But Still At High Winter Levels
The amount of covid-19 virus in nationwide wastewater sampling is on the way down (per Biobot). But still at historically high levels, still affecting hundreds a day with hospitalizations, deaths, and Long Covid that can linger for years. As a reader of this blog, you know that you can be in control of your health and safety — here are some reminders and links:
You CAN be in risky places and still be safe
Even in a place like an airplane, where 100% of monitored flights (via sewage) have at least one person infected with covid-19, you can avoid infection with the right protection. See Oct. 19th, 2023 blog post.
You CAN control your own fresh air — even if you have no ventilation equipment or if it is broken
Start with the simple method of opening windows, and wearing coats if needed. But it’s worth it to reduce the number of all airborne infections by 80% (see Apr. 27th, 2023 blog post). You can optimize the window opening with an accurate Fresh Air Meter — see Dec. 15th, 2023 blog post.
You CAN eliminate virus in the air even without enough fresh air
through the use of properly sized and maintained air purifiers. The maintenance is the biggest key. I have seen many air purifiers in buildings with totally clogged filters, or simply not running at all. And note that the HEPA filters do NOT have to be changed as often as the manufacturer may claim. Our recommended brand, BlueAir, will give you a “dirty filter” signal based on a simple hours counter. Just reset the counter a time or two or three, and don’t change the filter. Local conditions vary, and you don’t need to change the filter until you notice the airflow/noise being less. Or until you get a dirty filter similar to the one in the photo below. (For a full description of air purifiers, see Jan. 11th, 2022 blog post.)
Clean filter
Ready to change
You CAN ensure a gathering will be without the virus
if everyone has a negative antigen test before coming together. Or you can nip a potential outbreak in the bud by testing everyone in the facility as soon as the first case is discovered, and then isolating those who test positive. (See Feb. 9th, 2023 blog post.) Then ignore the CDC and if you want to not spread it to others, wait until you have a negative test (therefore not contagious) before going back to work or school. See Aug. 5th, 2022 blog post.
And you CAN avoid “Playing Make-Believe [Denying] Covid”
As a very good LA Time’s article said, it's “the illusion that the pandemic is behind us when it’s actually raging.” The key to facing up to Covid and also stopping its spread is to test yourself if you have ANY symptoms of any illness. Covid-19 symptoms can be just about anything these days, including stomach troubles and even earaches. The correct way to test — overlooked by most people — is to take your first antigen test on the third day of symptoms, and follow it up with another test a day later.
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