Fighting the Mutants Among Us
Unless you’ve been avoiding all information about COVID-19, you know that there are now variants or mutations of the original virus. The first mutation was identified in the United Kingdom; soon after, another was identified in South Africa, and finally, another in Brazil. Will there be more? Undoubtedly. Is it a big deal? Maybe.
If a variant doesn’t respond to current treatments or one of the current vaccines, that’s a problem. If we’ve had the virus and it doesn’t respond to the antibodies we’ve developed, we have to start over again. We don’t know if those problems will show up; at this point, we just don’t have enough data.
But there’s one thing that we can do. We can try to avoid catching the COVID-19 virus in the first place, no matter which variant we get. While we may get a mild form of the original or variant viruses, the longer the virus stays in our body, the more it replicates. And every time it replicates, it gets a chance to try something new: to mutate. With an increase in replication comes an increase in the odds of another successful mutation. The virus can learn how our bodies attack it and, simply by wildly reproducing itself, increase the odds a variant will survive. We spew the variant virus without knowing it, and voila, another mutant gets a chance to spread.
We are each part of the first line of defense: if we deny the virus a host, we remove its chance to replicate and mutate.
You personally could be the one person who stops the next deadlier mutation by not giving it a place to do its dirty work. That’s why we need to deny the virus a chance to get inside our noses and mouths; even if you’ve been fully vaccinated, do everything you can to keep the virus out of your body. Double up on masks, social distance, wash your hands—you know the drill. Apply the Swiss Cheese COVID Protection approach. In this case, we’re trying not to catch it, not to give it a chance to replicate and mutate, and not to spread it.
Be a hero: don’t give the virus a chance to invade and mutate.
The Bottom Line
I know if we had our druthers, we wouldn’t bother with masks and so on, but the overwhelming feeling I get is that we just want this to be over. Let’s all work to that end by doing what we have to do to stop the virus in its tracks.
The title of tomorrow’s Super Bowl Webinar is Aging with a Vengeance. Dealing with viruses and other health challenges is a part of that.
What are you prepared to do today?
