Challenge or blessing?

[unicorn]

I was listening to the radio news channel on my way to the grocery store the other day. They played a brief blurb from someone whom they described as a "public health expert" (not a public health official, but rather a faculty member of the University of Southern California School of Public Health) who said "The current Covid variant presents a challenge because most infections are asymptomatic." This sounds to me more like the press trying to fan flames hysteria when in reality the news that infections have markedly dropped in severity should be a cause for celebration. Aren't there more important diseases to try to control at this point? This reminds me of a conversation I had with an acquaintance decades ago who lamented the fact that the pediatric AIDS unit at UCLA was closing down--because there were almost no new pediatric cases anymore. Yes, the university did find him a far more productive use of his time. I'd say there needs to be a point when we say "OK. Medical science has done its job (and the virus mutated to a more sustainable form). Time to redirect public health resources to more pressing issues." 

[Olddaddy]

I got the covid virus again in June ,took me out for a week.

It was brutal , breathing problems, tiredness,leg pains 

And I have had  2 X  vaccination so I was quite angry 

I sometimes wear a mask , supermarkets etc 

People look at me wearing a mask , I even had a old man ( I'm old myself) approach me in the supermarket freezer section

"Why in hell are you wearing a mask when the pandemic is over!😯

 

[reader]

13 hours ago, unicorn said:

Time to redirect public health resources to more pressing issues." 

Like increasing the compensation for general practitioners. The shortage of GP's is the cause of emergency room overcrowding and lack of care to those who've fallen between the cracks of the health insurance dilemma.

[omega]

19 hours ago, unicorn said:

I was listening to the radio news channel on my way to the grocery store the other day. They played a brief blurb from someone whom they described as a "public health expert" (not a public health official, but rather a faculty member of the University of Southern California School of Public Health) who said "The current Covid variant presents a challenge because most infections are asymptomatic." This sounds to me more like the press trying to fan flames hysteria when in reality the news that infections have markedly dropped in severity should be a cause for celebration. Aren't there more important diseases to try to control at this point? This reminds me of a conversation I had with an acquaintance decades ago who lamented the fact that the pediatric AIDS unit at UCLA was closing down--because there were almost no new pediatric cases anymore. Yes, the university did find him a far more productive use of his time. I'd say there needs to be a point when we say "OK. Medical science has done its job (and the virus mutated to a more sustainable form). Time to redirect public health resources to more pressing issues." 

MOST infections are asymptomatic. Some are not, probably in those with weakened immune systems, and as such may suffer more severely. There is also the risk that asymptomatic infections mean that tracking the virus is harder, giving it space to mutate into something serious again.

That said... the media always have had the tendency to overhype public health threats.

[unicorn]

14 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

I got the covid virus again in June ,took me out for a week.

It was brutal , breathing problems, tiredness,leg pains 

And I have had  2 X  vaccination so I was quite angry 

I sometimes wear a mask , supermarkets etc 

People look at me wearing a mask , I even had a old man ( I'm old myself) approach me in the supermarket freezer section

"Why in hell are you wearing a mask when the pandemic is over!😯

Well, I'd certainly agree that going up to a stranger and scolding him for wearing a mask is rather rude. While it is true that the strain which killed millions, and put tens of millions in hospitals, is gone, it is also true that the mutated virus will probably be with us in some form or another, forever unless we somehow develop some technology which will allow a vaccine which prevents all forms of the virus, and enforce some sort of vaccine mandate. I doubt that will happen this century. A better reason to drop mask wearing involves our current scientific understanding. The Cochrane Review, which is probably the most objective and non-politically/financially motivated group of reviewers/biostatisticians, has reviewed the scientific studies which looked at masking in real-life situations. Their analysis suggests it's highly unlikely masking has much, if any benefit in terms of prevention:

https://www.cochrane.org/CD006207/ARI_do-physical-measures-such-hand-washing-or-wearing-masks-stop-or-slow-down-spread-respiratory-viruses

"Medical or surgical masks

Ten studies took place in the community, and two studies in healthcare workers. Compared with wearing no mask in the community studies only, wearing a mask may make little to no difference in how many people caught a flu-like illness/COVID-like illness (9 studies; 276,917 people); and probably makes little or no difference in how many people have flu/COVID confirmed by a laboratory test (6 studies; 13,919 people). Unwanted effects were rarely reported; discomfort was mentioned.

N95/P2 respirators

Four studies were in healthcare workers, and one small study was in the community. Compared with wearing medical or surgical masks, wearing N95/P2 respirators probably makes little to no difference in how many people have confirmed flu (5 studies; 8407 people); and may make little to no difference in how many people catch a flu-like illness (5 studies; 8407 people), or respiratory illness (3 studies; 7799 people). Unwanted effects were not well-reported; discomfort was mentioned."

While I wore masks at work as a physician until I retired at the start of 2021, subsequent studies have shown this precaution didn't do much, if anything. I wasn't wrong to have done so at the time, but our scientific understanding has changed. When the pandemic started, I also scrupulously wiped door handles, computer keyboards, telephones, etc., with industrial-grade disinfectant, I stopped the day after I read in the Journal of the American Medical Association the study (I believe it was in August of 2020) which showed that such measures were ineffective, as the virus wasn't transmitted that way. 

What studies have shown does work is improving ventilation in indoor spaces (or staying outdoors, of course). One of my next-door neighbors, a 76 year-old retired firefighter who is still rather compulsive regarding the virus, texted me the day after he had us over for a big party at his place, stating he tested himself the day after the party and came out positive for the virus. (I never asked him why he tested himself the day after, and not the day of the party) Neither he, nor his 75 year-old wife ever got symptoms. 

No way to know for sure of course, but one might wonder why you developed "brutal" symptoms, when most people no longer do. Have you been avoiding social gatherings--parties, theater performances, operas, etc., in efforts to avoid contact with the virus? The virus is highly prevalent, and I have seen statistics that maybe one person in ten carries the virus at any given time. Maybe constant exposure ensures high antibody levels as the virus mutates slowly, preventing more severe illness. Or maybe you have a weakened immune system, or an over-active one (such as asthma)? 

My partner and I go to Mexico and on cruise ships often, yet we don't come down with Norovirus illness often. In the 3.5 years we've been together, he got it once, on a cruise ship, and I haven't had it since a trip to Cabo San Lucas a good decade ago. I also didn't get sick when he got sick, although I was stuck in a cabin with him, so I was obviously exposed. More than likely, we get constant re-exposures, but with high antibody levels do not develop illness, so it's kind of like getting frequently re-immunized. (Norovirus infection provides probably at least a year's immunity:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3739512/

"The duration of immunity to norovirus (NoV) gastroenteritis has been believed to be from 6 months to 2 years. However, several observations are inconsistent with this short period... We modeled a range of possible infection and immunity processes to capture the unknown aspects of the transmission process, and from these models, we estimate a mean duration of immunity ranging from ≈4 to 8 years...".)

Unless you have a condition (or take a medication) which weakens your immune system, it may be wisest to go on with business as usual. After all, we've been living with coronaviruses probably at least for centuries, and probably millennia. The current strain is no more virulent than the ones we've been dealing with all of our lives. Certainly, from our current scientific understanding, it's highly unlikely that masking provides much, if any benefit.

 

[Olddaddy]

Yes I don't mix with crowds much.except in the gym 

I think I caught it in the plane coming back from Thailand,it was like a week after 

My GP was useless, told me antibiotics don't work.

I needed something for my bronchitis which seemed to be a symptom 

[Keithambrose]

3 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

Yes I don't mix with crowds much.except in the gym 

I think I caught it in the plane coming back from Thailand,it was like a week after 

My GP was useless, told me antibiotics don't work.

I needed something for my bronchitis which seemed to be a symptom 

It's still very common here in UK.  Friends were in bed for a couple of days. And very tired after. For some time. They had 5 jabs. Of course antibiotics  don't  work, surely one thing everyone  knows, is that Covid is a virus.

[unicorn]

2 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

Yes I don't mix with crowds much.except in the gym 

I think I caught it in the plane coming back from Thailand,it was like a week after 

My GP was useless, told me antibiotics don't work.

I needed something for my bronchitis which seemed to be a symptom 

Your statement that you avoid mixing with crowds supports my theory that more frequent exposure would be likely to result in milder (or no) symptoms when you get infected. Of course, I'm not your physician, and I don't know your health history nor what medications you take, whether or not you smoke, and so on, so I can't offer you specific medical advice. However, if other reasons that your course of infection was far more serious than most have been ruled out, it might be a good idea to consider a new strategy. Certainly, you'll be teeming with antibodies for the next 2-3 months, so this might be a good time to go out to the theater, parties, etc. 

Your GP was correct in stating antibiotics don't work for Covid-19, nor (in almost all cases) for bronchitis (which is a syndrome, not a symptom). However, if you indeed tested positive for Covid-19, and presented within the first few of days of getting symptoms (or testing positive), it's not true that there's NO effective treatment. If given early, Paxlovid is highly effective at diminishing symptoms and complications of Covid-19, although it must be started for sure within 5 days of symptom onset (preferably 3 or 4 days):
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/why-more-people-should-be-prescribed-paxlovid-for-covid

"One of the best tools for preventing severe complications from COVID infection is the prescription antiviral drug Paxlovid. But not nearly as many people who could benefit from it are being prescribed it, says Amesh Adalja, MD, FIDSA, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security who specializes in infectious diseases and pandemic preparedness. Adalja says that both patients and providers need to be better informed about the benefits of Paxlovid and other antivirals like it.

Paxlovid is extremely effective when taken within five days of symptom onset. In clinical trials, it reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by almost 90% in unvaccinated people. “It’s a tremendous tool that's completely underutilized,” says Adalja...". 

If you met the criteria for taking Paxlovid (i.e. you're old and not taking medications which interact with it), then your GP was indeed remiss in not prescribing it for you. (I did prescribe it for my elderly neighbors, after they assured me they weren't on any medications with which it interacts). 

As for where you contracted it, 7 days is somewhat longer than the usual incubation period for the current strain. Also, the planes themselves have not been usually associated with Covid-19 outbreaks because, although they're enclosed spaces, their excellent ventilation is designed to quickly filter airborne particles. A crowded immigration hall, however, would have no such protections. A 3 to 4 day incubation is more typical with the current strain. Did you go to the gym after your trip?

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2795489

"...The mean incubation period of COVID-19 was 5.00 days (95% CI, 4.94-5.06 days) for cases caused by the Alpha variant, 4.50 days (95% CI, 1.83-7.17 days) for the Beta variant, 4.41 days (95% CI, 3.76-5.05 days) for the Delta variant, and 3.42 days (95% CI, 2.88-3.96 days) for the Omicron variant...". The 95% confidence interval means that 95% of people will incubate between 2.88 and 3.96 days between infection and developing symptoms.