Conavirus......

[catherine]

But if you make people wear masks all the time, you're limiting their exposure to the normal germs. You will be creating a generation of snowflakes that will melt at the first sundrop of an everyday virus.

I'd rather have a kid with asthma because his environment was too clean than a parent who died because they contracted COVID.

[Yppej]

A kid with asthma, increased risk of suicide and depression, germaphobia and anxiety, many side effects of the US covid approach.

Just this morning I heard on the news that due to masks last year people were not exposed to the flu and have much lower resistance to this year's flu, which is a variation on last year's with some changes due to evolution.

There are many unintended consequences to upending society for a virus with a 99% non-lethality rate.

[Alan]

I don't live in fear. I have a security system in my house covering all doors, windows and interior space around entrances, but it's never been armed when we're home. As far as Covid is concerned I'm vaccinated against Covid and the flu and shingles because it's silly not to take basic measures to protect yourself from whatever might be going around, and when out and about I wear a mask if the establishment I'm entering requires one, if they don't require it I won't. I don't feel it's my responsibility to protect others from something they can easily protect themselves against, if I did I'd probably never leave the house for fear of what could be.

If I lived in fear of Covid I'd probably not visit establishments which did not require whatever basic protective measures currently in vogue and look askance at anyone not exhibiting the same fear I felt, but that's no way to live.

[bae]

I don't live in fear.

I haven't quite understood the narrative that if you are prepared and act prudently you are "living in fear".

It's cold here today, so I fired up the woodstove. I had previously inspected and cleaned the chimney, am using properly seasoned wood (and measured that with my meter), I am burning at the correct temperature (and have redundant gauges), and have firefighting equipment standing by in case of a chimney fire. This doesn't mean I'm "living in fear" of a chimney fire, I'm just taking reasonable actions to avoid one.

[flowerseverywhere]

My 66 year old friend passed today of Covid. She leaves her husband of 44 years, a newborn grandchild as well as other grandchildren and children.
Reports that it is over in Florida are greatly exaggerated. There are still many people in the hospitals and the ICU's are very full. Most hospitals are admitting fewer patients but there are no long lines of ambulances waiting to offload patients. That was a very frightening sight because some critical patients might not have made it because you just cannot get to everyone when it is that bad. They never actually declared a crisis mode here where they triaged who to save, but it was hard to believe at times such difficult decisions had to be made.

Her friends and family are all heartbroken. She died way too soon. Luckily they allowed her husband in towards the end when she was still concious and he spent her last few days by her side. She had very strong faith and i hope she has found her peace with her God.
Reports of patients during the height here having to say goodbyes on zoom were just awful.

So she is number ten I knew who died. My brother in laws sister was in her early sixties before the vaccines were out. I do know several of them were much older and had other health issues. But most were not obese disease riddled drinkers and smokers that haters like to point out are the only ones dying. Everyone deserved more than to die before their time surrounded by strangers

I'm so tired of people who wouldn't mask even during the height when we had a 20+% positivity. Of people not getting vaccinated and of people not wanting FDA approved medicines and demanding unproven and sometimes harmful medications and treatments because Dr Tucker Carlson and Dr Trump touted them. I am angry, sad and disgusted that a sweet very faithful and generous woman left earth before her natural time.

[happystuff]

My condolences, flowerseverywhere, to you, the family and friends.

[JaneV2.0]

A lot of good people have died of this before their time; it's really an ongoing tragedy.

[rosarugosa]

Flowers: I'm very sorry about your friend.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I visited the hospital for mom's elective knee surgery. Supposedly hospital had 10 covid patients, one of them in serious condition, ALL of them unvaccinated. Since I kept getting lost in that darned hospital (very confusing layout) who knows what covid I could have been exposed to wandering around critical care and other wrong places, but with 2 doses of vaccine (not 3 although they have opened up 3 for Pfizer to pretty much anyone who wants a 3rd dose now), it's only so much of a worry. Clearly we are not overwhelmed with covid now, elective surgeries going on.

[iris lilies]

Flowers, that is too bad about your friend. What was her reason for not getting vaccinated?