The downhill slope

Exhaustion, headaches, congestion. Whatever strain of COVID this is, you don’t want to get it.

Tracy and I got our second Omicron booster in early May. I spent some time online today trying to figure out which variant we might have, and all I did was run into a bewildering alphabet of old, new, and on-the-horizon strains of the disease. XBB.1.5 is the variant from which most of the new strains have descended, and it’s the one targeted by the boosters that will become available at the end of September. So I’m assuming we got some strain of this XBB.1.5 virus, but who knows? All I can say is, when they start giving those shots at your local CVS or Walgreens, make an appointment and get it. And schedule your flu shot for the same visit, because several stories I read said that the “uptake” is improved for both shots if you get them together.

Then there’s the new RSV vaccine for everyone over 60. We plan on getting that one, too, but not until a couple of weeks have passed after the COVID and flu shots, because there are reports from testing that reactions to the RSV shot can be bad if given at the same time as COVID and flu. So it’s at least two trips to the old pharmacy this fall, folks, and trust me: I don’t care how far you have to drive or how long you have to wait, it will be worth it. Whatever the hell variant of XBB we have, it’s a real pain to deal with.

For Tracy and me, the exhaustion and headaches and coughing have strung us along for more than a week now. I’m a little better than Tracy at the moment, but we think I came down with it first, so that figures.

I’m going to get back to the column the minute the headaches and exhaustion recede. But for now, we are both taking it easy.

Wear a mask if you’re going to be inside around people. It’s a bother to be back where we were a year or so ago, but you don’t want this version of COVID, so take care of yourselves.