Are you nearing the end of the COVID-19 pandemic? | Coronavirus pandemic

People are suffering from “pandemic fatigue”. It’s been a long two years and most of us had to endure strict and often unpredictable restrictions on our daily lives. Millions of people have died, livelihoods have been lost, and the economy is suffering. Therefore, it is understandable that many stick to the hope that the COVID-19 pandemic is nearing its end. In some countries, relaxation or complete removal of restrictions gives them hope.

This sentiment is promoted by Omicron variants in several respects. Causes less serious illnessAt least for adults, with one study People infected with it are 40 to 45 percent less likely to be hospitalized overnight than those infected with the delta variant, according to a report from Imperial College London.

However, the advent of Omicron variants, which are more contagious and capable of circumventing at least some of the protection provided by vaccines and previous infections, tells us how unstable the course of this pandemic is. It should remind you.

Tedros Adhanom Gebreyes, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), issued a harsh warning this month when he said, “Omicron is the last variant and it is dangerous to think we are in the final stages.”

Omicron may be milder than Delta, but not milder, but cases continue to surge, especially throughout Europe. This suggests that the hope that COVID-19 could be prevalent soon is misguided.

In its most scientific terms, the disease is considered endemic when the number of cases becomes stable or static, not when the disease becomes less fatal. By this definition COVID-19 is not endemic yet The number of cases is still increasing. Meanwhile, in some parts of the world, diseases such as malaria, which kills 600,000 people a year, and dengue fever, which kills 25,000 people a year, are endemic.

Therefore, when people like Sajid Javid, the British Secretary of State, talk about “learning to live together” with COVID, the questions they ask are: As usual? Of course, it is important to note that this approach is clinically vulnerable and puts significant disadvantages on older people who are much more likely to die of the virus.

Some may insist on it influenzaAs we all agree, up to 650,000 people die each year around the world, so you can be confident that you will live with COVID-19. However, influenza is not endemic. Rather, you can see the waves during the winter. Also, influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 virus are often compared, but I don’t think they should be. They cause two very different illnesses. COVID-19 is not only potentially deadly, Long-term health problems for people of all ages.. Influenza, in contrast, usually affects only the respiratory system.This means millions of people around the world You may end up living with a long COVID In itself will have a devastating impact on their lives and the wider economy. In addition to this, the number of deaths from COVID-19 to date is significantly higher than the number of deaths from influenza (although this is before the vaccine became widely available in wealthy countries, and still about the virus. Includes deaths during the period of learning).

There is also the belief that new variants that may occur in the future are more likely to cause even milder illnesses than Omicron. But there is nothing to prove this belief. It is true only if the virus causes a mild illness and something can be gained by keeping its host alive. Many of SARS-Cov-2 transmission It occurs the day before a person develops symptoms and the first few days after symptoms develop. It is usually the host’s own immune response to the virus that causes many of the illnesses found in people hospitalized with the virus. This is because the virus can cause overstimulation of certain immune cells, making it difficult to “turn off” immune cells once they begin to attack not only infected cells but also healthy cells. By the time the host became seriously ill, the virus had infected another person. This means that there is no evolutionary pressure to make the virus milder. I was just lucky with Omicron.

So while this may sound unpalatable to many, we are not yet in a position to start living with this virus. We need to continue to adopt ways to curb that spread. This means taking steps to protect the most vulnerable people by reducing their chances of getting a virus.

Since the COVID infection mode is levitation, it is necessary to equip schools and other buildings with air filters to find innovative ways to improve airflow in areas where people may gather for long periods of time. It is also possible that wearing a mask could become part of our daily lives, as was the case in parts of Asia after MERS, one of the coronaviruses first identified in 2012. I have to admit. Or the FFP2 mask is the most effective.

Vaccines are also important, and vaccination of the arms of people around the world remains a top priority. If people are not vaccinated, mutations are more likely to occur. Vaccinated people are more likely to get rid of the virus sooner than unvaccinated people. This means that in a fully vaccinated person, the virus has less time to propagate and is less likely to mutate. Promoting global vaccine equity is in the best interests of all. At least 70-80 percent of the world’s population needs to be vaccinated to achieve global protection and significantly reduce the risk of illness. This sounds ambitious, but it has been done before with polio vaccines that are more or less eradicated around the world.In addition, the second generation vaccine Developed Working more effectively with new variants will be the key to protecting us in the future.

Vaccines are not the only ones that need to be shared around the world. Antiviral treatments such as molnupiravir and paxlobid have been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization for people in the high-risk category who test positive for COVID-19 and should be available. These drugs help block viral replication, which can reduce the amount of time someone is infected with COVID. Shorter illness means less time for mutations and mutations to appear. It benefits all of us.

Continuing research on COVID for a long time and better understanding the different ways this virus can affect our body may also lead to a time when we can consider living with this virus. ..

We hope that the time will come when we will be better protected from the effects of COVID-19 and will be able to deal with new variants, but unfortunately that is not the case. We are in a much better position than we were two years ago, and although it depends primarily on science, we are not yet nearing the end of this pandemic.

Meningitis B: Signs and symptoms to watch out for

According to recent data and analysis from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), mid-to-late 2021 gain The number of cases of meningococcal disease in teens and young adults, primarily caused by group B meningococcal disease (MenB), most of which were detected in college students. ..

Meningitis B is caused by Neisseria meningitidis. Meningitis It can attack the brain and spinal cord, causing swelling in these areas and causing a serious infection of the bloodstream called sepsis. About 10-15% of people infected with meningococcal disease die, and may die within 24 hours of the first onset of symptoms. About 1 in 5 survivors can experience a variety of long-term disorders, including hearing loss, brain damage, nervous system problems, kidney damage, limb loss, and skin scarring. I have.

The common signs and symptoms of meningitis and sepsis are:

• Fever with cold limbs
• Drowsiness or difficulty waking up
• Confusion and irritability
• Severe muscle pain
• Lightly stained skin, age spots, rash
• Severe headache
• Torticollis
• I hate bright light
• Convulsions or seizures

Due to early COVID-19 restrictions across the UK, the number of cases of type B meningitis was the lowest ever in September 2021. However, as restrictions were relaxed and people were able to mix again, cases of teenagers in particular began to rise to higher levels. Before the pandemic.

In the UK, teens will be given the Neisseria meningitidis ACWY vaccine and the MenB vaccine will be given to babies to protect them from the various insects that can cause meningitis. The exact cause of the increasing number of cases in these adolescents is unknown. One theory proposed by the authors of the report is that fewer people are exposed to bacteria as a result of reduced mixing during the heyday of the pandemic. This meant fewer people were immune, and when the university campus was opened, there was an “immune debt” that put them at risk of getting sick.

The best thing students and adolescents can do to protect themselves from this serious illness is to be vaccinated with ACWY, pay attention to the symptoms of meningitis, and sooner or later be able to seek medical assistance. ..