Covid-19 Confusion makes me mad

Keeping up with the news on Covid-19 and it's never-ending list of variants can be a challenge.  This week, I was out in our pasture when my neighbor yelled over, "We've both got Covid!"   (Nicest guy in the world BTW)  It does seem to chase nice people and infect them.

Our friends at the CDC have told as about BA1 and BA5 after Delta, Omicron and a few others.  Then recently it was XBB.1.5.  Some of the titles look like someone spilled alphabet soup.  It's not that we don't want to take them seriously but there have been so many and each one is another series of letters and numbers.

I read a story this week that the health care/lab people are giving them scary names so we'll notice.  The latest - XBB1.5 is now called Kraken as they borrow a name from the Scandinavian sea monster to make it sound more serious

It's not that the names make anyone discount the seriousness of the latest variants.  It's the confusion.  When we get word of a new variant, you will invariably see one story telling you it's highly contagious and the next article tells you the booster shot has you covered.  What's the most helpful thing to know?  Am I covered and is my family safe?  I've had 4 shots.    

I have no business dispensing advice on which news story to believe but I hope at some point, the science and medical community will get together on the information they put out.  Maybe Kraken will get more attention than XBB1.5.  I'd just like to ask them to not "Cry Wolf".  We often hear, "The MEDIA wants you to be scared".  For one thing, there is no such thing as "The MEDIA".  I've been working in broadcasting for decades which is part of "media" and there isn't any one source with an agenda that operate as THE MEDIA.  If it's your job to dispense information to the public, be clear.  If your story contradicts another, take a minute to work with the other source and when you agree on the actual story, tell the rest of us who are eager to learn.  It is NO HELP to have one story tell me about a variant that evades vaccines and then have another that says your vaccination and booster should have you protected.  This is serious stuff.  Which one are we supposed to believe?