When will you move on from pandemic?

[TheOtherMe]

I have no idea when I will feel comfortable again, but in this area that is currently inundated with covid, it won't be any time in the foreseeable future.  

I think I will be a person who will always wear a mask when indoors for the rest of my life.  I've gotten used to them.

It's been nice not to catch colds, etc.

The trip to Toronto was eye opening.  It showed me how much better things could be if the US government had taken this seriously from the beginning.  Masks are now a way of life there.  Needing to be vaccinated to get in restaurants, grocery stores, etc. is a way of life now.  If you aren't vaccinated, you get to use delivery services.

I have a very low tolerance to Covid and haven't taken many risks.  I will continue to live that way.  

[tractor]

I'm still not sure. I was fully vaccinated early this year, but I haven't wore a mask since at least June. I go out to eat, travel, shop, do whatever (just returned from a week long hunting trip out west) without any concern.

However, things are spiking around here, just closed the school down for two weeks due to an outbreak, it's not going away. Several of my friends have had breakthrough cases, although since they were vaccinated it wasn't too bad. I figure I may catch it at some point and will trust the science behind it. I hope to get my booster this week, and really hope things have leveled off before next spring.

[billisonboard]

Even though I am fully vaccinated and less likely to transmit the virus to others, I am only less likely. Therefore, I continue to mask up. 

Vaccinated people are less likely to spread Covid, new research finds

[Tiny]

I'm torn. I really LIKE not having a cold or feeling "not quite right" because I've gotten whatever "bug" is circulating around thru the population. I'm thinking it wasn't just social distancing that help me avoid most colds/bugs - I think wearing a mask in public places also helped. wearing a mask means I'm breathing in less air that's been in other people's lungs - especially in a crowded place I'm not spending a lot of time in.


I've been to a handful of live performances in theaters with say 500 to 3000 people. In the past there would ALWAYS be someone coughing or sneezing or throat clearing - usually most noticeable when it happened during the tenor's or soprano's main most well know aria OR during an important moment during a play. ::sigh:: It has been obvious that fewer people at the shows I've been to came with an illness - I heard the Queen of the Night's aria with any accompanying muffled coughs, sneezes, throat clearing the other night. It was AMAZING. The same went for all of the other shows I saw - no "sick noises" from the crowd.

I'm guessing I'm not the only one enjoying NOT having every "bug" that's going around.

That said... I think I might be tempted to continue wearing a mask in some social situations (riding the train, grocery shopping, and social distancing (as in making sure me or my group of people have distance between us and the rest of the crowd, maybe a few other instances).
I don't go to sit down restaurants or bars that often... so I'd have to decide what I'm doing when faced with those situations.

[Tiny]

To be honest - what I'm hoping is that the outcome from all of this is that public gathering places update, change or just do a better job of ventilation in their buildings.

I know office buildings tout that they have good ventilation - but it's spotty. Maybe this will pressure building designers and the money that goes into building the building to update the ventilation systems - I have a feeling they just go with "what has always been done" as in the cheapest thing. because - sure people complain but they eventually just live with it.

I wish the train I took had an easy way to change the filters on the cars (they are basic furnace filters) and because of the difficulty to change them they get changed.. well NEVER.

A handful of years ago - someone got the furry grey ventilation panels in the train cars to be an "emergency" - it got on the news and there was a general outcry when other commuters noticed the furry grey ventilation panels in each and every car (and pointed out the smell in some of the cars that commuters avoided unless they had no choice but to ride in those cars). My train line had a train with one of those "weird smelling cars".

Due to all the pressure (and I'm guessing a lot of money in the budget and the need for good will) all the cars got their filters replaced. I was amazed to see that behind the furry grey ventilation panel - was an actual filter - I could make out that it was indeed a typical furnace filter (could see the branding on it). Riding the train was wonderful the "weird smell car" didn't smell weird anymore. You could feel the ventilation and the air wasn't stale or thick for about 6 months - and then the filter became gray and started to get furry - but you could still see it was a filter. and then 2 years later all the ventilation panels where gray furry things - you could sort of see the cover panel's pattern - but you can't tell what's behind the the furry mess.

FWIW: I have a 25 minute ride - I usually stand in the vestibule where there's actual air from outside coming in.

I know the filters do NOT filter out viruses - but I would think proper airflow/exchange thru the cars might make a difference in the quality of the air and the quality of the riding experience.

I wonder how many buildings and public places have ventilation systems that as long as they are running - no one cares how well they are working or what exactly they are doing. I would hope the pandemic (and how the virus is spread thru the air) will put some pressure on getting better technology or just forcing that ventilation systems get maintained (looking at you Train Company - change those furry gray filters!!)

[Tennesseer]

It will be a while.  Mask use in crowded indoor stores and venues continues even though fully vaccinated and boostered.  

[steph08]

We have probably been more open than most people since late 2020 because of our kids (4/6 last year, now 5/7). My kids both went to school full-time last year. They did gymnastics classes and Girl Scouts, etc. 

We flew on a plane to visit my brother's family this summer (3.5-hour flight), but did a lot of activities not around other people. The kids still mask at school, I still mask in the grocery store, etc. 

My kids are one week past their first vaccine dose, and they will be fully vaccinated + two weeks by mid-December.

I'm planning on an indoor water park as an early Christmas present, and I'm taking them to Disney in January. 

It's so hard - I am still afraid but I don't want to miss out on life anymore. 

[susana1954]

I know masks have cut down on stuff like colds, etc., but that may not be a good thing for most people.  Exposure to most common germs isn't that bad for you; it is how you develop a healthy immune system.

That isn't true for everyone, of course, and definitely not for something like Covid.

[busymom]

Yes, we're fully vaccinated at our house, but we continue to wear masks everywhere.  I think it's still going to be another year or two.  JMHO.  Maybe I'll feel safe when the people I know stop dying of Covid...

[TheOtherMe]

Nov 14, 2021 14:34:08 GMT -5 busymom said:

Yes, we're fully vaccinated at our house, but we continue to wear masks everywhere.  I think it's still going to be another year or two.  JMHO.  Maybe I'll feel safe when the people I know stop dying of Covid...

Sadly my uncle's death in October certainly made me feel less safe.  

[Deleted]

I'm SO tired of COVID but it's gonna take me a few years to get over it, I think. Positivity rates in our area are heading up again- was 1% in May, up to 9% in August, headed down to 5% about a month ago and it's near 6% now.

I'm cautiously doing most "normal" things, keeping up vaccinations and wearing masks indoors in public spaces whether required or not. I rarely went to crowded venues such as concerts and never went to sporting events and certainly wouldn't now. I attend church and am happy with the precautions. I'm pretty sure most of my fellow parishioners have been vaccinated and we do wear masks.

Things I'm not comfortable with yet: restaurants with insufficient spacing, planes, some areas of airports such as shuttles between terminals or out to the tarmac and back. I bring more food in a cooler on road trips- cheaper and lessens my time in convenience stores. That's where I see the least compliance with posted masking regulations. I'll leave stores without purchasing anything if I see a long checkout line with poor spacing, especially the type where you're all crowded between two shelves loaded with impulse-purchase items. I haven't returned to the gym- there are always people who ignore the mask rules or wear it like a chin diaper and not enough staff to enforce the rules. Plenty of really good workouts on YouTube. And I'm still very uncomfortable if someone I don't know gets too close to me. I move away.

[Miss Tequila]

Nov 14, 2021 14:34:08 GMT -5 busymom said:

Yes, we're fully vaccinated at our house, but we continue to wear masks everywhere.  I think it's still going to be another year or two.  JMHO.  Maybe I'll feel safe when the people I know stop dying of Covid...

Are they vaccinated or unvaccinated? I know two people that have died in the last month but both were unvaccinated. One was 45 and the other was 52. Completely senseless death that they brought on themselves.

I am fully vaccinated and trying to get back to normal. I say that as someone that is terrified of Covid. But at some point, life does go on

[busymom]

Nov 14, 2021 20:09:29 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

Nov 14, 2021 14:34:08 GMT -5 busymom said:

Yes, we're fully vaccinated at our house, but we continue to wear masks everywhere.  I think it's still going to be another year or two.  JMHO.  Maybe I'll feel safe when the people I know stop dying of Covid...

Are they vaccinated or unvaccinated? I know two people that have died in the last month but both were unvaccinated. One was 45 and the other was 52. Completely senseless death that they brought on themselves.

I am fully vaccinated and trying to get back to normal. I say that as someone that is terrified of Covid. But at some point, life does go on

    The most recent death was a fully vaccinated man.  So, while I'm convinced the vaccines help, it's not fool-proof.  If people around you won't mask up (victim lived in a small town), it probably won't provide the protection the same as if you lived in a community where a higher percentage of your neighbors have been vaccinated, and actually wear masks.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

As a public educator, I don't get to make this decision. 

[laterbloomer]

For me personally we have kind of hit a sweet spot with things here. You have to be fully vaccinated to go to many public gathering spots including restaurants, movies and the gym. So I can go to all these places and they are not really crowded. I kind of like masks in stores. I've seen to many sneezy, snotty people out in public in the past. Not having to deal with that has been nice. I WFH so that is a non issue for me. And I get to travel again. Right now I'm good.

[TheOtherMe]

My uncle who died was fully vaccinated.  Took him in 4 days.

[Opti]

Nov 15, 2021 9:01:52 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

My uncle who died was fully vaccinated.  Took him in 4 days.

How old was he?

[raeoflyte]

Ill relax more when dd is fully vaccinated mid December. My folks have their boosters, and I realized I'm eligible for one too. Will do that this week.

But my mom is high risk, so I don't know if I'll ever really feel normal. She has been oxygen dependent since she got a bad cold a few years ago and is hospitalized for the flu once every decade or so. I have nephews too young to be vaccinated too, but decided I can't care more than their parents so don't worry as much with them.

The kids mask at school, but ds has caught every cold since school started up. He's passed his latest on to me, and I'm sure dh is next. His covid test was negative thankfully and I'll get him in for another strep test.

[Ryan]

3 of us are fully vaccinated and my 2 younger kids just got the first shot.  Once they are good to go in a few weeks, I won't care too much about what others do.  

I have a doc appointment tomorrow and I'm going to ask him about the booster.  I don't think technically I qualify for the booster, but I am traveling for work in a few weeks so I'm leaning towards getting it.  I am anticipating my doc to "bless" that idea so I booked the appointment for WED for the booster.  

[Miss Tequila]

Nov 15, 2021 9:01:52 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

My uncle who died was fully vaccinated.  Took him in 4 days.

I’m so sorry for your loss :-(

How old was your uncle and did he have any underlying health conditions? From what I’ve read, it is very rare for a healthy, fully vaccinated person to die from Covid. But with these variants, who knows

It definitely highlights how scary this virus is, but at some point we do need to get back to living. If we start telling people that vaccines don’t work, people will stop getting vaccinated

[raeoflyte]

Nov 15, 2021 11:35:06 GMT -5 Ryan said:

3 of us are fully vaccinated and my 2 younger kids just got the first shot.  Once they are good to go in a few weeks, I won't care too much about what others do.  

I have a doc appointment tomorrow and I'm going to ask him about the booster.  I don't think technically I qualify for the booster, but I am traveling for work in a few weeks so I'm leaning towards getting it.  I am anticipating my doc to "bless" that idea so I booked the appointment for WED for the booster.  

I think it's all adults 6 months out from their last shot can get the booster now.

[minnesotapaintlady]

I went to a college football game last week and wasn't concerned.  I think that's a pretty good sign that I've moved on.   

I have a few family members that are refusing to get vaccinated including my mom.  I've already told her if she gets hospitalized I'm not going out of my way to visit her and if she survives with long-term side effects I will forever be telling her "I told you so" or "it's your own damn fault" and she's ok with that, so there will be no hard feelings there.

[TheOtherMe]

Nov 15, 2021 12:12:13 GMT -5 Miss Tequila said:

Nov 15, 2021 9:01:52 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

My uncle who died was fully vaccinated.  Took him in 4 days.

I’m so sorry for your loss :-(

How old was your uncle and did he have any underlying health conditions? From what I’ve read, it is very rare for a healthy, fully vaccinated person to die from Covid. But with these variants, who knows

He was in a nursing home for dementia.  He was 94, but that doesn't mean he had to die from Covid.  He didn't have any other illness that put him in the nursing home.  Another person in the nursing home died of Covid the same day.  That particular nursing home has had several outbreaks since the beginning of the pandemic.

I know my cousin wanted him as close to her as she could find, but she says now she wishes she would have put him in a different nursing home, that everything happened so fast that she didn't check out their history with Covid.

My sister has a friend who has some life threatening illness and is fully vaccinated.  She had been told that if she got Covid it would kill her.  She had some surgery a few weeks ago.  Her husband saw her in the hospital.  3 days after she was home from the hospital, they both tested positive for Covid, so they think they got it at the hospital.  Who knows?

They were treated the next day with the monoclonal antibodies and both seem to have recovered.  Between vaccines and medicine, they both survived their battles with Covid.  The friend's doctor told her he still doesn't think she would have survived if she had not been vaccinated.

[TheOtherMe]

I think right now my biggest concern are people who are not getting tested and not staying home because they think they have a cold.  DN3's fiance thought she had the worst cold she had ever had and went to see my sister and BIL, knowing BIL was having surgery in 3 days.  My sister talked her in to getting tested.  

That was a week ago and she is still very sick.  Has been to the ER twice with difficulty breathing.  As my nephew said, he doesn't want to know what would have happened if she wasn't vaccinated.

Her ex is giving them a hard time because the kindergartner, who also tested positive, is getting too much screen time.  Sometimes when the adults in the house are too sick to give child care all of the attention it needs, that is the only solution.  The two adults both get winded going up and down their stairs.  They don't feel like sitting on the floor to play with him, so screen time it is.  It's temporary, not permanent.

Not to mention, no one is comfortable saying they will come and take the kid  because he has Covid.  None of the grandparents want him at their house and ex is in a rehab center as he recovers from a long hospital stay with RSV.

He isn't coming here and DN3's siblings don't want him at their houses.  I don't know who the ex think is supposed to take care of him when the entire household is sick.  He is asymptomatic, so he may have been the spreader.  

To get tested for free here, you must have symptoms so DN3 has to stretch the truth to get him tested.  It wasn't good enough that his mother was positive and sick.  Otherwise, he would have been going to school spreading Covid.

[Deleted]

Nov 15, 2021 15:51:19 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I think right now my biggest concern are people who are not getting tested and not staying home because they think they have a cold.  DN3's fiance thought she had the worst cold she had ever had and went to see my sister and BIL, knowing BIL was having surgery in 3 days.  My sister talked her in to getting tested.  

That was a week ago and she is still very sick.  Has been to the ER twice with difficulty breathing.  As my nephew said, he doesn't want to know what would have happened if she wasn't vaccinated.

Her ex is giving them a hard time because the kindergartner, who also tested positive, is getting too much screen time.  Sometimes when the adults in the house are too sick to give child care all of the attention it needs, that is the only solution.  The two adults both get winded going up and down their stairs.  They don't feel like sitting on the floor to play with him, so screen time it is.  It's temporary, not permanent.

Not to mention, no one is comfortable saying they will come and take the kid  because he has Covid.  None of the grandparents want him at their house and ex is in a rehab center as he recovers from a long hospital stay with RSV.

He isn't coming here and DN3's siblings don't want him at their houses.  I don't know who the ex think is supposed to take care of him when the entire household is sick.  He is asymptomatic, so he may have been the spreader.  

To get tested for free here, you must have symptoms so DN3 has to stretch the truth to get him tested.  It wasn't good enough that his mother was positive and sick.  Otherwise, he would have been going to school spreading Covid.

It sounds like your nephew and his fiancée are doing the best they can with the child, given they are both very ill. The child getting more screen time than usual while the adults are so sick, is not the worst thing that can happen. If it takes all the energy and stamina they can muster up to tend to his needs, I don’t see an issue with parking him in front of a screen while they rest.

The ex can’t get his son and take care of him while DN and fiancée recover from being sick, so he can stfu.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Nov 15, 2021 15:51:19 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

To get tested for free here, you must have symptoms so DN3 has to stretch the truth to get him tested.  It wasn't good enough that his mother was positive and sick.  Otherwise, he would have been going to school spreading Covid.

I thought testing was one of those things the government mandated that insurance companies had to cover?  Maybe it's just our state?  I know we have free testing places all over the place and you don't even have to give insurance info.

My job has started stocking rapid tests.  The kind you can get from Walgreens for like 2 for $12.  If somebody starts feeling sick at work after the pre-screening to get in they can get one.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Nov 15, 2021 16:45:49 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Nov 15, 2021 15:51:19 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

To get tested for free here, you must have symptoms so DN3 has to stretch the truth to get him tested.  It wasn't good enough that his mother was positive and sick.  Otherwise, he would have been going to school spreading Covid.

I thought testing was one of those things the government mandated that insurance companies had to cover?  Maybe it's just our state?  I know we have free testing places all over the place and you don't even have to give insurance info.

My job has started stocking rapid tests.  The kind you can get from Walgreens for like 2 for $12.  If somebody starts feeling sick at work after the pre-screening to get in they can get one.

Iowa is run by idiots.  We ran into the same thing and whoops. turned out . .Abby had COVID.     We didn't figure it out until DH came down with symptoms and tested positive.

She caught it from school all the rest of us around here outside Gwen are vaccinated.  

Family wise she only affected DH and Gwen.  Anytime anyone has so much as a sniffle we stay away from my parents and his parents so it worked out.  

What is weird to me is every two minutes we get robo calls from the middle school about exposure.  Crickets from the elementary school.  Clearly someone or several someones were walking around with it.  I am hard pressed to believe they were all asymptomatic.   

While irresponsible I get the rock/hard place parents are between right now.  Many employers here have declared COVID over so get your ass back to work and aren't covering any type of leave for it outside your normal sick time.  So it's the same quagmire parents have always been in regarding kids being ill.

Also there are a lot of ahole parents who believe COVID isn't real BUT I am going to be generous since I have no proof it was those types of parents who exposed Abby.

[resolution]

I am doing just about everything that I used to do, except I am wearing a mask. I get a lot of odd looks since almost no one goes masked in the area, but my doctor recommended that I keep wearing them so I have. I have eaten through most of my coronavirus extra food stash, but I still keep an extra package of TP on hand.

We are considering going on a trip next May, so hopefully things are more normal by then.

[Deleted]

Nov 15, 2021 16:45:49 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

I thought testing was one of those things the government mandated that insurance companies had to cover?  Maybe it's just our state?  I know we have free testing places all over the place and you don't even have to give insurance info.

I live in MO and got one at no cost easily after I returned from Alaska, just out of caution. I'd tested negative on the ship after two passengers tested positive, but then passed through airports in Juneau and Seattle. Seattle was jammed and I had to make a couple of trips on their trams, which were equally jammed. So, I wanted to make sure I was OK. I think it's good public policy to make it as easy as possible.

The test before I left home which was required by the cruise line did cost $$ but that was because I wanted one that pretty much guaranteed results would be available in 24 hours.

[chiver78]

my test was free in MA, before I travelled a couple weeks back. I needed to have insurance or sign a waiver with a penalty if I lied about not having insurance. I didn't realize that was a state thing.