This has always been the end point: those who have the means to do so can protect themselves and get better treatment, and everyone else can get fucked. This isn't just a Democrat vs Republican thing, this is a neoliberal issue with faux progressive policies. For example, carbon scrubbing -- communities who can afford it will have better health outcomes and everyone else can get fucked. Education/technical skills -- people who can afford it will have better economic outcomes and everyone else can get fucked. This has always been my problem with the Democratic party -- some of the policies they push SOUND good on paper, but because they are structurally founded in capitalism only exacerbate inequalities in society. I'll still hold my nose and vote for Biden because even that is better than fascism, but it's still not a viable long-term solution to our very real and immediate social/racial/health/judicial/economic/environmental problems.

The preface - you are not wrong.

I'll also toss out that the goal since about April of 2020 when containment was no longer a viable strategy because "It's a hoax" was rolling the goal of public policy has -never- been "keep people from getting sick". It's always been "Keep people from dying in the streets because the hospitals are overrun with people dying in them." And wearing masks has always been "This will protect others from you if you are sick rather than protect you from getting sick," outside of an N95. I know it hasn't always been framed that way in the media, but that's what the science was looking at.

We're now at that point - people are getting sick but they are not dying in the streets. So, we have the most contagious disease that has ever really crossed the globe, with measles perhaps beating it, but also one that is mutating very very rapidly, unlike measles, so we cannot make vaccines (today) to keep up. Can't find it really, but read a study that really only a well fitting, N95 (or equiv) is effective in stopping omicron. Like... it's a monster virus, and luckily, we've do enough so people aren't dying in the streets.

Could we do more? We could do a grant for better ventilation systems so in a few years we will be better off. Mask mandates, and force folks to wear n95's properly and make sure everyone clean shaves so it's well fitted? We can send people tests and have them rest longer when sick - but that's just going to slow the spread. And why do we want to slow the spread? To protect hospitals, ostensibly. But hospitals are fine.

The only thing I think I see now worth "slowing things down for" is the universal covid and/or flu vaccines that hopefully will be around next year. 6mo and older can now get their shots. You can get n95's easily now for yourself.

Like, I will sail that ship into the great beyond on all of the ways that America has fucked this up - but today, I don't see "keep people from getting sick" as a viable goal. I don't think it's been viable for two years. I think you, yourself, can be cautious and protect yourself with masking. Anyone can get a vaccine. Anyone can get masks and tests - tests for free too. Masks for free could help slow the spread as well, but ok... just slowing the inevitable to help... the economy?

I guess I just don't see what the point of that Eric Topol post is. What's his endgame? What's a reasonable "end" to covid look like? Because "not getting it" doesn't seem reasonable based on the facts on the ground.

I guess I just don't see what the point of that Eric Topol post is. What's his endgame? What's a reasonable "end" to covid look like? Because "not getting it" doesn't seem reasonable based on the facts on the ground.


You realize that as of a couple months ago, Long Covid was occurring at about 1 in 5 cases? At the rate we're going, a significant percentage of the population is going to either have permanent immune deficiencies that are going to overwhelm our shitty "healthcare system" or are going to have such bad brain damage that we can't even really predict how bad that's gonna turn out. Like imagine even 10% of the fucking population with early onset dementia beought on in a couple years, how do you even handle something like that? And the only fucking reason it's going to turn out this way is because not once has the US government tried to apply an actual working solution. China has been out there mobilizing a covid zero policy and getting called authoritarian for doing what scientists said we needed to do at the very beginning, while at that same time we, the country that let a couple million people die, are claiming they're lying about their numbers

Edit:wanna see some shit, go to news.google.com and search brain fog.

Speaking of brain fog, I'm convinced covid brain fog will be the Millennial version of Boomer lead poisoning. That's just my conspiracy hat talking.

Nah, that's microplastics.

That too.

I've been theorizing this will be the case myself. You can point to a huge chunk of the voting population and clearly show how lead poisoning has made them stupider. It's terrifying.

Love all the research in lead poisoning in gun owners that totally hasn't been blocked by red congress. But the few studies that have been done... you'll never guess what they found...

No, that's what I've been equivalenting it to, as well, but it's gonna be so much worse.

And I feel I really need to emphasize here, everything we are not doing for covid right now by our government, as individuals, is going to allow monkeypox to spread like wildfire. As schools open up, shit is going to hit the fucking fan.

Sure, I know about Long Covid...

What are we going to do about it?

And China has about 50% of their elderly unvaccinated so, the situation over there is also different. Sinovac also not as great.

And again, of course it's terrible and shitty. And sure, we have the ability to lock everyone in their homes for two weeks and have it burn out. But that's not a reasonable position for all of the obvious reasons. So, what's next?

But that's not a reasonable position for all of the obvious reasons.

What obvious reasons besides capitalism? You're basically saying it's a fucking free for all, and you might as well apply that to every natural disaster we're going to deal with from now on. So at that point, what's the point of society? Of all of this shit? ChocoTacos? WE DON'T EVEN GET THEM ANYMORE!

I do not disagree.

I just do not see a course of action that can be taken with the realities of this society.

You should check out the latest Andreas Malm book; Despite its radical title, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, it's more about how the history we're taught is whitewashed to mentally limit our options.

bitch blinks WAY too much. that's a telltale sign of untrustworthiness/lying.

I just have something in my eye

We can acknowledge she's a soulless ghoul without disparaging female dogs.