> Getting COVID is to be avoided at all costs

What does that mean and how is it not self-defeating? As in presumably one avoids covid due to its adverse impact on quality of life. But if you're willing to fully sacrifice your quality of life, then my assumption must be flawed.

What's the value you're maximizing here?

my read of the diabetes tie is that it is unlikely that covid causes diabetes but rather that the causality could be both ways, with obesity or other medical confounders making Covid experiences more severe.

this doesn't diminish the importance of the tie, but rather should just reveal that what we've always known about covid remains true - its a serious disease and having other underlying medical issues makes it significantly worse.

i would bet against any conclusion however that having covid makes kids more likely to develop diabetes.

There's no avoiding it.

That's an unproductive, defeatist attitude.

With proper discipline, it is straightforward to avoid it.

A scientific research station in Antartica was recently hit with a COVID outbreak[1]. 11 workers caught the virus. If the most remote human settlement on Earth can't protect itself from COVID, what makes you think anyone else can?

[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59848160

Their discipline was insufficient

This virus will probably be around and mutating forever, like the flu. It's impractical to try to avoid catching the flu virus for the rest of your life, just as with COVID. Sure it's possible, but that's no way to live.

I'm willing to wear a mask indoors, whenever I am around people outside my household, forever. I'm also willing to get booster vaccines every 6 months forever. I'm pretty ok with giving up indoor dining in restaurants as well.

THIS is the defeatist attitude, not the other way around. I am not willing to get lackluster boosters every 6 months - leaky vaccines that likely caused omicron and that have the highest rate of VAERS reports ever. Are people really this misinformed?

Wait a minute. How does a vaccine cause a virus?

I do agree with you about that being a defeatist attitude.

As someone who is hard of hearing I can't wait for people to stop wearing masks.

On the other hand, I wish we knew more how this is transmitted. People eating indoors isn't the main vector of transmission. And masks don't help much either. And eventually getting a booster every 6 months won't do much either

You can obviously do whatever you want to do. Understand you're in a miniscule minority however.

I agree with all these points. Wearing masks is now normalized so the likelihood of getting flu is also greatly reduced. Also, the disgusting handshaking habit is gone as well. Many wins.

Touching another human’s hand is disgusting? This type of fear may be the worst form of “long covid” symptoms to develop from this disease.

Handshaking isn't gone.

Have fun with that. I'm sure Pfizer has your best interests at heart.

No one will be able to avoid exposure. Measures like social distancing and masks aren't sustainable, and they're not completely effective either. Fortunately the vaccines and other treatments are very effective at preventing deaths.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/vinay-prasad/94646