The variant is called EG.5 and is a descendant of Omicron.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that EG.5 accounted for roughly 17.3 per cent — or one in six — of new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. in the past two weeks.

  • tellah@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    I know there’s “long COVID” and there’s the potential to overload our hospitals. Those are valid concerns.

    But here’s why I don’t worry. Long term symptoms from COVID are rare. Immunization has helped keep many out of hospitals (but we can definitely do better on this front).

    Lastly, I’ve got kids in daycare and I cannot count the times I’ve been sick - so much sicker than I ever was from COVID - from what Doctors will just say “it’s a virus”. If a viral infection can leave one with long term effects, then how many of those unnamed pathogens have the potential to leave me with long term effects? Did you know that there is research suggesting that being infected with influenza while pregnant might be a cause of schizophrenia for the child later in life? That’s fucked up!

    There are a lot of unknown viruses out there just waiting to give you long term effects, but you have to live your life. Try not to worry about what you can’t control.

    • Reliant1087@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      You know I really wish I hadn’t caught COVID at some point and lost the ability to sleep properly at some point.

        • starlinguk@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          Welcome to long covid, where your body has adrenaline attacks at random points in the middle of the night.

          • Cyborganism@lemmy.ca
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            1 year ago

            Not downplaying what you’re going through but that sounds like anxiety attacks. But I’m no doctor so what do I know.

            That’s so weird though. Did you get any kind of diagnosis from a doctor? Have you tried any medication?

    • Chronic_AllTheThings@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      1.4 of 38-odd million is absolutely not rare, it’s nearly 1 in 50. The US figures are even worse. For something to be considered medically rare, it needs to be at most 1 in 10,000.

    • starlinguk@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Long term symptoms aren’t rare. It’s at least one in ten people. And a lot of people are in denial and refuse to accept they’re scewed.