Breakthrough COVID
Today's blog post is a happy one.A man got COVID and got well.
The lack of drama is the story.
Gerald Burns, a Medford, Oregon resident in his mid-70s, a friend, a member of my Rotary club, my long-time CPA, got COVID. Then his wife, Connie, got it. He and his wife are both vaccinated and boosted. It was a breakthrough case of the omicron variant of COVID.
His experience is an up close reminder that vaccinated people get COVID. Omicron is different from earlier variants. Vaccination no longer signifies immunity. It signifies not getting hospitalized or dying. That reality is changing the mindset regarding COVID, which will slowly trickle down to public policy. Vaccination no longer means one is substantially protecting others, including co-workers. Vaccinated people may spread disease less, and for a shorter time, but it is now a matter of degree, not spreader vs. non-spreader. The vaccinated-but-infected can spread the disease unknowingly, since they have no symptoms, or mild ones.
The facts on the ground have changed, so the justification for mandating vaccination has weakened. There is less reason to care if others are vaccinated. The higher hospitalization and death rates for the unvaccinated are the concerns of life insurance companies, health insurers, and businesses with group health plans. It is less so the government or for people standing next to others in a grocery store. Everyone could be a spreader now. Democrats may have policy inertia and be slow to acknowledge the changed reality. They won't want to be accused of flip-flopping and they will want to keep policy options open for the next COVID variant.
There is a good reason to get vaccinated. You will likely survive COVID. Isn't that enough? Gerry Burns' experience isn't "data" or "science." It is the lived experience of one breakthrough case. He fits the profile of people who got hospitalized, ventilated, and died back before vaccinations.
Guest Post by Gerald Burns
"My experience with COVID."
Time frame: Christmas weekend through Saturday, January 15, 2022
1. Sunday, December 26, 2021. Had a family Christmas dinner. Learned a few days later that a family member had recently taken a Covid test because a work colleague had been diagnosed with COVID. The test was positive but my family member did not experience any symptoms.
2. Thursday, January 6, 2022. At dinner I experienced a sharp headache. After dinner I began to cough. My sinuses were very congested.
3. Friday, January 7, 2022. Went to my office. My symptoms continued all day. I drove to the Asante Rapid Test Site on Center Drive about 4 pm. By 5 pm I had completed my test and went home. Wife Connie becomes my nurse.
4. Saturday, January 8, 2022. My head-ache, congestion, cough, and sore throat symptoms continued to worsen. Treatment consisted of over-the-counter meds, sinus washing, steam, Chamomile tea with honey, water, and a sports drink.
5. Sunday, January 9, 2022. Symptoms easing. I received phone call from Asante advising that my test was positive. I resigned to isolation/quarantine. Today--day four--my wife began exhibiting similar symptoms. I became her nurse.
6. Monday, January 10, 2022. I began improving rapidly. I still had a lot of phlegm, so I continued sinus washing and blowing my nose.
7. Tuesday, January 11, 2022. I was feeling much better. Stopped the over-the-counter meds. Continue with the steam and hydration.
8. Wednesday, January 12, 2022. I continued getting better.
9. Thursday, January 13, 2022. I left my house for Starbucks.
10. Friday, January 14, 2022. Went to Ashland to pick up dinner from Omars Restaurant.
11. Saturday, January 15, 2022. Went to my office to prepare a To-Do List for the upcoming week. I felt like working.
Conclusion: Based on this experience, I suspect I had the omicron variant of COVID. I compare the level of sickness to a cold, but not a particularly severe one. Connie is getting better, too.