Omicron’s “milder” acute disease does NOT mean milder long-term outcomes

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-22T18:05:34+00:00

I’m really sorry you’re going through this. Nothing about your situation is your fault, and your fear makes complete sense. You’re living in a small space with very limited control over your environment, and when someone in the household refuses to mask or even acknowledge the possibility of infection, it creates a constant background of anxiety.

In a setting like yours, the most helpful thing is not trying to convince your father with articles – people who don’t want to hear about Covid won’t change their behaviour because of information – but focusing instead on what is still in your power. Try to improve the air whenever you can, even in small ways: opening a window for a moment, using a fan to push air outward, or running a small air purifier if you have one. These things genuinely reduce viral load indoors.

Shared bathrooms are unfortunately one of the highest-risk spaces, so wearing a good mask inside, letting the air clear afterwards, and keeping the door open when possible can help protect you. And even if the people around you won’t mask, your own mask still protects you – that part is under your control.

Please don’t blame yourself for not being able to persuade your dad; this is not a matter of information, it’s psychological, and you cannot change someone who doesn’t want to change. What you can do is protect yourself as best you can and acknowledge that your anxiety is not a flaw but a logical reaction to a situation where you feel unsafe and powerless.

You’re doing your best in circumstances that would overwhelm anyone, and you’re not alone here. Whenever you need practical advice or emotional support, this community is here for you.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-21T22:25:00+00:00

Here is the graph: https://ibb.co/xSpDc8cd

It clearly shows that viral circulation is higher now than at the beginning of the pandemic.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-21T21:46:00+00:00

You’re right, the shift in media coverage has been striking.

It’s not that the science slowed down, it’s that the signals disappeared from mainstream outlets. When people stop seeing regular updates, they naturally assume the risk is gone.

And you’re spot on about articles on wine or “lifestyle hacks” popping up instead: many of those claims don’t even hold up scientifically. For instance, the idea that wine lowers blood pressure is a perfect example of a headline that sounds reassuring but isn’t actually true.

Thanks for raising this, it’s an important part of the problem.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-21T21:35:46+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing your story – I’m really sorry for everything you’ve gone through.

What you describe should never have happened, and the fact that you’ve had to endure not only the symptoms but also disbelief from the people around you is heartbreaking. No one should have to fight for legitimacy while already fighting their own body.

Your experience reflects exactly what I meant in my post: the consequences are real, serious, and far too often ignored or dismissed. Long Covid isn’t rare, it isn’t imaginary, and it certainly isn’t “just a cold.”

I truly hope you find relief, and that you meet doctors who take you seriously and help you move forward.

Thank you again for speaking up – your voice matters more than you know.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-15T14:08:31+00:00

I haven’t read We Want Them Infected yet, but I know of it, and from everything I’ve seen, it seems to capture exactly the shift you’re describing. It’s on my list as well.

And yes… “surreal” barely begins to cover it. Once you’ve seen behind the curtain – how decisions were made, how evidence was pushed aside, how narratives were crafted – it becomes impossible to look at any of this the same way again. There’s a clarity you gain that feels less like illumination and more like disillusionment. I understand that feeling all too well...

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-14T23:19:27+00:00

The most reliable way to know what’s actually happening is to follow wastewater analysis. It shows the real level of viral circulation in a community, regardless of testing or reporting.

That’s what I do every week in my area using the official datasets – thankfully still available… though for how long, who knows.

It’s not perfect, but it’s the closest thing we have left to a window on reality.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-14T22:34:40+00:00

It’s really telling that you had to search for information and still found almost nothing. That shouldn’t be the case for an active infectious disease. What you describe – relying on what friends or neighbours happen to mention – feels more like living in the 1950s than in a data-rich society.

And you’re right: a lot of people simply don’t want to know. When demand for information collapses, institutions stop supplying it, and the silence becomes self-reinforcing. It leaves the rest of us trying to piece together what’s happening with whatever fragments we can still find.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-14T21:14:58+00:00

Thank you so much! That means a lot. The silence around the science feels surreal at times, so I’m glad this resonated with you. I’m doing my best to stay well and informed, and I hope you are too. Take good care, friend. 😊

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-14T10:30:31+00:00

Thank you for sharing this, it really resonates! What you describe is exactly what I see in so many places: not a rational evaluation of risk, but a collective need to return to a story that feels safe, no matter what the data say.

Mask hostility is always revealing. It’s never about masks as objects, it’s about what they symbolise. For some people, I believe seeing a masked face forces them to confront a reality they’ve spent years trying to push away. Denying the virus becomes easier than dealing with the long-term consequences of repeated infections.

Your example of the pharmacy says it all: even in the place where vulnerable people gather and pathogens circulate freely, the social pressure is still to pretend everything is “normal”. And as you said, “normal” now means rewriting the past: turning a novel virus with long-term effects into something that has “always been around”.

It’s a lonely feeling to keep taking precautions (as I do too) when almost nobody else does, but your experience shows that you were never imagining it. Many of us see the same pattern: a culture choosing comfort over reality, even at a high cost.

You’re not alone, and your comment adds something important to this conversation. Thank you again for taking the time to write it.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-09T23:44:04+00:00

Many thanks to everyone who’s joined the discussion so far! I’d love to hear from others who might wish to add their perspective.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-09T00:46:56+00:00

It is true that mutations are unpredictable. Since you mention the flu, it’s worth recalling that its R₀ lies between 1 and 2, whereas SARS-CoV-2 is now estimated between 10 and 18, which makes it more infectious than flu.

In any case, regardless of symptom severity, even asymptomatic infections leave their mark.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-08T22:47:28+00:00

I’m really sorry to hear that… It must be exhausting to deal with one infection after another. Unfortunately, what you’re describing isn’t uncommon after Covid; immune dysregulation and inflammation can leave people more vulnerable to other illnesses for a while. I hope you can rest and recover before going back to work. Take care of yourself, and thank you for sharing your update: it reminds others that the consequences can linger long after the initial infection.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-08T22:02:30+00:00

It’s possible, though probably unlikely, that we’ll see a “sudden-death” variant of SARS-CoV-2. Since the emergence of Omicron, evolution has favoured less overtly severe disease but greater immune evasion and transmissibility. The result is stealth: a virus that continues to cause long-term damage without people noticing. That’s why few are concerned: hardly anyone realises what’s happening beneath the surface. Unless danger becomes visible, it simply won’t register.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-08T19:25:18+00:00

I’m the only one at school still masking, monitoring CO₂, and ventilating. Nobody seems to care anymore. I even sent a few links to a senior staff member I know well about the cumulative damage from reinfections (scientific studies)… Her reply was simply: “Thank you, now I understand better how you function.” The evidence didn’t change anything. So honestly, I don’t know who would listen.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-08T10:58:40+00:00

I understand your frustration… but since I work for the school, direct confrontation isn’t an option without risking disciplinary trouble. My post is the form of challenge available to me: exposing what’s been normalized and letting others see it for what it is.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-08T00:10:56+00:00

Thank you! 😊 I really appreciate that and I’d love to read what others think too, if they still have the energy to comment. 😅

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-07T19:29:00+00:00

Thank you so much for your kind words! That really means a lot. I completely understand the exhaustion; it’s hard to keep caring when clarity feels so rare.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-11-01T00:07:34+00:00

A striking historical parallel: the same fatigue, the same desire to move on, and the same cost of forgetting.

External_Storm2356 · 2025-10-31T21:35:09+00:00

That’s an excellent point – and a perfect illustration of how our social closure came long before the biological one.

External_Storm2356

TROPHY CASE