The WHO Has a Scary 20-Year Prediction for Maine, Massachusetts

Despite the fact that we had all seen how the COVID-19 pandemic affected life in Asia and Europe, I think we were all pretty surprised at how quickly life in the United States changed.  One day, we were going to work, attending classes, and enjoying time with friends.  The next day, our workplaces were closed, our kids were home from school, and our favorite entertainment venues had temporarily shut their doors.

For the next year, the pandemic up-ended our way of life.  We were separated from our loved ones, restrictions were put on large gatherings, and we saw a major economic upheaval.  Not to mention the incredible loss of life.

We made it through, though.

We have put the pandemic in the rearview, right?

Some experts say that we aren’t through the pandemic, but are still in the midst of it.

Over the last few weeks, we have heard about a new spike of COVID-19 infections, presumably brought on by holiday gatherings.  While not yet at the levels we saw during 2020, the numbers are creeping upward.

Recently, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization said that the pandemic is “far from over” and, after doing extensive water testing, they estimate the number of new infections if between two and 19 times what is being reported.

Why do they believe it is so under-reported?

The theory of World Health Organization scientists is that because of the number of people with some level of natural immunity (and the number of COVID jabs people have gotten), there are far more asymptomatic cases of the virus.  Unlike cases in 2020 and 2021, when most who got the virus stayed home because they were ill, people with these asymptomatic cases continue to make their way through our communities, spreading the virus.

This is where many people would ask, “If they are not getting sick, what is the problem?”

An understandable question.

One of the big concerns is that, while those who are asymptomatic don’t feel ill effects from the infection, they could infect someone who could end up getting seriously ill.

A recent New York Times article explained that the latest variant, JN.1, is considered to be far more deadly than previous versions of the virus.  So if an asymptomatic person ends up passing that variant on to someone who ends up getting sick, it could kill them.

Additionally, experts at the World Health Organization are concerned about long-term affects of repeated COVID-19 infections.  They wonder what heart or lung issues we could see in 10, 15, or 20 years.

There is also some concern that repeated infections could lead to more people ending up with "long COVID".

Despite their concerns, they have yet to suggest we go back to pandemic restrictions.