Norovirus Megathread
Note: This post is not censored.
Over the past few months there have been a notable increase in posts relating to or regarding the current norovirus season in North America. These posts have gotten to the frequency of nearly overwhelming the moderation team, frequent posting of the same or similar content, fear mongering, and reassurance seeking. As a result, the moderation team has decided to temporarily restrict these posts as we believe they do not serve to benefit users, and instead create an unhealthy cycle of fear. Our role as a moderation team is to ensure that this community is safe for all users, and content that only serves to incite fear, encourage harmful behaviour, or create unnecessary feedback loops are harmful and cannot continue as they currently are.
We do understand that this is a worrying season for many, and many of you access this subreddit as a way to vent or find community in that worry. In an effort to provide a safe space for people to air out fears and frustrations, we have created this mega-thread for all norovirus related content until further notice.
Please also note - discussing wastewater / CDC stats or similar statistics is banned until further notice. While it is important to not hide away from facts, it is equally important to not obsess over them. Us on the mod team have noticed discussions and behaviors regarding these sites have gotten really unhealthy. We cannot stop you from checking them on your own, but in this thread and in the sub in general, please do not:
- link the sites to anyone
- offer to check for them
- discuss the statistics
Content Warning: Explicit talk regarding the current norovirus outbreak in the United States
I would also like to dedicate the body of this post to speaking on the dangers of feedback loops regarding this phobia, and how harmful it can be to perform speculative research. That being said, I do find value in being aware of the realities of our world, and one of those realities is that norovirus appears to be spreading more prevalently this year than it has in years past. There are multiple suspected reasons for this. All of which are covered below.
1: A new strain of norovirus has been recorded as the prevalent strain this year.
This strain, known as GII.17[P17] is not necessarily more or less contagious than past strains. It is also not clear if this strain is more or less harmful than past strains. The only thing that is confirmed is that this strain is the prevalent strain this year, and less people have solid antibodies built up from years past. This could be a reason why you are seeing an increase in reported cases and social media content regarding the virus.
2. Social media continues to evolve every year.
As we have all continued to see your social media algorithms sometimes know you better than you know yourself. What this means is that the content you are being exposed to is in direct response to you interacting with content similar to it. If you are researching norovirus on Google, and then swapping to Tiktok it is completely possible that you are subject to an increase of videos regarding norovirus on Tiktok. This concept applies unilaterally to all social media. If this media is disturbing to you, or impacting you negatively in anyway; the best practice is to block the video and indicate ‘not interested’ in the settings of the post. Additionally, as difficult as it is, staying away from Google and news outlets that are covering norovirus. These all impact the algorithm, and can increase the number of posts you see.
3. Testing has become better.
The Covid-19 pandemic has evolved viral testing in more ways than one. Waste water data, at-home tests, and increased likelihood to request testing are all factors that have increased since the pandemic and with all these factors increasing, it is inevitable that more cases will be detected than years past.
To finalize this post, I would like to wish everyone in this subreddit well this season. It may seem that there is no light at the end of this tunnel, but I would like to assure you that this is not the case. As norovirus cases surge, it is inevitable that they will eventually fall. This season will not last forever, and the best thing to do to cope with this season is to continue living your life. It is important to remain vigilant with basic hygiene, such as hand washing, and cleaning, though not to an excessive degree., and completely acceptable to decide to wear a mask in public. These practices should not impact your day to day life, and if you feel that they are, please reach out for support. You could try your friends, family and loved ones, or maybe a therapist or counselor. If you’re in severe panic, mental health crisis hotlines are equipped to help with panic attacks too. You’ve made it through 100% of your bad days so far, and this too, shall pass.
We sincerely wish you all well, and will be checking up on this thread regularly. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact The Mod Team directly.