Photo: Gustavo Amador / EFE
Despite a slight decline in cases and daily hospitalizations for covid-19, announced by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, authorities still recommend the community to be alert and not lower their guard against the virus.
This is because there are people who have been infected by second time, and despite the care, they do not know where the transmission occurred.
Roberto Estrada and his family were infected with covid- 19 for the first time in 2021, shortly before the existence of vaccines; the second time was a couple of weeks ago.
“We are all vaccinated and my wife and I have all three vaccines”, Estrada said referring to the reinforcement vaccine or ‘booster’. “My children they only have two vaccines [sin el refuerzo]”.
Due to the restricted social life that he has had since the pandemic began, the South Los Angeles resident said he probably got it at work but isn’t 100% sure.
“He didn’t hit me so hard, but he did hit my son,” he said.
Estrada said that in his case it was initially confusing to verify whether he was infected or not. He and his son work in a food pantry where they are tested every week. He said that on Monday, January 3, they were tested and three days later he received his results that he had tested positive.
Concerned He went to the Kedren clinic to have another test, on January 7, where this time it came back negative. He returned to work and on January They were tested again at work and it came back negative. However, five days later, his symptoms of covid-19 appeared and tested positive for the virus.
“Right now I only have a cough but we are coming out of this, we just had a good time cough and cough,” said Estrada, who now wonders if it will have long-term effects after being infected a second time.
A similar confusion faced Daniel Pérez, who works in a fast food restaurant. He also got covid-12 for the second time . The last time was last week.
He said that the 17 January began to feel unwell with many headaches and cough. He went to get tested and it was negative. However, his symptoms were very similar to those of covid and he decided to self-quarantine while he waited to get another test.
“I had to wait 24 for hours to get my next test and So there I did come out positive,” he said. “That’s where it made me sick… Out of nowhere I fell ill and then I was already shaking a lot.”He indicated that he returned on Sunday to take the test and it came out negative but by then he had already infected his partner, who is now in quarantine. He thinks that the contagion could have come from his co-workers or from a recent meeting he attended, but he is not sure either.
He said he had postponed going to get the booster shot because he didn’t miss work but with what happened, he will make his appointment for this weekend.
They question whether the covid is here to stay
There are people who believe that the covid came to stay and over time it will turn into something similar to the flu, which many get at least once a year.
However, Dr. Peter Hotez, who is a scientist and researcher, said that we must not lower our guard since the covid-19 has become one of the leading causes of death in the United States.
“Since last summer, 517,000 Americans have died from covid-19. Many of them are young adults,” said the expert during a recent presentation with This is our Shot —an entity dedicated to promoting vaccines and the work of health providers.
Since the pandemic began they have died 1200,000 people in the country because of covid-19 including its Delta and Omicron variants.
Hotez said that some people consider that the Omicron variant could be the end of the pandemic but indicated that the virus should not be minimized. He even commented that some of his colleagues who call him “omicold” comparing the virus with a regular flu but made it clear that they could be wrong.
“I don’t think that’s the case. I think Omicron will infect a lot of people… I think after that, his durability protection will wear off and then we’ll be just as susceptible as before to the next variant of concern.”
Indicated that being vaccinated and having received the ‘booster’ helps the virus affect it less seriously and reduces the risk of hospitalization.
“Vaccines resist very well against symptomatic disease, perhaps around 50% to 077% after receiving the dose of booster, and if you don’t have the booster, it doesn’t hold up as well against symptomatic disease at all, but then it goes down,” Hotez explained.
Los Angeles County reported this Tuesday 18,822 new cases of covid-19 ; in addition to 25 deaths. Of the total deaths 25 people had pre-existing conditions and 23 of them, were older than 65 years.