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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.

In the past week my niece in IL revealed that 4 of her family of 5 have tested positive for covid-19. She posted this on Facebook. Their degree of symptomatology varied from mild through debilitating headache. They had not been happy @ being quarantined. Apparently this occurred after my 80 year old brother and wife had visited on their way home to the west coast. A daughter had shared food with a friend who was positive yet she failed to test positive. A result was a niece and nephew living in TN revealed they, too, had been previously diagnosed with Covid-19- apparently after a Halloween party. I’d questioned their party plans when my younger brother said they’d visited and were borrowing his flight suit for their Halloween party Top Gun costumes . When I expressed surprise that they would participate in a party my brother minimized the risk, saying it was only with their neighbors. Then my cousin in PA revealed that she and her husband had both been covid-19 positives; this revelation was also via the original FaceBook post by my niece…. I’m not surprised at this. Yes a rabid Truper who has railed against mask wearing, quarantine and physical distancing, vowing to hug whomever she wishes and attend church assemblies. She is a Christian Nationalist and believes the conspiracies Trump’s delusions broadcast. In each case the adult male seemed to have a more severe case than their wife -although it’s possible that women cope better with pain and under-report discomfort. A friend’s mother was transferred from her SNF to a hospital ICU. The mother had dementia and has been unable to encode why her daughter failed to visit her ( unable due to quarantine of nursing home). She died. My friend had reached out for support on Facebook and was appreciative of the prayers and concern expressed by others. It’s interesting that FaceBook can be so useful like this @ a time when we are forced to be separated and grief-stricken. In the past week my honey reports his married cousins both have been positive. in PA Dutch area . I’ve remained quarantined since 3/21/20 but he has not. His business is not one with a high degree of contact bothers and he shops when stores first open, limiting contact & shopping when stores should be cleanest. men seem to minimize the risk for contagion. Their seems to be some sense that the people we know wouldn’t have the virus … they also believe the Trump bs & minimization. Vaccination started this week (yesterday). Distribution and the funds for this haven’t seemed to have been funded as needed and the first vaccine needs special cold storage & two successive vaccinations. Meanwhile, we now have over 300,00 who’ve died. As I write this I’m getting a news flash that there is a new mutant strain of Covid-19 and it is spreading rapidly. I’ll be continuing to stay in & have food and supplies delivered. Guess I’ll book my post Labor Day shore cottage and think ahead longer term. When this first started (mid-March 2020) a friend asked me if our quarantine wouldn’t end in about 3 weeks. I’d said no, & estimated about 3 months... I hope it’s not 3 years.