I remember the fear of Polio when I was young. I lost two high school classmates to the disease. I remember not being allowed to go to a public pool for swimming. And I remember my family's huge relief when the vaccine was discovered. I don't remember people objecting to receiving the vaccine. Drs. Salk and Sabin were revered and respected men of science who were saving lives.
I have lost no one to Covid or any of the other losses it caused such as Lee Ann's whose needless loss renews my anger at Trump and his sycophants. And I'm angry for myself and my friends who are all, as am I, either approaching or above 80 years of age. We lost two years of the last years of our lives and were unable to accomplish things which we might well have done in those years.
And I'm tired of it all. I have recently attended a local theater twice and attended my first movie in over two years. Fully vaccinated and masked of course. And I have decided that I would not waste any more time worrying about it. I'm able to attend church again, masked of course. And recently the congregation was again allowed to participate in the singing of hymns.
Overall I would say I am hopeful, though fearful, not of Covid but of the right-wing Trump and his lackeys. And I am so very sorry for the lives lost, not just interrupted as mine was.
To see the number of children who lost their grandparents is heartbreaking. I feel so bad in my heart for this loss of continuity in their lives, and many times, through sheer stubborness and yes, I'm going to say it... stupidity. Even now, I cannot visit a little great granddaughter, because her mother is from an anti-vax family and though they have all had covid and survived, they will not get their shots that could protect them, her and all of us. So many grandparents lost....
My family has not suffered any loss of life from Covid19 but it certainly must be a miracle bec there are many vaccine deniers & family who even refused to wear good masks. Most all of them became ill at some point with one & some with 2 variants but they managed to suffer through the disease process. Their stubbornness has driven a very huge wedge in our relationships as mother & child that seems even worse at times than losing them! All these family members & friends who refused the vaccines do not even consider Trump is to blame for all the deaths. They instead buy into Fox no news propaganda about deaths not counted properly & that many had died of other causes instead of Covid19. I don’t think they will ever wake up to the stark facts & mostly write me off as an overprotective Mom! So we don’t see each very often bec as I told them they had no respect for my health in not wearing a mask around us as seniors with many chronic health issues that would make us vulnerable! We r both fully vaccinated & boosted but were still afraid of breakthrough infections so we mostly stayed home, got carry out food a lot but always & still wear our KN94 or 95 masks when going to a restaurant during the slowdowns of infections in our area! I don’t go shopping much but order my groceries, medicines & supplements regularly so we don’t have to go searching for them! We still don’t get to travel in our RV like we did during the first part of our retirement but it’s OK! We have only gotten together for 1 sons birthday celebration in FL last summer & had 1 dinner out with another son’s family last Fall before Omicron got here! Have not seen our grandkids as often but the unvaccinated ones will be off limits until the Pandemic is over. We may be overly cautious but it has paid off! My sons were very lucky they could stay out of the hospital & fight the virus at home. I just hope they don’t end up with some chronic long Covid effects, so far so good! But they remain unvaccinated & not worried at all about new variants! And they r unfortunately die hard Republicans so politics discussions are off the table forever! Trumpism & QAnon BS has destroyed many family relationships that may never get repaired. That’s what makes me the saddest for our family but I can’t fathom how we got to 1 million deaths in a little over 2 years! So much pain & destruction in all families that’s beyond belief! And now there’s another war to contend with!
Dan, will us Baby Boomers ever catch a break?? And some GOP candidates want to push eliminating Social Security, Medicare & the ACA plus making the working poor & seniors pay some amount of federal tax so the wealthy & Corporations can skate by & not pay their fair share of taxes!! How is this fair to anybody who goes to work everyday & lives paycheck to paycheck???? These new Republicans must be eliminated from public office holding or this country will become the next dictatorship!
Most sincere condolences to those who have lost family and friends due to Covid.
But to answer the question, I plan to remain cautious and wear a mask indoors, and avoid crowds and large indoor events. At the age of 75, and with one or two small risks, but being fully vaccinated and boosted, I assume I will survive Covid if I get sick, but I don’t want to find out.
What concerns me right now is what seems to be the attitude of many people that lifting mask mandates signifies an “all clear“ and no more worries, go back to life as it was. I plan to be especially cautious at this time to see how this plays out.
Very well written. I'm so angry with people who STILL point at the survival rate of the virus, or the fact that mostly older people are at risk, and suggest that therefore it's really nothing to worry about. Just in America, nearly 1 million people are DEAD who otherwise likely wouldn't be due to the virus, and as you write, their deaths leave grief and struggle in their wake. This pandemic could have been over in a few months, even less, if we had all committed to staying home. I can't do much about those who chose selfishness over selflessness, but I will educate my 2 year old daughter about it as she grows so she doesn't become the same kind of coward they are.
I a both hopeful and fearful. Things seem much better for now I do see family, close friends without a mask. When inside at a store, I wear the mask. I must wear the mask for medical appointments. I’m vaccinated and boosted. At our small church, we are all vaccinated and boosted. We sit maskless with every other seat empty.
I fully believe that there might be another variant. With so many unvaccinated people , our world is a Petri dish
For two years I have secluded myself with only a handful of people in our bubble. I've not driven enough so that my car's battery died, twice. My degree of loss is not nearly as bad as people who lost loved ones due to the virus. It makes me think, so many people compare their good fortune in relation to other's hardships. Perhaps we do that to give ourselves a reality check, maybe to stop feeling sorry for ourselves. I think it's how people try to cope. I think, to honor this time in my life, I need to acknowledge the time I lost and fuse it with the knowledge I gained. One huge one, learning about human nature and the power of information (mis and otherwise). Also, that there are warriors of grit and fortitude walking among us. Self reflection, I feel like a completely different person than when I went in. Lost a lot of relationships. Learned to enjoy my own company. This Spring I am hopeful. I don't want to waste time anymore. I know how short life is, not can be...
is. Though I am hopeful, I also feel it is a fragile hope. Mentally speaking, I feel both stronger and more damaged after the last couple years. I am going to try and remember this time in my life, though I know putting it behind me is the most peaceful option... It's too important.
I am glad to see the number of cases continue to drop, however, they are rising in others places across the globe which makes it clear this thing is not done with us. I still wear a mask in public and at work (I work in the library at a high school) and now students and staff are mask optional - some wear them still, many do not. I am very concerned about the BA.2 variant which is lurking in the U.S. and increasing elsewhere, which is very concerning given the halting of mask mandates and spring break happening in 2-3 weeks. We shall see in a couple months if we are really out of the woods.
It’s been two years and I am still sheltering at home as much as I was two years ago. We get mixed messages from Media, government, federal and local,.
There are different rules for grocery stores, beaches,Hospitals, ICU units, parties, bars, restaurants. There is no common denominator.
We all need to be responsible. We need to wear masks we need to vaccinate if we can we need to check in on each other. We need to return phone calls to our friends. And family
This is still a crazy time. Too many people are still unvaccinated or unboosted. The only one to blame as ourselves. We need to take as much caution as we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19
It is absolutely unbelievable the division that the Trump Republicans fostered during this pandemic. It is no longer worth the effort to convince folks that a vaccine might help. I think going forward that Covid will be similar to the flu requiring those that believe in vaccines to get an annual shot. For those that do not, I sincerely hope that you and your loved ones do not experience loss of life, like so many throughout the world have had to experience.
Yes, I remember when we first read about Covid on Steady. It made me feel more hopeful, and grateful for the worldwide concentrated effort to find a vaccine. I am still hopeful, ( in my community of the San Francisco Bay Area, the number have cases has dropped dramatically) but, I’m also cautious. I never go in a crowded area without a mask, like the grocery store. And, when I go for a walk I always carry one. I believe scientists are correct in saying that Covid will be with us, like the flu, and yearly vaccines will be necessary. I feel for the younger generation who will have to deal with it much longer than I will. But, hope springs eternal, they say, and perhaps research will find a cure or a way to eradicate these diseases. Meanwhile, it would be great if everyone eligible would get vaccinated, if not for themselves, then for others.
Thank you for the Taking Stock of Covid writing. I have just recovered (11th day) from Covid, and every.single.day, I said out loud to whomever I was talking to or to myself, praise be to the scientists! I am a healthy 55+ year old, and this virus took the wind out of my sails! So very, very grateful for the 3 doses of vaccine that my body had before I contracted Covid. :)
Thank you so much Dan bc and Steady team! Compared with 2 years ago I feel
More pessimistic in that I believe covid and variants are here to stay but hopefully not on a pandemic scale. I feel positive about our having kearned to cooe and live with it eith the help of vaccines and feel that out of concern for our shared public health, we must sll continue to take reasonable precautions to protect ourselves individually and
collectively. This will be the do-called new normal. We are fortunate to have
Effective masks and they dhould continue to be used as protective tooks and not politicized! The work to fidcover new vaccines if/as new variants develop must continue and the US Government should take s lead in this eggort and private compsnies must continue to innovate. And work to fiscover ever more effective sntiviral covid meds must continue.
I live in Mesa County, Colorado, the home of Lauren Boebert and the infamous Tina Peters, the county clerk who intentionally ruined our election and friend of the "My Pillow Guy." This is probably the reddest of the red areas in Colorado. On the day of the insurrection, those around here who couldn't go, got together and held a "Trump Train Rally" with their big trucks to show support. The state of Colorado has over 77% vaccination status, but here in Mesa County only 23% of residents are current on their vaccinations, including original vaccinations and booster shots. In spite of this, our current positivity rate is only 2%. I am still nervous about going anywhere without my mask but on the other hand, I'm really tired of it too. I'm hoping that we all get a reprieve from Covid at least until next winter. And now of course we have other things to worry about. The fun never ends.
I remember the fear of Polio when I was young. I lost two high school classmates to the disease. I remember not being allowed to go to a public pool for swimming. And I remember my family's huge relief when the vaccine was discovered. I don't remember people objecting to receiving the vaccine. Drs. Salk and Sabin were revered and respected men of science who were saving lives.
I have lost no one to Covid or any of the other losses it caused such as Lee Ann's whose needless loss renews my anger at Trump and his sycophants. And I'm angry for myself and my friends who are all, as am I, either approaching or above 80 years of age. We lost two years of the last years of our lives and were unable to accomplish things which we might well have done in those years.
And I'm tired of it all. I have recently attended a local theater twice and attended my first movie in over two years. Fully vaccinated and masked of course. And I have decided that I would not waste any more time worrying about it. I'm able to attend church again, masked of course. And recently the congregation was again allowed to participate in the singing of hymns.
Overall I would say I am hopeful, though fearful, not of Covid but of the right-wing Trump and his lackeys. And I am so very sorry for the lives lost, not just interrupted as mine was.
Spot on. Untimely death has been normalized. Outrage and grief are out of fashion.
To see the number of children who lost their grandparents is heartbreaking. I feel so bad in my heart for this loss of continuity in their lives, and many times, through sheer stubborness and yes, I'm going to say it... stupidity. Even now, I cannot visit a little great granddaughter, because her mother is from an anti-vax family and though they have all had covid and survived, they will not get their shots that could protect them, her and all of us. So many grandparents lost....
My family has not suffered any loss of life from Covid19 but it certainly must be a miracle bec there are many vaccine deniers & family who even refused to wear good masks. Most all of them became ill at some point with one & some with 2 variants but they managed to suffer through the disease process. Their stubbornness has driven a very huge wedge in our relationships as mother & child that seems even worse at times than losing them! All these family members & friends who refused the vaccines do not even consider Trump is to blame for all the deaths. They instead buy into Fox no news propaganda about deaths not counted properly & that many had died of other causes instead of Covid19. I don’t think they will ever wake up to the stark facts & mostly write me off as an overprotective Mom! So we don’t see each very often bec as I told them they had no respect for my health in not wearing a mask around us as seniors with many chronic health issues that would make us vulnerable! We r both fully vaccinated & boosted but were still afraid of breakthrough infections so we mostly stayed home, got carry out food a lot but always & still wear our KN94 or 95 masks when going to a restaurant during the slowdowns of infections in our area! I don’t go shopping much but order my groceries, medicines & supplements regularly so we don’t have to go searching for them! We still don’t get to travel in our RV like we did during the first part of our retirement but it’s OK! We have only gotten together for 1 sons birthday celebration in FL last summer & had 1 dinner out with another son’s family last Fall before Omicron got here! Have not seen our grandkids as often but the unvaccinated ones will be off limits until the Pandemic is over. We may be overly cautious but it has paid off! My sons were very lucky they could stay out of the hospital & fight the virus at home. I just hope they don’t end up with some chronic long Covid effects, so far so good! But they remain unvaccinated & not worried at all about new variants! And they r unfortunately die hard Republicans so politics discussions are off the table forever! Trumpism & QAnon BS has destroyed many family relationships that may never get repaired. That’s what makes me the saddest for our family but I can’t fathom how we got to 1 million deaths in a little over 2 years! So much pain & destruction in all families that’s beyond belief! And now there’s another war to contend with!
Dan, will us Baby Boomers ever catch a break?? And some GOP candidates want to push eliminating Social Security, Medicare & the ACA plus making the working poor & seniors pay some amount of federal tax so the wealthy & Corporations can skate by & not pay their fair share of taxes!! How is this fair to anybody who goes to work everyday & lives paycheck to paycheck???? These new Republicans must be eliminated from public office holding or this country will become the next dictatorship!
Most sincere condolences to those who have lost family and friends due to Covid.
But to answer the question, I plan to remain cautious and wear a mask indoors, and avoid crowds and large indoor events. At the age of 75, and with one or two small risks, but being fully vaccinated and boosted, I assume I will survive Covid if I get sick, but I don’t want to find out.
What concerns me right now is what seems to be the attitude of many people that lifting mask mandates signifies an “all clear“ and no more worries, go back to life as it was. I plan to be especially cautious at this time to see how this plays out.
Very well written. I'm so angry with people who STILL point at the survival rate of the virus, or the fact that mostly older people are at risk, and suggest that therefore it's really nothing to worry about. Just in America, nearly 1 million people are DEAD who otherwise likely wouldn't be due to the virus, and as you write, their deaths leave grief and struggle in their wake. This pandemic could have been over in a few months, even less, if we had all committed to staying home. I can't do much about those who chose selfishness over selflessness, but I will educate my 2 year old daughter about it as she grows so she doesn't become the same kind of coward they are.
I a both hopeful and fearful. Things seem much better for now I do see family, close friends without a mask. When inside at a store, I wear the mask. I must wear the mask for medical appointments. I’m vaccinated and boosted. At our small church, we are all vaccinated and boosted. We sit maskless with every other seat empty.
I fully believe that there might be another variant. With so many unvaccinated people , our world is a Petri dish
For two years I have secluded myself with only a handful of people in our bubble. I've not driven enough so that my car's battery died, twice. My degree of loss is not nearly as bad as people who lost loved ones due to the virus. It makes me think, so many people compare their good fortune in relation to other's hardships. Perhaps we do that to give ourselves a reality check, maybe to stop feeling sorry for ourselves. I think it's how people try to cope. I think, to honor this time in my life, I need to acknowledge the time I lost and fuse it with the knowledge I gained. One huge one, learning about human nature and the power of information (mis and otherwise). Also, that there are warriors of grit and fortitude walking among us. Self reflection, I feel like a completely different person than when I went in. Lost a lot of relationships. Learned to enjoy my own company. This Spring I am hopeful. I don't want to waste time anymore. I know how short life is, not can be...
is. Though I am hopeful, I also feel it is a fragile hope. Mentally speaking, I feel both stronger and more damaged after the last couple years. I am going to try and remember this time in my life, though I know putting it behind me is the most peaceful option... It's too important.
I am glad to see the number of cases continue to drop, however, they are rising in others places across the globe which makes it clear this thing is not done with us. I still wear a mask in public and at work (I work in the library at a high school) and now students and staff are mask optional - some wear them still, many do not. I am very concerned about the BA.2 variant which is lurking in the U.S. and increasing elsewhere, which is very concerning given the halting of mask mandates and spring break happening in 2-3 weeks. We shall see in a couple months if we are really out of the woods.
It’s been two years and I am still sheltering at home as much as I was two years ago. We get mixed messages from Media, government, federal and local,.
There are different rules for grocery stores, beaches,Hospitals, ICU units, parties, bars, restaurants. There is no common denominator.
We all need to be responsible. We need to wear masks we need to vaccinate if we can we need to check in on each other. We need to return phone calls to our friends. And family
This is still a crazy time. Too many people are still unvaccinated or unboosted. The only one to blame as ourselves. We need to take as much caution as we can to prevent the spread of COVID-19
It is absolutely unbelievable the division that the Trump Republicans fostered during this pandemic. It is no longer worth the effort to convince folks that a vaccine might help. I think going forward that Covid will be similar to the flu requiring those that believe in vaccines to get an annual shot. For those that do not, I sincerely hope that you and your loved ones do not experience loss of life, like so many throughout the world have had to experience.
Yes, I remember when we first read about Covid on Steady. It made me feel more hopeful, and grateful for the worldwide concentrated effort to find a vaccine. I am still hopeful, ( in my community of the San Francisco Bay Area, the number have cases has dropped dramatically) but, I’m also cautious. I never go in a crowded area without a mask, like the grocery store. And, when I go for a walk I always carry one. I believe scientists are correct in saying that Covid will be with us, like the flu, and yearly vaccines will be necessary. I feel for the younger generation who will have to deal with it much longer than I will. But, hope springs eternal, they say, and perhaps research will find a cure or a way to eradicate these diseases. Meanwhile, it would be great if everyone eligible would get vaccinated, if not for themselves, then for others.
Thank you for the Taking Stock of Covid writing. I have just recovered (11th day) from Covid, and every.single.day, I said out loud to whomever I was talking to or to myself, praise be to the scientists! I am a healthy 55+ year old, and this virus took the wind out of my sails! So very, very grateful for the 3 doses of vaccine that my body had before I contracted Covid. :)
"Yay, Science!"
Thank you so much Dan bc and Steady team! Compared with 2 years ago I feel
More pessimistic in that I believe covid and variants are here to stay but hopefully not on a pandemic scale. I feel positive about our having kearned to cooe and live with it eith the help of vaccines and feel that out of concern for our shared public health, we must sll continue to take reasonable precautions to protect ourselves individually and
collectively. This will be the do-called new normal. We are fortunate to have
Effective masks and they dhould continue to be used as protective tooks and not politicized! The work to fidcover new vaccines if/as new variants develop must continue and the US Government should take s lead in this eggort and private compsnies must continue to innovate. And work to fiscover ever more effective sntiviral covid meds must continue.
I live in Mesa County, Colorado, the home of Lauren Boebert and the infamous Tina Peters, the county clerk who intentionally ruined our election and friend of the "My Pillow Guy." This is probably the reddest of the red areas in Colorado. On the day of the insurrection, those around here who couldn't go, got together and held a "Trump Train Rally" with their big trucks to show support. The state of Colorado has over 77% vaccination status, but here in Mesa County only 23% of residents are current on their vaccinations, including original vaccinations and booster shots. In spite of this, our current positivity rate is only 2%. I am still nervous about going anywhere without my mask but on the other hand, I'm really tired of it too. I'm hoping that we all get a reprieve from Covid at least until next winter. And now of course we have other things to worry about. The fun never ends.