According to Wikipedia, on this day in 2020 the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 was a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern". At the time the WHO was making their pronouncement I was reading stories about the virus in the newspaper, but the pandemic seemed far away. However, in early March of 2020 a local college student who had been studying in Italy came home, then tested positive.
Things went downhill from there.
Emergency public health orders were put into place. The mantra was that if we could flatten the curve for six weeks we would be in good shape. (And everyone believed it. How naive that sounds now.) It didn't take long for the pandemic to be politicized. Our County Council has spent a lot of time arguing over mask mandates, and the state governor wasn't a particular fan of them either.
There was, and still is, a lot of vaccine hesitancy in this state. Only 54% of people are fully vaccinated. I am in that slim majority that are. A lot of people think that if they're vaccinated they no longer have to wear a mask. I am not in that category either. Even though the research says that fully vaccinated and boosted people who get Covid will have very minor symptoms, they still need to quarantine. I have no desire to do that! I also don't want to inadvertently infect someone if I have an asymptomatic case.
When will the pandemic end? No one knows. I'm hopeful, though, that I won't be updating this post in another two years.
Let's hope this year is a better year.
ReplyDeleteLet us pray ...
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
"Only 54% of people are fully vaccinated. I am not one of them."
ReplyDeleteI thought you were. Are you not boosted? Or haven't you done any vaccine? I'm boosted and if they offer another shot I'll take it too. I'll probably be wearing a mask for a while yet.
Before the last surge and mask wearing was down to about 50%, I was checking out at Dierbergs. The checker didn't have a mask on and made some comment to me about wearing one. I should have punched her through plastic divider.
ACK! That was a bad proofreading job on my part. Problem is fixed. Thanks for pointing it out.
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DeleteI hope you're not either. It is strange to think that we all thought, 'It'll be over by the summer.' Let's hope it's soon.
ReplyDeleteIn my mind I keep rolling over the pandemic ending from one season to another. It'll be over by summer.....then winter.....then summer again.
DeleteI sure hope it ends soon. It seems so ridiculous now that we thought it would be over quickly. When I left work (before we'd been told we weren't going back, but I already suspected as much), I didn't take my work cell phone or the container of lysol wipes in my cabinet. Now I have nothing left in the office, and have no idea if I will ever work from there again.
ReplyDeleteThe not knowing has to be strange.
DeleteI think like the common cold, and the less than common measles, this will always be with us.
ReplyDeleteYou're probably right. I could live with 'common cold' Covid, but right now it's putting way too many people in the hospital.
Delete"This too shall pass." Whoever said that?
ReplyDeleteA very wise person.
DeleteI'm sick of it in some ways but used to it in others. Happy I don't work in the health care industry, however. I hear stories about people in other countries, walking miles for vaccines, grateful ,then there's our country...and I think to myself, what what a bunch of entitled whiney babies we've become. wearing a mask is nothiing, for the greater good. But I wish it would all be over with.
ReplyDeleteI am so used to putting on a mask when I go into places I feel naked without it.
DeleteIt is terrible when folks poiticize the virus. This is a health issue. We need to protect one another. Practice the Golden Rule. I think it is here to stay in a milder form eventually. Heartbreaking how many lives have been lost.
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of the Golden Rule. Sadly, too many people seem to have forgotten it even exists.
DeleteI have so much respect for the careful thought you've given this, and the precautions you are willing to take but for yourself and for those around you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words.
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