COVID-19 is now endemic, like influenza. However, we do have vaccines so every 6-12 months when we get a booster shot we can get a bivalent vaccine that contains some of the latest variant to help prevent serious illness. This allows us to recover much more easily, reduce transmission, and ultimately eliminate the clogging of hospitals.

The real danger is from people who refuse to vaccinate because they're going to be more susceptible to the endemic virus and its subvariants.

I thought this was pretty clever and funny, nicely done:)

It warms my heart when I see someone still has the heart and the guts to wear a mask.

I had to visit the ER a few weeks ago. Aside from me, there were two or three other people in masks, and they were patients.

I just don't understand it. Medical professionals should know better, but somehow don't??

i only mask for drs offices, the dentist, and other high risk environments.

if i worked with the general public or lived/interacted with high risk individuals on the regular, i'd behave differently.

Make sure you get N95/KN95/KF94 masks, they are better than cloth or surgical masks. Personally I don't wear a mask anymore except in doctor's offices, although I did receive 4 doses of the vaccine and I think both myself and my family would almost definitely be okay if we did get it.

With that said, I also have a job where I work remotely 100% of the time so that probably helps too.

I feel this.

My immune system is shitty and terrible (suspected condition, but docs have no clue), so getting sick will cause a slew of awful things to happen to me. Last tiny sick bout I had a few months ago caused a chain reaction that landed me in the hospital. I was literally shitting blood due to a tiny infection! The specialist half-jokingly told me "Well, next time, just don't get sick!" Ha. Ha ha. Ha.

I've only had a single person comment on me wearing a mask in 3 years, thank god. My response was "How about you mind your own fucking business?" Don't wear a mask. Whatever. I won't comment on it. But leave me the fuck alone if I choose the wear one. I'm not about to explain my medical history to some snide asshole. Fuck off. I like not suffering.

I personally haven't given a shit about COVID for over a year now. I haven't even gotten sick in that time. I'm not trying to attack your position here, but at what point is it considered paranoia? I remember seeing the death numbers fall in line with other stuff like the flu. At what point do we just return to normal?

This is my issue with the article.

Headline: Here's what we know about EG.5 so far

Body: Apparently not much. We uhh, know the name of it? Severity, how contagious it may be, symptoms, breakthrough rate...like umm, anything??

Presumably as a descendent of omicron... It is probably easier to catch and less serious. But you'd think they'd address it...

Other articles has said it’s nothing special. Not any deadlier.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2023/08/06/eg51-nicknamed-eris-is-new-covid-19-variant-spreading-monitored-by-who/?sh=3c989b585941

Is it though? It’s an omicron subvariant that doesn’t seem to be any worse that its predecessors and the annual booster update is likely to get authorized in a few weeks.

This is the new normal. Covid mutates like flu, and each year will have covid and flu shots in the fall.

I mean there's plenty to worry about besides death. I don't understand why people discount all the other potentially life altering effects of COVID.

Primes

1,2,3,5

E + 3 = H

G+ 5 = L

5 -2 = 3

Half Life 3 confirmed.

This last one was named after a famous battle Droid

(But really the new strains seen are given greco alpha numeric names. There are a bunch of strains that get named that we don't hear about because they Peter out.)