"Everybody is in the soup at
the same time."
COVID isn't done with you just because you're done with it. Dr
Michael Osterholm, Director of the University of Minnesota's Center for
Infectious Disease Research and Policy, has had this message. One of the most
accurate virus experts, predicting the present "viral blizzard" and
providing precise assessments of what steps must be taken next to stay safe and
keep life moving. Then he gave an update—and a warning. Read on for six
life-saving tips.
1. Virus Expert Warned We Are All "In the Soup."
"I was expecting a viral blizzard," Dr Osterholm said.
"At the same time, everyone is in the soup. It makes no difference whether
you're in the Northern or Southern hemispheres. It makes no difference if you
live in a rural or urban section of the country. The only thing that makes it
truly unique, like a true snow blizzard, is that it affects some areas first,
then others later. As a result, some areas are recovering more slowly than
others from the blizzard. And that is exactly what is happening in the United
States right now. The soup includes all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
However, the states that were first affected—particularly those in the
Northeast—now see the highest number of cases. And then the figures start to
fall. We'll face the problem that if we look at what happened in South Africa
and use it as a benchmark, the numbers there went up quite quickly. That peak
is something we're all aware of. Then it started to fall quickly, and people
forgot about it—well, it's over now. That isn't the case right now. According
to the tail of cases, South Africa's incident rate is still 25 times greater
than it was before the hit. So what we don't know is what the tail will look
like once the huge peak comes and it starts to fall. And I believe that
everyone in the United States will be affected by this."
2. Healthcare Worked are Hanging "By the Skin of Their
Teeth," are Infected Themselves
Our healthcare system has been destroyed as a result of the surge.
"The problem we have is that the entire country is in the soup at the same
time," Dr Osterholm explained. "We don't have any means of
transporting assets or resources from one location to another. Indeed, when we
remove members of the National Guard from their communities and place them in
hospitals or long-term care facilities, we are not only removing them from
vital roles in their communities, but we are also removing them from other
critical jobs in their communities. As a result, we are experiencing today a
lack of ability to move individuals from one part of the country to another for
healthcare. So basically, what was already a risky position in obtaining
adequate staffing became even more dangerous. At this point, we're hanging to
life by the skin of our teeth. We've observed 20 to 25 per cent absenteeism in
many areas because of infected healthcare "workers," he says.
3. Virus Expert Warns: Please Don't Get Infected Now
"These vaccines are great, but they aren't perfect. And one
of the things that are happening is that people who have had their booster and
are completely vaccinated are still becoming sick. It's a mild disease, and
they're not hospitalized, but they can't work. As a result, we've faced a
challenge. And if you watch the news, you'll see story after story about
different regions, begging people not to get infected since our ERs and
hospital beds are currently crowded. Furthermore, we must consider the
implications for supply chains. We've had pharmacies shut down totally because
there was no one to work in them only this past weekend, according to the
number of big-box pharmacies that were closed. After all, there was no one to
work in them."
4. Virus Expert Pleads You Use Common Sense in Schools
When it comes to COVID and education programs, Dr Osterholm says,
"Let's go back to what I call a common sense moment." "It's just
reality, you know. The problem is that this isn't about not wanting children to
go to school right now. But how can you safely hold school while 35 to 40% of
your teaching staff, support staff, and bus drivers are out with COVID? And
this is simply the case. It's not a question of whether we should go to school
or not. Would we close schools if a category five hurricane was approaching?
Yes, absolutely. Is there anyone who would deny it? No. Would anyone object to
schools being closed if there was a regular blizzard, a true blizzard, with 35
inches of snow and 40 miles per hour winds? No. So what I've been advocating
for over the last few weeks is simply basic common sense to say, look at this
surge; it's only going to last three or four weeks at most. All we have to do
now is get it done. And you're making a mistake if you think you can start your
school safely with such a low staffing level. And this should not be a
political issue where no closings are considered under any conditions. Many
superintendents and teachers have told me they believe they are being punished
for closing schools. And the superintendent responds, "How am I going to
do that with 35% of my stuff out?" As a result, I believe this is one of
those cases where ideologically motivated people made decisions before having
enough data to comprehend why they made them."
5. Virus Expert Says Here's Where We'll Come Spring and Summer
Dr Osterholm stated, "It's somewhere between little to
nothing and bad." "And it's somewhere in the middle of that. This is
where humility enters the picture. We have no idea because all of the
statistical models beyond four weeks are based on pixie bust. I wish for the
best but must prepare for the worse. And if it's less than that, we'll be in a
much better position. And so I believe, you know, people don't want to hear
this, but for me, herd immunity went out the window over a year ago, and it's
because we don't have sustained immunity with this virus. It's also not all
that unusual. It's happened before with other coronaviruses. Consider how many
people are currently being reinfected with a ho crime despite having been
vaccinated, having boosters, or having previously been infected with a Delta
form. So what it means is that in three or four months, another variety could
evolve, able to easily evade the immunological protection of what we currently
have in our population and be just as transmissible or not. Maybe we won't get
to see it. … I'll say that we're not done with Omicron yet, and we're certainly
not done with COVID. We may be done with the pandemic as a population, but the
virus isn't done with us, and understanding that is why we must learn to live
with it."
6. How to Stay Safe Out There
Get vaccinated or boost your vaccinations as soon as possible; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, avoid large crowds, don't go indoors with people you aren't sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene.