I still don’t understand the perspective that it is possible to never be exposed to or contract SARS-CoV-2 if adhering to some or all efforts including masks, social distancing and a potential vaccine. Do people think this virus is going to be completely eliminated at some point in the near future without becoming forever endemic? Do people think a vaccine will offer permanent immunity, or plan to receive an annual vaccine every year going toward if vaccines only offer temporary immunity like we’d expect based upon our experience with influenza immunizations? At some point you will be exposed to this virus whether or not you have some natural or vaccine induced immunity of varying magnitude, and then either recover or not.
I think the majority of the world will be exposed and/or infected before a vaccine is widely available. I don’t get the sense that very many others believe this and it is an idea that definitely isn’t discussed much. I don’t trust the data regarding positive cases. I think it is the tip of the iceberg with the shape of the tip varying based upon many variables. The iceberg underneath the surface is exponentially larger though and dwarfs the shape of the small tip above the surface of cases we have diagnosed.
I tell young or middle aged relatively healthy people frequently that I think they possibly/probably have an infection with COVID-19 when they present with URI symptoms during the summer in the middle of a pandemic regardless of positive, negative or no testing. I’m frequently met with push back that they couldn’t possibly have it. People are in denial about it as they are worried about their own mortality, or they don’t want to be ostracized and forced to quarantine at home, or they have misconceptions about the virus from the media thinking that it couldn’t possibly just give you mild symptoms. I’ve seen plenty of physicians and nurses with mild coughing and sneezing this summer who state, “it’s just allergies” - even when they lose their voices with laryngitis. No one wants to get tested and miss work. Just like every year when no one wants to keep their kids out of school when sick. This virus is everywhere because we were never that serious about stopping its spread if too personally inconvenient. We’re altruistic as humans to an extent, but also inherently have a ‘me first,’ survival of the fittest mentality. Many mask up to help others, but go to work or school even if mildly sick based upon our own interests. That’s not an effective compromise.
. Still, more than one study has shown radiographic evidence of heart a/o lung damage in asymptomatic patients, suggesting the possibility of subclinical damage in people with mild/asymptomatic cases. Will this prove to be clinically significant in the long term, who knows, but I'd rather keep my cardpulm system intact and unharmed all the same.
