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General Mar 24, 2026 at 6:03 PM

New Covid variant has been identified and is already spreading in 25 states

Posted by Beneficial-Long-7033


https://www.the-independent.com/news/health/covid-variant-us-travelers-wastewater-b2944619.html

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stumonji Mar 25, 2026 +1489
Cool. I was worried War was starting to outpace Pestilence in the Apocalympics. Glad to see he's still putting up a good fight. 
1489
Got_Kittens Mar 25, 2026 +249
Famine coming in 3..2..
249
Independent-Wave-744 Mar 25, 2026 +31
Famine is already about. Got a real big boost when a certain someone shuttered a certain agency.
31
The_Smeckledorfer Mar 25, 2026 +67
No too early for that. We would have this outcome if we perked the destroy climate path more but it turns out our advances in war and pandemics are too fast for this to really have an effect. But if for some miricale we make it another ~20-50 years then yes famine will be a big problem.
67
Cool-Tap-391 Mar 25, 2026 +45
300 farms filed chapter 12 last year. It's coming.
45
GN0K Mar 25, 2026 +22
And 1 in 4 farmers can't get fertilizer today.
22
Alphadice Mar 25, 2026 +27
Yeah, and Vances company is buying up as many as he can. That's a feature not a bug.
27
Corosis99 Mar 25, 2026 +16
The majority of the world's fertilizer goes through the strait of hormuz. who gets credit for those deaths? it's on a delayed schedule but it's going to happen regardless.
16
[deleted] Mar 24, 2026 +1615
[removed]
1615
Fun-Macaron-3247 Mar 25, 2026 +70
Ayeeeee me too friend! Me too
70
dengar_hennessy Mar 25, 2026 +231
I'm not dying before that fat f***
231
yamirzmmdx Mar 25, 2026 +56
The fat f*** has the best medical treatments funded by us. But he does have such a shitty lifestyle and dementia. It's going to be tight.
56
DriveLife1177 Mar 25, 2026 +21
I needed this laugh so bad today
21
saturdaysun9 Mar 24, 2026 +82
Idk how this isn’t the topic comment 😂
82
freeguwopburrr Mar 25, 2026 +18
Oh it is
18
Old-Show9198 Mar 25, 2026 +6
Funniest comment ever
6
[deleted] Mar 24, 2026 +1540
[deleted]
1540
Jeremisio Mar 24, 2026 +619
The one place ICE agents aren’t wearing masks are where they really should be.
619
[deleted] Mar 24, 2026 +363
[deleted]
363
SoftlySpokenPromises Mar 24, 2026 +168
Turns out members of criminal organizations tend to not like being on camera.
168
mjconver Mar 24, 2026 +47
Just another Venn diagram
47
Blitzking11 Mar 24, 2026 +20
Not a Venn diagram if it's just two overlaid circles.
20
mjconver Mar 24, 2026 +27
I'm such a math nerd, that after I laughed at your joke, I thought, "well, *technically* in the set theory that defines Venn's model, two identical circles are just a special case of the general model"
27
deefunkt01 Mar 24, 2026 +17
*You're* a special case of the general model. (couldn't resist)
17
DustShallEatTheDays Mar 24, 2026 +11
That’s why they’re mostly sending the brown agents. They’re expendable.
11
Fievels_good_trouble Mar 24, 2026 +32
None of them wore masks the first time. Standing maskless in public like 5’3” middle fingers to their neighbors during a pandemic is their natural habitat.
32
djnato10 Mar 24, 2026 +8
And those are tools that will refuse to wear a mask too so perfect.
8
IsopodIndependent553 Mar 24, 2026 +5
Just in time for healthcare to totally collapse.
5
LegitimateSituation4 Mar 24, 2026 +19
At least ICE will be safe since they don't leave their house without a mask 😒
19
mjconver Mar 24, 2026 +20
You need to search some recent videos. Some ICE goons were running away in panic at the airport because people were filming them. It was ROTFL to watch them.
20
sicilian504 Mar 24, 2026 +13
Hey but at least we've got a president who.....oh....oh no. Not again.
13
Indercarnive Mar 24, 2026 +11284
It's ok, we'll stop testing asap and then we won't have any reported cases. Because that's how things work.
11284
ProximaC Mar 24, 2026 +2445
RFK will be telling us all to drink whole milk that's been sneezed in because it'll cleanse your colon.
2445
GMN123 Mar 24, 2026 +572
I mean, he's not wrong, especially if you're lactose intolerant
572
ProximaC Mar 24, 2026 +285
Just like Draino. It'll get the job done but it wrecks the pipes.
285
agentrnge Mar 25, 2026 +109
\*croaks in RFK\* "But iT doEs wOndeRs foR .. mY sPEaKiNg vOiCe"
109
mreddog Mar 24, 2026 +44
Nah the pipes will be fine. They’re covered in micro plastics..
44
Clunas Mar 24, 2026 +72
Just follow it up with liquid plumber, duh
72
Complete-Thought-375 Mar 24, 2026 +22
No no no. After the draino is when you are supposed to snort the cocaine off the toilet seat.
22
huitoto44 Mar 24, 2026 +6
I usually just stick a silicone stopper in
6
Both_Painter7039 Mar 25, 2026 +9
sure, it’ll clean you out, but it’ll leave you hollow inside.
9
Gunhild Mar 24, 2026 +21
Draino has been Mandela Effect-ed out of existence. All we got in this timeline is Drano.
21
SarahPallorMortis Mar 24, 2026 +7
As someone who is currently on the toilet for about the 20th time today, is lactose intolerant, this is pure evil. I have no idea what I ate but I’d like for this hell to never find me again.
7
AccountNumber478 Mar 24, 2026 +11
What if you actually lack toes thanks to amputation from frostbite or diabeetus?
11
fazelanvari Mar 25, 2026 +5
Then you need taller aunts.
5
_eternallyblack_ Mar 24, 2026 +67
Just snort it off a toilet seat.
67
wtfdyt79 Mar 25, 2026 +6
Or urinal
6
legitimateaccount123 Mar 24, 2026 +109
I'm planning to get ahead of this and brush my teeth with bear semen just to be safe
109
GMN123 Mar 24, 2026 +96
What's your plan for collecting it?  Stealth, romance or brute force? 
96
Poiboy1313 Mar 24, 2026 +72
Honeytrap, duh. So, a combo.
72
MilmoWK Mar 24, 2026 +28
[SupertroopersBearFucker.GIF]
28
JohnBrownOH Mar 24, 2026 +6
Do you need assistance!?!?!
6
Pumperkin Mar 24, 2026 +17
Depends on how the dice shake out.
17
bathwhat Mar 24, 2026 +5
Wash it down with a cup of warm beef tallow fat too
5
DeadInternetTheorist Mar 24, 2026 +36
Love getting all my advice for healthy living by a guy who sounds like a Coinstar sorting a fistful of machine screws and posts videos of himself covered in bugs
36
artwarrior Mar 24, 2026 +19
Don't forget to heat up the virus by working out in jeans.
19
SadFeed63 Mar 24, 2026 +9
Tell us to rub grizzly bear cum all over our bodies and form a protective barrier of virile toughness, and then in a week they'll announce Trump brand grizzly bear cum (made in China)
9
Curious-Situation589 Mar 24, 2026 +5
I did that before it was popular.
5
alexefi Mar 24, 2026 +6
Dont forget to mention that Whole milk with a W.
6
_Nightbreaker_ Mar 25, 2026 +5
I heard the best way to drink raw whole milk is to drink it directly from a male cow.
5
ForgettableUsername Mar 25, 2026 +5
The Department of Health and Human Services says that sneeze doesn’t exist.
5
kaisadilla_ Mar 25, 2026 +7
RFK working full time to read all medical knowledge and consult with experts to make sure he doesn't accidentally promote a solution that works.
7
Buttercut33 Mar 24, 2026 +5
RAW milk, not whole milk. RFK jr keeps saying whole milk now that it's getting people sick.
5
KamiNoItte Mar 24, 2026 +6
I read that as sneezed into your colon…
6
Kalelisagod Mar 25, 2026 +4
Is it whole milk or raw milk. I thought he was pushing raw milk because pasteurization is for pussies
4
Trick_Quiet3484 Mar 25, 2026 +5
If that doesn’t work, didn’t they say we can use bleach?
5
perrin68 Mar 24, 2026 +3
You mean whole RAW milk woth extra TB added. Thats Tuberculosis.
3
biznash Mar 24, 2026 +3
“DrInK WhOlE MiLk tHAat HaAs BeEn SnEeEeEzZeD iN”
3
RachelWWV Mar 25, 2026 +4
And he'll do it himself for $1,000 a quart
4
25point4cm Mar 25, 2026 +5
No thanks. I’ll stick cocaine and toilet seats, thank you.
5
[deleted] Mar 24, 2026 +9
[deleted]
9
BearBearBingo Mar 24, 2026 +4
LOL, beat me to it. Let's not villify whole milk, haha
4
strega_bella312 Mar 24, 2026 +254
Just like bird flu, and now there are dead geese all over westchester county in NY but there's no news coverage for...reasons
254
adventureremily Mar 24, 2026 +110
Dozens of sea lions are dying from bird flu here on the central coast of California. They've had to close one of our state parks because of it. Not a single bit of news coverage. Edit: elephant seals, not sea lions.
110
PrincipleFlaky Mar 25, 2026 +20
Oh I’m familiar with it… its horrible .. I get it in my news feed because my algo knows me. i think it’s mostly because they consider it more of a ‘local’ story (I know that’s stupid as hell, because clearly it’s not local ) and the massive number of sick/dead elephant seals centered around, Año Nuevo State Park? 27 dead elephant seals and MANY more dead (presumed positive) along with one sea lion and a southern sea otter in that exact area, altho, it’s worth mentioning again this isn’t happening in a vaccum, and as far north is as Point Reyes and as south as Pismo/SanLuOb. And that’s just March 2026 outbreak. But also conversely, way down south like Chile, Peru, and Argentina ! so it’s not isolated, nor is it a local story. It’s important because it’s crossing over. Which may make it more likely that a zoonotic infection pattern can happen, crossing can become consistent create a stronghold and then… yea not good. And even though the H 1 N 1 (HPAI) highly pathogenic avian influenza, has been circulating since before Covid (I know because I did bird rescue and I was constantly disinfecting and hypervigilant, for fear that I would track H1N1 and spread it to other birds, so I was doing Covid protocol before Covid hit… ) oddly Because what a lot of people don’t realize that Canadian geese or the mallard duck lots of these birds, waterfowl who fly over our North American continent all the time great distances, are asymptomatic carriers, and shed it in their fecal matter. And then people who work around birds (if they work around turkeys or more specifically chickens). Are at a higher incidents of actually contracting the bird flu from a bird. It happens, has happened and now that the CDC is.. idk do they even do Disease surveillance anymore? Honestly, I don’t know what’s happening with half of our governmental agencies… but this is exactly the kind of nightmare scenarios Hollywood movies are made out of… life, imitating art, imitating life, imitating art and it’s so easy for humans to succumb to super virulent strains of the flu.. You know, people don’t know what they don’t know. And shit, the Spanish influenza killed more people than World War I! People were dying from Disease left and right and it could happen again, and just because we have vaccines? Or _have had_ vaccines… doesn’t mean we are necessarily any more prepared.. Sorry this is something that really upsets me a great deal! Because of the loss of avian life first and foremost, and then unnecessary loss of other animals too, and that it’s crossing over the mammal threshold and into other species more and more!? I mean, if that’s not a red alarm flashing I don’t know what is.. Sorry, I realize I’m rambling. I’m dictating so… edit and this is why I’m upset is because the CDC or some other scientists were tasked with trying to create vaccines that could inoculate birds en masse, I don’t know if it wasn’t practical or if they lost funding :/ :( or what but it seems like that should’ve been something that should be focusing on like, sharpish! .. again I’m ranting because, one dead bird or sea creature is one too many if we have the method means to prevent it ..thanks for listening .. God help us all!
20
adventureremily Mar 25, 2026 +4
The *only* reason I had heard about it is because a friend is involved in the outbreak response, and even then it was just mentioned in passing (which is why I misremembered sea lions rather than elephant seals). I haven't seen it in local news or anything.
4
PrincipleFlaky Mar 25, 2026 +5
Oh I’m sorry **you’re not wrong. It’s also sea lions too**! I’m sorry I’m dictating. Yeah, this is just the March 2026 outbreak hit the elephant seals really hard … then I’m talking about. Yeah sea lions are historically dying on the CA coast and farther down the Pacific too Peru, chile, Argentina.!! It’s scary, and I think someone further up in the thread, said dolphins as well in the Gulf of Mexico, if I read that right? If I’m wrong. I admin to see if I can find that comment, so yeah it’s happening everywhere. It’s terrifying and awful. Edit. Sorry I had to fix punctuation and grammar. I’m dictating and it’s just a mess.
5
ScottsTot2023 Mar 25, 2026 +7
We are screwwwdeed
7
CharleyNobody Mar 24, 2026 +144
There’s coverage in the Hamptons of geese deaths because hundreds of corpses are being picked up and the town is bulldozing the beach and burying them in the sand. Summer should be fun Even the Daily Fail is covering it [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15645095/Hamptons-beach-bird-flu-dead-geese.html](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15645095/Hamptons-beach-bird-flu-dead-geese.html)
144
Fit-Switch-5795 Mar 24, 2026 +37
A ginormous gaggle of grey goose ghosts, ghost of gone geese, haunting and harassing the hapless holidayers of the Hamptons? Buried bodies of big birds being built into buildings of sand? Ooh.
37
garbagegoat Mar 24, 2026 +7
This reads like a bi-line from some old newspaper 
7
Granny_knows_best Mar 24, 2026 +25
Dozens of dead dolphins in the north Gulf Of Mexico beaches.
25
itisrainingweiners Mar 24, 2026 +33
It's getting so hard to get to a doctor in a timely manner that unless they're going to the hospital, I'm betting most are going unreported. I know the one time the past year I thought I had Covid, my only option was urgent care and those places are just nightmares. If you don't have Covid going in, someone else in the crammed-in-like-sardines room probably does and is willing to share. My elderly father lives with me, I can't take a chance at the plague zoo and possibly get him sick.
33
felldestroyed Mar 25, 2026 +13
I don't know what a bill looks like for democrats and universal Healthcare but urgent cares must have reform. The largest conglomerate in my city (philly) is staffed almost exclusively with NPs who will treat very, very minor conditions but typically export you to the hospital if there's any doubt. In the 90s/00s urgent cares could treat for a host of issues - up to even broken bones. Now it's basically a minute clinic with lackluster clinicians that couldn't hack it at a hospital/doctors office.
13
TheOriginalKrampus Mar 25, 2026 +35
Shit’s scary. I know someone who accidentally brought covid home a year or so ago, and it ended up killing their parent. This is still a pandemic. Covid never stopped being dangerous. People just got tired, and the government just told us we had to go back to work. Covid is still out here disabling people, and killing the already disabled. Children are catching it over and over again, and who knows how it’s going to affect their developing minds and bodies.
35
sonicsludge Mar 25, 2026 +4
I went so far as to get a new primary that's subscription-based, doesn't take a copay, just charges a flat monthly fee. I need back surgery for my roto scoliosis, and finally getting it done was my New Year's resolution. Since meeting with him on Jan 13th, I've been having an ongoing email exchange. He's already got me lined up at Mayo 4/7 with a nurosurgeon, who had their requested MRI done (he reviewed them that day and forwarded them to Mayo before emailing me he'd done so, I had imaging done at 5:30 pm!) and started physical therapy. It would have been a nightmare trying to do this through a regular doctor, and it was totally worth $80 a month on top of my normal insurance for my particular situation. Still, this type of direct primary care is how you side-step all the bullshit!
4
BabyBearBjorns Mar 24, 2026 +48
And dont worry, it'll be gone by Easter. /s
48
Everlasting_Erection Mar 24, 2026 +39
Let’s send ICE after it
39
ClawPaw3245 Mar 24, 2026 +11
Yup, this is how you do it. Let’s also declare an end to the public health emergency so that people can continue to catch COVID over and over, but have more limited access to resources and support as they do so. And then… watch them celebrate… sigh.
11
OkPosition4563 Mar 24, 2026 +63
You guys still test? I am not even aware if I can get a test here in Switzerland. My wife works in the hospital and no one gets tested anymore. Just like no one gets tested for the common cold. If you show any symptoms of the common cold they run the typical slightly increased hygine routines, thats it. Around here no one vaccinates anymore, no one tests anymore and literally no one talks about it anymore.
63
[deleted] Mar 24, 2026 +16
[deleted]
16
KathrynTheGreat Mar 25, 2026 +8
You don't even need to be in the vulnerable population to get a flu or covid vaccine in the US. You can just walk into pretty much any p******* and get them for free if you have insurance. A lot of people don't bother getting them, though.
8
sp332 Mar 24, 2026 +11
12 states stopped testing (participating in SCAN) years ago. https://www.patreon.com/posts/covid-march-19-153403657
11
BobTheFettt Mar 24, 2026 +10
Don't worry, RFK jr is on the case
10
AccountNumber478 Mar 24, 2026 +5
*"If we didn't do any testing, we would have very few \[COVID19\] cases."* \- POTUS 45
5
PBFT Mar 24, 2026 +4090
Not new, it was first identified in 2024 and was confirmed in the US in June 2025. The fact that it didn't spread like wildfire like the old 'new variants' should put things in perspective. It's not something to lose sleep over. Also worth noting that the few identified people who were hospitalized survived and had other health conditions that would make any other virus more harmful to them.
4090
Kruse Mar 24, 2026 +959
Just like the flu, it's ever changing.
959
iwrestledarockonce Mar 24, 2026 +545
And kills grandma.
545
damscomp Mar 24, 2026 +98
Maybe your grandma. My grandma was killed by youth in Asia.
98
joseph_a90 Mar 25, 2026 +35
Well, my grandma got run over by a reindeer.
35
Spork_the_dork Mar 24, 2026 +47
Just like the flu.
47
Snuffy1717 Mar 25, 2026 +6
It's the millennial retirement plan!
6
[deleted] Mar 24, 2026 +145
[removed]
145
comfortablynumb0629 Mar 24, 2026 +77
….or just send them home?
77
Oscar_Ramirez Mar 24, 2026 +22
You have been deemed an enemy of the state. Prepare for complete and total annihilation.
22
Pbpopcorn Mar 24, 2026 +22
Hopefully WITH PAY
22
yesrushgenesis2112 Mar 24, 2026 +43
You have sick people work regular hours and put the impetus on *them* to wear masks to prevent the spread of disease? I’ve got a solution to your problem!
43
Lescaster1998 Mar 24, 2026 +39
Welcome to America my friend, you think we're gonna let the peasants stop working just because they're *sick?* That's time they could be using to make rich people richer!
39
theswiftarmofjustice Mar 24, 2026 +20
They won’t ever give full sick pay in the US. Corporations would much rather have dead workers, and that’s not hyperbole.
20
Mewchu94 Mar 24, 2026 +18
I don’t know anything about rocket appliance surgery but it sounds a lot like it to me.
18
church1138 Mar 24, 2026 +4
It's an old Trailer Park Boys joke. A Rickyism. Water under the fridge man, takes all kinds.
4
Icy-Reflection5574 Mar 24, 2026 +7
Maybe they are not fit to work when they are sick, blanketswithsmallpox?
7
TheGreatGamer1389 Mar 24, 2026 +3
I'll wear one for 10 days if it means I avoid wearing one for like 2 freaking years!
3
Bigoweiner Mar 24, 2026 +17
You sound like a shitty employer.
17
BAnimation Mar 24, 2026 +191
Long Covid has ruined 400 million lives. I'm not afraid of dying from Covid, but what Covid can do to the brain absolutely should terrify any sober minded person.
191
Bovronius Mar 24, 2026 +110
What measles does to the brain should outright horrify all of humanity...but here in the states, the vax rates are going down...down...down...
110
KathrynTheGreat Mar 25, 2026 +30
FYI for anyone worried about measles: your doctor can do a titers test to see if you still have immunity from your childhood mmr vaccines. If you need to, then you can get revaccinated. It doesn't necessarily mean you can't still get measles, but it's less likely.
30
SillyBillyCrazyDazy Mar 25, 2026 +23
I've had it for just over a year. When I'm not getting ready for work, or at work, I am in bed exhausted. I have gone to the gym or worked out daily for 20 years. I haven't been to the gym in at least 6 months and I can't imagine ever going again. Working out made me feel so good.
23
SH4D0WSTAR Mar 24, 2026 +56
hear hear. It's why I still take precautions. I think many readers aren't expressing concern because there's a feeling that "we're not going to experience another 2020 'deadly virus causes shutdown', so it's OK." But the real concern isn't the risk of a shutdown / deadly pandemic...it's the long-term, disabling effects. This headline doesn't concern me because we've been through so many variants already, and taking precautions means that they don't impact my immediate circle.
56
2MuchNonsenseHere Mar 25, 2026 +21
I'm sure it affected billions, but most people don't even have the self-awareness to attribute their new-or-worsened issues to COVID infections.
21
Jealous_Difference44 Mar 24, 2026 +190
I was unfazed reading the headline anyway. Can't stop whats coming
190
Kitagawasans Mar 24, 2026 +137
Long Covid is a thing. It still can lead to life long complications, disability, etc.
137
samdajellybeenie Mar 24, 2026 +94
Yeah, you do not want long COVID. My friend got COVID a few times over the years, developed long COVID and now has POTS. She gets dizzy basically whenever she stands up. Not something to mess around with.
94
KathrynTheGreat Mar 25, 2026 +19
That's why I still get vaccinated every year. I already have RA so I take meds that suppress my immune system, and the thought of getting another lifelong debilitating illness terrifies me. I'm sorry about your friend. I know someone with POTS and it sounds awful.
19
Mistrblank Mar 25, 2026 +6
Pretty sure that it triggered ALS with my mother. She got a sore throat after having COVID for 3 of the previous Christmas'. Started with a sore throat that wouldn't go away. It was the first sign her vocal chords weren't communicating with her brain. And last year I took a near blackout tumble running and playing with my kid on blacktop. I couldn't react to my forward momentum so I landed in a bit of a skid, first coming down on my right wrist which was severely sprained. Took skin off both palms, both knees and scuffed my upper chest. I've never had that before. You've got me wondering about POTS.
6
aniftyquote Mar 25, 2026 +29
It's also the leading cause of disability in children. Good thing that public schools have shit air filtration systems compared to private and no one wears masks anymore 🙃 gotta make sure the kids get exposed a dozen times every year
29
Kaiisim Mar 24, 2026 +71
Unless you're unvaccinated! In the last 28 days WHO recorded 1.5k deaths from COVID, and 1.2k of those were in the US.
71
chillychili Mar 25, 2026 +18
Our best estimate of how many people actually died (not just recorded) from COVID-19 in the US in the last 28 days is 3700-7100. https://www.pmc19.com/data/index.php
18
Tardislass Mar 25, 2026 +10
Yeah no problem. People with long covid still have trouble with their lungs and one friend now get chest colds all the time. But heaven forbid we warn people and ask them to mask up. 🙄
10
uh_no_ Mar 24, 2026 +1348
COVID is endemic... There are new strains all the time, just like the flu
1348
No-College-8140 Mar 24, 2026 +495
Exactly Covid won, we lost.
495
CleverInternetName8b Mar 24, 2026 +480
Ehhhh I was as dug in on Covid restrictions being a good thing as anyone (to the point I almost got fired for it on behalf of others) but getting to it being endemic was always the point - everyone isolate to give enough time for a vaccine and to make it less deadly.
480
Lurid-Jester Mar 24, 2026 +209
And to ease the pressure on Hospitals that were completely overwhelmed by cases to the point they had to call in refrigeration trucks to store the bodies since the morgues were full.
209
Sideview_play Mar 24, 2026 +243
Not just the point but something ultimately unavoidable. It spreads too easily. But we needed to slow roll it through our society so our health care systems weren't overwhelmed and kept death rates down.   We had to deploy the Nation guard in a lot of states to hospitals to help with the dead bodies. People forget that shit even on the left. 
243
Valdheim Mar 24, 2026 +111
My wife was a nurse practitioner working in a hospital in the northeast where it was worst I’ll never forget the images and videos she showed me. Never showed any faces, but seeing her walk down hallway after hallway lined with patients that were going to definitely die because there were not enough ventilators put it all into perspective.
111
coloredinlight Mar 24, 2026 +39
My wife and I were talking about this recently. We have a 5 year old and wonder if she will ever be taught it in school and how wild it was seeing the refrigerator trucks full of white body bags.
39
PopEnvironmental1335 Mar 25, 2026 +11
I sometimes wonder if the younger generations will think we don’t talk about it or give weird answers like how it was talking to our grandparents who fought in WWII or lived through the Great Depression.
11
brainparts Mar 24, 2026 +19
“Endemic” doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous. And the vaccines don’t prevent infection or transmission. A lot of vulnerable people died at the beginning, but excess mortality has increased even as people/doctors/etc refuse to test, long covid is the most common chronic condition in kids now, every single infection causes lasting damage.
19
Ferromagneticfluid Mar 24, 2026 +57
There was never going to be a reality in which COVID was eradicated. It was never going to happen. It spreads too easily.
57
OwnAHole Mar 25, 2026 +4
Nah, I'd win.
4
Mobile_leprechaun Mar 24, 2026 +28
Was never a fight in the first place. Covid was always going to win
28
fadingsignal Mar 25, 2026 +7
WHO still classifies it as a pandemic for what it’s worth because it has never gone down to a low enough level like endemic diseases do.
7
fat_569 Mar 24, 2026 +108
"BA.3.2 has been found in California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming, Louisiana, Michigan and Ohio."
108
stuartullman Mar 24, 2026 +439
i mean... did we think covid variants stopped happening? it's been a thing, we just moved on
439
_goblinette_ Mar 24, 2026 +141
It’s newsworthy because it’s helpful for people to know that the latest boosters didn’t cover this strain, and so they at more risk of Covid than they would have been otherwise. 
141
EckimusPrime Mar 24, 2026 +181
Honestly we have something circulating through my city in Washington. I’m still recovering and it wasn’t the worst thing ever but it made me SO exhausted, just like COVID did in 2020/2021, I don’t remember when I got it. It’s been going through my employees at work, my wife’s work, my wife had it, my daughter is at the tail end of it like I am.
181
Real-Werewolf5605 Mar 24, 2026 +26
Agree. WA here too. Not terrible but the coughing and sickness lasts forever. Way longer than flu or COVID did. Something different. Went through the entire office. I know people all over Seattle have reported the same thing.
26
JeezieB Mar 24, 2026 +12
I'm a little north of you, and something knocked me on my ass two weeks ago (very shortly after a co-worker came to work sick). The fever and chills only lasted a couple of days, but I am still hacking up a lung. I feel otherwise fine-ish.
12
AveragelyTallPolock Mar 25, 2026 +6
I live on an Alaskan Island thats got a huge fishing industry, most fisherman come from WA. We just had something go through our whole office and fisherman left and right getting it Knocked me on my ass all last week and the coughing was horrendous. I feel good now, but my cough is still lingering too. I just chocked it up to this year's flu
6
Real-Werewolf5605 Mar 25, 2026 +5
Interesting. Between maybe 3 to 6 weeks ago it was going through the Seattle boat service and maintenance community. You could hear coughing across several docks. That's when I caught it. If its what I had that cough won't quit for weeks - had me second guessing had two separate colds... Then my wife got the same thing and it lasted just as long. Takes weeks to go away. Not your gemeric flu that one - both of us tested negative for COVID. Some here named it Lucid.
5
steve1186 Mar 24, 2026 +24
C***, I think I had that on Sunday/Monday this week. Didn’t really have any respiratory symptoms, slept my usual 7-8 hours each night, but felt like I had just pulled an all-nighter both days. And today I’m back to normal. In terms of exhaustion, it felt like when I had COVID back in 2022. Except without the respiratory symptoms
24
Prior-Win-4729 Mar 24, 2026 +10
Exact same for me but the exhausted feeling lasted 2 weeks
10
MaineObjective Mar 24, 2026 +33
We had something run through Maine last month. Friend had it, then my partner, then me and eventually my sister. Fever, severe sinus pressure, chills. Oddly enough very little mucus production but it knocked me down hard for three days. Didn’t have any tests on hand so no way of knowing if it was covid or not.
33
merryjoanna Mar 24, 2026 +11
I'm from Maine and my coworkers have been getting sick left and right over the last couple months. All kinds of various sicknesses. One of them was exactly what you were talking about, feverish and exhausted and stuffed up. The chills were the worst of it. I kept expecting to throw up or get diarrhea but it never actually happened with that illness. There have been a lot of people out with stomach bugs too. Either that or we keep giving the same stomach bug around back and forth. It's super annoying. The lovely thing is spring is right around the corner so we will get to enjoy all the various viruses the tourists bring up during the summer too. So fun.
11
MaineObjective Mar 24, 2026 +8
Yeah I am in Portland and can see the cruise ship terminal from my apartment. Norovirus ahoy!
8
Prior-Win-4729 Mar 24, 2026 +15
I was literally falling asleep on my feet the first 2 weeks of March. I never felt sick exactly. I wonder if it was this. No runny nose, no sore throat. A bit of body aches but the exhaustion was extreme.
15
Deraj2004 Mar 24, 2026 +10
Huh, think I had that in early January, felt like no matter how much I rested or slept I was always exhausted.
10
Dense-Kangaroo8696 Mar 24, 2026 +66
This isn't really news; covid never went away, and we've been experiencing successive waves of new variants on essentially a yearly basis.
66
gronkey Mar 24, 2026 +18
Twice yearly waves, actually if you look at the wastewater data
18
Closerstill808 Mar 24, 2026 +120
Extremely crowded airports with long lines should help
120
RudeGolden Mar 25, 2026 +12
I mean, it's no worse than cramming 300 people into a small plane for hours on end. 
12
Kryptyx Mar 24, 2026 +75
I guess this means ICE is about to stop wearing masks.
75
firesiege Mar 24, 2026 +20
Loooolll. That indecision w 2 buttons meme. Wear mask to conceal identity vs remove mask to fit anti vax/covid not real narrative.
20
losark Mar 25, 2026 +10
The other 25 aren't testing
10
send_me_cats_ Mar 25, 2026 +9
Ooooooh I’m sure the long TSA lines where everyone is in close proximity for hours unmasked will help!!!!
9
mjgman420 Mar 24, 2026 +16
CDC should be able to handle it. Wait….
16
sleepybarista Mar 25, 2026 +7
Remember, many private insurance plans will no longer pay for COVID testing. It is almost always better to just buy the test over the counter than to have your doctor send a specimen out and get billed $250+ by Quest 3 months later
7
Thatonegirl_79 Mar 25, 2026 +5
A combined flu/covid test is easily available otc for anywhere from $10-$20. I miss the free tests, but at least these are fairly c****.
5
SpaceXmars Mar 25, 2026 +6
Release the files Start the trials
6
phoenix-force411 Mar 24, 2026 +28
The COVID delta plus rewards program variant.
28
the-artistocrat Mar 25, 2026 +11
How can I unsubscribe from this timeline?
11
evenfallframework Mar 24, 2026 +13
Dee: I don't care! Dennis: Shit, I don't care either.
13
aka_linskey Mar 24, 2026 +14
If we just don’t test, no cases.
14
Mariahausfrau Mar 25, 2026 +5
Dont worry there. You got RFK the mastermind. Your in good hands.🤭
5
artfulpain Mar 25, 2026 +4
I know a bunch of people getting sick. Like real sick. Good thing we can't test it besides waste water!
4
mr_greedee Mar 24, 2026 +27
do the current covid tests even test for these new strains?
27
B33fboy Mar 24, 2026 +16
To answer your question, the RAT tests have not ever been especially reliable and are less so with each wave. They often show false negatives, so testing negative on an RAT does not mean you don’t have Covid. Molecular tests are far more accurate but considerably less accessible.
16
wanderingrockdesigns Mar 24, 2026 +9
I'm wondering this too. I just got over being sick, negative on the covid/flu test. Seemed like just a cold, everyone in the house got it.
9
Vtakkin Mar 24, 2026 +4
Wastewater data shows that in a lot of the US, COVID levels are really really low. It probably was a cold.
4
negativepositiv Mar 24, 2026 +17
Good thing we have a super sensible pro-vaccination person in charge of health in the US. Oh, wait. Shit.
17
alexacto Mar 25, 2026 +7
Yeah, too late for me, I've just had it and it nearly killed me. If you are older or not super healthy, please, for the love of God, get a vaccine. I should have, but it's been warm here so I thought nothing of it when a bunch of people around me started sneezing. It wasn't allergies. Massive kick to the lungs.
7
Big_Sky7699 Mar 25, 2026 +5
My spouse and I had a severe viral infection (flu?) in February. It started as a mild sore throat, then sneezing, then a worsening cough with mega phlegm that lasted 2 weeks. Coughing up mucous at night, hard to sleep. I don't know what it was but we're seniors and have had every vaccination available, Covid booster, pneumonia, seasonal flu and RSV. If it was one of these, made milder by a vaccination, heaven help anyone contracting it without one.
5
waytomuchpressure Mar 24, 2026 +5
They've never done coke on a toilet seat, that's probably why lol
5
A_Refill_of_Mr_Pibb Mar 25, 2026 +4
Not good news with these airport lines
4
abelhevel Mar 25, 2026 +4
Covid really said ‘I’m not done yet’
4
t_25_t Mar 25, 2026 +4
Oh dear! I hope a pandemic isn’t thrown into the mix with an energy crisis.
4
earthwormjimjones Mar 25, 2026 +4
Man I don't know what it was, if it was covid or something else, but I absolutely believe there was something going around the past few months that nobody told us about. I swear, literally every person I know, work with (no matter what side of the country), and communicate with (and myself) all got laid up by something over the past 3 months. I have no clue what it was but it went around BAD this year.
4
IsopodIndependent553 Mar 24, 2026 +42
More Covid induced brain damage incoming. We have not even begun to see the amount of havoc a completely brain damaged and impaired generation of adults is yet to wreak on this already destroyed country.
42
Punchee Mar 24, 2026 +53
It is what it is. This isn’t any more severe than others have been, as per the article. Wash your hands. Wear masks if you get sick. Get vaccines. Elect people that believe in vaccines. Otherwise carry on with life.
53
Mukarsis Mar 24, 2026 +20
2026 can f*** right off
20
Ok_Surprise_4090 Mar 25, 2026 +7
Don't worry, the Trump administration will do everything possible to profit off of this.
7
No-Knee9457 Mar 24, 2026 +7
Eat some racoon p**** found on the side of the road and we will be fine.  God damn we are fucked.
7
EEslacker Mar 24, 2026 +8
Probably spreading like ember through a Burnt cigar in those massive TSA Lines
8
hgielatan Mar 25, 2026 +6
I went to the doctor today bc I've been sick 10 days and still feel like c***. Covid. Despite being vaccinated and having had it last June. I feel like hot garbage and am already through 2.5 full size boxes of tissues.
6
deckard604 Mar 25, 2026 +5
Now you know what the cough that's been lingering for months is.
5
ThatUsrnameIsAlready Mar 24, 2026 +3
"New" but it's two years old 🤔
3
-_Skizz_- Mar 24, 2026 +3
Just make sure you sit down everywhere you as it can’t get you at lower levels … oh and stand on those spots cause it don’t like that either.
3
PyrZern Mar 25, 2026 +3
Half my colleagues got sick last month for a few wks. Maybe that was it.
3
Harkonnen_Dog Mar 25, 2026 +3
Sure. Did we expect anything different from this situation?
3
Immediate-Debate-860 Mar 25, 2026 +3
Not sure what variant I had, but it rocked me for a few weeks!
3
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