Julia, this is truly another home run. Your articles are brilliant.
This post makes me incredibly sad, though. Well, they all do, but this one really hits home. There is not a snowball's hope in hades that the people I love will change their behaviour in the slightest after reading your meticulously researched, eloquent, spot-on post. Even the few people I know who will admit that Cvd's more than a cold or even the flu, cannot bring themselves to protect themselves and others from its ravages.
It's as if the whole world has decided that Russian roulette is a parlour game and that we should all play it every day. It leaves me utterly speechless.
Ongoing COVID denial as medical paradigm: as I'm reading this piece an ad for getting vaccinations at Walgreen's appears: caring, friendly pharmacist consoles scared little boy about to get the shot while approving parent looks on; as Mom & Son walk away happy the voiceover extolls the virtues of, and the ease of receiving, flu shots, RSV shots, etc.; COVID is never mentioned. It's only those unlucky Other People who get Long COVID. " Losers lose, winners win." We don't need to care about the losers. Thanks for another excellent article, Julia.
I have noticed this too. At the medical center where I got my latest booster, there are huge signs saying "FLU SHOTS THIS WAY". COVID is not mentioned. Then, when you register, they say "flu shot?" They can't even bring themselves to say, "flu and COVID shots?" or even "We have COVID and flu shots. What are you here for?" Even a subtle hint or just saying what is available is breaking the collective denial, so it can't be done.
Great article. Just a couple of explanations as to why people don't worry about re-infections:
1. Almost the entire media is telling us Covid is just a cold (there are very few articles telling the truth). All media owners do not want the truth about Covid to get publicity. It does not get publicity.
2. Mitigation measures have been deliberately and systematically stigmatised (from Biden to Johnson and Trump). Wearing a mask now takes the level of courage that most people simply don't have. So people are pretty much forced to either believe that it is harmless to them, or to accept a level of danger that they feel is unavoidable.
[For reference: During the onset of the pandemic I was deeply involved in research on using Hypochlorous Acid (the substance our body uses internally to kill pathogens) as an external mitigant. We were successful in mitigating. Not in engaging authorities like the EPA. So I pay attention to Covid sequelae].
I hadn't heard the name recognition issue. That's profoundly troubling. So, I went to check it. On Perplexity. The results were at least as troubling. I received an answer listing this and other early childhood deficits. BUT. The answer went on largely providing poorly inferenced explanations about missed socialization and masks with only a bit on effects from the disease.
Skewed both-sides-ing. Quite a mix we are brewing: Cumulative erosive neurological impacts from a revolving-door virus. Protective efforts to minimize emotional disruption through dissociation, which disconnects us from empirical information. And information fog providing more noise than signal.
Ah well. Please keep writing, Julia. Even a symphonic orchestra needs a clear, stable tone to tune!
This is a great article. I think this phenomenon is a great indication of the massive scientific illiteracy in the US. People assume that unless they're seeing masses of people passing out in the streets or a huge amount of people they know suddenly needing oxygen tanks or wheelchairs, then COVID can't be that way. There is an ignorance about physical or mental health affects which aren't easily visible.
I feel there is a certain amount of subterranean unease and denial about the situation. It explains why people are so quick to say "It's not COVID!" when they have viral illness symptoms, even if they haven't tested (and most don't.)
A friend of mine just returned two weeks ago from two weeks in Ireland. He picked up "a virus" on the trip. (Almost everyone I know who has done package tours or cruises in the past 3 years has gotten COVID.) Now, he's hospitalized with gut problems he's never had before. Is it a coincidence? Could be! But nobody is interested in even checking if there are dots to connect.
Another friend has not been 100% since an acute COVID case 2 years ago (got it on cruise, sigh.) He is sure it isn't Long COVID. But he recently got a verified case of Lyme and now thinks maybe he's had Long Lyme from an undetected Lyme case for the past 2 years! Could even be true. But I think it is psychologically interesting that he is willing to consider Long Lyme when he doesn't even know if he had Lyme 2 years ago, but he *does* know he had a month-long acute COVID case.
Oh yes. When someone is sick, I ask "did you do a COVID test?", 99% of the time they say "it's not COVID" or "I don't think it's COVID", then offer some unscientific explanation for how they know it's not. If you ever get them down to it, they'll say even if it was, it doesn't matter. I even had a doctor say this recently.
Thanks for this, as always. Yes, the reinfections are what make this so different, also for people who already have LC. But no easy steps, including vaccines. I am just considering whether I should try to get the Novavax vaccine, also based on your earlier writing. Wondering if you (or others reading this) got it this year, and if that affected your symptoms at all?
I haven't been able to find novavax at all this year. In the past, I've had Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax. This time I just opted to stick with Moderna as it was much easier to find, but it's distressing because I wanted Novavax and it's nowhere to be found in a major metro area. I don't tend to get noticeable side effects besides some tiredness after the boosters. I did have some strong side effects my first two vaccines back in 2021, but nothing I can tell afterwards.
So far, my n95 masking and other precautions have been helping in avoiding reinfection from what I can tell. I test myself at home with rapid tests as well as PCRs like Pluslife and Metrix when needed. I'm still worried that I somehow had an asymptomatic infection that was never caught, but officially, I have only tested positive for COVID once in November 2020, and have had symptoms ever since that wax and wane.
Anecdotally, I cannot name a single person I know who has not had some "strange" health issues after their covid infection(s). None of those people call themselves long haulers. With it being as difficult as it is to get short term and long term disability benefits, I am scared for the future tbh.
Julia, this is truly another home run. Your articles are brilliant.
This post makes me incredibly sad, though. Well, they all do, but this one really hits home. There is not a snowball's hope in hades that the people I love will change their behaviour in the slightest after reading your meticulously researched, eloquent, spot-on post. Even the few people I know who will admit that Cvd's more than a cold or even the flu, cannot bring themselves to protect themselves and others from its ravages.
It's as if the whole world has decided that Russian roulette is a parlour game and that we should all play it every day. It leaves me utterly speechless.
Thank you to Julia for yes - another brilliant home run - and to you for articulating this!
Ongoing COVID denial as medical paradigm: as I'm reading this piece an ad for getting vaccinations at Walgreen's appears: caring, friendly pharmacist consoles scared little boy about to get the shot while approving parent looks on; as Mom & Son walk away happy the voiceover extolls the virtues of, and the ease of receiving, flu shots, RSV shots, etc.; COVID is never mentioned. It's only those unlucky Other People who get Long COVID. " Losers lose, winners win." We don't need to care about the losers. Thanks for another excellent article, Julia.
I have noticed this too. At the medical center where I got my latest booster, there are huge signs saying "FLU SHOTS THIS WAY". COVID is not mentioned. Then, when you register, they say "flu shot?" They can't even bring themselves to say, "flu and COVID shots?" or even "We have COVID and flu shots. What are you here for?" Even a subtle hint or just saying what is available is breaking the collective denial, so it can't be done.
Great article. Just a couple of explanations as to why people don't worry about re-infections:
1. Almost the entire media is telling us Covid is just a cold (there are very few articles telling the truth). All media owners do not want the truth about Covid to get publicity. It does not get publicity.
2. Mitigation measures have been deliberately and systematically stigmatised (from Biden to Johnson and Trump). Wearing a mask now takes the level of courage that most people simply don't have. So people are pretty much forced to either believe that it is harmless to them, or to accept a level of danger that they feel is unavoidable.
Keep up the good writing!
Thanks.
[For reference: During the onset of the pandemic I was deeply involved in research on using Hypochlorous Acid (the substance our body uses internally to kill pathogens) as an external mitigant. We were successful in mitigating. Not in engaging authorities like the EPA. So I pay attention to Covid sequelae].
I hadn't heard the name recognition issue. That's profoundly troubling. So, I went to check it. On Perplexity. The results were at least as troubling. I received an answer listing this and other early childhood deficits. BUT. The answer went on largely providing poorly inferenced explanations about missed socialization and masks with only a bit on effects from the disease.
Skewed both-sides-ing. Quite a mix we are brewing: Cumulative erosive neurological impacts from a revolving-door virus. Protective efforts to minimize emotional disruption through dissociation, which disconnects us from empirical information. And information fog providing more noise than signal.
Ah well. Please keep writing, Julia. Even a symphonic orchestra needs a clear, stable tone to tune!
This is a great article. I think this phenomenon is a great indication of the massive scientific illiteracy in the US. People assume that unless they're seeing masses of people passing out in the streets or a huge amount of people they know suddenly needing oxygen tanks or wheelchairs, then COVID can't be that way. There is an ignorance about physical or mental health affects which aren't easily visible.
I feel there is a certain amount of subterranean unease and denial about the situation. It explains why people are so quick to say "It's not COVID!" when they have viral illness symptoms, even if they haven't tested (and most don't.)
A friend of mine just returned two weeks ago from two weeks in Ireland. He picked up "a virus" on the trip. (Almost everyone I know who has done package tours or cruises in the past 3 years has gotten COVID.) Now, he's hospitalized with gut problems he's never had before. Is it a coincidence? Could be! But nobody is interested in even checking if there are dots to connect.
Another friend has not been 100% since an acute COVID case 2 years ago (got it on cruise, sigh.) He is sure it isn't Long COVID. But he recently got a verified case of Lyme and now thinks maybe he's had Long Lyme from an undetected Lyme case for the past 2 years! Could even be true. But I think it is psychologically interesting that he is willing to consider Long Lyme when he doesn't even know if he had Lyme 2 years ago, but he *does* know he had a month-long acute COVID case.
Oh yes. When someone is sick, I ask "did you do a COVID test?", 99% of the time they say "it's not COVID" or "I don't think it's COVID", then offer some unscientific explanation for how they know it's not. If you ever get them down to it, they'll say even if it was, it doesn't matter. I even had a doctor say this recently.
Thanks for this, as always. Yes, the reinfections are what make this so different, also for people who already have LC. But no easy steps, including vaccines. I am just considering whether I should try to get the Novavax vaccine, also based on your earlier writing. Wondering if you (or others reading this) got it this year, and if that affected your symptoms at all?
I haven't been able to find novavax at all this year. In the past, I've had Moderna, Pfizer, and Novavax. This time I just opted to stick with Moderna as it was much easier to find, but it's distressing because I wanted Novavax and it's nowhere to be found in a major metro area. I don't tend to get noticeable side effects besides some tiredness after the boosters. I did have some strong side effects my first two vaccines back in 2021, but nothing I can tell afterwards.
So far, my n95 masking and other precautions have been helping in avoiding reinfection from what I can tell. I test myself at home with rapid tests as well as PCRs like Pluslife and Metrix when needed. I'm still worried that I somehow had an asymptomatic infection that was never caught, but officially, I have only tested positive for COVID once in November 2020, and have had symptoms ever since that wax and wane.
Anecdotally, I cannot name a single person I know who has not had some "strange" health issues after their covid infection(s). None of those people call themselves long haulers. With it being as difficult as it is to get short term and long term disability benefits, I am scared for the future tbh.
I've seen people post on Reddit that they've found Novavax at Walmart.