What has happened to you since the Covid pandemic started

I have been locked inside of my house. Spent four days in the hospital. Become a member of HIP. Met some wonderful members on there. Lost all of my virtual friends on HIP. Now I have lost a special friend that I'll never get back. That is how my year has been n this pandemic. How has your year been since the pandemic?

 

Oh dear.

 

Nothing...

I'm a hermit.

 

Nothing really. I kept living not letting it get to me. I had it last February. Rest for a day and kept on going. Right when I got better. It was declared a pandemic.

 

Since the start of covid, 5 of my friends have died, but covid was only involved in 2 of the deaths. In one of the cases, her death was imminent, so covid made no difference, in the other, the guy had serious pre existent health conditions, so in reality covid was just the last straw. The oldest of the people was 107 another 96 the others were in their late 80's.

Within the same period, our daughter has given birth to twins and 2 of our friends have additions to their families. Life is just a never ending circle.

 

We simply have no idea how many of us have had and recovered from covid, I suspect that our entire family may number among them.
2 weeks ago, 5 people who I know were required to take the test because they work with the public and cannot isolate. All of them tested positive but had no symptoms. This is leading me to think that natural immunity is spreading faster than the virus, but we simply cannot take the chance of reducing isolation and overwhelming the health services.
Unfortunately, immunity testing is not viable, since it involves a blood test and complex analysis.

 

I found out when I had blood work done. I asked to test it for anti-bodies and it came back positive. I don't know how accurate it is. The symptoms I had aligned with covid.

 

I was at home for a while and started comfort-eating, put on 14 pounds but lost most of it now. Still working, and now that Spring is coming I've started getting out on my bicycle. I'm doing a cycle tour in June, so I want to get fit for that. Other than that, quite a few video chats with friends, and walks on the seafront and the South Downs.

 

We have been led to believe that covid19 was the FIRST mutation of coronavirus that is present in all animals into a form that seeks a human host.
However, in my mind that raises several questions.
We now have at least 3 variants, so which one came first. Also, why do what is assumed to be further mutations appear to be less deadly.

In reality, I among several doctors and medical professionals associate it with a mystery virus that started appearing around 2017.
If this is the case, far from being a problem, it will have given us a head start on immunity.

Every year we offer a flue jab which works against the most common new virus mutations, mostly covering 4 to 7 strains, but many professionals agree that it also affects our ability to develop natural immunity.

This balancing act is a minefield and in all of the confusion covid19 could easily have slipped in under the door.
Without doubt, modern medicine is extending our lives, but we cannot live forever.
With covid under control and the isolation reducing the spread of ALL viruses, along with pathogenic bacteria, the non covid demand on ICU is fairly low. This in turn could result in 2021 having a record low mortality rate. To most peoples surprise 2020 was only about 1,5 percent up on the national average and at a level common during previous new virus years.

All of this raises a lot of questions about our lifestyle.
Permanently working from home for part of the week will not only reduce the spread of illness in the workplace, but will have the same affect on public transport. In turn, air pollution will drop and we will all be more healthy. With replacement trains costing between 6 and 8 million pounds each, their will also be a financial benefit.
Compulsory wearing of masks on public transport, possibly at peak times only, may well be with us to stay.

If all this horrifies you, just think back. 50 years ago, who would have dreamt that in 2021 it would be illegal to park our car outside our own front door.

 

Looking for hope.

 

Had Covid twice at least possibly 3 times. It gets milder each time . Bounced it off. All the family have had the virus with some members getting it multiple times like me . The mother in law who is 88 and soon to be 89 has diabeties and very frail and caught it whilst in hospital with a kidney complaint . She bounced it off .A miracle I think as the family where expecting the worse .

I have had long Covid for 6 months which affects my sleep and made me insomniac for some time .

I have been invited to book an appointment for the vaccine . Medically I dont think I need it but I want the certificate to say that I have had the vaccine so i can get some form of normality back when pubs,venues and the like start opening up again . I will make the appointment next week .

On the plus side , I have bonded on Hip with a close set of friends , and who's friendship I cherish and value . I intend meeting up with some of these friends proper when restrictions are eased .

 

I the caregiver for my sick mate. All the activities I used to do to get out of the house, be around others, and maintain what passes for the tattered remnants of my sanity I stopped more than a year ago; the weekly hikes with a couple of seniors hiking groups, Wednesday meditation, piping for the VFW Honor Guard, Trad nights at the Folk School.
Didn't see my elderly Dad or any of my siblings for over a year.

Became even more disillusioned with my fellow Americans than even I ever thought possible. If I wasn't a peasant I'd immigrate.

Bought a shitload of musical instruments for my mate, and an industrial sewing machine and serger she insisted upon, vainly hoping that stimulating neuroplasticity might help her regenerate new neural pathways. She doesn't play with any of them; they just clutter up the house. She just sits and fiddles with her goddamned phone morning, noon, and night.

Bought myself a king's ransom worth of uilleann pipes (I'd given up hope of the seller ever parting with my first choice; 15 minutes after buying my second choice, they called, so now I have both). #2 is more business-like and is easier to play; #1 is more elegant with a sweeter tone, but more challenging. I play the former at least twice a day, while aspiring to the latter.

I've always tended to be taciturn and rather introverted...now I find myself somewhat indifferent as to whether we lift quarantine or not.
I'm rather inclined to just stay here by the window, play my pipes, watch my bird feeders, and the occasional fox or deer pass by.

 

I also play great Highland pipes and smallpipes. My 92 year old aunt just died; unfortunately due to the pandemic she requested no services be held, so I didn't get the chance to pipe her home. Sad that for such a gregarious "people person" to spend her last year in quarantine.

 

well i haven't been to a book store, a furry convention or eaten at a resteraunt in the past, almost two years it is now, but other then that, well i'm getting more aches and pains from not getting enough walking around, but other then that, my usual reclusive and sedentary life style hasn't changed all that much. had a supply of face masks bfore it hit, because tobacco smoke irritates my throat and lungs anyway. (had a hard time getting any more right after it hit, for the first six months or so, but now they're giving them away on the bus where you're required to wear them)

everyone i was ever close to, i'd lost or lost contact with before it came along too.
almost everyone i know any more is only from on line. some i've also met in person, mostly at fur cons.
and i know some of my neighbors as sort of friends but not really close.

i think its good that people keep being reminded to mask and distance, but i am getting tired of seeing someone getting vaccinated every time i turn on the tv.
not that i hardly ever find anything as interesting on there as what i can do on the computer.