Everyone keeps insisting
the pandemic is over
it's over. it's over.
but this morning
I saw a headline which noted
"Summer Covid surge
hits at least 84 countries
and continues to climb"
and as I read
and reread those words
I told myself
the pandemic is over
it's over. it's over.
—Plague Poems, August 2024
With a current death toll of over 7 million worldwide, COVID-19 is still sickening, disabling, and killing hundreds every day. Millions are living with long COVID, many of them previously healthy and now unable to work or do the things they love to do. President Joe Biden declared the pandemic "over" on 60 Minutes in September of 2022, and the government subsequently relaxed or ended COVID-19 reporting guidelines and programs, making it more challenging than ever to find clear, accurate data on risks, like infection rates and resulting long-term health issues. Given the current political climate, it seems unlikely to get any easier.
We all have pandemic fatigue. How could we not? But surveys have found that around 20% of Americans still view COVID as a major public health threat, and 50% remain concerned about long COVID. Many have faced hurdles and abuse — even legal action, in some states — for masking or otherwise continuing to mitigate risk. In response, support groups have emerged, where people are crowdsourcing the latest reliable info, sharing tips about local businesses that are friendly to the COVID-cautious, and venting about what it's like to navigate a world that seems to want you to just move on already.
COVID-19 is a public health and disability justice issue, and that means it's an LGBTQIA+ issue, a BIPOC issue, a feminist issue … it's everybody's problem to some degree. Whether you're already COVID-concious or just COVID-conscious-curious, this guide aims to make it easier to find the information and resources you need to make the right decisions for your health and that of those you care about.
Got a COVID-safer tip or resource for us? Let us know at Community@SeattleEmerald.org. This guide may be updated as we receive new information.
Since 2020, we've been hit with a firehose of information, much of it conflicting. And since the government scaled back public resources, including easing reporting guidelines, it's difficult to know where to look.
The virus is airborne. Health officials initially indicated it was transmitted through droplets but have since determined it primarily travels in the air we breathe. (But keep washing your hands.)
Between October and November 2024, 2,913 people died worldwide as a result of COVID-19 infection — and 2,033 of those deaths were in the U.S. alone, where it’s still the fourth-leading cause of death.
Long COVID impacts 6% of the U.S. population directly and many more indirectly, and is linked to everything from dangerous blood clots and stroke to POTS (a disease marked by heart rhythm disorder, cognitive impairment, and difficulty standing).
When people are infected with the virus — even in mild or asymptomatic cases — the virus can mutate inside them, learning to evade vaccines and immune systems and allowing them to pass on a stronger virus than the one they got.
Older adults are at the highest risk for serious illness or death resulting from COVID-19 infection.
COVID-19 can make children seriously ill, and the risk increases with underlying conditions, including asthma, congenital heart disease, and neurological conditions.
COVID-19 infection during pregnancy has been connected to infant neurological development issues, and pregnant people are at higher risk for serious illness and other complications.
Disabled people are at higher risk of infection, severe illness, long COVID, and death.
"We knew from previous research during the pandemic that people with pre-existing disabilities were having more difficulties getting the vaccines and were more likely to be exposed. … They not only have higher rates of long COVID, but they also have greater barriers to care, whether it's transportation, costs or other challenges."Jean Hall, Ph.D.
Getting vaccinated trains your immune system to fight COVID-19, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone stay up to date on vaccinations. Most insurance plans cover the vaccines, and Washington State has free and low-cost programs for children and underinsured adults.
Updated vaccines targeting the virus's latest mutations are released each fall, just like the flu and other annual shots, and you can usually find them at your local pharmacy. Find the latest vaccination information and guidelines on the CDC website, including how to get vaccinated if you lack transportation or are homebound. More info is also available at the Washington State Department of Health webpage.
Staying up to date with your vaccines provides added protection against COVID-19, and because some people can't get vaccinated for health reasons, when you get vaccinated, you're helping to protect others.
In addition to vaccinating and masking indoors and in crowds, many COVID-cautious folks use extra protection to stop the COVID-19 virus (and others) in its tracks. This can include higher-grade masks and over-the-counter (OTC) products and technology.
Not all masks are created equally: Cloth and surgical ones don't provide as much protection as KN95s, which aren't as good as N95s. All are surpassed by elastomeric masks that create a tighter seal against your skin (and are reusable). P.S.: If you have a beard, you're not getting a tight seal, unfortunately. So wear a better mask and consider additional precautions. Clean Air Crew lays out options here.
Whether at your local drug store or online, you can purchase OTC nose sprays, eye drops, and mouthwashes containing ingredients shown to be unfriendly to COVID. Many COVID-cautious folks don't go anywhere without applying one or more of these to decrease their chance of infection.
Many COVID-cautious folks also rely on technological solutions, from basic to advanced, to mitigate COVID risk — including personal air filters and air-quality monitors, homemade Corsi–Rosenthal boxes, and even far-UV light.
Every type of COVID home test is slightly different, so follow the instructions on your test to the letter, with one possible exception: Many recommend collecting samples from multiple locations to increase chances of virus detection. Extended expiration dates have been issued on many brands, so check your box against the latest from the Food and Drug Administration.
Even a faint "positive" line on your test indicates the test detected COVID-19 in your sample. In fact, even if your test looks negative, it's not a bad idea to take a photo and adjust the settings as described in this article just to be safe, and to repeat the test if results appear inconclusive.
Likewise, a "negative" result on an at-home rapid antigen test (RAT) does not mean you don't have COVID-19 and can't spread it to others. It's recommended to take more than one test for better accuracy and to test more than once over a period of days after possible exposure or symptoms begin. For better results, and to lower risks when gathering with loved ones, some high-risk people and otherwise COVID-cautious folks are turning to high-end testing systems, like Altruan's Pluslife products (comparable to PCR tests administered in medical facilities and currently only available overseas by mail order).
"Long COVID can include more than 200 symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms, like persistent fatigue, post-exertional malaise, brain fog, and sleep disturbance, are similar to those reported by people with ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) and other multi-system chronic complex diseases (msCCD). Patients with Long COVID may also present with single or multiple symptoms of varying severity."Open Medicine Foundation
According to recent studies, as many as 400 million people worldwide — including 6% of the U.S. population — have been impacted by or continue to suffer from long COVID. According to the CDC, long COVID can continue to cause health issues for months or years.
This tracker records what it calls "early indicators," including reported positive tests and emergency room visits resulting from COVID illness in the U.S. It also tracks "severity indicators," i.e., comparisons of both hospitalizations due to COVID symptoms and number of deaths occuring now and at around this time last year. Links let you drill down on specific data, including virus variants and national wastewater data.
Washington State Respiratory Illness Data Dashboard
You'll find the latest statewide COVID-19, flu, and RSV numbers on this dashboard, including things like how many hospital beds in the state are currently filled with COVID patients (averaging 405 per day as of this writing) and what percentage of hospitalized patients are admitted for COVID (currently 0.7%).
This data portal provides access to similar data at a King County level. Click through to dashboards tracking respiratory viruses, COVID-19 vaccinations, and the latest overall COVID-19 numbers for the county.
*Note that while health care providers are required to track and report positive COVID-19 tests, there's no such requirement for at-home RAT tests, meaning many positive tests go unreported.
In February 2022, The New York Times noted that the CDC had not been reporting important COVID-19 data, including wastewater data, which often tells a different story from reported infections, exposures, and so on.
Wastewater data tells us about pathogens, including COVID-19, the local population is shedding via excrement, and it can measure the amount locals have defecated into the sewage system. Even in asymptomatic cases, this data can detect the presence of the virus. People are less likely to self-report, the government is no longer tracking vigorously, and many infections may be written off as colds or the flu, so this data can help paint a more accurate picture of recent infection rates.
"With the increase in at-home testing and decreased masking requirements, wastewater data has potential to provide better insight into community spread of COVID-19 when paired with case data. Therefore, wastewater results can complement other surveillance sources, such as clinical testing and hospitalization data."Washington State DOH
Scroll down on this page to view data dashboards showing recent emergency room visits, results from local testing labs, and more.
Washington State DOH Wastewater Data
Broken down by county, this data is updated regularly, and you can download the latest version anytime.
Folks prioritizing COVID safety — many of whom have, to varying degrees, felt left behind by a society that behaves as though COVID-19 is a thing of the past, despite its ongoing impacts and data showing otherwise — often seek support and information in the one place they know they'll get a friendly ear and reputable sources: each other. Connect with fellow COVID-cautious folks and learn more about what people are doing to stay safe.
Covid Isn't Over is a support group for folks who are "Still Coviding," i.e., "still taking the ongoing pandemic seriously by listening to the experts, and taking all measures available to them to avoid contracting COVID."
Zero Covid Community on Reddit is an active discussion board with 25,000 members. "We are here to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, share info, and support one another."
"Still Coviding" groups are active on Facebook and other social media sites and are a fantastic way to connect with community, find out about COVID-cautious service providers and businesses, and learn about the latest technology being developed to battle viruses indoors and beyond.
Disability groups: Because disabled folks are often the most at risk for complications from COVID-19 infection, disability groups on social media often discuss COVID-19 risk and prevention.
Seattle Still Cares asks, "What can a community look like that prioritizes protecting each other amidst the continuing pandemic?" Check out its map of local businesses making an effort to be safer; its resource guide, with links to community discussions, virtual gatherings, online resources, and more; and its DIY Fit Test guide to help you ensure your mask is sealing well.
Mask Bloc Seattle provides free masks, COVID tests, and more in the Seattle area. Visit its Linktree for lots of COVID-safer information, and follow its Facebook page for the latest updates.
The People's CDC leverages the power of communication and collective action, working to make information readily available and, ultimately, to "provide the things we need to end the pandemic and to win an expanded social safety net and public health infrastructure for all." Download its Urgency of Equity Toolkit, which proposes ways to make schools safer and keep our communities healthy.
Clean Air Crew collects information on prevention through, you guessed it: clean air. Check out its resource page on mask types, which includes resources to help with purchasing masks, improving mask fit, and more.
*Support groups and websites are volunteer owned and maintained. Some resources may be out of date.
As we ponder the future in a world where COVID continues to impact the most vulnerable among us — and all of us to one degree or another — a question we might ask ourselves is, What do we want the world to look like where COVID is concerned? Should we — as a society, a country, a planet — accept long-term illness, disability, and death as just facts of life for those unlucky enough to pull the short straw? Or does this situation call for more action and accountability on the part of ourselves and our leaders?
Advocate for masking. This is easier than it sounds. Just by wearing a mask in public, you can make an impact — not only on the spread of illness but on the people around you. Feeling pressured to unmask at this stage is natural. But the "social proof" that masking provides tells others it's okay to mask and to still be cautious about making yourself and others sick. (More about social proof at the National Library of Medicine.)
Advocate for safer spaces. Just by asking questions about an event or a venue's plans and precautions, you signal that the community still cares about COVID safety and considers factors like air quality, mask requirements, social distancing, and more when planning which events to attend.
Advocate for clean air in classrooms, which not only helps protect children from getting and spreading the virus, but has been shown to have other benefits.
COVID-19 might be here to stay, but one of the many great things about being human is that we're adaptable. We lather on sunblock to avoid getting skin cancer; we normalized hand-washing, vaccines, seat belts, car seats, smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide detectors to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities; we outlawed smoking indoors in public places; we have helmet laws; and you're not allowed to drink and drive. We can hate masking and still do it, especially in high-risk situations. We can be sick of COVID-19, pun intended (too soon?), and also make meaningful efforts to protect ourselves and each other. We're smart, creative, and empathetic, and we've got this.
Marti McKenna is a writer and editor living and working in the South End. She has been a fiction editor and publisher, a games writer, a country/pop singer, and a pizza-slinger, among other things. She's proud to be a contributing writer and occasional editor for the South Seattle Emerald.
Jessie McKenna is a writer, editor, and artist living in Beacon Hill with two dogs, a herd of squirrels, and a large-breed husband. By day, you can often find her consulting for nonprofit organizations around Seattle.
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