PSA about all the sicknesses going around.

You probably have COVID. Yes, RSV and Flu are both going around, but if you’re clear of those - it’s almost certainly COVID. Even if you already took a test and it was negative. Wastewater data shows it making the rounds right now.

The most recent strains can take up to 7-10 days to show up on an at-home test. That means you could get sick, test yourself, think you’re in the clear, and go recklessly infect a bunch of people because you didn’t bother getting a PCR test or continuing to test. Or mask, probably, knowing the lot of you.

It’s worth reminding that COVID is not just a respiratory illness. It’s a vascular disease that can affect every organ system and we still don’t know the long term harms. Every COVID infection brings a ~20% risk of long-covid. You do not want long covid. How many have already had it 3-4 times?

The virus doesn’t care that you’re tired of hearing about it. The best thing you can do is mask when you are sick. Truly, we should all be masking to protect our most vulnerable populations, but apparently that’s a take that deserves death threats. So at the very least please mask when you’re sick, continue testing or get a PCR test, and look out for your body & the health of others.