Once the pandemic has eased, flu viruses claim their rightful place. Now it’s time to value what Covid-19 taught us: masks, tests and isolation
As in Dickens’s classic Christmas Carol, in this era we live in we also have our own ghosts. The difference is that, instead of the miserly Mr. Scrooge, we have viruses. There is no doubt that The ghost of Christmas past (and before) was the coronavirus. Specifically a variant called Ómicron, famous for its high transmission capacity.
We believed that the coronavirus would be our worst nightmare forever and ever until time has put things (and viruses) in their place. And, although in recent years there have not been so many roosters in the same pen and the coronavirus has won the game, Christmas has always been flu time. Now, Once the pandemic has eased, these flu viruses claim their rightful place.
December 22: I got the big deal
As you know, perhaps because I speak with knowledge of the facts, I have a certain tendency to experience first-hand the topics I discuss. Today, with four “covids” behind meI can say that I know the uses and customs of the coronavirus as if it were family.
For this reason, I was not surprised that last December 22, lottery day, I was awarded a jackpot in the form of a positive result for influenza A. If the bug began to be a trend… I would have to try it! My first thought when I saw the positive test, in the influenza A box and not in the coronavirus box, was flu! this is suck! Nothing is further from reality. Call me lazy but having the flu in 2023 is a somewhat different experience than having the flu in pre-pandemic times. Or at least that’s how it should be because there are things that, whether we like it or not, Covid has changed forever.
Is it worse to have the flu in 2023 than in 2019?
These are the questions asked by anyone who is being blessed with a positive case for influenza A this Christmas.
1. Is the current flu virus “worse” than the flu virus of previous seasons?
The reality is that, although some of us have experienced influenza A infection as the prelude to death, globally It does not appear that the 2023 version of the flu virus is a more aggressive virus nor more lethal than the previous ones.
However, everything indicates that it could be more contagious. Conclusion: if it is more contagious, we must protect ourselves more and this is where prevention measures against the flu come into play (mask, test, distance, vaccines) that until the arrival of the coronavirus either did not exist or no one took very seriously. .
2. Is the flu vaccine still effective?
Of course. It is true that the flu vaccine, in general, is not especially effective in preventing infection. In fact, last year this vaccine was 27-50% effective. However, also The number of vaccinated people who do not become infected is significant or that, if they do, they tend to experience milder symptoms.
Although in principle only vaccination is financed for people at risk, they are many autonomous communities that also administer it free of charge to the rest of mortals when all the doses intended for the vulnerable population have been administered. In any case, you can always purchase it at the pharmacy for less than 20 euros. Yes, flu vaccination rates have always left much to be desired, but now, with the information available at our fingertips about its benefits, we shouldn’t even think about it.
3. Do we really have to wear masks again?
Masks have proven to be one of the most effective measures in containing the virus. Nobody likes to wear them, but they are necessary. Remember: now we are not in a time of scarcity and we have FFP2 masks available to everyone. If someone is infected or suspects they may be infected, they must wear an FFP2 mask. If they look at you like a weirdo, think that they are the weird ones (and selfish) since you are protecting them. It’s time to end the “mask stigma” and look at those who wear it as if they were plagued. If we do it this way, infected people will take the easiest way: not wear it.
4. Is it necessary to take a test?
¡Test, test, test! It was the mantra of the WHO director during confinement and it must continue to be so. And it is that give “first and last name” to tenants that are making our lives impossible will always be recommended. Because?
On the one hand, it will make us aware of our situation: we will be more cautious if we know that we have covid than if we think we have a simple cold. On the other hand, the treatment may vary depending on the “bug” that causes it: Let us remember that the infection can also be bacterial. Information is always power.
Luckily, now we not only have a test for everyone but also at a modest price. price marked by law of ¤2.90. Furthermore, the new tests are a 3×1 capable of detecting not only coronavirus, but also influenza A and influenza B.
In summary: how do we face this new influenza A epidemic?
Luckily, with more weapons than ever, but you have to want to and know how to use them:
Vaccines: Regarding vaccines, I say mea culpa. Despite doing it every year, this 23/24 campaign, due to a simple lack of organization, I have not been vaccinated against the flu. Maybe I would have been infected anyway, but probably not with the same virulence with which I have suffered the symptoms (fever bordering on 40 degrees and with the worst shivering I can remember).
Test: In my case, thanks to test triple onethe one who tested positivethat same afternoon I canceled my attendance at the birthday of an 80-year-old relative.. This is something that would not have happened in 2019: thinking it was a simple cold, I would have gone with my low-grade fever and discomfort, like so many other times we go to events without feeling well. Is this an exaggeration? In Spain, during the 2019-2020 season, there were 27,700 hospitalizations with flu, 1,800 ICU admissions and 3,900 flu-associated deaths. If the tests had been available in 2019, it is very likely that some of those deaths could have been avoided.
Masks: While “we are positive”, of course. But I add: if the symptoms persist (cough, mucus), despite the test being negative, as a precaution, during the first days after the “negative” it is advisable to continue Wearing a mask to avoid infecting others. This, far from being seen as civic behavior, I attest that it is pursued in thought, word and deed. After a few days in which I have been going out on the street with a mask, I observe how some look at me, how others whisper as I pass, many directly move away… As if they had no memory and did not know that what I was doing with my gesture It is, quite simply, protecting them.
No. We did not come out of the pandemic better. Not even with half a lesson learned. But just because today the law does not require us to wear masks, get tested or avoid social gatherings when we have symptoms does not mean that we should not do so. It is in our hands to fight the ghost of Christmas present. If not, let’s prepare now for the ghost of Christmas future.
According to The Trust Project criteria
Know more
2023-12-29 00:55:34
#Influenza #ghost #Christmas #present