longer holding onto the "us against them" mentality, our country is ripe for picking by any number of vultures.
DeleteLast Saturday chose not to attend a Christmas party at an art studio where EVERY MEMBER is vaccinated.I was just too tired to go out.Turns out one of the members then tested positive to Covid on Monday. (Despite full vaccination.) She has a mild case so far. Many people were exposed.I have never stopped wearing masks in public. We have opted OUT of Hale Theater because it is SMALL and crowded, and no masks required.
ReplyDeleteI wish it weren’t so, but the virus is still a threat and so we’re still being cautious. I don’t know what to think or do about up coming group gatherings.I need to see some old friends this Christmas. We are invited to a home where probably 30 people will be on Christmas for dinner,outdoor seating but lots of indoor contact too, no masks, and a bunch of kids and teens who will not have been vaccinated..and the status of all the adults unknown .
LIFE IS SO COMPLICATED NOW!!
I’m growing weary.
It is a constant calculation of risk versus benefit, and that is exhausting.
DeleteA party with 30 people, kids, and adults, vaccination status unknown? Not for me, thank you.
Bob,
ReplyDeleteThough still a bit early, the word out of South Africa and several other countries regarding Omicron is very encouraging. It is highly infectious, but seems to produce mild symptoms in most. In fact, some who have been fully vaccinated and had the booster are testing positive without symptoms.
Genetic sequencing of the Omicron virus has revealed that it has picked up a strand of RNA from a common cold virus (which are also Corona viruses), probably because someone with a cold was infected with the Delta variant. Without getting too technical, this may mean that the virus has mutated to become highly transmissible (like a cold), but unable to cause severe disease in most people, even the unvaccinated. If this proves to be true, we may be in sight of the pandemic coming to an end. It is likely that all of us will be exposed and contract this variant at some point, most having mild cold-like symptoms, and then developing a strong immune response to the entire virus, not just the spike proteins that the mRNA vaccines provide. If true, the COVID-19 will join the other corona viruses to become the 5th virus that causes the common cold.
Let's hope this is the case.. The next several weeks will tell the story.
Rick in Oregon
And just to quickly add.... Delta is still out there and still causing most disease in the USA. Everyone needs to remain cautious and maintain good practices (that we all know so well) for the time being. In just over a month the Omicron now accounts for more than 90% of South Africa's disease. It is out-competing Delta and will do so here as well in a short time... which for the reasons I mentioned may end up being a good thing.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the long posts, but I though people might be in need of some hope and (perhaps) some good news.
I'll shut up now... :)
Rick in Oregon
Very helpful, Rick. I read about boosters helping to protect from Omicron, but you have lots of important qualifications and background.
DeleteI, and readers, very much appreciate your info. Delta remains a primary concern and we cannot become complacent. But, you have given me hope!
My table tennis club started up again last month. However, despite my recommendation, they are not requiring vaccination and -- get this -- they are not going to ask or reveal whether people are vaccinated. Since I gotta figure there will be at least several unvaccinated people among the 20 - 30 players, all breathing hard indoors, and few people will wear a mask when playing ping pong, I'm not going. IMHO, it's a terrible situation when the unvaccinated minority (approx. 30%) can dictate terms for the majority of responsible citizens.
ReplyDeleteTom,
DeleteThis reminds me of the "Chicken Pox Parties" that were popular when I was a kid (pre-vaccine)--the idea being that you could contract the disease and get it over-with. Of course the difference now is that these current "parties" can end up putting people in the hospital or perhaps even kill them. We are a strange species.
Rick in Oregon
Tom, I couldn't agree more. The approach of the club makes absolutely no sense.
DeleteRick, I had never heard of the chicken pox parties, thank goodness We are an odd species.
The needle continues to move. First the percent with the shot was near 80% - then they added children 12-18 to the count. Now they include children 5-11 in the “unvaccinated” count.
ReplyDeleteEveryone I know who has had COVID in the last ten weeks have been fully vaccinated- most with boosters. Maybe we need to get past the hiding in the house fear over the unvaccinated since it is obvious the vaccinated are both getting it and spreading it.
The blaming needs to stop as well. There are good therapeutics you can get in big cities and blue states. Time to live with this and move forward. I know I am fully vaccinated and know how to sit at home if I get sick- just like I did with the flu year after year. I fully expect to get a different shot yearly.
Just as I have always felt that anyone with AIDS should get therapeutics- I feel it is horrid that people put themselves above others to say COVID Vac status should deny health care if others get ill. When did “ we” become these people? When did our ability to read the minds of others in why they are nervous decide “we” are better then “ them”? I guess I get it for the people who are all about the money and not compassion…maybe.
And yes, this has touched us before vaccines were available losing both an aunt and a nephew. I have also had two family members with much more serious forms of cancer because they were petrified of going to be treatments. This has to stop! This is NOT Ebola.
90+ percent of people hospitalized in my community are unvaccinated. It is true that vaccinated people can still contract the disease, but most have mild symptoms. It is a choice.. with clear consequences.
DeleteJanette: While I understand some of the fears and sympathize with those who will not take the shot and get sick, as Trox notes their decision tends to have more serious consequences to themselves and others. But, locking the hospital doors is not the answer.When they recover their newly energized immune system will help all of us in the future.
DeleteI am trying to move beyond arguing the point and assume nature will eventually do what it is going to do in terms of immunity and variants.
Unfortunately where I live Janette almost everyone who has caught the virus is unvaccinated. And the ones taking up hospital space so that I can't have surgery are absolutely unwanted. They are taking resources away from people I le and they are burning out and getting ill themselves because they are overwhelmed. By the unvacinated. Living with this should not include risking others or risking the health care system. I do go out. Last night I went to a wine bar to hear jazz. But I also wear my mask. At 70 with health issues I am not go I ng to just get over it. I wear a mask doing all my errands and when I go to the coffee shop and eat I doors I madk to the table. I have decided on some level to live my life and not be a shut in. Risks or no. But I am cautious and I am really tired of nurses who put me at risk because they wo t get a shot, or employees collecting unemployment because civid is a conspiracy. My daughter went to a Broadway play last month and was masked the whole time and the same with me in the movie theater if it's full. But I do that because of that one minority person and in tired of being ruled ny the anti science minority all.the.time.
DeleteAlmost ALL of the people I know who are double (and boosted) are in Phoenix metro Bob. The CDC even admitted that most of the people who are now getting variants ARE vaccinated. Your response is not surprising.
DeleteI have tow extended family members who have been laid off from hospitals- they are vaxxed and I your metro area.
I dint know who you know. As of today eighty five percent of hospitalized people in Colorado hospitals are unaccounted. Creating an unnecessary load on said hospitals..Texas has similar statistics. I subscribe to my Cou ty heath department. Eho you know is not relevant to the statistics Janette. I'm sorry.
DeleteHere in Ontario our vaccination rates are fairly high with 85% of age 5+ with one shot and 80% with two (90% and 85% for age 12+) but the vaccination for kids 5-12 is still ramping up, our 7 year old grandson gets his 1st shot on Saturday, and the largest single group of Covid-19 cases being among those under 12. Even with mandatory masks and vaccine "passports" for things like indoor sports events and restaurants cases are rising as the cold weather takes hold and people head indoors.
ReplyDeleteIt's also true that with 90% of adults here being vaccinated there are still holdouts with one being our youngest daughter's partner. She is fully vaccinated and she tries and tries to get him to change his mind but he's dug in. There's not much she or anyone seems to be able to do to change his mind so he'll be excluded from our family get togethers this holiday season which is such a shame. Our other daughter has children under five that can't be vaccinated and of course there's us seniors too. Having an unvaccinated person inside our house that could be vaccinated but chooses not to be doesn't seem prudent.
At age 68 we are currently two dose vaccinated and will get our third shot as soon as we can after Ontario opens that up to age 50+ on Monday (right now it's 70+). We are also trying to get back to a semblance of normal. We will be going to our house in Mexico for the winter this year and we have booked a trip to France in June so my wife can see her sister and only sibling that she hasn't seen since 2018. We are also going to take a side trip to Spain while we are there.
Is getting on a plane to travel a risk? It is but we feel it's a reasonable risk under the circumstances. Almost all countries require a 2 dose vaccination and a negative test before you can even get on the plane so the plane is probably safer than the local grocery store. Plus there is only so much you can do to be safe, risks are everywhere, and I really don't want to sit at home while years of our retirement slip by. That would also be a shame.
Your final few sentences say what I am thinking. Life comes with risks. Managing them while not allowing them to ruin your life is the balance we all seek. Life is short. Hiding to prolong it is no way to spend whatever time and energy we have.
DeleteExcluding people who refuse to get vaccinated from family gatherings is prudent and responsible. Arguing at this point is a waste of breath.
I agree with both of you. The pandemic has led to frequent "risk assessments" in our home. We bypass any activities or events that we consider too risky and enjoy others in as safe a way as possible. I do not want to contract this virus and become seriously ill or die from it. I also don't want it to kill me through inertia. Alan and I protect ourselves as best as possible and continue to enjoy life's adventures in safer or more limited doses. This post has generated an interesting discussion.
DeleteI have been enjoying the comments and they all hit home with me. Disturbing to me is that in my SW Florida town, the "masks required" signs have disappeared from the stores. Most employees seem to be always masked, although many have the mask below the nose. Ugh. We are trying to keep with the caution regimen, although we do have one of our families traveling here from MN for 2 weeks at Christmas. They are all vaccinated. They are flying. We, too, are sick of putting our lives on hold...they did not come last year. We have some local family members who will not vaccinate, and we will not see them over the holidays...one is 8 months pregnant and she will not be around anyone who IS vaccinated, as she says we are "shedding." Not sure what to make of that. Sad state of affairs for sure. Jane
ReplyDeleteOn one level this whole experience has been instructive, in how we learn to adapt to lockdowns and shortages, and what we learn about our fellow human beings and what motivates them to come to the conclusions they do.
DeleteOn another level, it has been pretty darn depressing to watch so many make decisions that put themselves and others in such danger, for no discernable reason.
As you note, the time to worry about such folks is passed. We must do what is best for us and our loved ones. We can't sit on the shelf forever.
Thanks, Jane. I love your comment.
I think that one of the saddest effects of the COVID pandemic has been its impact on funeral services. Early in 2020, a friend lost her father and the funeral home (understandably) limited the service to six members of the immediate family. Sadly, two of the grandsons were present only via FaceTime but, at least, technology allowed them to participate. More recently, we lost a younger cousin on my mom's side of the family. The funeral home posted no COVID-related protocols, so Alan and I, along with other family members didn't attend the wake, just the outdoor burial. Not being with the family during a time when comfort was probably most needed still hurts. But we felt the risk was too great to attend what would have been a crowded event with no protocols and the unknown health status of many. Another friend shared with me that she had bypassed several funerals, as well, for the same reasons. So sad and painful.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right. I hadn't really thought about that aspect of the pandemic but it is an horrific aftereffect.
DeleteEqually sad are the people dying in nursing homes with family banned completely from a final visit. We have all seen the heartbreaking pictures of a family member looking through a window to catch a glimpse of a dying relative just on the other side of the glass.