Everyone wants the pandemic to be over. Here’s a quote from someone in a bar enjoying March Madness: “Do you know how good it feels to be in a loud place? … At this point, this gives us hope we’re going back to normal. I know they just came out with a new variant in Europe. We’re kind of standing on a piece of thread. Let’s just enjoy the balance.”
Here are some tips for keeping your balance. Also see our March 10th post, Three Simple Steps for the New Normal.
- Cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are declining nationally, although locally some numbers are rising. National deaths are below 750 per day for the first time since last August, but still three times higher than last summer’s low point. Remember how you felt and how careful you were last summer, and consider acting the same way now.
- If you have had covid, you had some natural immunity, but now it’s probably wearing off. I haven’t seen a lot of studies on this, but the NFL figured it would last three months (January 27th post).
- It’s a similar situation for vaccination shots and boosters. I got my original shots a year ago—now I figure they are completely ineffective. The booster shot from a few months ago should still be having some effect, but it’s also losing its punch.
- So with immunity of all kinds wearing out, cutting your risk in half (very approximately) by wearing a good mask is still important for many people. Remember how the virus is spread:
"The most common way COVID-19 is transmitted from one person to another is through tiny airborne particles of the virus hanging in indoor air for minutes or hours after an infected person has been there." Dr. Alondra Nelson, head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Deputy Assistant to the President (March 23, 2022)
"The virus can also spread in poorly ventilated and/or crowded indoor settings, where people tend to spend longer periods of time. This is because aerosols can remain suspended in the air or travel farther than conversational distance (this is often called long-range aerosol or long-range airborne transmission)." World Health Organization (December 2021)
- And of course, fresh air ventilation is always important.
- "In fact, research shows changing the air in a room multiple times an hour with filtered or clean outdoor air—using a window fan, by using higher MERV filters in a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, using portable air cleaning devices, and even just opening a window—can reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission—with studies showing five air changes an hour reduce transmission risk by 50 percent." Dr. Alondra Nelson, head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Deputy Assistant to the President (March 23, 2022)
- Symptoms remain the best early warning sign of a possible infection. The trick is that "symptoms can be almost imperceptible."
- Finally, testing is still critical to avoid spreading covid-19 to others. As a friend reminded me, Omicron progresses extremely quickly, so testing at the first symptom—not waiting even till the next day—does the best job in protecting others. PCR testing is now readily available with quick turn-arounds—as quick as six hours in Keene. But remember: both antigen test and PCR tests can have false negatives, about one time out of six. So if you want “all OK” results you can really count on, you need TWO tests, 24 hours apart, then your chance of a false negative is only 3%.
Highlights From Past Blogs
March 10 - Top 3 Steps for the New Normal
February 25 - One. Million. Deaths.
February 23 - See-through Masks
February 16 - Ventilation Revolution
February 11 - When Will it Be "Safe?"
February 2 - Covid-19 Testing
January 27 - How Long Does Immunity Last?
January 20 - You Need a Fresh Air Meter
January 11 - Air Purifiers
January 4 - Masks That Actually Work
December 22 - Blog Intro and History
December 15 - The Double Risk of Indoor Dining
December 13 - Omicron Symptoms
December 10 - Simple Air Filtration
December 9 - Comprehensive Guide to Covid-19 Safety in Buildings
December 6 - Solution to Pollution is Dilution
November 24 - No Magic to Six Feet