LOCAL COVID-19

Ever heard anyone say they feel “foggy”? I’ve said it myself in the past. Usually, I felt foggy when recovering from the flu, or some other illness. That in-between stage between total illness and a full recovery to my pre-illness state. Some medications have caused me to feel like it as well. 

The covid virus vaccine that has been created for this fall specifically protects against the most recent sub-variants of the Omicron variant, BA.4 and BA.5. The vaccine that was administered previously is the foundation of the current vaccine and has been modified to include the two sub-variants that are currently the dominant cause of the majority of the new cases.

Anyone confused about how we are supposed to conduct ourselves now concerning the virus and its spread? I wouldn’t find it surprising if you answered in the affirmative! 

Wow! I learned “long Covid” has more than 205 individual symptoms as determined in one study. Each of those symptoms affect 10 different organs in our bodies. Those symptoms range from a skin rash to heart palpitations and many more.

President Joseph R. Biden becoming infected with the virus after being vaccinated and boosted should not really surprise anyone for a couple of reasons. First, the latest strains of the virus that are currently circulating widely across the country are causing the recent surges and increase in cases and hospitalizations. Second, he is exposed to many people on a daily basis that could potentially be a carrier and test negative putting anyone they come in contact with at risk of being infected.

President Joe Biden contracting Covid-19 comes as no surprise to me. All the reading I’ve done on the newest variant, BA.5, convinced me that anybody interacting with others is fair game for the virus, vaccinated or not. In other words, if one is venturing outside of their own home, their own personal bubble, they become a potential host for the latest mutation of the Covid-19 virus.

Ever hear that saying, “garbage in, garbage out”? It’s a true statement and applies to many things in life. However, I heard it used the most during my career in the technology industry a few decades ago. It referred to how any data that was entered into a system that was considered garbage, or rather inaccurate data, would produce garbage results, or results that weren’t correct.

BA.5 takes the lead among the Omicron derivatives in the European Union for the cases reported there. Because of this the health professionals there have been encouraging via public campaigns for those age 60 and over.

There’s discussion going on in the medical world about what to do about vaccines going forward. Reports suggest the current supply of the previously approved vaccines is not sufficient to again vaccinate everyone who has previously been vaccinated.

I have found myself wondering if any of our readers are experiencing what has been labeled as “long covid.” While I have not been officially diagnosed as having long covid, I cannot help thinking perhaps the extreme bout of vertigo I experienced was a side effect. And since the onset of that initial severe bout, there have been several rapid onset episodes that pass quickly. Of course, I am no doctor, and cannot say for certain covid caused my vertigo, but the timing for my first ever episode this late in my life seems odd otherwise.

How do you feel about the virus currently? Do you believe we are past the worst of it? Do you think it will continue to be with us much like the flu, now and for always? Do you agree that with the current 100,000 cases per day being reported might be the “new normal”? Some people have a laissez-faire attitude about the virus these days. How about you?

In late May, Pfizer and BioNTech jointly announced their vaccine for children six months to four years old to appear to have an 80 percent effectiveness preventing symptomatic infections.  Their announcement is based upon the early analysis of data from their study. They will complete their submission in advance of the scheduled June 15 review by the Food and Drug Administration.

Have you heard of the “Spanish flu”? The pandemic of 1918 that originated from an H1N1 virus? I have heard it discussed or have read about it several times since Covid-19 became known to us. Much like Covid-19, there was not any consensus on its origination. 

Both the CDC and the FDA have weighed in on the last age group to receive emergency use approval for a booster. Children, ages five to 11, whose last dose of vaccines was received five months or more ago are now eligible to get a booster shot. 

Flags are at half-staff across the country to memorialize the one million, and counting, lives lost to Covid-19. Our toll is higher than any other country in the world. Our toll is higher than all the American battlefield lives lost in all our country’s wars combined. Seventy five percent of the million deaths have been age 65 and older.

One million. It is a mile marker, for certain, whether it is the number of safe miles a person has driven, or the number of units sold by a business since they began serving customers. But when I read that this week the total number of deaths from the virus, I spent a moment trying to imagine one million people standing as a group somewhere. I could not do it.

In checking the current stats Monday morning, the state covid infections and deaths are down considerably when compared to two weeks ago. Hospitalizations statewide are down 28 percent. When reviewing the vaccination stats for the state overall as compared to Washington County and Madison County, our county is considerably lower than the state.

Breaking news today on a bi-partisan bill has been announced by the U.S. Senate in response to President Joe Biden revealing that the funding for ongoing Covid treatment and prevention research and development. What does that mean?

A second booster for adults 50 and over has been approved. The option consists of the Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccines and was authorized by the Federal Drug Administration and the Biden Administration. However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to give a “permissive  recommendation”. This means they are not officially recommending the booster shots.

Currently viewing stories posted within the past 2 years.
For all older stories, please use our advanced search.