Take this with a grain of salt
As Covid-19 approaches its second birthday, we are hearing about promising new drugs that may be able to treat the infection. While these treatments should eventually save many lives, we must take the news with a grain of salt.
First, these treatments are still experimental, and are likely months away from even emergency approval. We have seen the public embrace promises of an easy “cure” to justify risky behaviors. Why get jabbed or mask up when a quick injection of bleach, lysol, ivermectin, or sunshine will cure all ills?
Keeping people from dying is only half of the battle. We have to stop new infections from happening or we will never be rid of this pandemic.
When the virus enters a fresh host, it multiplies and mutates. If you are hit hard with a high initial load of virus, the disease will overwhelm your immune system and use your body as a boot camp for evolving into a stronger, more contagious, and more deadly variant.
But if you wear a mask, you will contract less of the virus. And if you are vaccinated, your immune system will have a head start killing whatever sneaks past your mask. You won’t get as sick, and your body has better odds of killing what’s left before it can mutate and spread to others.
Natural immunity in Covid survivors potentially only lasts for about three months. So if you believe natural immunity is the answer, be prepared to get as many as four Covid infections per year. Vaccination provides about eight months of enhanced protection on top of whatever other defenses your body (and mask) already provide.
So while I applaud the development of new treatments, I worry that many will see these headlines and get a false sense of security. We have seen how infection rates spike the moment we drop our guard. Get vaccinated. Get the booster. Wear a mask. Survive.
Ministry of Trvth is an IT professional, artist, and activist who believes that the greatest threat to our society is the rampant flow of disinformation. A lie is a virus that attacks the mind, and we need to develop herd immunity together.