I thought I might start sharing stories that I come across1. Sometimes we can better relate to a story about an individual than big picture statistics or political ideologies - when you hear the plight of an individual it brings it all into sharp focus.
So this one to start (bits omitted for privacy)…
So in May my next door neighbour ended up in ER - a triathlete, 42 yrs old.
The day before he ended up in ER he had biked 50km, went to work in the morning, but by lunch felt so suddenly ill his wife took him to ER.
Within a few days he was intubated and declining - all with very high spiking fevers that would never come down. He had Pfizer 2 weeks prior to this event.
The doctors tested him for covid 4 times and said it wasn’t covid (first clue they realised they were dealing with a cytokine storm), they told the family it was a random virus. I asked the family what virus it was. The doctors told them it was a random virus from a random animal. OMG!
When I had asked about the shots my neighbour was very upset with my questions and ignored me, then finally in one breathe said "Yes he had his shots but the doctors said this has absolutely nothing to do with it."
The doctors told his wife he would go home soon. However I knew, from other doctor friends who knew the case, that he was experiencing kidney and heart failure. 2 days later my neighbour says he is on dialysis.
2 weeks later as he continued to decline and they cytokine storm ravaged....he passed.
To this day my neighbours say it was a random virus from a random animal. I asked them one time “Did anyone else in the area get this virus?” No, they said. I also wanted to ask "So if you think this is a virus, why would a healthy athletic 42 year old suddenly be so weak he succumbs to a random virus?" But I held my tongue.
Could this have been from one of the new variants that can't be found using a nasal swab?