Post Lunar Eclipse

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Article from the New York Times
Sadly, COVID news doesn’t seem to get better.

“COVID is a virus that shows no signs of disappearing. Its variants are adept at dodging the body’s defenses, and may be in waves of infections two, maybe three times a year going forward. That may be the future of Covid-19, some scientists now fear.

Coronavirus has become more adept at reinfecting people. Already, those infected with the first Omicron variant are reporting second infections with the newer versions of the variant — BA.2 or BA2.12.1 in the United States, or BA.4 and BA.5 in South Africa. Those reinfected people may go on to have third or fourth infections, even within this year, researchers said in interviews. And many of those will end up with symptoms that persist for months or years, a condition known as long Covid. Each (new or repeat: mild or severe) infection may bring with it the possibility of long Covid, the constellation of symptoms that can persist for months or years. It’s too early to know how often an Omicron infection leads to long Covid, especially in vaccinated people.

If reinfection turns out to be the new norm, the coronavirus is “not going to simply be this wintertime once-a-year thing like the flu, and it’s not going to be a mild nuisance in terms of the amount of morbidity and mortality it causes.” COVID will continue to be quite deadly for the elderly over 65 as a group; plus for others with a compromised immune system. And it will leave a percentage of those infected (of all age groups with/or without prior health conditions) facing a lifetime of COVID induced illnesses.

To keep up with the evolving virus, experts said, the Covid vaccines should be updated more quickly, even more quickly than flu vaccines are each year. Even an imperfect match to a new form of the coronavirus will still broaden immunity and offer some protection, they said. ‘Every single time we think we’re through this, every single time we think we have the upper hand, the virus pulls a trick on us.’”

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More and more Americans Face Long COVID
This is expected to increase.

News that a federal judge blocked the mask mandate on public transportation and airplanes this week was met with fanfare by many. But for others, such as immunocompromised Americans a, there was little solace to be felt from the increasingly widespread sentiment that the burden of protecting oneself and others from the coronavirus is being shifted onto individuals.

Many of the people who contracted the virus and developed long Covid at the beginning of the pandemic are still struggling with its effects years later. For these, the pandemic is far from over. Their brush with the virus has saddled them with medical conditions that could plague them for the rest of their lives. Long Covid can involve a variety of disabling symptoms in many combinations.