1y ago

The Covid-19 pandemic killed off one strain of the flu, and that will change the next vaccines

www.cnn.com The Covid-19 pandemic killed off one strain of the flu, and that will change the next vaccines | CNN

For 10 years, Americans have had access to flu shots that protect against four strains of the virus: two A strains and two B strains. Starting this fall, however, all the flu shots distributed in the United States will contain only three strains, and the change happened in part because of Covid-19.

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Just imagine how many infectious diseases could be greatly diminished or eliminated if people, I dunno, listened to healthcare professionals.
- Or at least stayed home when they were sick. That was such a nice cultural change from COVID that I really hoped it would stick around. But nope, people went right back to just "toughing it out" and going to work/school while sick.
  
  People in my area/life (most) aren't given sick days and are expected to use their short (if even able) PTO allotments. If they take a vacation and get sick later - their options are work or miss bills. To me, I understand why folks tough it out. I'd like society to care about health for the whole, most can't afford to do that.
- What do you mean by that? Social distancing is mostly what keeps these diseases at bay. But there's an argument that social distancing comes with a hefty cost as we are a social species.
  Edit: Wow, the circlejerk for certain topics is just as strong on Lemmy as it was on Reddit. I'm sticking with my point, though. Social distancing has heavy costs and is at this point not worth it. Of course people should wear masks if they are sick or if they want to protect themselves. And staying away from people when you're sick and can do it has always been a good idea.
  
  Wearing a mask and staying away from people when sick is a much better approach. Also being aware of what being sick even is since some people just kinda ignore their symptoms as “a cold”.
  
  This genius thinks he figured out what a consensus of medical and science professionals did not factor.
  You know what else has a hefty social cost? Having parents and grandparents die in the family because of lazy scientific illiterate dumbfucks and grifters.
  
  I loved the social distancing aspect of the pandemic.
  
  What do you mean by that?
  I mean that there are far too many people who insist on abusing the world we live in to our own detriment, that acute public health is one of the things that suffers, and that it doesn't have to.
  
  You're getting downvoted, not entirely because people disagree with the point you are making, but becauase you are making a counterargument against something nobody said.
  The topic is about staying home when you are sick. You've even agreed with that part. But for some reason you decided to come out swinging against social distancing even though nobody recommeded it or even brought it up in this context.
  Given your need to strawman the original point with a stance generally championed by reactionaries, people are accurately determining that you are a reactionary and delivering a well-deserved downvote.
  
  What do you mean by that? Social distancing is mostly what keeps these diseases at bay. But there's an argument that social distancing comes with a hefty cost as we are a social species.
  There's a more rational problem than seeing people at your will. It's seeing people as you must. I had minor panic attacks with struggles to breath over commuting to work in overfilled busses, working around many people, because I didn't have a pleasure to work from home at all although I could, easily, without a problem. I'm fine with living in a solitary confinement with the internet connected anonymously - I'm this weird, yeah - but my boss said no. And I was potentially infected and spread this shit to other people who probably got ill or died. I'm very adjusted to social distancing, but I and many had no chance for that.
  
  Maybe its not the circlejerk, maybe your opinion is just shit?

I sometimes feel like I'm the last person masking in the world, but obviously the government is on the side of capitalism in terms of public health so I'll continue masking. I like not getting sick.
- This is the issue. You wearing the mask protects you like 10% of the way (even the really good masks). It's people who are sick wearing the mask that is the other 90%. If people wore a mask when they felt gross, that would be basically all that is needed.
  
  Eh any risk I can reduce is worth it.

It's interesting, but trading one strain of flu, which was already on the decline, isn't a great tradeoff for having covid-19 around. Even if it had died without covid-19 existing, another strain would fill its niche.

Soon Coronavirus will be so powerful it will cure cancer.
- There is actually a promising cancer treatment that uses a genetically modified poliovirus strain, but it's still in its trial phase.

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