After over a year of COVID-19 concerns, the common cold has subtly skulked its way back into society and the flu isn’t far behind. Check out this report from Statnews.com:
as masks come off, schools reopen, and some travel resumes, we should expect a resurgence of these viruses — perhaps a big one. Some experts fear we’re in for a nasty cold-and-flu season or two, pointing to a combination of factors that could make for a rough re-entry to the mixed microbes world.
The site noted that our long isolation could lead to more illnesses this coming winter:
“When they come back there’s going to be vulnerability and probably greater levels of infections,” Ben Cowling, an infectious diseases researcher at Hong Kong University, said of the various bugs. “Everyone’s going to be complaining about colds probably next winter.”
Normally, I’d put this into the category of “sympathy is in the dictionary between ‘shit’ and ‘syphilis'” but colds and flu are far worse for young children and seniors so it could become a problem. Look for critics of the quarantine to have a field day if we see a serious cold and flu season.
It looks like people are already dealing with the return of the mundane, but highly-annoying common cold. CBS New York reported on one New Yorker who’s dealing with a cold.
“I had body aches. I was exhausted, fully congested,” said New York City resident Maggie McSpedon.
McSpedon says a terrible cold took her out for days. She hasn’t been sick in more than a year. She blames socializing without masks for the reemergence cold.
Baker’s whole family got sick after venturing out of their bubble, so she’s sticking to conducting interviews by Zoom.
Ultimately, having a cold sucks, but it’s a part of life and the best we can do is to protect the more vulnerable members of our population from becoming infected. After surviving the coronapocalypse, are we really going to start crying the blues about catching a head cold?
