Mask Up.

n95 ftw, people. Because despite the internet trends (and thus what I've seen IRL, where no one masks up at all) COVID is still a thing. Though, hearing this, one wonders if the numbers are much much lower than reported. 
I mean, look at this thread. Post-viral symptoms are definitely an issue, but post novel-virus ones are probably worse, in that we still don't know. 

So a patient who came in for COVID back in the summer of 2021 died recently. After anoxic brain injury, regular bouts of sepsis, amputations and bouncing back between medicine and ICU the body finally just gave up. Since they spent practically a year and a half in hospital, this person never made it into the statistics at the height of COVID. Their story, however, is so much more horrible than the poor souls who were vented for a couple of weeks and died while sedated. Long COVID indeed. I thought I would be relieved when it finally happened, but I'm just sad today.

The comments are solid:

As everyone here is aware, COVID isn’t unique in this respect. We’re really really good at preventing death from the original insult. We kind of suck as the body accumulates secondary and tertiary complications. 

There’s a young guy who is post-COVID including a 2 week ICU admission that comes into our COPD rehab sessions largely because there’s no COVID rehab in the area and the foundational principles are the same. He’s 2 years out now, and still isn’t back to baseline. He was such a win for us in the moment — we never intubated him, managed him on 100% NIPPV for 6 days, transitioned to HFNC, got him out of the ICU seemingly quicker than other similar patients. He has just languished since then. A 40 year old absolutely broken, maybe forever, but a win for the system because he survived and we never intubated him.

IOW the medical system is kinda like this, it helps prevent death but quality of life is another issue. Will have to say that since COVID is so prevalent, this makes sense. More on post-viral complications:

That is a good point. I feel that post viral syndrome(s) in general are underappreciated. Of course it is natural to classify the treatment as a success if the patient did not die, but complications are maybe more common than is admitted.

The more we learn, the more we find out about the long term impact of viral infections, and the notion that they are generally "harmless" may be wishful thinking.

Success, isn't what you think it is, not on the charts that I've shared, not anywhere:

I remember during the height of delta the “successes” were atrocious. Middle aged people now bedbound, on dialysis, tube fed. I remember thinking dying on a vent would have been more merciful than the life they would go on to live.

There was one I remember, I think he spent two+ months vented. But eventually he got off the vent and the trach came out. He learned to talk and eat and walk. He had been a cross-fitter so even after months of muscle loss he still had some strength left.

I remember him because he was the only 100% full recovery/able to go home and not SNF that I saw after someone was vented with delta

Anyhow, seriously too many people coughing and walking around like it's nothing. And yet there's a Tylenol shortage (for kids) because so many kids are currently sick. Some damn near end times shit or even boring dystopia shit, but damn is it nuts, right?
Be safe out there. 
I'll have more on pieces like this. 

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