Is COVID-19 reaching the endemic stage?

[BigmanPigman]

https://www.umassmed.edu/news/news-archives/2022/08/is-covid-19-reaching-the-endemic-stage-umass-chan-virologist-jeremy-luban-weighs-in/

"Now, as we approach the fall, we are in a different place. Many more people have developed a level of anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunity, from vaccination and/or infection. We’ve learned that boosters have an important role to play in terms of protecting against severe disease, though there are still big proportions of the population that haven’t been boosted."

"But it’s possible that this coming fall is going to be the first relatively normal period for us since the beginning of the pandemic. It may be the beginning of the real endemic phase for us, where most people who get infection have a common cold. But we don’t know that with any certainty, and with SARS-CoV-2 we have to be prepared for the worst."

"Another question concerns the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection. There are many indications that SARS-CoV-2 can have long-term effects on people’s health, sometimes called long COVID. We know little about these long-term effects and this is a very important area of research."

[viva la]

1. i worry that even a milder case could have unpredictable long-term effects

Has anyone seen research to that effect?

I'm still masking indoors in public, and avoiding big crowds, no matter what.

[BigmanPigman]

3. That will not be known for a long time.

I get Botox for daily migraines and about 6 months ago I asked my neurologist about the long term effects but I knew the answer before I asked it, I guess I just wanted confirmation. Scientists will not know long term effects for many, many years.

I saw my primary care doctor for the 1st time in a year about a month ago and I told him I don't want to to go into hospital settings for unnecessary tests for fear of getting Covid. I thought he would say I am being paranoid and ridiculous but he didn't. He said he understood and the test wasn't necessary. He was glad to hear that I was up to date on the disease and how it is still risky.

I always wear a N95 mask whenever I leave my apt and no one is allowed inside unless they are masked too. No one has been pissed off at all when I ask them to mask up in my presence.

Since I have obvious neurological issues (the severe migraines for 7 years) I am not taking any chances. I figure that wince I do get migraines from the boosters (the most recent one was the worst by far) I am likely prone to getting some sort of problem if I do catch Covid.

[PSPS]

4. Long covid affects those who get infected regardless of any symptoms

The last article I read said that at least 20% of infections result in long covid. This is regardless of whether or not there are any symptoms. And the vaccines offer no protection from long covid.

[viva la]

6. That's scary.

[SheltieLover]

7. This is my understanding as well.

[XanaDUer2]

8. Exactly nt

[OAITW r.2.0]

2. RVS is the new thing to worry about. I know 3 kids in MA that have been hospitalized for this

condition....and this is a family that is totally immersed in medicine.

[BigmanPigman]

5. This is really scary!

Young kids in CT and DC are getting it in droves and 2 high schools in San Diego had it so badly 2 weeks ago that 40% of the student were out sick.

I don't buy the theory that this is a natural amd expected occurrence after people have been masking up for 2 years and their normal anti-bodies for the flu are down. That doesn't make sense for so many to be hit at one time and one month into the school hear and in high school students (not young students). There must be another factor.

[onlyadream]

9. It could be true

I took my daughter out of school to homeschool her (this was almost 20 years ago and the school “did not recognize” dyslexia) and the year she went back to school she had pneumonia (needed two different antibiotics and it took over a months to fully recover) and two months later she got influenza A (while we were on vacation in Disneyland, a horrible experience). I always thought it had to do with not being around other kids for such a long period of time.

[BigmanPigman]

10. That is very true...

I taught in elementary schools students for over 15 years and schools are germ factories. Even with flu shots I was constantly sick but I never built up immunities for some reason and had to stop teaching due to it (mono, pneumonia, severe respiratory damage from mold, etc.).

I never had a lot of students out sick at one time like I see happening now though. The question I have is why so many at two specific high schools in San Diego? That doesn't make sense. A teacher friend also believes something else is missing from the equation, so to speak.

[Warpy]

11. I think we did that a long time ago

This sucker just mutates too quickly to keep up with. At least with the vaccines and the new booster, people aren't dying from it like they did in the early days. There's some early evidence that the virulence might be weakening. I hope it follows the other human coronavirus strains and becomes nothing worse than a cold, annoying but rarely fatal.