Unfortunately, this includes New Year’s Eve plans. The perfect storm of a new variant & holiday get-togethers is hitting communities & health care w/ FORCE! Testing is in short supply.
3/ Health care is under extreme pressure with surging cases. If you can avoid even one additional contact, you are helping. This is a temporary and urgent request (from a health care provider).
It works. It protects you & those around you & ⬇️ RAPID spread of the virus. If you have choice we recommend KN95 or surgical mask. If you can now is a great time to purchase & distribute better masks in your community. #MaskUp
This is not likely to be the best weeks of life. Lower the bar a bit & be OK w/ OK for a little bit.
Even OK is a stretch for many at the moment. Focus on the things you do have control over. Avoid situations that could result in injuries or additional risk.
6/ Eat and sleep regularly.
Keep the lights on at home and work.
Some days will be better than others.
Celebrate the wins!
7/ Reflect and find joy in the little things.
“Bring on some more COVID” said no one ever.
This really sucks. For everyone. Instead of focusing on all the crappy things going on in your world or the whole world, find something good.
8/ Tell someone else about that nugget of good.
Reflect on the ways to create more good. (I’m sorry, English teachers).
When you are feeling defeated, go back to this practice of reflection.
Many are really struggling at the moment. This is a perfect time for excessive acts of kindness. Cook a meal & deliver to a doorstep. Call someone & ask about their day & just listen. Provide 20 min of supervision to a kid outside while a parent breathes.
10/ Be kind just because.
We need ALL OF IT right now!
Those Nerdy Girls will continue to ride this uncertain wave with all of you and bring on the science as it evolves. xoxo
1/ Q: Has almost everyone been infected with COVID by now?
A: Recent estimates suggest around 58% of the population in the US and over 70% in England have been previously infected, with BIG increases during the Omicron wave.
3/ ➡️ During the Omicron wave from December 2021-February 2022, this estimate increased from 33% to 58%.
➡️ Rates vary a lot by age, ranging from 33.2% for those over age 65 to 75% for those under age 18.
2/ Not likely. If your kids are suddenly getting sick a lot, this is likely due to “catching up” on exposures rather than a weakened immune system.
3/ Many families w/ young kids have been hunkered down for the better part of 2 years– a good % of a young child’s entire life. While isolation had *many* downsides, we can agree that not having to suction snot out of infant noses or clean up norovirus puke was a happy upside.
1/ Q: Are cases peaking? That means it’s all downhill from here, right?
A: Sort of…. Remember that even if cases come down as quickly as they rise, there will be as many cases *after* the peak as before (think area under the curve).
2/ ➡️ And if the downward slope is *slower* than the rise, we will see *more* cases during the decline from a surge.
3/ Burning fast could be a silver lining of super transmissible #Omicron. Cases rose & fell quickly in S. Africa (w/ hospitalizations & deaths still lagging). The UK appears to have turned the Omicron corner. Many US states appear past their peak in cases, w/ regional variation: