Summary
Covid cases are surging across the U.S. post-holidays, with rising test positivity, hospitalizations, and deaths, while booster uptake remains low.
Only 21.4% of adults and 10.3% of children have received the latest booster, leaving vulnerable groups, including the elderly, at higher risk.
Experts warn of continued dangers from Covid, including long Covid and economic impacts, as the virus has not yet reached an endemic state.
With uncertain federal priorities, researchers stress the importance of monitoring infections, updating vaccines, and using preventive measures to mitigate future waves.
when do we think pharmaceutical companies will roll out weekly or daily covid boosters?
I don’t see any stats in the article about the “serge”, and the source linked by the article only offers a weeks snapshot and last week’s #.
ER diagnosis are at 2.1%, up from 1.9% the week before. Not sure that counts as a serge, especially since for all I know that’s within the margin of error.
Anybody have better stats?
Boosters arent free anymore, are they?
I got a booster in September as I was planning a trip to India, but I will say that thing knocked me on my fucking ass so much. As much as I believe in vaccination, it’s gonna be a hard sell to my brain to go back next year and get it again.
I know what you mean. Like, I understand that the vaccination is definitely worth taking. But feeling sick for a day after taking it saps the motivation to get it again. I want the vaccine, but it’s so much harder to organise getting it again after having a negative experience like that. (Note, I’ve have a few covid vaccinations; and only once did I feel sick for a day because of it.)
Whenever a vaccine kicks my butt like that I just tell myself “good job, having a strong immune reaction.” If the vaccine was that bad I imagine the real deal would be much worse, especially without the vaccine.
Also, my dad died of COVID pre-vaccine, so I’m taking the vaccine whenever it’s offered to me.
It just seems like another flu at this point. Which is why nobody cares
You might be right that it “seems” like that and that nobody cares, but it’s pretty terrifying IMO.
The symptoms, severity, and duration of long-COVID really suck.
There’s a growing body of research suggesting that long-COVID causes a significant reduction in brain tissue.
It’s one of those things were if you’re unlucky enough to get long covid and unlucky enough to get something severe out of it it really sucks, but also vast majority aren’t that unlucky so most aren’t that terrified of it.
And with how seemingly up to chance getting the whole covid is to begin with, it’s not something people are actively afraid of, imo for a reason since not much you can do, other than getting boosters maybe but even that doesn’t guarantee anything.
It’s absolutely fine if you and others aren’t concerned.
However, the study I linked says that more than 10% of Covid patients develop long covid. Of those cognitive impairment is measurable 141 days post-infection on average, and 26% show impairment after 9 months. We’re really not talking about a small portion of a small portion.
As discussed in the other publication I linked, the best way to mitigate your risk is with vaccinations.
