An expression pretty much all of us have heard at some point is: “Gone But Not Forgotten”. This statement is usually invoked at funerals and memorial events honoring a person/people that have made positive impacts on others’ lives. Yes, they may not be here with us anymore physically, but their impacts on our lives will never be forgotten.
I am going to change this a bit for purposes of this blog to lament: “Forgotten But Not Gone”. In this case, I am referring to the Covid virus and mutations that have dramatically and very much negatively impacted all of our lives. As a primary care physician, I do not need to read articles about whether the number of cases is rising or falling. I simply need to go to work and see how many “sick” patients call for appointments that week and how many of these turn out to be Covid cases. I can tell you unequivocally that the virus is on the move again. I am seeing LOTS of people with Covid infections. Moreover, whether a person is immunized, boosted, had Covid in the past or other, this seems to be attacking people indiscriminately.
The good news: the cases I am seeing are not serious in nature. Bad sore throat, muscle aches, fatigue and cough…not the real bad stuff many people experienced in the past.
The bad news: This virus seems to find ways to reinvent itself and keeps coming at us time and time again…not once a year like the flu.
Why I am I writing about Covid in a weight control blog once again? We should not forget that the most major risk factor for developing severe Covid illness/hospitalization/death is obesity (and the related co-morbidities).
Pretty much all of us, including me, have “CFS” (Covid Fatigue Syndrome) and are “done” with masks, avoiding events, staying locked down at home, watching Netflix etc. Watching people walk around without masks, resuming cruises and airline taking vacations and other “normal” activities suggest that we all have just about had it and we will now go back to “normal”.
The point of today’s entry: Please do not let your guard down to a great extent. Cases are peaking again and a great motivator to control that weight is NOT to be one of those “very sick/dying” cases when the more virulent strains hit us once again.
The virus is NOT gone but it is being forgotten. Try to not let this mindset impact you and your loved ones. Be cautious, mindful and continue to hammer away at that weight.
