The first case of COVID-19 happened somewhere in China in the Fall of 2019. Covid came calling at a friend’s home sometime before October 27, 2022. This was the first time that they were infected with COVID-19. Their symptoms have been mild, including slight cough. I’m using the names of Simon and Katherine for our discussion. These are not their real names.
Their physician said in a text message that “Vaccinated and boosted patients are protected from serious Covid complications and recover uneventfully. Paxlovid is not indicated or necessary. Quarantine for 5 days, return to normal activity masked for five days. Let me know if you have symptoms that require symptomatic medication.”
Some Data
I thought I would provide two types of data as I track their experience with COVID-19. The first thing you need to know is that they are both 80 years old and in good health (I’m 82). They both have had the Moderna vaccination and boosters, and the Pfizer booster for Omicron. Even with this kind of protection, they were infected with the virus. They showed symptoms on October 27. The average incubation period for COVID-19 is 6.57 days. They most likely were infected about a week or so before the 27th.
Antigen Rapid Test Data
I’ve made a chart showing the results of antigen rapid tests that they administered at home using the iHealth COVID-19 antigen rapid test. As you can see, the data table is not complete. The first test was on October 27, and they both tested positive for COVID-19. A week later, they tested again, but the result was still positive for the virus. To determine if they are Covid-19 free, they need to get two negative test results in a row. I’ll fill in the results to keep the data table up to date.
| COVID-19 Testing using Antigen Rapid Test | 10/27,2022 | 11/3/2022 | 11/5/2022 | 11/7/2022 | 11/9/2022 |
| Simon | positive | positive | positive | ?pending | ? |
| Katherine | positive | positive | positive | ?pending | ? |
County Data
Simon and Katherine live in Cobb County, which is a large county northwest of the city of Atlanta. This is where I live, as well. The population of the county is 781,763. It is the third most populous county in Georgia.
The current COVID-19 Community Level data for Cobb County include the following:
- Case Rate for 100,00 population: 46.83
- New COVID-19 admissions per 100,000: 8.2
- % Staffed inpatient beds in use by patients with COVID-19: 4.9%
The graph in Figure 1 plots new cases and the 7-day average for the past year.
I’ve identified when they tested for COVID-19 and the result. I’ll update the graph in Figure 1 so that it coincides with their progress.
Virus Awareness
Not only will covid come calling, but there are other viruses out there. In Georgia, and other locations around the country, viruses are spreading and pose a real problem for families and health care facilities. In addition to COVID-19, there are other respiratory viruses spreading throughout the country. According to an article in the Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) network, Georgia hospitals are seeing two – three times as many children as are normally seen. And complicating the situation is the state is seeing the highest number of flu cases in the country. One of the viruses that is causing illnesses in infants and older adults is respiratory syncytial virus or RSV. RSV, according to the CDC is of greatest risk for severe illness for premature infants, infants, 6 months and younger, children with chronic lung disease, and children with weakened immune systems.
In Figure 2, it is noted that there was little data to report during the 2020-2021 flu season. Most of us were wearing face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This also lessened the spread of the flu.
Starting in December, the flu season will be full blown and will have an overall impact on the number of infections we will see this year. Because we have accepted COVID-19 as part of everyday life, people have lessened their use of the face mask. Most schools do not require face masks. This is a mistake. Students became used to wearing masks. There is no reason, other than anti-science bias, to not use masks this winter flu season.
Going Forward
Finally, I’d like to point you to the CDC to their Influenza (flu) webpage with links to important resources. Remember, covid came calling at my friend’s home. It could come to anyone if we don’t use masks and social distancing along with being vaccinated and boosted.
We don’t have a good vaccination track record in Georgia.
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