r/ZeroCovidCommunity

Cons used to be my lifeblood but unfortunately going to one unmasked and getting covid for the first time really scared me and put me off for a long time. I let my guard down because this convention in question was still requiring all attendees to show vaccination cards in 2023 to show entry.

For the past half year I've been in and out of doctors and hospitals more times than I can count between my own health issues and helping out family members' with theirs. I always wear a fitted N95 whenever I leave the house and recently I upgraded my masks by wearing double-sided medical tape for a perfect seal. I never have to adjust the mask itself, even if I sneeze or cough or yawn.

So I've been in and out of doctors constantly and covid levels have been at really low levels this spring, and I've had some nice discussions with people on this sub about zero covid con attending strategies, so I figured "ok, well maybe I can start going out and having some fun while being safe"

My first con of the year is Philly Fan Expo 2026. I prepared a bunch of masks with double-sided tape already applied and threw them in my bag and made more each weekend. Put it on, get on the train, get down to Philadelphia. Any time I eat or drink I do so walking between the train station and the convention center or dip out and find a secluded spot outside to refuel (which is kinda funny because Star Wars now depicts this is how some hardcore Mandalorians eat their meals).

The mask itself is very comfortable all day even with the medical tape applied, and actually more comfortable on account of not having to constantly readjust it.

I had an absolutely amazing weekend. I went alone besides meeting up briefly with an old friend and their family member. I bought tons of cool art, 3d printables, and knick knacks. I panel hopped a lot and hung out with Dean Norris (Hank from Breaking Bad), Ed Edd and Eddy, and Gary Anthony Williams (Uncle Ruckus from the Boondocks). I saw so much cool art and had an absolute blast. I even made Hank bust a gut laughing along with the whole room during his Q+A (for clarity, I told a joke; they weren't laughing at me being masked).

On my last day I found a secluded spot outside while I got food from Redding Terminal Market. It was a BLT Hot Dog, french fries, and a small bowl of chocolate ice cream. The food was so heavenly delicious and I had such a good time after spending so many years in isolation while struggling with caregiver burnout I just broke down sobbing alone while having dinner because I was so happy and had so much fun.

No one criticized me for masking, no one othered me for masking, no one passive aggressively coughed at me or anything like that. In fact I saw a decent number of people also masking in N95s.

I wish MORE people would do that, but I got a much needed dose of humanity and a humble reminder that people can still be kind and compassionate, between the people who helped me at the con, how I was treated, and the people here who gave me tips and encouragement for doing this safely.

Why am I writing this? As warning? As a success story? As a guide? I honestly don't know. But I really needed to get all this off my chest and take the opportunity to thank this sub for giving me tips on safe congoing. I feel really great and don't feel sick at all so far.

Thank you for reading if you took the time to do so and God Bless

Covid is not over. Not by a long way. In fact its getting worse over time. Although since medicine barely understands it, it can hardly diagnose or measure it, let alone treat it.

Abstract

Importance Surveillance of postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) depends on diagnostic coding systems that capture fewer than one-half of affected individuals, rendering millions invisible to health systems and policymakers.

Objective To quantify the gap between true PASC burden and diagnostic code–based estimates, determine the proportion representing chronic disease, and characterize organ system heterogeneity and temporal trends across diverse populations.

Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study used electronic health record data from 58 hospitals and affiliated clinics in 4 US regions, from 2017 to 2025. Adults (aged ≥18 years) with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection or a COVID-19 diagnosis code were included. A custom artificial intelligence algorithm, the Precision Phenotyping for Research Cohorts (P2RC), was implemented using federated infrastructure.

Exposure Laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 diagnosis code.

Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcomes were PASC prevalence, the proportion classified as chronic conditions, organ system distribution, and temporal trends from 2020 to 2024. χ2 Tests were used to assess organ system heterogeneity across regions, and negative binomial regression was used to model quarterly temporal trends, yielding incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% CIs.

Results In this cohort study of 457 950 COVID-19 cases (mean age, 52.05 years; 275 107 [60.07%] female), the P2RC algorithm identified 74 560 PASC cases (16.28% overall; 28 585 [18.58%] in New England, 978 [19.55%] in Southeast Texas, 10 534 [22.69%] in Southern California, and 34 463 [13.64%] in Western Pennsylvania), more than 2-fold higher than the proportion identified by code-based surveillance (<7%). Of 883 International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes associated with PASC, 594 (67.27%) represented chronic or potentially chronic conditions. Of 74 560 patients with PASC, 66 587 (89.31%) developed chronic conditions requiring ongoing clinical management; this represents 14.54% of the total number of 457 950 patients with COVID-19. Substantial organ system heterogeneity was observed (χ2 = 2504.73; P < .001): New England demonstrated thyroid-predominant endocrine patterns, while Southeast Texas, Southern California, and Western Pennsylvania showed metabolic-predominant profiles. Negative binomial regression revealed increasing PASC prevalence through mid-2024 (IRR per quarter, 1.01 [95% CI, 1.00-1.01; P < .001] in New England; 1.00 [95% CI, 1.00-1.01; P < .001] in Southern California; and 1.02 [95% CI, 1.01-1.02; P < .001] in Western Pennsylvania), indicating an accumulating rather than resolving burden.

Conclusions and Relevance In this cohort study, approximately 1 in 6 patients with COVID-19 developed PASC, and 89.31% of these patients had at least 1 chronic condition. Current diagnostic coding captured fewer than one-half of the cases, obscuring a substantial chronic disease burden. The persistently increasing prevalence through 2024 indicated an accumulating health care burden requiring investment in surveillance infrastructure and integrated care pathways.

Results

Temporal Trends

Between quarter 2 of 2020 and quarter 2 of 2024, cumulative PASC prevalence showed slight increases across all regions (Figure 3A). The prevalence reached 18.57% (95% CI, 18.37%-18.76%) in New England, 19.54% (95% CI, 18.45%-20.67%) in Southeast Texas, 22.50% (95% CI, 22.12%-22.89%) in Southern California, and 13.59% (95% CI, 13.45%-13.72%) in Western Pennsylvania.

Negative binomial regression revealed significant quarterly increases in New England (IRR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.01; P < .001; 0.6% relative increase per quarter) and Southern California (IRR, 1.00; 95% CI, 1.00-1.01; P < .001; 0.4% relative increase per quarter), and Western Pennsylvania (IRR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.02; P < .001; 1.5% relative increase per quarter) (eTable 3 in Supplement 2). Southeast Texas showed a similar but nonsignificant trend (IRR, 1.00; 95% CI, 1.00-1.01; P = .07), likely owing to a smaller sample size.

Quarterly incidence rates remained stable through 2022 (9.52%-28.87%) but began diverging in late 2023, with Southeast Texas reaching 60.78% (95% CI, 46.11%-74.16%) by quarter 1 of 2024 (Figure 3B). These findings indicate an accumulating rather than resolving disease burden.

This paper says that prevalence is 13-23%. However since its a cohort study based on medical records I hestiate to generalise that to the entire population. But the 13-23% figure seems in the right ballpark given that we know ~10% of covid cases result in long covid, so I wouldnt be surprised if it was true. And the fact that its going up is very worrying.