Augie RayJan 20, 2023

“You haven't had #COVID19? You're lucky!”

My “luck”:
Two concerts, two movies in theaters & one conference in three years (all masked).
I haven't eaten in a reasonably crowded restaurant in three months.
I've worn a mask 100% of the time in airports, planes, transit & retail.
I've eaten outside on 50F/10C evenings to avoid inside dining.
I got every jab as soon as possible.
I've monitored COVID conditions and adjusted behaviors to match.
I canceled 2 vacations due to COVID surges.
“LUCK!”

Show threadCintaraJan 20, 2023
@augieray Now that the really lethal versions have passed, it might be time to start asking ourselves how much it is worth sacrificing to avoid the current strains. Of course, for those that have underlying health issues, COVID (like the flu) remains extremely dangerous.
Show threadAugie RayJan 20, 2023
@cintara That's the wrong way to think about it. First of all, there's little evidence COVID is less lethal--we've just gotten better at treating it and have some protection against more severe disease through vax & prior infection. Second, despite that, it's still a top 3 or 4 cause of death--nothing to take likely. Lastly, evidence is growing that repeated infections may leave lasting damage to hearts, brains and immune systems.
Show threadCintara
@augieray I didn't know that it was still top 3-4 cause of death! I will have to look in to that!
Jan 20, 2023 at 6:24pmWeb
Show threadAugie RayJan 20, 2023

@cintara People have bought into an entirely false safety narrative about COVID. It's still a top cause of death: https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/covid-19-leading-cause-of-death-ranking/

And over 130 studies have found COVID can leave people with long-term or chronic damage: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12VbMkvqUF9eSggJsdsFEjKs5x0ABxQJi5tvfzJIDd3U/edit?usp=sharing

COVID-19 leading cause of death ranking

This updated analysis examines COVID-19’s effect on mortality rates, and estimates that in January 2022, COVID-19 was number two on the list of leading causes of death in the U.S.

KFF