COVID-19: A Persistent Threat and the Urgent Need for Continued Vigilance

By Kaffie Sledge

Recently, in a hospital waiting area, I encountered a 65ish-looking woman with a frightening cough that sounded more like a bark.

She was sitting an appropriate distance from others, but was not wearing a mask, and was not coughing into a tissue or the inner crook of her arm. She was reading a book and never looked up when she lapsed into her scary coughing spells.

This woman’s behavior reminded me of the early days of COVID when people had their own way of viewing the pandemic. It went from disbelief to sharing masks with total strangers.

Some people need to stop kidding themselves and understand that COVID is still around and is still contagious. There is, in fact, a new COVID-19 variant.

Viruses are constantly changing, including the virus that causes COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported: “These changes occur over time and can lead to the emergence of variants that may have new characteristics, including different ways of spreading. Slowing the spread of the virus, by protecting yourself and others, can help slow new variants from developing.”Before I saw it on television news, I received a text from a friend in Atlanta, who had received it from someone else. So, I checked the information I’m about to share:

Everyone is advised to wear a mask because the new COVID-Omicron XBB variant coronavirus is different, deadly, and not easily detected properly. 

Symptoms of the XBB virus are as follows: 

1. No cough. 

2. No fever. There will only be 

3. Joint pain. 

4. Headache.

5. Neck pain.

6. Upper back pain.

7. Pneumonia.

8. General loss of appetite.

XBB is five times more toxic than the Delta variant and has a higher mortality rate. It takes a shorter time for the condition to reach extreme severity, and sometimes, there are no obvious symptoms.

This strain of the virus is not found in the nasopharyngeal region, and it directly affects the lungs, the "windows," for a relatively short period of time. 

Nasal swab tests are generally negative for COVID-Omicron XBB, and false-negative cases of nasopharyngeal tests are increasing. 

This means the virus can spread in the community and directly infect lungs, leading to viral pneumonia, which in turn causes acute respiratory distress. XBB has become highly contagious, highly virulent, and lethal.

Therefore, especially if you have a compromised immune system or if you are a caregiver for someone who does, avoid crowded places. Keep a distance of 1.5 meters (almost 5 feet) even in open spaces; wear a double-layer mask; and wash hands frequently — even when everyone is asymptomatic (no coughing or sneezing).  

COVID is not going away and not getting weaker, CDC officials say: There were nearly as many hospitalizations in January 2024 as there were in 2023. CDC officials say the virus has become endemic. That means it is here to stay in a predictable way. Other endemics include the common cold, malaria, polio, hepatitis C, and measles.

We need to share this information with other relatives and friends. The first lame excuse we can tackle, if it comes to that, is not knowing what the vaccine contains. 

We consume a myriad of products that we can’t identify the components of, for example, artificial sweeteners and any other product with artificial in its name.

So far,  all the excuses I hear are artificial, as well.