Unfortunately my husband and I are being badgered by both family and friends to "get over it". To get on a plane (most folks live a multi-hour plane trip plus airport time away) there's no way we can keep a mask on the whole way without taking it off to eat and drink. Indoor dinner invitations. My sister in particular is livid that I won't fly across the country to visit my cousin who could die of Stage 4 cancer any day, and also pissed off that I would not fly to the inevitable funeral either.
My husband and I are sick of this, we're sick of being safe, we're absolutely desperate to get a long overdue vacation in Hawaii, we're sick of being called paranoid, silly, and stupid. We're tired of giving them the facts and they tell us we're exaggerating. We're sick of the lack of freedom. We *KNOW* we would have terrible long COVID if we got it... both of us have high blood pressure, obesity, and my parents/grandparents on both sides died of strokes. I weep with despair almost every day seeing people enjoy the freedom of being able to do whatever whereever and wish we could do the same but can't.
I realize at some point we may both snap and go on flights, eat indoors, go to movies. Because we're sick of it and at some point we may decide the risk is worth it (keeping masks on when we can to reduce the risk, but still).
I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen. It absolutely sucks in every way possible.
Dee, have you accessed any of the "Still-Coviding" Facebook groups out there? I joined one that's particularly to scientists, but there are many others. I guarantee those people are numerous and will never badger you to "get over it". There are thousands and thousands of people experiencing the same as you. I am very sorry you're experiencing such badgering. I've gotten the "get over it" crap way too many times from family. Problem is, the ones that say it think they're "right", yet are the willfully uninformed who have no business even having an opinion at all. It's quite trying. Remember though... don't let them pathologize you, meaning call you crazy, paranoid, etc. That part is even worse than the scourge itself. Stay strong. You're not alone.
Not to be THAT person, but if you are smart enough and caring enough to still be COVID cautious, you shouldn’t travel to Hawaii. I did it before the pandemic and before I knew how badly Hawaiians are hurting because of tourism. They’re an island with limited resources and heavy tourism is stealing from them. There are water shortages and Native Hawaiians are getting fined for using water or they just don’t have clean water because it’s diverted to the resorts. That’s just one issue. There’s a lot you can read up on it! I love Hawaii but I want to respect the land and the people who live there more.
As soon as the Democratic misleadership, led by the right-wing corporate fellators in the Biden White House, flipped on covid precautions, it was all over. It's past time to acknowledge that the two wings of the Party of war abroad and austerity at home are one.
It took me several days to read your superbly researched and written article. It is so rich that I could only digest a couple of pages at a time. Seeing how I feel and what I know written down feels incredibly supportive. I am already stubbornly dug into COVID caution and feel buoyed to go on. Please keep writing.
I would love to have a super condensed version of this I could send to family & colleagues. So many people (myself included unfortunately) have short attention spans.
I have so much trouble communicating what I've learned to people in my real life.
"But studies have shown that even a “mild” covid infection increases risk of death 10x for at least a year after infection for all who catch it."
This statistic appears to be a misquote. The number in the cited webpage was a 233% increase for those younger than 65. The HR in the associated study for those younger than 65 with mild COVID was 2.83.
Unfortunately my husband and I are being badgered by both family and friends to "get over it". To get on a plane (most folks live a multi-hour plane trip plus airport time away) there's no way we can keep a mask on the whole way without taking it off to eat and drink. Indoor dinner invitations. My sister in particular is livid that I won't fly across the country to visit my cousin who could die of Stage 4 cancer any day, and also pissed off that I would not fly to the inevitable funeral either.
My husband and I are sick of this, we're sick of being safe, we're absolutely desperate to get a long overdue vacation in Hawaii, we're sick of being called paranoid, silly, and stupid. We're tired of giving them the facts and they tell us we're exaggerating. We're sick of the lack of freedom. We *KNOW* we would have terrible long COVID if we got it... both of us have high blood pressure, obesity, and my parents/grandparents on both sides died of strokes. I weep with despair almost every day seeing people enjoy the freedom of being able to do whatever whereever and wish we could do the same but can't.
I realize at some point we may both snap and go on flights, eat indoors, go to movies. Because we're sick of it and at some point we may decide the risk is worth it (keeping masks on when we can to reduce the risk, but still).
I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen. It absolutely sucks in every way possible.
Dee, have you accessed any of the "Still-Coviding" Facebook groups out there? I joined one that's particularly to scientists, but there are many others. I guarantee those people are numerous and will never badger you to "get over it". There are thousands and thousands of people experiencing the same as you. I am very sorry you're experiencing such badgering. I've gotten the "get over it" crap way too many times from family. Problem is, the ones that say it think they're "right", yet are the willfully uninformed who have no business even having an opinion at all. It's quite trying. Remember though... don't let them pathologize you, meaning call you crazy, paranoid, etc. That part is even worse than the scourge itself. Stay strong. You're not alone.
Not to be THAT person, but if you are smart enough and caring enough to still be COVID cautious, you shouldn’t travel to Hawaii. I did it before the pandemic and before I knew how badly Hawaiians are hurting because of tourism. They’re an island with limited resources and heavy tourism is stealing from them. There are water shortages and Native Hawaiians are getting fined for using water or they just don’t have clean water because it’s diverted to the resorts. That’s just one issue. There’s a lot you can read up on it! I love Hawaii but I want to respect the land and the people who live there more.
Aloha ~ I live on Maui, Hawai'i. Please don't come here. Stay home and stay safe and help keep the good people of Hawai'i nei safe, too.
Mahalo ~
Excellent and informative post Looking forward to more.
As soon as the Democratic misleadership, led by the right-wing corporate fellators in the Biden White House, flipped on covid precautions, it was all over. It's past time to acknowledge that the two wings of the Party of war abroad and austerity at home are one.
Holy crap! Brilliant!
Thank you, Derek.
It took me several days to read your superbly researched and written article. It is so rich that I could only digest a couple of pages at a time. Seeing how I feel and what I know written down feels incredibly supportive. I am already stubbornly dug into COVID caution and feel buoyed to go on. Please keep writing.
Thank you for writing this.
I would love to have a super condensed version of this I could send to family & colleagues. So many people (myself included unfortunately) have short attention spans.
I have so much trouble communicating what I've learned to people in my real life.
Deborah Birx: COVID will eventually evade Paxlovid, one of the few treatments for those infected and could cause deaths to "easily double."
https://fortune.com/well/2023/04/29/covid-antiviral-paxlovid-evade-deborah-birx-double-deaths/
"But studies have shown that even a “mild” covid infection increases risk of death 10x for at least a year after infection for all who catch it."
This statistic appears to be a misquote. The number in the cited webpage was a 233% increase for those younger than 65. The HR in the associated study for those younger than 65 with mild COVID was 2.83.
Excellent writing! Thank you so much for saying these things. I share your sentiments entirely. Well done.