Are the new Covid variants already upon us?
Having recently had a breakthrough COVID-19 infection and I am four vaccinations in, with the booster that was administered in July 2022. My thoughts that I could have possibility picked up a variant of BA.5. As I survived through the winter spike in Melbourne, Australia when we had the highest infection and death rates per capita in the world. I caught COVID at a time when hospitalizations and infections rates have declined from their peak and restrictions which included indoor mask wearing had been eased. Thinking that the dominate variant BA.5 had been reduced in its virulence and that the July booster would assist me, would thus make any infection, if I caught it between a high percentage vaccine efficiency and herd immunity, would be very mild. However, the symptoms were as were as you would expect, except the fever was brutal lasting three nights, when I tested negative on the first day I thought it was a late flu (Oct 2022 Southern Hemisphere flu season). Except from memory the flu fever, at least for me, lasted only a night and maybe a day. Testing positive on the 2nd and 3rd day was obvious that it was COVID-19. Although aware of the symptoms, I didn't quite expect the beatdown from COVID to be as intense, hence my immune system went into overdrive.
So, as I, fully vaccinated with a booster, an unattended test of being infected amidst a fading BA.5 variant and an evolving breed of vaccine evading sub-linage strains like XBB and BQ.1.1 begin to take hold over the world, since all restrictions on overseas travel have been lifted. Could it have been just bad luck? Or, as I mentioned, the likely hood that I did indeed become infected with one of the newer variants.
Winter is now descending over the Northern Hemisphere and as discussed in this post (Before I caught COVID. Irony?). German and Singapore are leading the charge with the two variants XBB and BQ.1.1. The bellwether for America is New York City/State, with hospitalizations are now close to 3000 a day, reminiscent of the Omicron wave that hit in late 2021 and early 2022.
The pandemic is not over.
Viruses do not care about politics and idiots.
Refer to a very good article from Fortune.com
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