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How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your life right now? Tell us about your experiences, feelings, and thoughts.
Last night some friends and I went to a film presentation at the planetarium I was planning to wear while in the theater space, more out of courtesy to the others in the audience, who were mostly seniors As we got out of the car and headed toward the building, I started to rummage around in my bag but I couldn't find any, not even any spares For the past two years I've kept at least one or two extras in my day pack, and usually had a few regular face masks in rotation, depending on where I'd be going and what level of protection I needed to display I guess I'd taken them all out for washing or had discarded them after use. I mentally shrugged my shoulders and went inside Face masks weren't required in the theater; about 10% of the audience was wearing them The theater was sold out and it did feel odd to be in an enclosed room, without a face mask, breathing the air with 150 strangers It's going to take some time to feel like I'm not taking a huge risk while around crowds, indoors, without a face mask
June 15, 2023
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Have you, or anyone close to you, had COVID-19? If so, talk about that experience.
I haven't had COVID, but my sister did in the fall in September or October I think. I remember I was so scared for her when she said she tested positive. I live on the East Coast and she lives in Montana, so we don't live very close to each other. We can't just go and visit each other without some extensive planning. Thank goodness she ended up being okay. She described it as having a really bad cold and then suddenly lost all energy. But, she was able to recover at home without going to the hospital. Last month (December) she was saying her sense of taste is still really off. She said she often has to ask her sons to double check how something tastes in the fridge because when she goes to eat something it will taste really off, or like it's gone bad. I also have two friends who believe they had COVID prior to when testing was available, so they really don't know if they had it. And the tests to see if you have the antibodies really aren't very reliable. One of them caught it in January towards the end of a vacation to India and she was very sick. She described it as being the sickest she's ever been and she lost her sense of taste. My other friend believes she got it the end of February and she felt like she had a horrible case of the flu and one of the sickest she's ever been. I know she said that it really affected her breathing. But, again, both of them caught it before they could be tested for it, or before anyone even know how widespread it was even here in the U.S. I'm very thankful that my loved ones who caught this virus made it through okay, but I know there are so many others who have not been so fortunate. It is one of my biggest worries and a great source of anxiety.
January 20, 2021