I'd rather be safe than sorry ....

[rasmusjc]

I'd rather be safe than sorry by 1)Staying away from everyone temporarily (which we did all 2021 and early 2022), and 2)Take as much Covid vaccinating as I can take (safely).

However, despite all of that, we both came down with adult RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus) a year ago. There were no vaccines for it then....not even any trials for vaccines. My wife spent 8 days in the hospital recovering (it nearly got her), and I spent 2 weeks at home in the horizontal position. So we learned that even then there a no guarantees in staying healthy and out-of-danger. Believe me, this is as close to Covid symptoms that we would ever want to get.

Lastly, if we need a reminder.......We bought this house in March, and found out, 6 weeks after we moved in, that the previous owner had contracted and died of Covid-19 (before Omicron even). His widow put the house up for sale a couple of months after he passed. That gave us pause as to how things happen. RIP previous owner.

 

[Warrigal]

I take all precautions regarding Covid, for myself, for my husband who is now in a nursing home and for all those frontline workers on whom we so much depend.

I am disappointed in people who don't care how their behaviour might affect others. I can excuse the very young because they may lack understanding but not people whose maturity ought to have given them more compassion than self-interest.

 

[dseag2]

@rasmusjc I'm happy to hear that you and your wife are both okay after going through what was obviously a severe case of RSV. I've had two variants of Covid, and although I am healthy and fully vaccinated the respiratory symptoms were severe and the congestion took months to go away. I don't take any chances these days.

 

[Been There]

I was at the doctors this morning for my yearly physical. I told him to take note that even after taking the 2 vaccines and 2 boosters, I have had COVID twice. He told me not to be surprised if I get it a third time.

 

[hollydolly]

Equally.. at the start of 2020 I got Covid first, had no idea what it was then.. everything was just starting to leak out about the Virus.. I was fortunate that I only had the worst symptoms for less than a week.. but my husband got it, and he was very poorly , and never got out of bed for 16 days..
I was supposed to get my Booster shot today Ironically, but I've been poorly so had to cancel.. but I do my best to keep distances, wear masks where needed.. , but I am really shocked at people who seem to have forgotten all about it.. or just don't care they might get it, with their lack of social distancing, and coughing and sneezing over everyone, and so few mask wearers in crowded places.

I was in the supermarket last week, and noticed the only people wearing a mask was a Chinese couple

 

[amwassil]

I've certainly been exposed to Covid multiple times while working full-time at Walmart during this whole episode. I've been sick a few times, but nothing more than I've always come down with in past years - late spring and early fall - respiratory illness. In fact, I'm ill right now and have been since the beginning of Sep. It's a persistent cough due to irritation in my upper throat that just won't go away. I first suspected strep, but there are no other strep symptoms, so it's likely not. This is not new to me, I had this many times previously and the worst thing about it is the coughing prevents me sleeping and I get exhausted and stay sick. I've missed over a week of work in various chunks of time when the coughing overwhelms the ability of cough syrups to control it or I'm just too tired to go to work. I missed this past Sat and will likely miss tomorrow. I used to get a prescription for codein so I could stop the coughing at night. After a few nights of good sleep I'd get over it. I can't get a prescription for codein because I no longer have a regular doctor and I can't just walk into a clinic and ask for codein.

In February 2020 I started to come down with pneumonia - I had it several times, so I recognize the early symptoms - and with the Covid scare starting, I wanted to be safe not sorry. I had an old Vick's Vaporinhaler lying around and wondered if that might help. It was the variety that contains camphor and I knew that camphor is an antiseptic. So I breathed through the inhaler directly via mouth, not nose, for several hours each day for the next couple of days. I specifically inhaled deeply to fill my lungs. Surprisingly, it worked! It knocked out the incipient pneumonia and by day three I had no symptoms and felt fine.

I've continued to use the Vaporinhaler since. Even during times when I felt ill from one thing or another, my lungs have remained clear. Even now with my current coughing, my lungs are clear. This is what I would call an 'active measure' - it kills - not a 'passive measure' that attempts merely to block. I think passive measures are useless against all viruses and most bacteria. I've told anyone who would listen about my experience. I suppose many just think I'm a screwball. No, I have not been vaxxed and don't intend to.