Wastewater data has become perhaps the best metric to track the spread of the virus in the U.S., but it’s an imperfect tool.

I’ll note that an updated booster came out this past fall, and few Americans have gotten it.

  • GnuLinuxDude@lemmy.ml
    454·
    10 months ago

    I have the vaccine and every booster available. My partner picked up covid from work and now I have it. I’ve been bed-ridden for the past several days. It hurts when I swallow. Partner got over the worst of it relatively quickly but still has a gentle persistent cough.

    Thanks to all the bosses with their RTO policies and anti-vaxxers and all the politicians who let this thing rage on. I hope they all find themselves pushed off the edge of a cliff someday.

    • GnuLinuxDude@lemmy.ml
      10·
      10 months ago

      Just saw this Ars article. https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/01/anti-vaccine-nonsense-will-likely-kill-thousands-this-season-fda-officials-say/

      The US may be heading to a “dangerous vaccination tipping point,” with immunization rates falling so low that population-level immunity is now at risk, and we will likely see thousands of needless deaths this respiratory virus season, two top officials for the Food and Drug Administration warned in a recent JAMA commentary.

      Incredible. We’ve gone from practically eliminating polio to regressing into vaccine-denialism that’s so powerful that we are just risking resurgent communicable diseases. And the people responsible for this get to continue promoting and influencing the world. Hilarious!

    • Codex@lemmy.world
      6·
      10 months ago

      My partner and I were both fully boosted and both caught it in November. I’d been only been boosted for a week, her for 4 weeks. For whatever reason, her case was worse with about a week of fever, sore throat/sinuses, and all that. I never got a fever but was otherwise similar.

      We’d both managed to avoid catching it at all before that, despite going on regularly and flying internationally a few times. We’ve just been good about masking and getting our shots.

      I think this current strain must be extremely contagious. It sure was nice back when the government was tracking and reporting on this stuff.

      • GnuLinuxDude@lemmy.ml
        1·
        10 months ago

        Hope you feel better soon. I additionally suffered through muscle/joint aches and chills. I am a bit more on my feet now but I still feel tired and crappy, with a persistent cough and a still sore throat. I’m still mostly taking it easy to recover as best as I can.

    • sugar_in_your_tea
      31·
      10 months ago

      all the politicians who let this thing rage on

      What do you suggest was done differently? Many areas tried aggressive quarantine measures, but that didn’t stop the spread, likely because that type of thing can never be universal. The recommended measures (masks, testing, quarantine) were intended to slow the spread, not stop it, so once it spread from China, I really don’t think there was a realistic chance to stop it.

      I get the frustration. I got COVID just two months ago on the last day of my cruise (I quarantined until I had to leave the ship, wore a mask on the plane, took a test to confirm once I got home, etc), and it really sucked. But I also don’t think there was a realistic chance to stop it, so we just have to live with it.