I don't want to start a political thread, so upfront, I am telling you that I am a RN (semi-retired) and what I have to say has nothing to do with politics, but rather what I consider our best options to stay healthy in face of this COVID-19 pandemic that is only getting worse. As a nurse, we wear masks and wash our hands all the time in the hospital setting. Although those safety measure help protect us nurses, the primary reason we do this is to prevent the spread of infection from one patient to the next.
I now have two people in my family that have been infected with COVID-19. One is an older distant cousin that passed away from COVID-19 last month. Just today, my younger brother, a teacher in a school that is still teaching in class, has come down with COVID-19 symptoms (no smell, no taste) and both him and his youngest son living at home are now in quarantine for 2 weeks - pending the results of testing. At my brother's school, he tells me that about 10 teachers have been infected with COVID-19. One of those teachers brought COVID-19 home and infected her husband, who died 2 weeks later. Most of the schools in the area have already gone to distant learning, but not his school. Among my many lifetime occupations, I was a K-8 teacher, and know how hard most teachers work for their young students. It should not have to be a potential death sentence for the teacher or their families.
As a (former/non-working) nurse, I hear stories from working nurses who tell me that many patients do not "believe" that this COVID-19 pandemic is real - even after testing positive and being admitted to the hospital for care. I can tell you that no nursing medical textbook every mentioned that you had to "believe" in a virus or bacteria in order to be infected. The disease does not care anything about your political or religious beliefs. if can find a way to infect you, it will. In my local community, currently 1 out 5 people testing for COVID-19 are positive; that's 20%.
So, please, people, spread the word on the 3 W's: Wear a mask, Watch your distance, and Wash your hands.
We need to buy ourselves and our loved ones enough time for the vaccines to be available to the general public, which best estimates now are maybe spring or summer 2021.
And yes, concerned about a pandemic winter ahead, I have stocked up enough chicken feed to last until April 2021. I don't expect the farm stores to shut down, but I do remember earlier this year when you could not find a single roll of toilet paper anywhere in any of our local stores. When Dear Wife and I built up a closet full of paper products, I also increased my supply of chicken feed from 1 month to 5 months.
Stay positive, test negative.
I now have two people in my family that have been infected with COVID-19. One is an older distant cousin that passed away from COVID-19 last month. Just today, my younger brother, a teacher in a school that is still teaching in class, has come down with COVID-19 symptoms (no smell, no taste) and both him and his youngest son living at home are now in quarantine for 2 weeks - pending the results of testing. At my brother's school, he tells me that about 10 teachers have been infected with COVID-19. One of those teachers brought COVID-19 home and infected her husband, who died 2 weeks later. Most of the schools in the area have already gone to distant learning, but not his school. Among my many lifetime occupations, I was a K-8 teacher, and know how hard most teachers work for their young students. It should not have to be a potential death sentence for the teacher or their families.
As a (former/non-working) nurse, I hear stories from working nurses who tell me that many patients do not "believe" that this COVID-19 pandemic is real - even after testing positive and being admitted to the hospital for care. I can tell you that no nursing medical textbook every mentioned that you had to "believe" in a virus or bacteria in order to be infected. The disease does not care anything about your political or religious beliefs. if can find a way to infect you, it will. In my local community, currently 1 out 5 people testing for COVID-19 are positive; that's 20%.
So, please, people, spread the word on the 3 W's: Wear a mask, Watch your distance, and Wash your hands.
We need to buy ourselves and our loved ones enough time for the vaccines to be available to the general public, which best estimates now are maybe spring or summer 2021.
And yes, concerned about a pandemic winter ahead, I have stocked up enough chicken feed to last until April 2021. I don't expect the farm stores to shut down, but I do remember earlier this year when you could not find a single roll of toilet paper anywhere in any of our local stores. When Dear Wife and I built up a closet full of paper products, I also increased my supply of chicken feed from 1 month to 5 months. Stay positive, test negative.
I'm so sorry that Covid-19 has affected your family so. I sure hope things start to improve for you guys over there.
