COVID continues to spread just about two years since its start in the United States. This virus has a life of its own, and with each new variant there is much to learn with regard to staying as healthy as possible. Consistently my family has read the reports and regarded the science and recommendations from health officials faithfully, and up until now, fortunately, no one in the family has been hospitalized or died from this grave virus. This good fortune has been the result of the combination of our steady adherance to public health recommendations, our ages, some good luck and the privileges we enjoy including being close to top-notch medical facilities, living in a state with intelligent ethical public leaders, access to health care and access to communication/transportation networks.
Only recently with the introduction of the Omicron variant have we known many to contract the virus, and only recently have we experienced a mild set of symptoms potentially due to COVID. This has meant greater isolation, more rest and the inability to complete some of our weekly tasks mostly due to the fact that we don't want to infect anyone if we have the virus. Again, we're fortunate, and can live our lives without too much trouble in this situation.
What has this taught us, and where will we go from here?
First, it taught me that it's best to adhere to the science, while the science has not been perfect, it has been very good. Thankfully we're vaccinated and boosted, and to a large degree, I believe that's why we've yet to experience COVID and why our potential symptoms now are relatively mild. One recent, minor digression from the medical advice probably led to the spread in my family over the holidays, and from now on, we'll make sure that kind of digression doesn't happen again if we can help it.
Also, as we've learned, we'll continue to mask-up in public spaces and limit our social connections in indoor settings while the virus continues to mutate and spread. Like most people, we'll take some chances in order to spend time with loved ones. We're lucky that our loved ones, like us, are taking the science and medical suggestions seriously.
This morning, I spent more than an hour trying to locate COVID tests since I want to test negative for the virus before I visit my elderly parents. After several hours of searching and sadly targeting Trump territory, I was able to find a test. It's sad to realize that where people voted mostly for Trump there are more tests available since there tend to be more antivaxers in those areas. Though, compared to a few months ago, that has changed quite a bit since I found that areas that were once strong Trump strongholds now had a lot less appointments, and I hope that's because people are starting to see through the unhealthy, dangerous propaganda they've been fed for far too long by the Trump team.
We have to trust those who have spent their lives studying medicine, science and public health. That doesn't mean that every recommendation they make will be perfect, and that doesn't mean they won't change their minds and revise their recommendations over time. This virus, like most new medical phenomena, has a life of its own, and while scientists know a lot, there's also more to learn. Fortunately we have many checks and balances in place to keep the recommendations ethical and safe while also making room for change as more is learned and new responses are created.
So, in the days ahead, I'll do what I can to comfort those I know who have contracted the virus. I'll also steer clear from others as much as possible until I have a negative reading on a COVID test and after that I'll continue to mask-up, social distanced and get vaccinated as recommended by the medical/public health/science community.
As a culture, we have to reset in the face of what will now be a regular epidemiology report by rethinking the schedules we make, the way we celebrate, travel and more. To be as healthy as possible, we need to understand how to analyze and make sense of the health information we receive. This means that we'll have to look to trusted professionals in medical, health and science fields for direction while also turning a deaf ear to the propagandists who spread all kind of unhealthy misinformation. We also have to look at our lifestyles to determine what places and activities lead us to best possible health and what places and activities obstruct our good health. In many ways, it is time to regard our health and wellness with greater knowledge and investment.
Hopefully, as a nation, this pandemic will utlimately result in better systems, choices and understanding of what it takes to be as healthy as possible. Onward.