Category: biology

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books pandemic

The Wisdom of Plagues

Book cover for The Wisdom of Plagues or Lessons from 25 years of covering pandemics

Donald G. McNeil released his new book, The Wisdom of Plagues, last week.

He summarizes it thusly:

Some sections are memoir. I describe moments like trying to get my New York Times colleagues to believe me that a pandemic was coming. Moments like almost being kidnapped in a gorilla-hunting village in Cameroon. And moments like recently discovering that, at the very dawn of the pandemic, some top scientists misled me when I was trying to check out rumors that the virus might have escaped from a Chinese lab.

Some sections are historical. I describe the roots of human illnesses in our decision 11,000 years ago to domesticate animals, and enumerate the effects of pandemics on Athens and Sparta, the crumbling Roman Empire, the Renaissance, Napoleon’s conquests and World Wars I and II.

Some sections are journalistic. I describe why the world failed for decades to protect women in Africa against AIDS. I detail successes like Vietnam’s fight against tuberculosis, Egypt’s against hepatitis C and Cuba’s against AIDS.

Some are prescriptive. I explain why I think we need a Pentagon for disease, should ban religious exemptions to vaccines, should sometimes let Big Pharma break antitrust laws, and should recruit “witch doctors” into the medical system.

Categories
life pandemic

Covid Continues

Earlier this week I implied that Covid was a breeze but with all the sleepless nights and harsh cough burning in my lungs — the most succinct thing I can say now is, this sucks. After 13 days I’m really starting to wonder when I’m finally going to get better.

After missing 5 days of work my admin explained that she was going to need medical documentation that I was still sick. I made a phone appointment and started explaining the situation to my doctor and how I had taken another test but it still showed me as being positive when she cut me off saying it doesn’t matter because I was STILL SYMPTOMATIC. She kindly wrote up a note saying I would be off “until symptoms cleared.”

I feel guilty for being away from work for so long but I can’t imagine showing up to my grade fives all stuffed up and coughing and explaining how I had Covid but because enough time had passed (and the guilt was getting to me) it was just time for me to return. I’m mad that these thoughts are even going through my mind. It’s dumb for a person sick with Covid to even think about returning to work before they are better; yet, here I am, doing exactly that.

Categories
life pandemic

Covid, A Week Later

It’s been seven days since the kids and I tested positive with Covid. For something that has occupied our worst fears for the last two years, we have faired extremely well.

I realize, of course, that Ange and I are fully vaccinated and that with the kids being so young they are unlikely to suffer major complications. It’s also true that the omicron variant is a much different beast than the earlier strains but it has still been a week of worry as the kids have had fevers and short bouts of coughing fits.

I’m not well enough to return to school tomorrow, I still have a headache and stuffed up sinuses.

It’s my belief that this whole five days to recovery is far too short and is exactly why we got it in the first place — we were in extended contact with someone who tested positive seven days previous but we were led to believe the infectious stage was over.

In the time since we tested positive we know a couple others that have also contracted it. One of our friends says she knows four families (including us) that have it right now.

Even though our hospitals are as full as any time in the pandemic, I think this might be the beginning of the end.

Categories
backmasking pandemic

Vaccine Skeptic Eric Clapton Claims ‘Subliminal Messages’ Manipulating People

Eric Clapton says he was duped into getting the CoViD-19 vaccine by subliminal messaging on YouTube. The infamous guitarist got at least some of his vaccination shots but has declared he regrets that decision after suffering “disastrous” side effects. Billboard.com has the story:

After months of railing against COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccines, and refusing to play shows that require vaccination proof, Eric Clapton has seemingly embraced a controversial theory claiming that secret messages are allegedly being hidden inside YouTube videos with the goal of driving mass compliance with COVID precautions. The 76-year-old rock icon pointed to the theory as an explanation for his divisive views on the global pandemic that has killed more than 5.6 million people worldwide.

“[I thought], ‘What’s going on here?’ I didn’t get the memo. Whatever the memo was, it hadn’t reached me,” Clapton told YouTube channel the Real Music Observer about why he decided to team up with his old friend — and fellow lockdown opponent Van Morrison — for the anti-lockdown screed “Stand and Deliver,” as well as releasing his own similar take, “This Has Gotta Stop.”

Remember kids, even if there were something conspiratorial going on — which there isn’t — subliminal messages don’t work.

(via Cynical-C)

Categories
life pandemic

I Have Covid

The dreaded unstoppable covid arrived in my family over the weekend (probably) and was confirmed for each of us today in positive test after test. Andrea lucked out and hers came back negative but for the rest of us, it’s COVID-19!

The youngest of the family has taken the worst of it. He didn’t sleep much last night and what little shut-eye he got, he did it in our bed breathing directly into my face.

Although I haven’t been terribly ill, I could tell I wasn’t well enough to go to school so I took a medical day and I’m glad I did. Now it turns out I’ll be home for the rest of the week (5 days for fully vaccinated Canadians) while my son and daughter are each expected to quarantine for a full 14 days because of their unvaccinated status.

The testing was not popular in our house.

“You hurt me Mom!” accused Ian, the two year old, after having the probe sent up his nose. His sister (13 months older) screamed and twisted as I held her down so we could get a sample. Ian tried to assure her — now emboldened by his status as one done testing — but it had the opposite effect, “It’s hurts a little bit. It’s a little bit.” (O.M.G. that kid is cute). She revved up the squirming to full kicking.

Anyway, as the test stripes started to appear Andrea didn’t need the full 15 minutes to declare my positive result. In the end the stripe was faint but Ian’s was darker purple than the control.

Covid Tests - 3 positive 1 negative

As I’m about to wrap this up, Andrea mentions to me that she thinks she feels a sore throat developing. It’s going to get us all eventually.

Categories
life pandemic travel

Christmas Vacation Cancellation

We’ve been planning our Christmas vacation to California since last June but with the new omicron variant throwing a wrench in the gears we finally pulled the plug on the trip last Tuesday. Now I’m just hoping we can still get our kids together with their cousins and grandparents over the Christmas break. Such is life in a pandemic.

Back in June WestJet’s website said we could book with confidence knowing we could cancel our flights and get our money back with no fees or hassle but when I called them on Tuesday, the customer service rep told me that I will get the money back as a credit and that the credit will last for two years before it expires.

I was livid. After a moment of almost losing my cool I realized I needed to keep it together and asked her if there was anything she could do to help me get a refund. As it turns out there is a website that I could go to and fill out a form to apply for a refund. I’m still mad that they were pretending like they weren’t giving out refunds but at least things worked out for us.1

  1. At least it appears it might work out but I can’t actually apply for our money back until after our original departure date on Saturday; give me a break! Anything to make getting our money back just a little bit harder. It’s so shady of them.[↩]
Categories
pandemic

Boosters for the Vaccinated

Donald McNeil, formerly of The New York Times, has written his opinion on whether vaccinated Americans should receive a third booster shot before many around the world get their first. His acceptance of the idea surprised me.

Categories
pandemic

The Covid-19 Virus Explained

Covid-19 Explained by PHDcomics

PHDcomics has a great explainer on Covid-19.

Speaking of Covid-19, I just got a third vaccination the other day because I was in the age group of Canadians that had a mixed variety of vaccines and if I want to travel to the USA I need to have two doses of an approved (down there) vaccine. Now I’ve had an AstraZeneca and two Moderna shots. I felt a bit of a headache after the third shot but overall it was less intense than the first two, and also I didn’t preload up on ibuprofen like I did previously.

Categories
pandemic

Dying in the Name of Vaccination Freedom

The people in this video confound me. I don’t understand how anyone who is in the ICU and literally dying of Covid can still think the vaccine isn’t necessary for all eligible.

(Via Kottke )

Categories
pandemic

Maxinated

I got my second shot of COVID-19 vaccine just 10 minutes ago. I signed up for the Pfizer mRNA vaccine but they said all they had was Moderna so that’s what I got.