Jarrett Banwart (photo), 59, of Seattle, got Covid-19 in March 2020 before vaccines were available.
He survived, but two years later, still suffers from fatigue and other “long Covid” symptoms that keep him from going for bicycle rides or working regularly. He wonders if his Covid-19 ordeal will ever end (read his story here).
The “BA.2 variant” is sweeping across America, is now the dominant strain in Washington state (story here), and is responsible for three-fourths of new cases nationwide (story here).
Prominent politicians in Washington D.C. are testing positive, and Philadelphia is weighing reinstating mask mandates. The U.S. is closing in on a million Covid-19 deaths (985,482 as of Sunday, April 10, 2022).
And health experts are once again warning people to take precautions: Mask up, social distance, and avoid indoor gatherings, especially in poorly ventilated spaces (see story here). And get vaccinated and boosted.
Most people are vaccinated, although not enough are boosted; and if you’re a vaccine holdout, you’re even worse off than in March 2020, because this variant is far more contagious — and not less deadly for the unvaccinated.
Vaccine risk is nearly non-existent, while the virus risk is high (it has infected about a quarter of all Americans, and the death rate is about 1.23%, although now virtually all the patients who die are unvaccinated. Anyone who can calculate gambler’s odds knows what the logical thing to do is.
But anti-vaxxers aren’t logical. I argued with one recently, via email, who insisted the vaccines aren’t FDA-approved. That’s not true; they are, and I sent him a link to the FDA website. It was no use, he couldn’t be persuaded. This person relies on sources like Gateway Pundit, a rightwing propaganda website, and Joe Rogan, a wrestler-turned-entertainer with no medical background who’s been sharply criticized for hosting guests on his podcast who spread Covid-19 disinformation.
I didn’t persist. You can’t save people from themselves. If he gets Covid-19 and it kills him, it’s his funeral, or if he’s disabled by long Covid, that’s his problem. He asked for it. I’m at a point of frustration with vaccine refusers that I think we need laws requiring they pay their own Covid-19 medical bills, instead of sticking taxpayers or insurance companies with them.
I’m posting this today because I think a lot of people are under the impression the pandemic is over and they can relax now. It isn’t, and they can’t. A new variant has arrived and it’s bringing a new wave of infections. China is locking down its largest city. If you’re vaccinated and boosted, you have good to excellent protection against hospitalization or death, but you still can get infected and get symptoms approximating an ugly bout of flu.
So don’t be reckless. Keep your vaccination status up to date, and practice those other precautions. We’re still in a pandemic and this is not a time to become complacent.