Sure, but how prevalent are the side effects we hear about? Seems like the overwhelming majority of cases resolve themselves without adverse side effects. Genuinely curious if there are statistics around this.
We also have to keep this in perspective. We’re so hyper focused on COVID that we forget there’s other diseases that we have lived with up to this point that also do this as well like TB or flu. Just to touch on the flu specifically...
The flu can have some long-term effects, like increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Find out more about long-term effects of the flu.
www.google.com
Short summary, but definitely read the article:
1. increased risk for heart attack and stroke that can last weeks or months after symptoms subside.
2. Secondary infections like pneumonia
3. Reduced white blood cell and cholesterol levels for a time after symptoms fade
4. Physical decline, particularly in the elderly, that can cause hospitalization, reduced muscle mass, and reduced quality of life.
5. Loss of strength and endurance from reduced muscle mass
Also from WebMD:
“You might also have muscle inflammation (
myositis), problems with your central
nervous system, and
heartproblems such as
heart attacks, inflammation of the organ (
myocarditis), and inflammation of the sac around it (pericarditis).”
If you heard that was from COVID we’d all believe it and it would be another reason to be fearful of the virus and fuel more desire for lockdowns. But when you hear that it’s the flu, something that’s so commonplace in our society and we’ve accepted the risk/reward ratio and trade offs that come with living with the virus, it’s actually kind of shocking because we don’t view the flu that way. It’s the same way I felt when I learned a person with the flu was capable of being asymptomatic (50-70% of cases actually). I thought only COVID was capable of that which made it even scarier.
Im not saying all of that to say COVID shouldn’t be of concern. Of course, Texas is already having issues with hospital capacity and having to make difficult triage decisions. However, I just wonder how much hyperbole, misinformation and/or lack of context is coloring our view of the virus and the decision making processes from above. I’m not saying to disrespect the virus, but I also don’t think mass hysteria is helpful either.
Society will have to live with COVID, possibly forever, and, right or wrong, I don’t think this country is going to wait very long. If the CDC is estimating ~25 million to have the virus already, and the pace we’re on, we on the fast track to herd immunity anyway (not herd immunity in the sense that it won’t spread, but moreso most people having some forms of memory T cells/antibodies that can help reduce severity of the virus like we have with the flu).
