When the pandemic began, the medical tool box was empty, now we have tools

[iluvtennis]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CazwUyYulrR/

washingtonpost When the pandemic began, the medical tool box was empty. There were no coronavirus vaccines, no treatments, not even tests to tell who was infected and who was not.

For the past two years, scientists and doctors have been building and expanding an arsenal. None of these tools are silver bullets. They can’t eliminate the coronavirus. But together, they can help turn the virus into a manageable risk, allowing people to hug relatives, go to the movies and travel without fear.

What is certain is that the world needs to prepare the tools now to help control future waves and iterations of the virus and reduce their harm: vaccinations, antiviral pills, and other treatments and preventive measures.

Here are some of the tools we now have available.

[Blues Heron]

1. Sounds like they've decided masks won't be a part of our arsenal anymore

Now it’s here to stay and all.

[iluvtennis]

3. You're right, masks weren't in the toolbox from this article, but they are still in my toolbox.

[Blues Heron]

5. Same

[liberal_mama]

10. A good mask might be the best tool of all if you want to avoid getting infected!

Most of my vaccinated friends who went maskless and went to restaurants/movies/holiday parties have caught Covid.

My vaccinated husband got infected from a still contagious coworker 7 days after the CDC changed the quarantine guidelines to 5 days. I'm so mad about that! He's still having issues and he was perfectly healthy before.

I always wear a good KF94 or KN95 mask and so do my 3 children. Unfortunately, my husband was a little lax about mask wearing because he felt his vaccines would completely protect him. He says, "President Biden says if you are vaccinated, you won't get Covid!" I said, "That's not true! He didn't say that. Why do you think President Biden is always wearing a good mask himself?"

When he got Covid, we isolated him to a separate room and I wore well-fitted KF94 masks in all the common areas of the house and managed to escape infection! I took a test every other day for 2 weeks! None of my kids caught it either.

Wearing a good quality mask can really help cut down your chances. Cloth and surgical masks only help if there is universal masking. For one way masking, it has to be an N95, KN95, KF94, or better. And you have to make sure it's not a sketchy brand on Amazon that might be inadequate.

I'm happy there are treatments now, but I really want to avoid letting this virus in my body to begin with. I've read so many stories of long Covid and heart issues after recovery from the initial infection.

[lame54]

2. Also...

The pandemic supplies Jared sold off

[gratuitous]

4. We are indeed in a much better position today

And we could have been in this position 15 months ago if we hadn't wasted so much time and so many resources squabbling about vaccines, masking, social distancing and hand-washing. That pointless squabbling was generated and sustained through the mindless pronouncements of one man, whose followers slavishly followed his every whim even to their detriment, even to their deaths.

If there's any "major disappointment" about our country's response, it belongs to one man and the self-centered assholes who prop him up to this day.

[iluvtennis]

7. +++ agree. n/t

[Xoan]

6. Scientists had tools.

Morons didn't.

[iluvtennis]

9. Yes the scientists & doctors did, but tfg spewed propaganda that those tools didn't work

[Cha]

8. KR TY!

💙💛