Thread by @KatherineJWu

(1/14) I wrote about the trap of "mildness" and how it's hamstringing our approach to tempering the Omicron wave.

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…

(2/14) There is now decent data to show that, on average, Omicron infections are indeed less severe than cases caused by Delta. But all too often, we conflate "less severe disease" with "an inherently milder virus."

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…

(3/14) Infection disease is always an interaction between pathogen and host. I think the *majority* of the reduction in case severity is actually about us: we're mounting a better defense. That's blunting the carnage. Credit where credit is due.

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…

(4/14) Yes, there is also data to support the idea that Omicron is, particle for particle, a bit less toothsome than Delta. But Delta was a monster. That's a pretty low bar to set. And Omicron is clearly capable of causing immense damage.

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…

(5/14) Even if the average Omicron case is less severe, that does not mean its *extremes* are less severe. At its worst, this variant is still terrible. And no one has zero risk of such an outcome.

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…

(6/14) When we dismiss Omicron as mild, we don't just conflate the contributions of host and pathogen. We take an individual experience and project it onto communities. That erases the suffering of people who experience Omicron differently.

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…

(7/14) Let's also keep in mind who's more likely to have a worse time with Omicron: people who carry risk factors. These are people we need to protect, and yet we do them a disservice when we paint with a broad "mild" brush...

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…

(8/14) ...It says their experiences matter less, because they're suffering from a virus that most others easily survive.

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…

(9/14) Even if Omicron has the potential to be less severe for single people, it's clearly severe on societal scales. The variant is everywhere. It's pervasive. It's finding the vulnerable. It's fracturing our infrastructure through sheer numbers alone.

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…

(10/14) We forget the societal tolls because "mildness" is inherently individualistic, a frame of mind that Americans, especially, tend to prioritize.

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…

(11/14) Saying "mild" is, in some ways, implying that the virus has done its job for us. It's tamed itself. We can check out. We can exempt ourselves from harm reduction. Pandemics don't work like that.

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…

(12/14) Omicron is not mild. Its toll is not mild. But if pick our relationship to this variant apart again, we can remember that our experience of it is also up to us. More vaccinated populations will have, on average, less severe disease.

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…

(13/14) We can soften Omicron's blow just by better armoring ourselves. It's something we should prioritize, instead of looking at the virus and thinking 'phew.'

More here:

theatlantic.com/science/archiv…

(14/14) Huge thank you to @duanaful @LekshmiMD @VirusesImmunity @NeilLewisJr @roby_bhatt @heavyredaction @elenasemino @ravgup33_ravi @stgoldst for weighing in on this complex conversation.

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