In a Nutshell …
A survey (poll) released by the Coronavirus 411 daily podcast said that over 70% of the US population was ready to “move on and live with” COVID 19. Most of this group declared themselves as members of the Republican Party.
I think it is just too soon to “move on.” Because of the high numbers of Omicron infection, more people are getting really sick and dying … even more than the peaks experienced during the Delta variant. We aren’t anywhere near being close to “herd immunity” and at least up here, case numbers have never gone down. Our best case scenario was always just “holding and not going up.”
Cases, hospitalizations and deaths are up due to the high numbers of Omicron.
So until the numbers start to really flatten and go down, indicating that COVID 19 infections are lowering, Lynn and I will continue to follow our doctor’s advice … stay up to date on our vaccine doses and avoid indoor gatherings where we don’t know the vaccination status of those in attendance. With other smaller gatherings (such as close friends and family), follow protocols such as masking, testing, or distancing depending upon the local infection rate.
Truckers Unite!
At the end of January, thousands descended on Ottawa to protest Covid mandates. The so-called “Freedom Convoy” was originally set up to oppose the federal government’s vaccine mandate and now participants say they have no plans to leave.
The movement was sparked by a vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the US-Canada border. This mandate requires that unvaccinated Canadian truckers crossing the two nations’ boundary quarantine once they’ve returned home. Supporters, already opposed to Prime Minister Trudeau, view the mandates as “political overreach.”
Police are concerned that the convoy has attracted extremist far-right groups. Most of the protesters have no connection to the trucking industry. The Canadian Trucking Alliance, the main advocacy body for truckers, has disavowed the protest. They say that the vast majority of its members are fully vaccinated and working. Generally, the response has not been good. Money had been raised through GoFundMe, but no further funds will be distributed to the organizers. Ottawa Police is launching a search and contain strategy.
Citizens and community leaders are requesting that the protests be put to an end and the area cleaned. The blaring horns are tormenting. Police are asking that demonstrators not enter Ottawa. Police teams are gathering evidence to be used in criminal prosecutions. Counter-protestors have shown up. An Ottawa lawyer will be launching a $9.8 million class-action lawsuit against organizers, claiming $4.8 million in damages for distress and $5 million in punitive damages.
All this? Over mandates?
Ottawa Citizen Local News provides details.
Update: Eventually they managed to dissolve the situation by implementing security measures and mandates with dire consequences. But plans were being made for additional nationwide convoys.
Done, Done, and Done!
The case counts, hospitalization, and deaths have been steadily dropping now. Below is a graph of our county.
It’s never been this flat since, well, I don’t remember when. Maybe never during the time this data has been collected.
Governor Inslee lifts mandates to be effective March 11. The ending of mandatory mask-wearing will be soon, as it is expected that case numbers will continue to go down.
Some Governors Rescind Mask Mandates
As we get closer to the end of the month, the COVID cases continue to go down. Some governors have announced rollbacks of mask mandates in schools and indoor public spaces, considering that COVID is now “an ongoing fact of life.” (Democratic governors rescind mask mandates (The Week: February 18, 2022, p. 11).
This came as the nation surpassed 900,000 COVID deaths with more than 2,500 Americans still dying each day, most of them unvaccinated. Scientists were mixed regarding the lifting of mandates. Some call it premature and others say that the time has come.
I sense a hybrid version of a COVID future coming on. Avoid reckless abandon, but begin enjoying life while learning how to live with COVID as it is not going away anytime soon. Which, to me, means utilizing what we know works, which is getting all of the available vaccinations and boosts (relying on the doctor’s guidance on timing), wearing masks and distancing if the situation makes that advisable, testing when necessary; considering the local COVID infection situation; considering the existence of any variants, and keeping in mind that we are old with pre-existing conditions. This is our story, and day by day, we are sticken’ to it.
A Family COVID Story
Late this month, an immediate family member developed a serious cold, including a cough and on one day, a fever. She was sick for about a week. At the end of the week, another family member started feeling sick with the same symptoms. He came over a few times, but always with a mask, and only stayed a few minutes. During what became the last visit for a while, he was describing his symptoms, and I said “Gee, it sure sounds like Omicron to me.” He paused … then said, “Just for the hell of it … I’m going to take a test. Can I borrow one?” (We had received our free COVID tests from Washington State and the Federal Government). I will never forget the look on his face when he saw the results. Then he looked at me and said, “I have COVID.” He jumped up and immediately left. He was fully vaccinated and boosted.
Meanwhile, a few employees at his work also got COVID. Also, his stepson and family contracted it around the same time, too. So it couldn’t be determined exactly where he got it. He couldn’t be sure …. but he said he didn’t wish it on anyone, and I thought: “Praise the Lord that he was vaccinated.”
So …. we are coming to fully understand that in spite of the precautions, there is always a chance we will get this stuff. There are no 100% guarantees. BUT … we are also convinced that because we were fully vaccinated and boosted, and because he made it a point to distance himself and wear a mask when he had to be near us, we didn’t get it. All of those layers of protection worked for us. We will continue to play it safe and make decisions based upon the circumstances we are in.
Russia has Invaded Ukraine. That has pushed COVID Aside Media-Wise.
What’s next?
I’m hearing more about long Covid, treatment protocols that are in the works, and what life will be like post-COVID. Will we, or when will we, be in endemic status? What needs to be done to prepare for the next one? How will we manage our lives once mandates are lifted? Who will have the responsibility for protecting us (ourselves, or the government, or both)? The next few months will be telling.
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