Changing perspective on COVID....maybe a good time to get it

[Ottakee]

I am fairly covid cautious....double vaxed and boostered, entire family.  Wear a mask in indoor settings, etc.   Ds and I are part of a National Institute of Health Covid study where we rapid test twice a week for 3 months (on week 2 now).

Anyway, I live in West Michigan where positivity rates were 27%+ with Delta and now who knows with Omicron as many people are not testing or testing one family member and not others or just doing at home which isn't reported.  

I am wondering if it is just inevitable that I will get COVID and that maybe the omicron version closer to my booster might just be the best option.  Kinda like the chicken pox parties of my youth.

I am not out purposely seeking it.  My biggest fear would be spreading it to someone unvaccinated and/or high risk.  I don't want to do that.

If I am going to get it, honestly the next 8 weeks would be best due to lower commitments, etc.

Anyone else pondering this?

 

[YaelAldrich]

4 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

I am fairly covid cautious....double vaxed and boostered, entire family.  Wear a mask in indoor settings, etc.   Ds and I are part of a National Institute of Health Covid study where we rapid test twice a week for 3 months (on week 2 now).

Anyway, I live in West Michigan where positivity rates were 27%+ with Delta and now who knows with Omicron as many people are not testing or testing one family member and not others or just doing at home which isn't reported.  

I am wondering if it is just inevitable that I will get COVID and that maybe the omicron version closer to my booster might just be the best option.  Kinda like the chicken pox parties of my youth.

I am not out purposely seeking it.  My biggest fear would be spreading it to someone unvaccinated and/or high risk.  I don't want to do that.

If I am going to get it, honestly the next 8 weeks would be best due to lower commitments, etc.

Anyone else pondering this?

 

Who will take care of the kids at home if you get flu-level sick?

[regentrude]

Nope, because of the possibility of long Covid. 

So little is know about long Covid with Omicron, and long Covid in general:  how exactly is it caused? Who is susceptible? Why does it not correlate with severity of initial symptoms?

Unless more is understood, I will continue to try avoid infection altogether. Even if initially Omicron just gives me the sniffles, I don't want a debilitating chronic illness. 

Edited December 29, 2021 by regentrude

[Ottakee]

3 minutes ago, YaelAldrich said:

Who will take care of the kids at home if you get flu-level sick?

They are all young adults and would be OK.

[Kassia]

5 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

 

Anyone else pondering this?

 

 

Just now, regentrude said:

Nope, be aus of the possibility of long Covid. 

So little is know about long Covid with Omicron, and long Covid in general:  how exactly is it caused? Who is susceptible? Why does it not correlate with severity of initial symptoms?

Unless more is understood, I will continue to try avoid infection altogether. Even if initially Omicron just gives me the sniffles, I don't want a debilitating chronic illness. 

I've been pondering this for my dd, who is going back to college OOS soon.  I keep thinking I'd rather her be sick at home with no schoolwork to keep up with.  But the thought of long Covid or any other issues scares me too much to intentionally put her at risk.  The frustrating thing is that she'll be at high risk the minute we drop her off at the airport after trying to keep her safe the past few weeks.

 

[Ottakee]

3 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Nope, because of the possibility of long Covid. 

So little is know about long Covid with Omicron, and long Covid in general:  how exactly is it caused? Who is susceptible? Why does it not correlate with severity of initial symptoms?

Unless more is understood, I will continue to try avoid infection altogether. Even if initially Omicron just gives me the sniffles, I don't want a debilitating chronic illness. 

That is a good point.  I just wonder if it is at all reasonable to expect that we can avoid getting covid while still working outside the home, etc.

[Spryte]

6 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

That is a good point.  I just wonder if it is at all reasonable to expect that we can avoid getting covid while still working outside the home, etc.

My thinking is that the longer we postpone the inevitable, the more studies are done and the more potential treatments for long Covid.
 

YMMV.

 

ETA: Since both omicron and delta are circulating, I think it might be difficult to choose which strain you catch? Unless you live in an area known to be predominantly omicron. I definitely would prefer not to have delta!

Edited December 29, 2021 by Spryte

[regentrude]

7 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

That is a good point.  I just wonder if it is at all reasonable to expect that we can avoid getting covid while still working outside the home, etc.

I will try as hard as I can. I have been teaching in an N95 without any precautions  on part of the college (for f$#@ed up political reasons we have not even a mask requirement) . Will see how well this protects me.  I am so pissed about having to work under these conditions,  but hell no, I don't want this virus. The longer I can delay the inevitable, the better.

Edited December 29, 2021 by regentrude

[Corraleno]

The longer I can avoid getting this thing, the more we'll understand about long covid and the more drugs we'll have to fight it off. At the moment the only MAB that works against omicron, as well as the recently approved antivirals from Pfizer and Merck, are all in short supply and will almost certainly be reserved for the unvaxxed at this point. So I would rather wait until we understand more about long covid with omicron, effective treatments are more widely available, and hospitals are less overwhelmed.

[Pam in CT]

pondering/ reconsidering what a realistic "goal" of COVID-caution is given the new variant

7 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

I am fairly covid cautious....double vaxed and boostered, entire family.  Wear a mask in indoor settings, etc.   Ds and I are part of a National Institute of Health Covid study where we rapid test twice a week for 3 months (on week 2 now).

Anyway, I live in West Michigan where positivity rates were 27%+ with Delta and now who knows with Omicron as many people are not testing or testing one family member and not others or just doing at home which isn't reported.  

I am wondering if it is just inevitable that I will get COVID and that maybe the omicron version closer to my booster might just be the best option.  Kinda like the chicken pox parties of my youth.

I am not out purposely seeking it.  My biggest fear would be spreading it to someone unvaccinated and/or high risk.  I don't want to do that.

If I am going to get it, honestly the next 8 weeks would be best due to lower commitments, etc.

Anyone else pondering this?

 

(Maybe in 2-3 months)

Not now, because

1. Hospitals in my area are definitely creeping towards overwhelm again, and the next 3-4 weeks are definitely going to go in the wrong direction from where we are right now; and
2. Unlike chicken pox, we have no evidence that contracting Omicron will afford long term immunity *even against Omicron,* let alone (sigh) the next variant.  Despite all the hope vested in "natural immunity" that really doesn't seem to be substantiated by the evidence of any of the variants thus far.

But I am definitely pondering what the goals of the next phase should be. 

For two years, I've had a primary COVID goal of not-infecting the six extended-family octogenarians in my life; and (since vaccination) a secondary goal of reducing the odds that I and my immediate family members get it.  Since vaccination the goal hasn't been to eliminate that possibility, but before Omicron we dialed certain activities up and down based on case and positivity levels, and avoided others that pre-COVID we really loved (particularly theater, concerts and travel requiring airplanes).

I agree that if Omicron continues to rage, it will be near-impossible to avoid getting eventually.  At this point I see no reason to believe getting it will confer any particular immunity going forward (I hope I'm wrong, but prior infection with other variants does not seem to do so, and the variants keep changing).  And if getting it is just... getting it... I'd rather not get it at a moment when the hospitals are overwhelmed.

But I don't know anymore what a plausible long run COVID goal for 2022 even looks like.

 

 

[Melissa Louise]

This thing can have neuro effects.

Too much unknown re long term to deliberately get it. 

 

 

 

 

[Ailaena]

Absolutely best to avoid it.  

... But if you HAD to get it, had no choice, Omicron seems like a good time.

In a perfect world, I would want to wait until the hospitals weren’t full, treatments were widely available, and I wasn’t worried I would die.

you can hate me, I’m just musing

[sassenach]

31 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

I am fairly covid cautious....double vaxed and boostered, entire family.  Wear a mask in indoor settings, etc.   Ds and I are part of a National Institute of Health Covid study where we rapid test twice a week for 3 months (on week 2 now).

Anyway, I live in West Michigan where positivity rates were 27%+ with Delta and now who knows with Omicron as many people are not testing or testing one family member and not others or just doing at home which isn't reported.  

I am wondering if it is just inevitable that I will get COVID and that maybe the omicron version closer to my booster might just be the best option.  Kinda like the chicken pox parties of my youth.

I am not out purposely seeking it.  My biggest fear would be spreading it to someone unvaccinated and/or high risk.  I don't want to do that.

If I am going to get it, honestly the next 8 weeks would be best due to lower commitments, etc.

Anyone else pondering this?

 

I've been waffling about whether or not to get boosted because of this. The boosters significantly decline in efficacy with omicron after 10 weeks- I'm not sure there is much of a point. And I'm not in the camp of people who thinks covid can be avoided forever, nor do I think that endless boosters are a healthy choice. I understand Israel is about to roll out a 4th dose and I just do not think following that aggressive of a pattern will be ok for my body (I bring up Israel because they seem to be leading the charge in vaccination). 

I'm scheduled to boost on Sunday and I think I will likely go through with it but I'm definitely hesitant.

[Faith-manor]

42 minutes ago, Ottakee said:

I am fairly covid cautious....double vaxed and boostered, entire family.  Wear a mask in indoor settings, etc.   Ds and I are part of a National Institute of Health Covid study where we rapid test twice a week for 3 months (on week 2 now).

Anyway, I live in West Michigan where positivity rates were 27%+ with Delta and now who knows with Omicron as many people are not testing or testing one family member and not others or just doing at home which isn't reported.  

I am wondering if it is just inevitable that I will get COVID and that maybe the omicron version closer to my booster might just be the best option.  Kinda like the chicken pox parties of my youth.

I am not out purposely seeking it.  My biggest fear would be spreading it to someone unvaccinated and/or high risk.  I don't want to do that.

If I am going to get it, honestly the next 8 weeks would be best due to lower commitments, etc.

Anyone else pondering this?

 

No, because hospitals are utterly overwhelmed in our area. Healthcare workers are desperate for a break. We have people here dying of other, treatable illnesses and injuries because there is no one available to help them. I simply cannot in good conscience contribute to that.

[desertflower]

I have pondered this before throughout the year.  But not to the point of intentionally getting it.  I think that is what you said too.  But just to go out on outings and have more play dates or go inside museums.  or see a movie.  Was going to see Spider-Man but omicron came faster than the movie did.  haha

But like others said, I don't want long covid, don't want to overwhelm the health care system and don't want to unintentionally give it to someone who is immuno compromised.  And I still believe we don't fully understand this virus. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Hella no, I don't want to get this.

1. If you get it, there's no guarantee that you have lasting immunity. I know several people who have gotten covid several times. In fact, I know people who had likely had Delta late this summer who likely have omicron now. (They weren't genotyped, just PCR positive both times.)

2. 25% of cases turn to long covid. The virus is found in the organs and tissues months after infection. I suspect that long covid is something like having EBV issues after mono. Your body doesn't necessarily ever clear it completely and you can have relapses throughout your life. The fact that they are finding concentrations of coronavirus along nerves and in brain tissue is especially concerning.

3. Even if you think you can weather it well, it doesn't mean the people you interact with will. 

4. There's limited availability of antiviral and MCAB treatment currently.

I think there's a high probability most of us are going to get this at some point in our lifetime, but I'm hoping if it happens to me it happens when antivirals are as easy to get as influenza antivirals (a telephone call in to a pharmacy for me) and that there's easy access to testing and medical care.  That's not now.

[Mom_to3]

Hospitals in my area are in an unprecedented crisis. So no...even if the chances are small that it will be severe for any one of us, I prefer to have access to medical care in case it it. Also, antivirals and monoclonals may well be more available once this wave is subsiding. So we are trying to hold out for a few more weeks if possible.

[Ottakee]

24 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

No, because hospitals are utterly overwhelmed in our area. Healthcare workers are desperate for a break. We have people here dying of other, treatable illnesses and injuries because there is no one available to help them. I simply cannot in good conscience contribute to that.

Yes, I certainly would not want to contribute to that.  My friend is an ICU doc locally so I hear plenty of things from her about being overwhelmed.

[AmandaVT]

I'm still on team Hold the Line- I know a few people who have gotten it multiple times now and that doesn't seem appealing. On top of everything else, I haven't been sick since March 2020 and I've really enjoyed not dealing with coughing, sneezing, sore throat, etc. So not dealing with that is really appealing right now, even if I get a mild case. DH knows a few people through work with long covid and it sounds horrible - something I wouldn't wish on anyone. These people have gone from active, healthy people to almost bedridden for months. 

[Ottakee]

Just to be clear, we are still being cautious.  I am Wearing a kn95 in public, avoiding groups/parties/gatherings, etc.

I just don't know if I, here in West Michigan can honestly avoid getting it.  I work in education too.

[GracieJane]

The urgent cares in my area have 3 hours + wait times and ERs are full. I’m about to put my baby in bubble-wrap so she doesn’t break anything; I would absolutely hate to need a doctor right now!

[catz]

I have to say I am shifting in my thinking a bit.  I have watched several people similar to me get it in recent days and barely have symptoms at all and recover well before they were supposed to get out of quarantine.   And by similar to me, I mean near 50, boosted but maybe with some health concerns. Including 1 family with 2 covid + and the rest of the vaxxed family (3 of them) stayed negative.  Pretty sure they are omicron folks.  I hardly know anyone that got delta in our heavily vaccinated circles.  I  That said, I will not change what I am doing.  We mask religiously, my social life right now is my immediate family and my audio books on long walks (through snow and cold right now on studded boots).  BUT we have a teenager at home who is doing activities and will continue to do activities in person out of the house.  She was actually just cast to a lead role in a regional theater production showing late February.  Obviously, that is touch and go but they are moving ahead.  All here stuff is masked, vaccines required, good covid protocols.  I do hope that our curve looks like SA if it's going to hit because they've been at this not much more than a month and their curve is well on it's way down.  It'll be interesting to see how the next few weeks look in NYC and DC.  Once we start coming back down, I am going to be a little braver but will continue to follow masking recommendations etc.  Oh DD had 3 known exposures this fall and never got covid (definitely delta).  

Anyway - I am sick of doom scrolling and pessimism and I can't lock up my teen any more.  My college student will go back to college in a couple weeks.  He is part of a performing touring group that will be in different places every weekend all winter in theory.  He has already been exposed a number of times and hasn't got it.  He is getting boosted tomorrow and 🤷‍♀️ that's what I can do.  Lots of stories about this not being a big deal for HUGE numbers of those students and his school does so much testing they are catching many cases that would not otherwise be seen in testing numbers.  They do have a campus wide mask mandate that is just second nature to everyone now.  He is pretty conservative about his choices, but music is one of his majors so his performing groups are his pods.  

I do think when hospitals are at risk of overwhelm, we all have a responsibility to work to stay out of them.  We were just going down on our delta wave and I expect our numbers to explode momentarily.   Anyway, obviously I don't want to get it. I  have absolutely been exposed at this point a number of times and so far so good.  Protocols can work if people do them.  I like that described as a swiss cheese approach.  I know this new strain is more contagious and more likely to be caught by the vaccinated but I've been really impressed with how my daughter's activities have done and have seen how they have prevented spread first hand.  My anxiety has been in overdrive for going on 2 years and I just have to start letting some of that go.  I do think we're all going to be exposed at some point.  

 

[DreamerGirl]

DH and I talked about what is the bottom line for us and decided our goal was not getting it. Our nearest family is an ocean away and we have young kids. 

The thing the scares me the most about this dang thing is the repeated statistic of 'this person was healthy and they died' and the scores and scores of children left as orphans or motherless. 

I have a family history of that due to TB wiping off a lot of young mothers and their children being brought up by family including my grandparents. Seeing all that gave my grandparents PTSD for they had the strangest cleaning patterns in their old age like boiling sheets after a fever to sanitize and washing coins as they could roll around the ground. I used to find that amusing now my heart hurts for them as it was two generations away from the last TB death in my family.

We were tightly locked down in 2020. In 2021, both DH and I travelled, DS is in PS, we shop outside more. These are more for mental health but we are as careful as we can.

I have a long family history of comparatively mundane illnesses like diabetes, BP and so on that I have trying to keep at bay by exercising and eating right. We have little information on long COVID. Most of all, the state of the hospitals and the medical staff who are burned out makes me want to avoid hospitals at all cost.

They really, really need to get the medication ball rolling because this is not something that can go on.

[Xahm]

I'm getting over a case of it now, and given my location and the pattern, I suspect it's the Omicron variant. I won't show up in any stats because we just did home tests and there doesn't seem to be anywhere to report to. 

I wouldn't try to get it, but I do feel a sense of relief that I have it now and it hasn't been bad for me. One of my kids was deeply upset and somewhat worried, particularly as his great grandmother also got it. I told him it was a good time now because we've had our vaccines and medicines are better now than they ever have been before. That great-grandmother was able to get good treatment because she tested early and qualified for an infusion based on age. Of course, waiting even longer would have been even better for those same reasons. It will help me to relax for the next couple of months, I think, but we'll still be masking, and I'll still get the booster whenever it's time to (which, I know, I should have done before)

[popmom]

I took the risk and am currently recovering from what is probably Omicron. When dd tested positive, dh and I decided that we wouldn’t all isolate from each other. We factored a variety of things into our decision. One factor is that our hospitals are not overwhelmed right now, and none of us have risk factors for severe disease.
 

 I already have “long EBV”, so of course I’m concerned about long COVID. I just read that immunity from Omicron is protective against Delta, so I’m happy about that. I still have a bit of brain fog and occasional muscle aches, but I’m functioning at close to normal. 
 

I certainly hope I don’t have long COVID. Time will tell.
 

The silver lining—long COVID research will help the multitudes of us who already suffer with post viral illness. It happens after flu, too.  And it’s probably very under reported. 
 

 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

17 minutes ago, FuzzyCatz said:

I have to say I am shifting in my thinking a bit.  I have watched several people similar to me get it in recent days and barely have symptoms at all and recover well before they were supposed to get out of quarantine.   And by similar to me, I mean near 50, boosted but maybe with some health concerns. Including 1 family with 2 covid + and the rest of the vaxxed family (3 of them) stayed negative.  Pretty sure they are omicron folks.  I hardly know anyone that got delta in our heavily vaccinated circles.  I  That said, I will not change what I am doing.  We mask religiously, my social life right now is my immediate family and my audio books on long walks (through snow and cold right now on studded boots).  BUT we have a teenager at home who is doing activities and will continue to do activities in person out of the house.  She was actually just cast to a lead role in a regional theater production showing late February.  Obviously, that is touch and go but they are moving ahead.  All here stuff is masked, vaccines required, good covid protocols.  I do hope that our curve looks like SA if it's going to hit because they've been at this not much more than a month and their curve is well on it's way down.  It'll be interesting to see how the next few weeks look in NYC and DC.  Once we start coming back down, I am going to be a little braver but will continue to follow masking recommendations etc.  Oh DD had 3 known exposures this fall and never got covid (definitely delta).  

Anyway - I am sick of doom scrolling and pessimism and I can't lock up my teen any more.  My college student will go back to college in a couple weeks.  He is part of a performing touring group that will be in different places every weekend all winter in theory.  He has already been exposed a number of times and hasn't got it.  He is getting boosted tomorrow and 🤷‍♀️ that's what I can do.  Lots of stories about this not being a big deal for HUGE numbers of those students and his school does so much testing they are catching many cases that would not otherwise be seen in testing numbers.  They do have a campus wide mask mandate that is just second nature to everyone now.  He is pretty conservative about his choices, but music is one of his majors so his performing groups are his pods.  

I do think when hospitals are at risk of overwhelm, we all have a responsibility to work to stay out of them.  We were just going down on our delta wave and I expect our numbers to explode momentarily.   Anyway, obviously I don't want to get it. I  have absolutely been exposed at this point a number of times and so far so good.  Protocols can work if people do them.  I like that described as a swiss cheese approach.  I know this new strain is more contagious and more likely to be caught by the vaccinated but I've been really impressed with how my daughter's activities have done and have seen how they have prevented spread first hand.  My anxiety has been in overdrive for going on 2 years and I just have to start letting some of that go.  I do think we're all going to be exposed at some point.  

 

I understand this. Ds is going to university and my middle two are in public school. They are all going in N95 or equivalent, but they have lives. I think this is about finding a balance that you can live with.  You can be cautious AND do many things. 

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

Locally, my hospital is no longer overwhelmed . However, over the last 72 hours, there’s been an increase of triple vaxxed people meeting admission criteria. So I assume we’re headed back to overwhelm.

Honestly, I don’t think there’s a point to catching Covid if you’re vaccinated.   There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of natural immunity protection from variant to variant, and if you’re vaxxed you’ve got as much immunity as you’re probably going to get.  I firmly believe that we’re all going to catch Covid multiple times, unless you’re the rare person who can stay isolated forever.  Most people can’t.  And Omnicron is so contagious that there will likely be another variant that it spawns.  Long Covid is a problem, and hopefully there will be some resolution to that eventually.  

I know too many people who are on their second round of confirmed Covid, so I really have no faith in natural immunity.  I’m kind of losing faith in any immunity if I’m honest.  The goal is reduced death, serious illness and ICU stays. Beyond that, I think I’ve just accepted that Covid is probably something I’ll have a few more times throughout my life.

[athena1277]

I wouldn’t go seeking it out, but this one seems so very contagious that I don’t see how anyone can avoid it unless you keep totally isolated in your home.  We all had what we assume was delta just before Labor Day.  I’m hoping that we have enough immunity to have very few or no symptoms if/when we get the new variant.  I don’t think that it would be good for my family to have to lock down long term again.  We will take our chances (reasonably) and pray for the best.

[Ausmumof3]

If it was a once and done thing maybe but given the reinfection rates and new variants etc it doesn’t make sense. More infections equals more chance of a new variant equals more chance of a worse one.  Plus long covid.

I will be working in a school next year so it will be probably unavoidable at that point but I’m doing what I can till youngest is vaxed to mitigate. 
 

On the other hand omicron is clearly much harder to avoid so I’m thankful that early days isn’t looking too bad for severity (although it’s still early days).

Edited December 29, 2021 by Ausmumof3

[Slache]

Viruses get weaker. The longer you delay the better.

[Melissa in Australia]

Some possible good news

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-29/covid-19-omicron-variant-may-protect-against-delta/100730746

[Laura Corin]

1 minute ago, Slache said:

Viruses get weaker. The longer you delay the better.

Do you have a reference for this? I often hear it said.

I'm still trying not to get it. I fear Long Covid, but I also don't want to offer yet another host for possible mutation,  or stress the health service unnecessarily. 

[Slache]

6 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

Do you have a reference for this? I often hear it said.

I'm still trying not to get it. I fear Long Covid, but I also don't want to offer yet another host for possible mutation,  or stress the health service unnecessarily. 

No, that's just historically how it goes, especially coronaviruses.

[Slache]

19 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

Do you have a reference for this? I often hear it said.

I'm still trying not to get it. I fear Long Covid, but I also don't want to offer yet another host for possible mutation,  or stress the health service unnecessarily. 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/will-coronavirus-evolve-be-less-deadly-180976288/

[Ausmumof3]

8 minutes ago, Slache said:

No, that's just historically how it goes, especially coronaviruses.

There are many doctors that don’t actually agree with this. Polio, smallpox, measles have caused outbreaks through history without ever becoming more mild.  IBV (Chicken coronavirus) constantly mutates around vaccines and wipes out flocks.  
 

I think because this happened with the flu we think it will happen with coronavirus but we don’t know that. It’s possible that the only reason historic human coronaviruses are mild is because they literally wiped out the segment of humanity that’s vulnerable to them leaving only those who were genetically resistant.

[Catwoman]

2 hours ago, regentrude said:

Nope, because of the possibility of long Covid. 

So little is know about long Covid with Omicron, and long Covid in general:  how exactly is it caused? Who is susceptible? Why does it not correlate with severity of initial symptoms?

Unless more is understood, I will continue to try avoid infection altogether. Even if initially Omicron just gives me the sniffles, I don't want a debilitating chronic illness. 

I agree with all of this, as well as with the people who mentioned that just because you get Omicron, doesn't mean you will develop immunity to any other strain of Covid.

So my question is... for what possible reason would anyone want to contract Omicron? What could be good about that? I'm just not seeing any upside to it.  (FWIW, I always thought the chicken pox party thing was idiotic, too, so maybe I'm missing something here.) 

[Slache]

6 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

There are many doctors that don’t actually agree with this. Polio, smallpox, measles have caused outbreaks through history without ever becoming more mild.  IBV (Chicken coronavirus) constantly mutates around vaccines and wipes out flocks.  
 

I think because this happened with the flu we think it will happen with coronavirus but we don’t know that. It’s possible that the only reason historic human coronaviruses are mild is because they literally wiped out the segment of humanity that’s vulnerable to them leaving only those who were genetically resistant.

It depends entirely on the type of virus. The plague didn't become less deadly either. Influenza, Coronavirus, and Rhinovirus all do. Covid has. The death toll of Delta is worse than that of Alpha because more people were infected, but the mortality rate was much lower. So people are arguing that because more people died it's more dangerous, but a lower percentage of people who had it died. Now we have Omicron and it doesn't seem deadly at all. Hopefully, that trend continues. I think there will be a day where it's no more than the common cold.

Edited December 29, 2021 by Slache

[Ausmumof3]

6 minutes ago, Slache said:

It depends entirely on the type of virus. The plague didn't become less deadly either. Influenza, Coronavirus, and Rhinovirus all do. Covid has. The death toll of Delta is worse than that of Alpha because more people were infected, but the mortality rate was much lower. So people are arguing that because more people died it's more dangerous, but a lower percentage of people who had it died. Now we have Omicron and it doesn't seem deadly at all. Hopefully, that trend continues. I think there will be a day where it's no more than the common cold.

Delta wasn’t inherently more deadly afaik it killed at a lower rate because of vaccines.  
 

If you are interested I can provide some links later to an opposite perspective but will take a bit of time to dig up because it’s a while since I read them and I don’t have that time this morning.
 

https://theconversation.com/will-coronavirus-really-evolve-to-become-less-deadly-153817

[TexasProud]

19 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

 

So my question is... for what possible reason would anyone want to contract Omicron? What could be good about that? I'm just not seeing any upside to it.  (FWIW, I always thought the chicken pox party thing was idiotic, too, so maybe I'm missing something here.) 

Not want to exactly.  But I believe my daughter will get it. She is too social for Omicron. So I would almost rather her get it while she is still at home rather than 14 hours away. I mean, I would rather her not get it at all, but with Omicron, I just don't see how she can avoid it being a musical theater college student. 

[Catwoman]

1 minute ago, TexasProud said:

Not want to exactly.  But I believe my daughter will get it. She is too social for Omicron. So I would almost rather her get it while she is still at home rather than 14 hours away. I mean, I would rather her not get it at all, but with Omicron, I just don't see how she can avoid it being a musical theater college student. 

I can understand your perspective, but there is no guarantee that she will be immune to Omicron (or any other variant) in the future, even if she gets it now. But it does make perfect sense to me that if she does get sick, you would prefer that she be at home where you can take care of her.

[*****]

I am still on the fence about getting the booster as my tinnitus has quieted down somewhat finally and I don’t look forward to the loudness again. Covid and people I know:

A friend of mine in Michigan got the booster, was recently exposed, but did not get covid.  👍  His friend is vaxed, not boostered, did get covid. 

A friend of ours  is boostered, wears a mask on campus and is cautious, went home to Nevada for Christmas. Her sister never was cautious, nor vaxed. Our boostered friend just tested positive, so far her sister has not. 🤷‍♂️

Another person we know got covid in 2020, a mild case. Since then, has driven and flown all over the US and Hawaii. In looking at her facebook page in the last year, you would not know there was a pandemic going on, just having the time of her life. Kind of makes me sick.  Not covid cautious unless has to wear a mask, unvaccinated. 🤷‍♂️

Sometimes I wonder too if it is just better to get exposed. But I have never been successful at ‘gambling’, so that will probably decide it for me and I will get the booster.

[WildflowerMom]

I almost wish I'd get it just so I know what will happen to me.  I'm so scared I'll be affected badly, it's like I want to get it over with.   That said, I'm still boostered, still wearing a mask when there's more than a few people in the store.  I don't want the people I live with to get it but they're going about life as usual so they've decided the risk is worth it, I guess.  

[Slache]

9 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Delta wasn’t inherently more deadly afaik it killed at a lower rate because of vaccines.  
 

If you are interested I can provide some links later to an opposite perspective but will take a bit of time to dig up because it’s a while since I read them and I don’t have that time this morning.
 

https://theconversation.com/will-coronavirus-really-evolve-to-become-less-deadly-153817

I don't believe that's true (but sooooooo not debating it) and omicron just shows the decay increasing in my opinion.

But no, thank you. This is a passionate subject and I am neither passionate, nor an expert, just trying hard to listen to those who are. So I am bowing out now. I apologize if I was incorrect.

[Ausmumof3]

Just now, Slache said:

I don't believe that's true (but sooooooo not debating it) and omicron just shows the decay increasing in my opinion.

But no, thank you. This is a passionate subject and I am neither passionate, nor an expert, just trying hard to listen to those who are. So I am bowing out now. I apologize if I was incorrect.

No worries.  I’m trying hard not to be too argumentative - I’m also far from an expert lol.  Just worried because if we decide to let it rip on the basis of that info and it turns out to be wrong we could be in a world more hurt iykwim. Omicron does seem to be more mild at this point thankfully because we are getting slammed here.

[prairiewindmomma]

7 minutes ago, WildflowerMom said:

I almost wish I'd get it just so I know what will happen to me.  I'm so scared I'll be affected badly, it's like I want to get it over with.   That said, I'm still boostered, still wearing a mask when there's more than a few people in the store.  I don't want the people I live with to get it but they're going about life as usual so they've decided the risk is worth it, I guess.  

This is common with anxiety, and the way our brain tries to cope with it. Right, it's uncertainty that our brain tries to resolve. 

FWIW, I think a number of people who lean towards resignation also do to so mentally cope with the uncertainty.  (I'm not saying that's everybody who does this fits into this category--I'm talking about a certain flavor of resignation.)

[Farrar]

Everyone in my city has Covid right now as far as I can tell. That's only slightly hyperbole. I think it's inevitable that I get it soon. Unless I was willing to hunker down on a level that I'm simply not at this point, I don't think I can avoid it with these numbers all around me. I mean, I'm going to continue to mask, limit in some ways, and get every vaccine offered, but basically... I give. 

I'm not too worried. Data on long Covid is super limited from Omicron, so that's a concern, but... Again, I give. To me, at this point, it's like Lyme disease. I'm not going to stop hiking. Everyone I know has had it in their household. There are some horror stories. I'll do a tick check. But also, I'm still going to hike.

[Grace Hopper]

18 hours ago, regentrude said:

Nope, because of the possibility of long Covid. 

So little is know about long Covid with Omicron, and long Covid in general:  how exactly is it caused? Who is susceptible? Why does it not correlate with severity of initial symptoms?

Unless more is understood, I will continue to try avoid infection altogether. Even if initially Omicron just gives me the sniffles, I don't want a debilitating chronic illness. 

I agree [with regentrude]! I understand your [OP] thoughts on the timing being optimal, and your health status being closely monitored, but covid is not just have-it-and-done. The long covid symptoms being reported - and the associated cost of continuing medical expenses - make me want to continue to avoid getting it. 

Edited December 30, 2021 by Grace Hopper

[Faith-manor]

Michigan has a two day average of new cases of 12,900 each day. Sigh.

I just don't know how our HCW's are going to survive. 

Don't come to Michigan folks!

[momto3innc]

I go back to my classroom next week, masks are optional at my school (and rates of wearing them have gone down as the year has gone on—maybe 5-10%). My area has a ton of cases and I can’t tell you how many people I know have it right now. So…while I am boostered, wear masks in public, and am currently just staying home, I see no way between me and my 3 kids (all at the same school) that we don’t get this soon. I’d love to be wrong. So in some ways I think, it would be great to get it now, over the break, so we don’t have to juggle missing school/work. NOT that I want it but just that my exposure is about to be super high and I absolutely hate setting stuff up for a sub (and getting a sub is currently super hard). Seeing as we can’t be home full time (nor do most of my family have any desire to be), I just don’t see a way around it. All that said, I’m being just as careful and certainly not trying to get it. Just much more resigned than I have been since this all started. 

Edited December 29, 2021 by momto3innc

[Pam in CT]

re COVID goal vs Lyme goal

20 minutes ago, Farrar said:

...To me, at this point, it's like Lyme disease. I'm not going to stop hiking. Everyone I know has had it in their household. There are some horror stories. I'll do a tick check. But also, I'm still going to hike.

Having lived in the heart of Lyme country for 20+ years... that is helpful.  There are people in my town who (before COVID) don't let their kids play outside for fear of getting Lyme.  Lyme surely sucks.  I've had it, my son had it, I know a handful of people who have suffered long term effects. It's a serious disease. 

We spray the yard. We tick check.  We pull the suckers out. During the worst of the season (March-April), I wear Wellingtons in the garden with my pants tucked in tight and I still find them. 

Nonetheless: I'm still going to hike. Why live here, if you're too anxious to enjoy the outdoors? Live in a city, that has museums and theater.

I just have to figure out what the long run COVID equivalents to yard-spraying and tick-checking are.