Last week, my 90-year-old father tested positive. Two years ago that would’ve been catastrophic news. But in the end he was tired for a few days, had some aches and a cough, and now he’s on the mend.
That’s because he’s been inoculated. My father’s conclusion? “This is the most overrated disease.”
But the issue isn’t that it’s overrated. It’s that for all intents and purposes, it’s not the same disease it once was.
“People aren’t being cavalier, they’re just reflecting where we are right now,” said Dr. Monica Gandhi, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at UC San Francisco. “Originally we were scared about COVID because it caused severe disease. But now even as the cases go up, the rates of severe disease are so much lower than they were. People are right to feel more relaxed.”
I do feel more relaxed. But here’s the flip side.
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