My dad came a little unglued on Sunday, waiting for a server to bring his ice water. It was amusing, though a little embarrassing. But he’s 86, so pretty much anything goes.
I know exactly how he felt. I was promised heavy rain in Socal by 7am this morning. It’s now almost 9am and all we’ve got is some drizzle. I want my damn water, and I want it now!
If you’re interested in getting educated about what’s happening with Covid and its variants, I recommend subscribing to Dr. Eric Topol’s Substack newsletter. Topol is one of the most reliable sources of biomedical information, explained in mostly-layman’s terms. From Wikipedia:
“As a researcher, Topol has published over 1,200 peer-reviewed articles, with more than 310,000 citations, h-index 235, elected to the National Academy of Medicine, and is one of the top 10 most cited researchers in medicine. His principal scientific focus has been on the genomic and digital tools, with the use of artificial intelligence analytics, to individualize medicine. He also pioneered the development of many medications that are routinely used in medical practice including t-PA, Plavix, Angiomax, and ReoPro. He has led clinical trials in over 40 countries involving over 200,000 patients (first in series – GUSTO trials).[5]He has edited over 30 books, including the Textbook of Interventional Cardiology (8th ed – Elsevier, 2020), and the Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine (3rd ed – Lippincott Williams & Wilkins).”
His analysis of the Omicron variant is…not good. Looks like it’s going to burn through populations fast, and while early data shows that the disease severity may not be as bad as previous strains, that data is corrupted by the fact that Omicron is encountering a partially immune population. It’s complicated, which is why we need to have people like Topol think through things and let us non-medical-professionals know what’s likely coming.
The speed with which Omicron is burning through populations makes me happier about cancelling the SA/Antarctica trip. New facts are coming out every week, and by mid-January things could be ugly. Particularly travel.
