Here’s Why Deliberately Trying to Catch COVID is a Bad Idea

It’s been almost two years since the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in the United States. And it doesn’t look like the coronavirus pandemic is ending anytime soon. This has many people — including those who have been vaccinated and boosted — wondering if they should just expose themselves to Omicron and “get it over with.” According to a report by CNN Health, that’s a terrible idea! Here’s why the infectious disease experts CNN consulted say don’t do it:

• Omicron is not “just a bad cold.” Although its symptoms tend to be more mild than earlier COVID variants, this is still a life-threatening disease. At the very least, the significant fever, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, sore throats and heavy congestion that have been reported even in milder cases of Omicron variant are leaving people debilitated for days.
• Long COVID is a concern. For some people, COVID symptoms never seem to go away. This is referred to as “long COVID.” In severe forms, it can damage your lungs, heart and kidneys — not to mention your mental health.
• Children are at risk. If you get COVID you could easily spread it to your children and grandchildren. The number of kids vaccinated for COVID-19 is still very low — and those under the age of five are not even eligible. We need to do what we can to protect children from this highly contagious virus.
• The healthcare system is stressed. Our nation’s hospital system is being severely stressed due to Omicron, with many healthcare workers out sick or isolating. Just like in the early days of the pandemic when we were all asked to stay home to protect healthcare workers, we must now all strive to stay as healthy as we can for their sake.

The Seniors Trust is committed to improving the lives of seniors by working to improve Social Security. It wants to see Congress pass the Social Security Expansion Act. This landmark piece of legislation will provide bigger monthly Social Security benefits, establish a more realistic cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for seniors, and guarantee the long-term solvency of the Social Security program.