Coronavirus crisis volunteer Rhiannon Navin greets local residents arriving to a food distribution center at the WestCop community center on March 18, 2020 in New Rochelle, New York. New Rochelle was hit hard in the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by John Moore/via Getty Images)
Despite the statistics and all of the data we currently have on how Covid-19 is transmitted, I keep hearing people having discussions about hosting Thanksgiving dinner and holiday parties, regardless of all of the warnings against it. The Dakotas are currently the epicenter of the US pandemic with the fastest moving per capita case numbers, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University and state health departments. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was a super spreader event for the state, as well as the rest of the country, and may have even kick-started this third wave. But South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who allowed the event to take place, has made no attempt to reverse her careless policies that are only helping to add to the death count.
In direct contrast, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced a new, state-wide mandate on Sunday, that will now limit indoor gatherings and other activities for the next three weeks, starting Wednesday. These new closures will include schools, indoor dining at bars and restaurants and some work scenarios that allow for people to work at home. Experts have determined that indoor social gatherings are the main culprit for this latest spread of COVID-19, which is the problem Whitmer is intending to target with her latest stay-at-home order. “We are in the worst moment of this pandemic to date,” Whitmer said. “The situation has never been more dire.”
Contrary to all of the scientific evidence and guidance, and the verifiable death count, the argument I typically hear from people who deny that the coronavirus is as prevalent as it actually is, is that “nobody they know” has had it, or gotten sick or died from it. While this third wave seems to be hitting the middle of the country the hardest in this phase, experts warn that the virus is now everywhere, and in places that people previously would have considered to be safe. The risk is now higher, as many are letting their guards down by not wearing a mask for daily routines or in smaller social settings that they thought of as safe, such as gatherings with family or trusted friends. This means the pandemic is only likely to get worse when many fail to take the proper precautions and isolate during the week of Thanksgiving.
At this point, we have all heard the stories of the many tragic deaths of those who have died from the Covid-19 virus. Currently, more than 11 million people in the United States have tested positive for the coronavirus and nearly 250,000 Americans have died. The real issue now seems to be the prevalent denial among people who refuse to acknowledge that any of this is really happening. Jodi Doering, an emergency-room registered nurse, described this denial phenomenon in an interview on CNN on Monday: “It’s not one particular patient; it’s just a culmination of so many people and their last dying words are, ‘This can’t be happening, it’s not real.’” Doering went on to explain, “they should be spending time FaceTime-ing their families, they’re just filled with anger and hatred. I just can’t believe those are their last words.” (You can watch a portion of the interview in the video below.)
My question to you is, do you know anyone that Covid-19 has directly affected? Have you, or someone you love, been ill from the virus or possibly even died? I know that I documented my experience with the coronavirus when I had it in March, and I am still dealing with a protracted recovery that is as frustrating as it is scary. What are your first-hand experiences with this virus?
My mom has been in a Memory Care Facility in Tustin, CA since 2010. When CA went into lockdown, Mar 20, her care facility immediately stopped visitations and began testing resident s weekly. They used the Molecular Test. Each resident was tested on Friday, results returned the following Wednesday.
March came and went. April came and went. June came and went. All of mom's weekly tests were negative.
The first week in July, mom appeared COVID "symptomatic", so she was put into isolation. If four more tests were negative, she would be returned to her normal living space.
July week 1 - COVID test - negative.
July week 2 - COVID test - negative.
July week 3 - COVID test - negative.
July 27th, I received an email. Mom had been unresponsive and staff believed she hadn't much longer. Family with end of life family members were allowed visitations. We were so fortunate.
Upon arrival, we signed COVID release waivers. We suited up with surgical gowns, gloves, N95 masks and blue masks covering the N95, and googles.
Mom had been in hospice care before COVID-19 hit the US. I was terrified of her being ventilated, forgetting about her DNR (Do Not Resuscitate). This was Monday, her test was last Friday, and results wouldn't be until 2 more days. Only on oxygen and morphine, she wouldn't be around much longer. I touched her. I spoke to her. I ran my hands through her hair. Her hands were toasty warm, much to my surprise. When I rubbed her arm, her breathing slowed down, as though I was calming her. I reminded her 59 years ago she was giving birth to a 9lb 1oz baby girl, with a HUGE head at that arrived at 9:45 pm.
I told her not to be frightened. I imaged a sea of thousands of hands reaching out to her, confusing her, scaring her. "Look for the Glove, mama. Take his hand." Aside from being a Professional Engineer, my dad was an amazing gardener, hence, "The Glove".
We left knowing it was all we could do. If not for COVID, I could have stayed 24/7 by her side. Having seen my dad through hospice, I felt rather certain she was passing on own her terms, at her own time, when she was ready.
Her Wednesday results were COVID positive. Five days later, August 3, 2020 at 8:49pm, she left us.
My dad passed away 18 years earlier, having afforded her any care she needed. Money was no object. It was supposed to be up to her when she passed, when she was ready. I haven't even began to deal with the rage inside of me. That fat orange POS stinking up the White House is a murderer.
People can say, well she was 90... I say so what? She wasn't hurting anyone. She wasn't dependent on Medicaid or any government program. She was tucked away in a tiny corner of Orange County CA bothering NO ONE, yet that disgusting POS farting all over the White House got his evil sadistic stink on her.
I can't even begin to imagine the pain of those that lost a child to this needless virus, but Trump and all his vile team must be held accountable. Researchers with incredible sourcing have found out that Trump and his team knew about this back in November 2019, at minimum.
None of this would have happened with Hillary. I've been a Republican my entire life, but I've been voting blue up and down the tickets since 2016. I suppose the 70 million shit-for-brains 2020 voters don't need healthcare, don't want Social Security and want an Authoritarian leader.
My daughter is an RN in a COVID unit here in Orange County. A frontline nurse died last February of COVID in her hospital. This shit's real and scary and the utter defiance and ugliness of those unwilling to mask when in public, should be a crime.
Thank you for allowing me to vent. I'm just so tired of being afraid. Trumps itching to push the button and he'll take us all down with him. I pray I'm wrong, but he's admittedly "get even" kind of ass. God bless us all.
My husband talked to me *in January* about being worried about "this virus that's going around in China." He's from England and is used to getting his news from non-American sources, and while he was busy stressing about this potential threat from overseas, I was trying to allay his fears about "nothing." (Spoiler alert: my husband was right to be worried.)
My personal experience had been limited to my friend's tRump-loving, science-denying, no-mask-wearing father contracting then succumbing to Covid; however, now my experience is a little more personal: My nephews have been exposed (from in-person school). Both have tested negative, but I just found out my SIL was exposed from her job (working in schools); she is waiting on her results.
I work in patient care in an office setting with a mostly elderly (over 65) population. We have our mask policy on our door so patients know, before they even come in, what our mask expectations are: mask up, wear it PROPERLY, and don't be a whiney little b*tch about it (that last part is not written policy, but it is heavily inferred). And yet, people have to *constantly* be told to put their masks on before they enter and pull it up over their nose once they are in. I just don't get it. ... One of my patients is a nurse in a hospital and she told me a couple of interesting things: there are at least 13 different strains of covid-19 (which totally makes sense. That would explain why some otherwise healthy people are knocked on their *ss, or maybe never recover, and why some otherwise unhealthy, cheeseburger-eating, diet coke-drinking, conspiracy theory-spewing, hate-filled people are inconvenienced with little more than slight breathing problems.). She also confirmed there are some covid-19 patients who *still* think it's a hoax and want to know why the hospital isn't doing anything to make them better.
When this all began, at the end of January, I was put in charge of the Emergency Preparedness and Response for our nation-wide healthcare company. We saw lots of patients in Long Term Care Facilities, Assisted Livings, Hospitals, and then in private homes. First it was the seniors, then the patients became younger and younger. The lack of PPE was astonishing and more that troubling. I shopped in the middle of the night (due to time differences in other countries) just trying to find enough for the staff, to keep them safe. It was amazing to see the denial of what was so obvious to those in health care. I live in a very Red state and every time our governor tried to do anything to mitigate the virus, she was taken to court by the Republicans who hold a super majority in our state legislature. And the numbers kept rising. Most counties opted-out of mask mandates, because liberty after all and guns and all that. Then my ex son-in-law made the bad decision of going to a wedding, no masks, no social distancing, and indoors. The reception was a drunken super spreader event. He was quarantined and never told my daughter, even though my grandson goes between the two households. Not only did he get COVID-19, but so did my pregnant daughter, son-in-law, four grandchildren, and my son-in-laws mom and dad. We had been so careful all this time and one bad decision was devastating. I don't know what it is going to take for people to have a modicum of care about themselves and others. Our decisions have far reaching consequences.
My 41 yr old son, who lives 8 hrs away, called Sunday morning to tell me he tested positive. I cried for an hour. Fortunately, he seems to have a mild case. I check in w him every morning-to reassure myself that he made it thru the night.
A co-worker got it in March from her mother who was very ill and passed away from it. My co-worker is a long hauler and continues to have lingering issues and new issues. She is in an NIH study. I know others that have had it and recovered. It is baffling how it affects some people so much more than others. We had an associate pastor years ago and I recently found out both he and his wife were hospitalized in the early summer with it. His wife passed away - he survived but has many issues. I jus pray people take it seriously because you just don't know how it will affect you or your loved ones (and people you don't even know!).
I live in Memphis, TN. One of my sisters, her husband and his elderly mother live together in North Little Rock. They have been extremely careful. Groceries delivered and then wiped down. No restaurants, no group anything. And they both now have COVID19. My brother in law did work one video production job with limited people and everyone masked. They have both been very sick but not hospitalized for two weeks now.I f they can get sick, anyone can. It is very scary.
I work remotely (from northern California) for a company based in Manhattan. Four people tested positive for Covid in early March, and the entire company shut down immediately. It was kind of a mess because most people didn't hear about the shutdown until they were already home from work, leaving behind their computers and work materials. Over the next couple of weeks, facilities personnel in PPE packed up everyone's stuff and hired a delivery service to drop it all off -- all over New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Several more positive tests occurred throughout the month of March, but everyone survived. Two of those now call themselves "long-termers."
A dear friend of mine lost both of his parents, 48 hours apart, in late April. Quite a few of my friends have lost one or both parents since then. A good friend from college just lost his younger brother yesterday. The brother was 60, but lived in Florida and was a Covid-denying supporter of Putin's puppet. My friend said that one of his last phrases before going on a vent was, "I can't believe it. It's a hoax!"
A very good friend from high school, who is an admin at a convalescent hospital here in the S.F. Bay Area, tested positive in early May. She was very sick but stayed home and managed to get through it without being hospitalized. She went back to work in July but still has memory loss, headaches, and generally feels like crap. She wants to cut back to 1/2 time but the facility is overwhelmed and she can't work from home. I worry about her every single day. She had antibodies in July but did not have any in October, and is terrified she will get another strain of it.
My immediate family has, so far, not had any positive tests. Both of my kids now work from home. My elder daughter is a high school lab science teacher (chemistry and physiology) and is teaching 150 kids a day over Zoom. She despairs at the limited experience they are all getting, but she also says that her physio students got a lot out of the virus/epidemiology segment (which she moved from spring to fall, for obvious reasons) and are all working with their families, many of whom are not native English speakers, to be more careful.
I've canceled our big Thanksgiving celebration, usually my favorite holiday. My family pod will all be getting tested on Monday so we can gather outdoors (please no rain that day, OK weather goddesses?) on Thanksgiving for an early, short meal. My employer committed on day 1 to not laying anyone off, so all of our jobs are safe. Indeed, we are all busier than ever, and I managed to help dozens of people figure out how to work from home since I've been doing it for 36 years.
Amee, you're one of the long-termers I also worry about. Please stay healthy, and keep educating us.
My 29 year old assistant, "R" contracted the virus in July from her babysitter who contracted it in the nursing home where she worked part time. In addition to R, her two pre-school aged boys got sick. The virus travelled around her family and eventually 8 relatives were sick. She was back to work after her 14 day quarantine but is still suffering from memory issues that have significantly effected her work. An inspector who reports to me also got the virus in August. He refused to take any precautions, except for the masking requirements at work, and continued his normal routine. He insists he's fared pretty well. He had a cough and lost taste and smell for a while. I have a compromised immune system and I'm very lucky to be able to work from home. My boss has a rapid Covid test this morning; he's got a cough and a headache. His wife also works in a nursing home that is relying on the rapid tests to screen their employees. I'm not doing Thanksgiving with my family. I will be doing a socially distanced side dish swap with my daughter who lives in the same town, but at the house it's just going to be me and the dog.
I have clients that have it, one client's husband did pass from it. We had a scare, with my husband in Aug. He is a trucker and came in contact with someone who tested positive. Thankfully, my husband's test was negative. My daughter is a cashier, at a grocer, they've had 5 confirmed cases. There is only the 3 of us, I do a lot of praying. To everyone, be safe!🙏❤
My wife and I have been isolating and teleworking since March and only going out to get whatever necessity we can't order online. But yes, two really close friends both tested positive last Friday. They only live about 1/2 mile away so they contact us if they need anything. Yesterday it was dog food for their three dogs.
A coworker in my department tested positive at the end of October and then his entire family of four also caught it. They all recovered after isolating for two weeks.
The irritating thing is that we have family members that still go out for leisure shopping because they are bored at home and others that travel to California because they want to visit other family members.
We normally have between 20-30 people over for Thanksgiving ... This event has been cancelled for 2020.
This year, it's just going to be the two of us for both Thanksgiving and Christmas !
My mother, age 90, had COVID-19 and was hospitalized for 40 days. She survived.
My neighbors both had it. The husband died. The wife survived.
Another neighbor's uncle died from COVID-19. Her aunt (not his wife) died one month later. Her father-in-law died two months later.
The local hospital, which ordinarily treats only long-term care patients, accepted patients with COVID-19 because other hospitals in new York City were overcrowded with COVID patients.
So far, the only ones with a connection to me would be through my partner's family. She has a couple of out of state cousins that have contracted it, along with their immediate family (spouse and kids). One family appears to have gotten through it mostly unscathed. The other is currently in it. No deaths. We've been quite careful in trying to maintain our "pod's" integrity. Between us we have 6 adult children...one starting college, one just graduated...so there is a bit of in and out of the pod. We just had our latest test yesterday and should know results in a couple of days.
My wife tested positive in late July. I tested negative (blood type? high cholesterol prescription Simvastatin? high daily doses of vitamin D?). Even though she has recovered, she still experiences shortness of breath, fatigue, and some disorientation. Covid-19 scares us still, because my wife has MS and is a breast cancer survivor. Unfortunately, too many people consider the virus a flu. Still. And yet almost 250,000 Americans have died from the virus, and millions are infected.
My brother & his wife (ID) had it. My SIL (FL) had it. They were all pretty sick at home, seem ok now. In my husband's family 8 people (WI) had it, 7 recovered, 1 passed away. A cousin and his wife, and 1 yr old (TX) currently have Covid mostly likely from a 100 person wedding they attended in OK.
My girlfriend and I are from Pennsylvania originally. Two of her cousins have died of Covid-19. Two other of her family friends there have died of Covid-19, so a total of 4 have died. My daughter-in-law in Texas became very sick 6/7/20 for 3 weeks with Covid-19. She works as a waitress and bartender and none of her coworkers or customers would wear masks and she did wear a mask. She was protecting them with her mask but they didn’t give a fuck about her. Fortunately she recovered without hospitalization but was very sick. When I called my cousin in western Pennsylvania to say I was not going to be coming there for Thanksgiving this year, my 70 year-old cousin said she “was not afraid of Covid.” She doesn’t know anyone who has died. I’ll see how long they go like that. Her son and his friends just got back from pheasant hunting in North Dakota.
My friends father and mother died 24 hours apart from Covid. Even though this friend was hit by two deaths, they allow their teens to have friends gather and have hosted parties for them. It is mind boggling to me that they would behave this way! I also have friends and families who have tested positive but luckily none have been sick enough to be hospitalized.
All I can say is, “Not yet.” My 92YO mom lives in a nursing facility in Naples FL and gets tested weekly so, fingers crossed. She’s being treated now for pneumonitis and congestive heart failure. I’m realistic about my odds of seeing her again.
I was a teacher at a small elementary school for 25 years and was a Girl Scout leader. Because of social media, I have been able to be aware of children’s growing up and finding the path in their lives. Many of these wonderful young people have been visited by COVID. Some have had a harsh version of the virus and one had it twice. Some of my friends and colleagues have caught it too. Because we live in a small town with a big university we had a huge surge because of constant partying. Sometimes my fearful self feels surrounding by pandemic. My strong self recognizes that there are greater threats to our lives like hate, greed, ignorance and xenophobia. I yearn for joy
My son’s school friend lost her father and is now sick.
Many friends have family members who have had it. Some have died. It’s terrifying.
My own mother isn’t as careful as she should be.
We’re canceling our extended family Thanksgiving dinner -even though we were going to eat outside. I just don’t think it’s a good idea now. I’m in Southern California. My city and two that border mine are trying. But there are others that are close that are ignoring it completely. One restaurant/bar is still having live bands play inside; completely ignoring any state directions. Our county board of supervisors is Republican lead. So there’s no support from them. It’s sad and infuriating.
Trying to keep a much lower profile, but I'll answer this question. One of my clients died of it. One of my daughter's very good friends' father almost died of it. Two of my law school classmates had it, and one of them became a "long hauler", battling symptoms for months after he was diagnosed.
two people at my office have had it... but my building is big and sparsely populated. my GF office is packed in like sardines, but she's been working from home mostly for the last 8 months..
We’ve been very careful & in our community everyone wears masks out in public. Yet 2 of our friends had it last summer (I believe one of their adult kids had been to a party. You know the rest). My son’s closest friend & his pregnant wife are now sick with it (their roommate continued to go out to bars etc with his gf.) and they’d been very careful but made the mistake of trusting the friend to be as careful. My niece, her husband & all 3 kids have it. She’s not tested positive but the medical professionals assume she has it. (Husband went to a family dinner, sat next to his sister...). And lastly, so far, an acquaintance of many years, lost her husband to the virus back in August.
What scares me are the people who think the death rate is low so no big deal. But it’s the unknown of how severely one may be affected by it. Seemingly healthy people have been laid low & others barely a sneeze. What are the rates of people getting hospitalized? Or have long lasting effects? What are the rates of the asymptotic? I’m not willing to play Russian roulette with my health.
My primary connection was at work. An employee got pneumonia in March, contracted COVID-19, went into the hospital on a ventilator on March 31st and was dead on April 24th. As the head of HR, I assisted her family through the various company related benefits and we allowed staff to virtually attend her funeral via Zoom...which her family generously shared with us. Additionally, my best friend's corporate office had 90% of their staff contract it and at least one person died.
In the initial phase in March, I knew 3 people, who contracted it. A friend and her husband, that work as an ER nurse and Fireman, respectively. Their symptoms were mild. A doctor I worked with contracted it and was in the hospital for 8 weeks, in ICU on a ventilator and then post rehab. Then no one til about 1.5 months ago. My sister and her husband, both in their 60’s, who live in KY. They had mild symptoms. My daughters friend, who was diagnosed after losing his sense of taste and smell. A friend’s parents presently have it, also in their 60’s, they have SOB and loss their sense of taste and smell. Lastly a friend and her husband contracted the virus, she is a nurse and he owns/bar tends at a tavern. Sadly her husband died last week after being rushed to the hospital. He was 50.
I know about 15 people that have had it...with another being tested now. I've lost two people to it.
My uncle in April after a month in ICU on a ventilator. He had just turned 64. His 45 year wedding anniversary to my aunt (who was also sick, but survived) passed while he was in the ICU. An early loss in this pandemic that showed my family how serious this was.
I lost a friend a couple of months ago...a general practitioner doctor treating his patients in his private office practice. He was 50.
I had it in late March and spent three nights in the hospital. One of the worst experiences I ever had. The hospital did a fantastic job in terms of care and attention even though the doctors did not know much about the virus and did not have more information than what the public knew from the media and from Dr. Fauci. Afterwards, and because I do not have health insurance, I got a medical bill for $65,000 and another bill for $800 for the amublance ride for seven blocks. Anyone who does not take this serious situation seriously, is gambling with their own life and the lives of their loved ones.
My dear friend is a Respiratory Therapist at a major campus. She got very sick last December. She had chest pains, couldn't breathe...she never had asthma or smoked. It took her months to get better & she never got her breath back. Not even now almost a year later. About 4 months ago she started having all kinds of physical problems, including her hair coming out in handfuls & mentally she was not at all herself, she has been borderline hysterical most of the time. Her Dr. started doing all kinds of testing & found a covid marker in her bloodwork. That solved a lot of questions but it didn't stop the post covid problems. She has to move so her stress has been quite high & she started having serious chest pains last Friday. She went to urgent care & they sent her to the ER where she stayed 72 hours & they discovered a thinning in her descending aorta at the bifurcation to her left ventrical. Simply put this is the beginning of a pulmonary aneurysm in a pulmonary system that has always been healthy & strong, never compromised. Now on top of being forced to move she is living with a literal time bomb in her chest that must be closely monitored. She is now expecting to be forced out of not only her home of 30 years, but the job that infected her in the first place because of her age & health. This major player hospital is now trying to force her out of her job of 35 years to take away her job, HEALTHCARE & her pension. Meanwhile, she is now facing a major heart surgery to take part of her femoral artery to repair/patch the thinning split in her aorta. I literally fear for her life as does she. I can do nothing to help her & my heart is breaking.
My older daughter had it. Completely asymptomatic. I made her get tested after one of her coworkers was positive. She spent the next 10 days in her room at our home. It's a lot harder to completely isolate someone than it sounds, but no one else had it.
My mom has been in a Memory Care Facility in Tustin, CA since 2010. When CA went into lockdown, Mar 20, her care facility immediately stopped visitations and began testing resident s weekly. They used the Molecular Test. Each resident was tested on Friday, results returned the following Wednesday.
March came and went. April came and went. June came and went. All of mom's weekly tests were negative.
The first week in July, mom appeared COVID "symptomatic", so she was put into isolation. If four more tests were negative, she would be returned to her normal living space.
July week 1 - COVID test - negative.
July week 2 - COVID test - negative.
July week 3 - COVID test - negative.
July 27th, I received an email. Mom had been unresponsive and staff believed she hadn't much longer. Family with end of life family members were allowed visitations. We were so fortunate.
Upon arrival, we signed COVID release waivers. We suited up with surgical gowns, gloves, N95 masks and blue masks covering the N95, and googles.
Mom had been in hospice care before COVID-19 hit the US. I was terrified of her being ventilated, forgetting about her DNR (Do Not Resuscitate). This was Monday, her test was last Friday, and results wouldn't be until 2 more days. Only on oxygen and morphine, she wouldn't be around much longer. I touched her. I spoke to her. I ran my hands through her hair. Her hands were toasty warm, much to my surprise. When I rubbed her arm, her breathing slowed down, as though I was calming her. I reminded her 59 years ago she was giving birth to a 9lb 1oz baby girl, with a HUGE head at that arrived at 9:45 pm.
I told her not to be frightened. I imaged a sea of thousands of hands reaching out to her, confusing her, scaring her. "Look for the Glove, mama. Take his hand." Aside from being a Professional Engineer, my dad was an amazing gardener, hence, "The Glove".
We left knowing it was all we could do. If not for COVID, I could have stayed 24/7 by her side. Having seen my dad through hospice, I felt rather certain she was passing on own her terms, at her own time, when she was ready.
Her Wednesday results were COVID positive. Five days later, August 3, 2020 at 8:49pm, she left us.
My dad passed away 18 years earlier, having afforded her any care she needed. Money was no object. It was supposed to be up to her when she passed, when she was ready. I haven't even began to deal with the rage inside of me. That fat orange POS stinking up the White House is a murderer.
People can say, well she was 90... I say so what? She wasn't hurting anyone. She wasn't dependent on Medicaid or any government program. She was tucked away in a tiny corner of Orange County CA bothering NO ONE, yet that disgusting POS farting all over the White House got his evil sadistic stink on her.
I can't even begin to imagine the pain of those that lost a child to this needless virus, but Trump and all his vile team must be held accountable. Researchers with incredible sourcing have found out that Trump and his team knew about this back in November 2019, at minimum.
None of this would have happened with Hillary. I've been a Republican my entire life, but I've been voting blue up and down the tickets since 2016. I suppose the 70 million shit-for-brains 2020 voters don't need healthcare, don't want Social Security and want an Authoritarian leader.
My daughter is an RN in a COVID unit here in Orange County. A frontline nurse died last February of COVID in her hospital. This shit's real and scary and the utter defiance and ugliness of those unwilling to mask when in public, should be a crime.
Thank you for allowing me to vent. I'm just so tired of being afraid. Trumps itching to push the button and he'll take us all down with him. I pray I'm wrong, but he's admittedly "get even" kind of ass. God bless us all.
My husband talked to me *in January* about being worried about "this virus that's going around in China." He's from England and is used to getting his news from non-American sources, and while he was busy stressing about this potential threat from overseas, I was trying to allay his fears about "nothing." (Spoiler alert: my husband was right to be worried.)
My personal experience had been limited to my friend's tRump-loving, science-denying, no-mask-wearing father contracting then succumbing to Covid; however, now my experience is a little more personal: My nephews have been exposed (from in-person school). Both have tested negative, but I just found out my SIL was exposed from her job (working in schools); she is waiting on her results.
I work in patient care in an office setting with a mostly elderly (over 65) population. We have our mask policy on our door so patients know, before they even come in, what our mask expectations are: mask up, wear it PROPERLY, and don't be a whiney little b*tch about it (that last part is not written policy, but it is heavily inferred). And yet, people have to *constantly* be told to put their masks on before they enter and pull it up over their nose once they are in. I just don't get it. ... One of my patients is a nurse in a hospital and she told me a couple of interesting things: there are at least 13 different strains of covid-19 (which totally makes sense. That would explain why some otherwise healthy people are knocked on their *ss, or maybe never recover, and why some otherwise unhealthy, cheeseburger-eating, diet coke-drinking, conspiracy theory-spewing, hate-filled people are inconvenienced with little more than slight breathing problems.). She also confirmed there are some covid-19 patients who *still* think it's a hoax and want to know why the hospital isn't doing anything to make them better.
Lord help us.
When this all began, at the end of January, I was put in charge of the Emergency Preparedness and Response for our nation-wide healthcare company. We saw lots of patients in Long Term Care Facilities, Assisted Livings, Hospitals, and then in private homes. First it was the seniors, then the patients became younger and younger. The lack of PPE was astonishing and more that troubling. I shopped in the middle of the night (due to time differences in other countries) just trying to find enough for the staff, to keep them safe. It was amazing to see the denial of what was so obvious to those in health care. I live in a very Red state and every time our governor tried to do anything to mitigate the virus, she was taken to court by the Republicans who hold a super majority in our state legislature. And the numbers kept rising. Most counties opted-out of mask mandates, because liberty after all and guns and all that. Then my ex son-in-law made the bad decision of going to a wedding, no masks, no social distancing, and indoors. The reception was a drunken super spreader event. He was quarantined and never told my daughter, even though my grandson goes between the two households. Not only did he get COVID-19, but so did my pregnant daughter, son-in-law, four grandchildren, and my son-in-laws mom and dad. We had been so careful all this time and one bad decision was devastating. I don't know what it is going to take for people to have a modicum of care about themselves and others. Our decisions have far reaching consequences.
My 41 yr old son, who lives 8 hrs away, called Sunday morning to tell me he tested positive. I cried for an hour. Fortunately, he seems to have a mild case. I check in w him every morning-to reassure myself that he made it thru the night.
A co-worker got it in March from her mother who was very ill and passed away from it. My co-worker is a long hauler and continues to have lingering issues and new issues. She is in an NIH study. I know others that have had it and recovered. It is baffling how it affects some people so much more than others. We had an associate pastor years ago and I recently found out both he and his wife were hospitalized in the early summer with it. His wife passed away - he survived but has many issues. I jus pray people take it seriously because you just don't know how it will affect you or your loved ones (and people you don't even know!).
I live in Memphis, TN. One of my sisters, her husband and his elderly mother live together in North Little Rock. They have been extremely careful. Groceries delivered and then wiped down. No restaurants, no group anything. And they both now have COVID19. My brother in law did work one video production job with limited people and everyone masked. They have both been very sick but not hospitalized for two weeks now.I f they can get sick, anyone can. It is very scary.
I work remotely (from northern California) for a company based in Manhattan. Four people tested positive for Covid in early March, and the entire company shut down immediately. It was kind of a mess because most people didn't hear about the shutdown until they were already home from work, leaving behind their computers and work materials. Over the next couple of weeks, facilities personnel in PPE packed up everyone's stuff and hired a delivery service to drop it all off -- all over New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Several more positive tests occurred throughout the month of March, but everyone survived. Two of those now call themselves "long-termers."
A dear friend of mine lost both of his parents, 48 hours apart, in late April. Quite a few of my friends have lost one or both parents since then. A good friend from college just lost his younger brother yesterday. The brother was 60, but lived in Florida and was a Covid-denying supporter of Putin's puppet. My friend said that one of his last phrases before going on a vent was, "I can't believe it. It's a hoax!"
A very good friend from high school, who is an admin at a convalescent hospital here in the S.F. Bay Area, tested positive in early May. She was very sick but stayed home and managed to get through it without being hospitalized. She went back to work in July but still has memory loss, headaches, and generally feels like crap. She wants to cut back to 1/2 time but the facility is overwhelmed and she can't work from home. I worry about her every single day. She had antibodies in July but did not have any in October, and is terrified she will get another strain of it.
My immediate family has, so far, not had any positive tests. Both of my kids now work from home. My elder daughter is a high school lab science teacher (chemistry and physiology) and is teaching 150 kids a day over Zoom. She despairs at the limited experience they are all getting, but she also says that her physio students got a lot out of the virus/epidemiology segment (which she moved from spring to fall, for obvious reasons) and are all working with their families, many of whom are not native English speakers, to be more careful.
I've canceled our big Thanksgiving celebration, usually my favorite holiday. My family pod will all be getting tested on Monday so we can gather outdoors (please no rain that day, OK weather goddesses?) on Thanksgiving for an early, short meal. My employer committed on day 1 to not laying anyone off, so all of our jobs are safe. Indeed, we are all busier than ever, and I managed to help dozens of people figure out how to work from home since I've been doing it for 36 years.
Amee, you're one of the long-termers I also worry about. Please stay healthy, and keep educating us.
My 29 year old assistant, "R" contracted the virus in July from her babysitter who contracted it in the nursing home where she worked part time. In addition to R, her two pre-school aged boys got sick. The virus travelled around her family and eventually 8 relatives were sick. She was back to work after her 14 day quarantine but is still suffering from memory issues that have significantly effected her work. An inspector who reports to me also got the virus in August. He refused to take any precautions, except for the masking requirements at work, and continued his normal routine. He insists he's fared pretty well. He had a cough and lost taste and smell for a while. I have a compromised immune system and I'm very lucky to be able to work from home. My boss has a rapid Covid test this morning; he's got a cough and a headache. His wife also works in a nursing home that is relying on the rapid tests to screen their employees. I'm not doing Thanksgiving with my family. I will be doing a socially distanced side dish swap with my daughter who lives in the same town, but at the house it's just going to be me and the dog.
I have clients that have it, one client's husband did pass from it. We had a scare, with my husband in Aug. He is a trucker and came in contact with someone who tested positive. Thankfully, my husband's test was negative. My daughter is a cashier, at a grocer, they've had 5 confirmed cases. There is only the 3 of us, I do a lot of praying. To everyone, be safe!🙏❤
My wife and I have been isolating and teleworking since March and only going out to get whatever necessity we can't order online. But yes, two really close friends both tested positive last Friday. They only live about 1/2 mile away so they contact us if they need anything. Yesterday it was dog food for their three dogs.
A coworker in my department tested positive at the end of October and then his entire family of four also caught it. They all recovered after isolating for two weeks.
The irritating thing is that we have family members that still go out for leisure shopping because they are bored at home and others that travel to California because they want to visit other family members.
We normally have between 20-30 people over for Thanksgiving ... This event has been cancelled for 2020.
This year, it's just going to be the two of us for both Thanksgiving and Christmas !
Stay safe Amee !!!
My mother, age 90, had COVID-19 and was hospitalized for 40 days. She survived.
My neighbors both had it. The husband died. The wife survived.
Another neighbor's uncle died from COVID-19. Her aunt (not his wife) died one month later. Her father-in-law died two months later.
The local hospital, which ordinarily treats only long-term care patients, accepted patients with COVID-19 because other hospitals in new York City were overcrowded with COVID patients.
So far, the only ones with a connection to me would be through my partner's family. She has a couple of out of state cousins that have contracted it, along with their immediate family (spouse and kids). One family appears to have gotten through it mostly unscathed. The other is currently in it. No deaths. We've been quite careful in trying to maintain our "pod's" integrity. Between us we have 6 adult children...one starting college, one just graduated...so there is a bit of in and out of the pod. We just had our latest test yesterday and should know results in a couple of days.
I personally don’t know anyone who’s had the virus. We’re a stay home, mask wearing bunch.
Not directly except for you, but it has made more alert, and more prayer full recently, but mostly for people I don't or haven't been touch by..
My wife tested positive in late July. I tested negative (blood type? high cholesterol prescription Simvastatin? high daily doses of vitamin D?). Even though she has recovered, she still experiences shortness of breath, fatigue, and some disorientation. Covid-19 scares us still, because my wife has MS and is a breast cancer survivor. Unfortunately, too many people consider the virus a flu. Still. And yet almost 250,000 Americans have died from the virus, and millions are infected.
My brother & his wife (ID) had it. My SIL (FL) had it. They were all pretty sick at home, seem ok now. In my husband's family 8 people (WI) had it, 7 recovered, 1 passed away. A cousin and his wife, and 1 yr old (TX) currently have Covid mostly likely from a 100 person wedding they attended in OK.
My girlfriend and I are from Pennsylvania originally. Two of her cousins have died of Covid-19. Two other of her family friends there have died of Covid-19, so a total of 4 have died. My daughter-in-law in Texas became very sick 6/7/20 for 3 weeks with Covid-19. She works as a waitress and bartender and none of her coworkers or customers would wear masks and she did wear a mask. She was protecting them with her mask but they didn’t give a fuck about her. Fortunately she recovered without hospitalization but was very sick. When I called my cousin in western Pennsylvania to say I was not going to be coming there for Thanksgiving this year, my 70 year-old cousin said she “was not afraid of Covid.” She doesn’t know anyone who has died. I’ll see how long they go like that. Her son and his friends just got back from pheasant hunting in North Dakota.
My friends father and mother died 24 hours apart from Covid. Even though this friend was hit by two deaths, they allow their teens to have friends gather and have hosted parties for them. It is mind boggling to me that they would behave this way! I also have friends and families who have tested positive but luckily none have been sick enough to be hospitalized.
All I can say is, “Not yet.” My 92YO mom lives in a nursing facility in Naples FL and gets tested weekly so, fingers crossed. She’s being treated now for pneumonitis and congestive heart failure. I’m realistic about my odds of seeing her again.
Liz Woedljust now
I was a teacher at a small elementary school for 25 years and was a Girl Scout leader. Because of social media, I have been able to be aware of children’s growing up and finding the path in their lives. Many of these wonderful young people have been visited by COVID. Some have had a harsh version of the virus and one had it twice. Some of my friends and colleagues have caught it too. Because we live in a small town with a big university we had a huge surge because of constant partying. Sometimes my fearful self feels surrounding by pandemic. My strong self recognizes that there are greater threats to our lives like hate, greed, ignorance and xenophobia. I yearn for joy
My mother in law, survived, but is weaker.
My son’s school friend lost her father and is now sick.
Many friends have family members who have had it. Some have died. It’s terrifying.
My own mother isn’t as careful as she should be.
We’re canceling our extended family Thanksgiving dinner -even though we were going to eat outside. I just don’t think it’s a good idea now. I’m in Southern California. My city and two that border mine are trying. But there are others that are close that are ignoring it completely. One restaurant/bar is still having live bands play inside; completely ignoring any state directions. Our county board of supervisors is Republican lead. So there’s no support from them. It’s sad and infuriating.
Trying to keep a much lower profile, but I'll answer this question. One of my clients died of it. One of my daughter's very good friends' father almost died of it. Two of my law school classmates had it, and one of them became a "long hauler", battling symptoms for months after he was diagnosed.
My sister and her husband just came down with it. He was not being careful at all and they live in an area that has been having a spike for a while.
two people at my office have had it... but my building is big and sparsely populated. my GF office is packed in like sardines, but she's been working from home mostly for the last 8 months..
We’ve been very careful & in our community everyone wears masks out in public. Yet 2 of our friends had it last summer (I believe one of their adult kids had been to a party. You know the rest). My son’s closest friend & his pregnant wife are now sick with it (their roommate continued to go out to bars etc with his gf.) and they’d been very careful but made the mistake of trusting the friend to be as careful. My niece, her husband & all 3 kids have it. She’s not tested positive but the medical professionals assume she has it. (Husband went to a family dinner, sat next to his sister...). And lastly, so far, an acquaintance of many years, lost her husband to the virus back in August.
What scares me are the people who think the death rate is low so no big deal. But it’s the unknown of how severely one may be affected by it. Seemingly healthy people have been laid low & others barely a sneeze. What are the rates of people getting hospitalized? Or have long lasting effects? What are the rates of the asymptotic? I’m not willing to play Russian roulette with my health.
May your health continue to improve!
My primary connection was at work. An employee got pneumonia in March, contracted COVID-19, went into the hospital on a ventilator on March 31st and was dead on April 24th. As the head of HR, I assisted her family through the various company related benefits and we allowed staff to virtually attend her funeral via Zoom...which her family generously shared with us. Additionally, my best friend's corporate office had 90% of their staff contract it and at least one person died.
Two people in our small town of Traverse City, Michigan had covid related heart attacks. One passed away- both only 50 something years old.
In the initial phase in March, I knew 3 people, who contracted it. A friend and her husband, that work as an ER nurse and Fireman, respectively. Their symptoms were mild. A doctor I worked with contracted it and was in the hospital for 8 weeks, in ICU on a ventilator and then post rehab. Then no one til about 1.5 months ago. My sister and her husband, both in their 60’s, who live in KY. They had mild symptoms. My daughters friend, who was diagnosed after losing his sense of taste and smell. A friend’s parents presently have it, also in their 60’s, they have SOB and loss their sense of taste and smell. Lastly a friend and her husband contracted the virus, she is a nurse and he owns/bar tends at a tavern. Sadly her husband died last week after being rushed to the hospital. He was 50.
I know a handful of people who have had it and recovered. I had two reasonably healthy people in my life who died of it early on in the crisis.
I know two people that died from it. I know multiple people that caught it. I have it right now and going on week 3 of being sick.
I know about 15 people that have had it...with another being tested now. I've lost two people to it.
My uncle in April after a month in ICU on a ventilator. He had just turned 64. His 45 year wedding anniversary to my aunt (who was also sick, but survived) passed while he was in the ICU. An early loss in this pandemic that showed my family how serious this was.
I lost a friend a couple of months ago...a general practitioner doctor treating his patients in his private office practice. He was 50.
I had it in late March and spent three nights in the hospital. One of the worst experiences I ever had. The hospital did a fantastic job in terms of care and attention even though the doctors did not know much about the virus and did not have more information than what the public knew from the media and from Dr. Fauci. Afterwards, and because I do not have health insurance, I got a medical bill for $65,000 and another bill for $800 for the amublance ride for seven blocks. Anyone who does not take this serious situation seriously, is gambling with their own life and the lives of their loved ones.
My dear friend is a Respiratory Therapist at a major campus. She got very sick last December. She had chest pains, couldn't breathe...she never had asthma or smoked. It took her months to get better & she never got her breath back. Not even now almost a year later. About 4 months ago she started having all kinds of physical problems, including her hair coming out in handfuls & mentally she was not at all herself, she has been borderline hysterical most of the time. Her Dr. started doing all kinds of testing & found a covid marker in her bloodwork. That solved a lot of questions but it didn't stop the post covid problems. She has to move so her stress has been quite high & she started having serious chest pains last Friday. She went to urgent care & they sent her to the ER where she stayed 72 hours & they discovered a thinning in her descending aorta at the bifurcation to her left ventrical. Simply put this is the beginning of a pulmonary aneurysm in a pulmonary system that has always been healthy & strong, never compromised. Now on top of being forced to move she is living with a literal time bomb in her chest that must be closely monitored. She is now expecting to be forced out of not only her home of 30 years, but the job that infected her in the first place because of her age & health. This major player hospital is now trying to force her out of her job of 35 years to take away her job, HEALTHCARE & her pension. Meanwhile, she is now facing a major heart surgery to take part of her femoral artery to repair/patch the thinning split in her aorta. I literally fear for her life as does she. I can do nothing to help her & my heart is breaking.
My older daughter had it. Completely asymptomatic. I made her get tested after one of her coworkers was positive. She spent the next 10 days in her room at our home. It's a lot harder to completely isolate someone than it sounds, but no one else had it.