The stats on long Covid are all over the place. Being vaccinated definitely reduces the incidence of long covid, but does not eliminate it (and studies vary in how much they think it reduces it). I can understand people deciding to accept the risk, but a lot people seem to think that there is no risk!
Covid-19 NON DANCE debate
- Thread starter GGinrhinestones
- Start date
DanceMentor
Administrator
Yes, I had lon
Yes, I had long covid (Vaccination was not available at that time), and now I am fully recovered, except now I have Tinnitus and a toe joint that got bigger. It took many months to recover. The second time I had covid it was a walk in the park. Data is still coming out but it does seem the newer strains are weaker, vaccination is very effective, and long covid is much less common.
Misspendragon
Forum Master
I had flu many times in my life, I was even hospitalized with it once, and I think COVID is a lot worse, and a lot more unpredictable. Granted, again, I had Delta, but I had Delta only four months after full vaccination and as a fit 40 something year old. I cannot imagine how older, sicker, unvaccinated people felt with it. There were two or three days when I had the absolute strangest symptoms imaginable, like my top palate feeling as it was on fire (literally; I completely freaked out at first when I woke up), body aches and strange waves moving through my body that were nothing like fever or flu (even though I did have a fever), and my resting heart rate, which normally is in the low 50s, even high 40s for me, was over 120 consistently, sometimes nearing 140. And don't even get me started on my sugar level (I'm diabetic), which was off the roof. I barely ate a thing for a week. And all that WITHOUT any issues with breathing, with a heart and blood pressure healthier than many people decades younger, and again, fully vaccinated. My point is, I would not compare COVID with the flu. I know this recent strain supposed to be a lot weaker than Delta was, but we know very little about this virus still, what is it about it that makes sometimes perfectly healthy people very sick while others won't feel a thing; my 15-year-old elite swimmer and vaccinated daughter had such an awful headache with Delta that she couldn't move her head for days, while I had barely any headache at all. So, I think it's wise to take precautions that are really so easy to take, like masking.
Misspendragon
Forum Master
I'm glad you fully recovered, although tinnitus is very unpleasant
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raindance
Forum Master
Not sure where you are getting your data, but this does not match what I am hearing from epidemiologists.
The vaccines are only so so at preventing infection with current strains. They are pretty good at preventing severe outcomes, but even that protection wanes over time. A lot of the newer strains seeming to be milder is because of the protection that vaccines do give, but that protection is far from foolproof.
I have not seen data that long covid is much less common. They are still trying to figure out long covid, and it is still very unpredictable in course, symptoms, duration, and who it hits. I have heard long covid is less common in the vaccinated, but it still happens to the vaccinated. And long covid can mean a long slow recovery, or it can mean new drastic symptoms that don't go away, like severe exercise intolerance, shortness of breath, etc, that may not have even been part of that person's symptoms when they were first stick.
I'm glad your more recent infection was like a walk in the park. Unfortunately there is no guarantee your next round (whenever that may be, with whatever strain might be around then) will also be easy. We don't know how the next strains will affect people, and they may be more severe, or different in other ways.
Misspendragon
Forum Master
The current strain is only weaker compared to Delta and the original strain, not compared to Omicron. And my understanding is that it is more contagious than any former strain, and unfortunately repeated infection can be taxing on the body, particularly on vital organs like the liver, the heart, and the brain, and lead to long COVID more easily than only one infection. Some people do very well with repeated infections, but I do think a lot of it comes down to luck.
DanceMentor
Administrator
Do you agree that most epidemiologists are saying there are actually more cases now than official counts reflect? From my research there is more home testing, and fewer people going to the hospital, so cases are not getting counted like before. Yet, even with existing data deaths and hospitalizations are significantly down compared with previous waves. Looking at history there is ample evidence that previous outbreaks became less deadly over time similar to what we are observing now.
Misspendragon
Forum Master
I don't think anyone argues that the new strain AT LARGE is less deadly on people who had COVID or were vaccinated. The issue is that people still get sick, some still die, and even without any symptoms, COVID disrupts our lives. If we all agreed to wear a mask when there is a new wave, which is really easy to do, so much heartache, income loss, and acute or long term illness could be avoided. I just don't get it why people refuse to do it, and go as far as turning the matter into some kind of freedom movement.
DanceMentor
Administrator
Yes, I can understand your point about encouraging more people to wear a mask. I know in Japan they have been very successful in having what you might call shaming campaigns where people are made to feel very uncomfortable if they are not wearing a mask.
I think different places are simply going to be different. There are some people that are very set in their views. I don't question that if more people wore masks, that they would be fewer infections.
On the flip side, as more people are vaccinated and infected, it seems apparent that the death rate is going down and has been going down for a while now. That's a good thing, and this is a trend that is likely to continue as we move out of a very critical situation and closer to pre-covid where we still had deaths from the flu.
It will be very interesting to see which countries have the lowest death rate, and also follow those countries over time. The countries that had the lower death rate in the early stages likely will not have such a high death rate now that the newer strains are not so severe, especially if people are vaccinated too.
I contacted everyone I could. I told both my dance studios who also informed people!
I waited until both the time window the CDC recommends had passed and I had a totally clear Covid rest. I had test kits. I my case the later time was when my at home test kit said "all clear".
I could stay quarantined so I did. I'm back to dancing now.
Joe
Forum Master
You can thank a "not qualified" Trump (which probably really means Federalist Society) judge for that.
Did you drive down to CFC?
Warren J. Dew
Forum Master
Or an unconstitutional action. but, no, the judge did not prohibit recommending masks, just requiring them. And the airline is free to recommend masks as well.
Oops, I'd blocked that out of my mind. That time the studio was supposed to make travel arrangements, but didn't, so I had to do it at the last minute - which was expensive that time. Might have been better off driving, though last time I drove 1000 miles to a dance competition, I was in a car that was more fun to drive.
DanceMentor
Administrator
Japan is interesting to watch now. Arguably this country has more people wearing masks than just about any other place besides China, and it was mostly achieved through social pressure, not a mandate.
But they are closing in on about 200 cases per 100,000 and their death rate has edged up.
Now if this we were still in the first wave of covid and there were 200 cases per 100,000, the death rate would be much, much higher.
I just have to wonder if there's a certain inevitability about people getting infected. It's great that the death rate is so much lower than before. More people are vaccinated. And we have better treatments for people that do get infected and need to be hospitalized.
I think many people are saying this is endemic and it's just going to be part of society for many years to come. But hopefully at the same time we can get that death rate down to near flu-like numbers. It seems also likely that subsequent strains are getting weaker or at least that people's immune systems are getting stronger.
And of course China will be interesting to watch. Many would say their economy has really suffered, but at the same time their death rate is the lowest. Certainly their policy was great for the people who didn't die.
In countries like the United states, we at least are starting to ask the question about whether or not we are starting to reach and acceptable level in which we can just return to normal. If we are having about as many deaths as before with the flu, is that acceptable? We're getting closer to that point.
But they are closing in on about 200 cases per 100,000 and their death rate has edged up.
Now if this we were still in the first wave of covid and there were 200 cases per 100,000, the death rate would be much, much higher.
I just have to wonder if there's a certain inevitability about people getting infected. It's great that the death rate is so much lower than before. More people are vaccinated. And we have better treatments for people that do get infected and need to be hospitalized.
I think many people are saying this is endemic and it's just going to be part of society for many years to come. But hopefully at the same time we can get that death rate down to near flu-like numbers. It seems also likely that subsequent strains are getting weaker or at least that people's immune systems are getting stronger.
And of course China will be interesting to watch. Many would say their economy has really suffered, but at the same time their death rate is the lowest. Certainly their policy was great for the people who didn't die.
In countries like the United states, we at least are starting to ask the question about whether or not we are starting to reach and acceptable level in which we can just return to normal. If we are having about as many deaths as before with the flu, is that acceptable? We're getting closer to that point.
Warren J. Dew
Forum Master
Took the DC metro to airport at an off peak time. Mask rate was about 10%. Over 50% for blacks. Two had luggage with clear plastic coverings.
DanceMentor
Administrator
Some nights at the studio are mask only, and on some of those nights mask is optional if you test at the door. On all other nights it's about 10% of people wearing