The COVID-19 pandemic simply entered its third yr. Dec. 31 marked the two-year anniversary of stories of a mysterious pneumonia in Wuhan, China. “Unfortunately I think we still have, at our own peril, underestimated the impact of this virus and what it can do,” stated Dr. Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy on the University of Minnesota, on the newest episode of his podcast. Noting that “we’ve still got a ways to go with this virus,” this week Osterholm gave his impressions of the place the pandemic stands now and the place it’ll go within the fast future—together with one “dramatic” warning. Read on to seek out out extra—and to make sure your well being and the well being of others, do not miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
“We have to avoid what I call the extreme views of the world,” stated Osterholm, noting that the present state of affairs wasn’t a name for “rose-colored glasses” or “doomsday” pondering.
“I worry as these case numbers increased dramatically without linking it to seriousness of illness that we’re accepting the fact that, ‘Oh my God, this is a doomsday event.’,” he stated. “And I’ve seen that happen—when people talk about a million cases being reported today, compared to 100,000 cases that had been reported—as if somehow this was doomsday.”
“It’s not okay,” he added. “We are in a better place because of vaccines. We are in a different place because is not acting like Delta. And I hope that somehow we can find that middle place where I think we really are and how we need to approach this issue.”
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Osterholm addressed the controversy over altering estimates about how prevalent Omicron is versus Delta. “It doesn’t really matter to me from a scientific standpoint because I know that within a few weeks it is going to be virtually all Omicron,” stated Osterholm. “There’s just no denying that Omicron is much more transmissible than the previous variants.”
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“Having spent 46 years in this business, I can tell you that the transmission we’re seeing with Omicron is unlike anything I’ve ever dealt with in my public health career,” stated Osterholm. “We are going to experience a viral blizzard, amid the news of these dramatic Omicron case surges.”
At the identical time, “We’re also seeing more and more signs suggesting that the risk of severe disease and death has been reduced with this variant.”
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“This pandemic will not be over in eight weeks,” predicted Osterholm. “Vaccinations now will protect against the next surge, but recommendations made in the meantime should acknowledge our current reality that the immediate increase in vaccinations is going to have only a very limited impact on this surge. It’s going to happen no matter what.”
“Masking can be helpful,” he stated, “but only if you’re routinely using high quality respiratory protection”—which means an N95, KN95, or KF94 masks.
“Face cloth coverings, even surgical masks, are nothing more than fashion statements,” he warned. “They do not protect you in any meaningful way.”
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“We do have light at the end of the tunnel,” stated Osterholm on MSNBC this week. “But for right now, you’re going to have to hunker down.”
“We are going to see the number of cases in this country rise so dramatically, we are going to have a hard time keeping everyday life operating,” he stated. “The next month is going to be a viral blizzard. All of society is going to be pressured by this.”
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Follow the basics and assist finish this pandemic, regardless of the place you reside—get vaccinated ASAP; when you dwell in an space with low vaccination charges, put on an N95 face masks, do not journey, social distance, keep away from giant crowds, do not go indoors with folks you are not sheltering with (particularly in bars), follow good hand hygiene, and to guard your life and the lives of others, do not go to any of those 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.