Fudgie

Early next year? We may have a vaccine or an effective treatment then. Remember how quickly this virus has spread and how the landscape has infection has changed since March. How things are right now in terms of what we know and the infection spike is not what is going to look like next year. I can't tell you how it will be next year but all I know is that given the course of this illness, it won't be like this.

See, I'm all for driving in your own, private car, blah blah. Use gloves if you want to at a gas station, pack your own snacks, whatever. But flying? HELL NO. What makes flying so dangerous is that you'll be breathing in that recycled air for God knows how long. That is NOT okay.

I'm so sorry that your company is making you do that. Seriously that makes me angry!

Whelp guys, another day in COVID land, another lonely day for me. I got my schoolwork done (more tomorrow), I don't work tomorrow, and I'm starting into some dry wine. Did you know that prior to the pandemic, I never finished a bottle in a whole night? It's not something I do often, but every couple weeks or so, I find myself nursing a bottle, usually reading, coloring (until I lose my fine motor skills, then it's time for bed) or playing video games. By the time I go to bed around midnight, the bottle is empty.

I don't talk about it much but I feel so trapped. I can't go to the places I want to go to. I can't meet my friends/strangers for games like I used to. I can't even go walking much anymore, it's TOO hot during the day (too many damn people too) and it's dangerous at night. Did you know that almost 100 people have been shot in my area since beginning of June?

I feel obligated to keep myself very strict because of the population I work with. They are very compromised, breathing machines, all that. Long term people too, my workplace is their home. I see friends going out/having fun. Hell, one couple I know is taking a VACATION soon. By PLANE. Can you imagine? I can't. Add into that that I hate video chat. I am stuck.

Hahahah one of my grandmothers was 4’11”.

Looks like I'd be reaching down for that head pat then

All the women in my family are pretty tall. I think it's cause everyone is German.

Wow, you all are short. (kidding!)

I'm 5'7'', condescending head pats for all of you!

There's something wrong with that man. It sounds like he enjoyed taunting you.

Yep, I keep up basic precautions. I also still get tested weekly at work and I hope that continues. However, I will not go to a sit-down restaurant (takeout a-okay) or a bar until there is a vaccine or a damn effective treatment. I will travel by car to Canada once I am able but I won't be using public transport or airplanes for the forseeable future.

I have a fragile family member (no one I live with, thankfully) who has COPD and probably some undiagnosed cardiac issues. One night, she had a temp of 100.8 degrees or so and some body aches. By morning time, no symptoms and she felt fine and she didn't even take meds. She cancelled her appointment to go in and get checked. People with COPD are always getting small respiratory infections here and there. She was isolated and never exposed so it was unlikely to be COVID and given that she is fine right now, I'm pretty sure it wasn't.

It's true, the symptoms are so borad and not specific, it isn't always COVID!

I have to answer a bunch of questions and get my temp done too to go to work. I'm a healthcare professional and I supervise a group of other healthcare professionals. Every single one of us has a license and we not only had to learn about infectious diseases to get certified but we do that stuff every single year.

If anyone could be exempt from the questioning, it would be us. But yeah, no one is exempt. It's absolutely for liability reasons at this point.

Cheet,

I'm glad to hear your son has done well in e-learning. That's not been the norm for many kids so if he's doing better with his reading as a result, hats off to him. Maybe he will improve even more with remote learning. While most kids are not at risk of dying from COVID (many can be asymptomatic) it's just too risky for many parents, who can catch COVID themselves or even worse, like you, they live with immuno-compromised family members/elderly folks.

I feel that this push to get the schools open ASAP is ultimately dangerous. Yes, I get the loss to kids' development and economic toll but if kids are really infectious, then what's going to happen. Do people really think that kids are going to keep masks on 8+ hrs a day and stay 6+ feet apart? Oh please. Hand/Foot/Mouth disease runs rampant through daycares and schools in some areas, what about a HIGHLY contagious, sometimes asymptomatic respiratory illness?

If we had better social supports, then parents wouldn't be forced to choose between keeping themselves/their kids safe and putting food on the table. Grade school is the only child care they may have.

I feel badly for the youngins and college students. I can complete my Masters easily online, whatever. But young kids need to be in school of some sort in order to properly develop, need that social interaction outside of family. College students are missing out big time.

I haven't but Canada's largest import from the US is food. If our food supply is affected in any way, the first thing that will be cut will be exports.

I keep wondering how many people will have to get sick/die in order for this nightmare to flame out. Also, it's SUMMER. I think the winter will be worse. We need help asap.

I had another crying session today when I got out of work. So tired of being isolated and lonely at times. I miss my family. I am working hard at school which eats into my leisure time and makes me feel more alone.

I miss my family in Canada. I don't know when I'll see them again.

My city made national news recently for several people shot it in one night. We've had someone die, at least one, every single night. I'm glad I have a gun. Just having one loaded makes me feel better knowing I can use it if I must. I live alone still, in the city.

Yet I see friends.... Dating, out with people in gatherings without masks...

I'm growing weary.

Honestly, I wish everyone could get testing like I do. I work in a place with vulnerable patients and I do direct care so I need to be tested once a week and I have been doing this for weeks now.

I've had the rare allergy symptom. Once I over-exerted myself physically and then I felt feverish for a while, temp was at 100.2 for a few hours. It passed without meds, I got tested (for work) and it came back negative.

It really does provide me such a piece of mind. I'm less worried about myself getting it but I worry about spreading it. I am not discontinuing the precautions by any means but getting tested regularly is a huge source of anxiety relief for me.

Had to make my way into the hospital today to get blood work done. I started a new medication that is working well for me but it has the potential to screw my electrolyte levels so I need to get checked.

Hospital not very many people. Lots of "health check points". I had a mask on and I flashed my badge as I walked by and was granted immediate access without question or temp check. Got my blood drawn and I was out within 20 min. Great news, I'm still not pre-diabetic, good cholesterol, good everything really.

What is making me anxious right now is not the virus, it's my areas civil unrest. Last weekend, over 10 people died from being shot. Every day since we have had at least one gun homicide.

Feeling down today. US just continues to blow up with cases. I wish I could push "fast forward" on this, just wake up the next day to news that 300k people are gone but that we've somehow gotten through the pandemic. This months-long waiting period sucks.

I don't understand going out to public places like that. Even with a mask, I don't want to be around others like that.

Drink at home, people. It's cheaper and fun too.

I don't understand the mindset of some people. After I was exposed to a coworker who tested positive, I told my family immediately and isolated myself. I couldn't imagine withholding that info within the 2 weeks and visiting someone. If I didn't want to volunteer that info, fine, but I wouldn't be going out to see people!

Christ, I hate this.

Good analogy. Yeah, the west and south US states are getting slammed with covid cases. Unfortunately in the 20 to 40 age groups. CA, despite early intervention is one of the states affected and sadly have to roll back.

Can't say I'm surprised. Ease up the on bars and restaurants and it's like the floodgates were opened. Young people going out to parties, packing themselves, no masks, etc. Terrible.

Where in your country is the spike for you?

I can't stand the flu comparison. As a health care worker I hate flu season. Thousands of Americans die every year from the flu and that's with a vaccine. COVID has a higher morality rate and there is no vaccine, no treatment, and it does bad things to your body. Older people are at risk but it's killing young people too.

We will have 200k dead by winter. I know it.

If I walk in an outside, open area with no or very, very few people, then I don't wear a mask. But usually in the parks, I will wear one as there are definitely some folks there and passing me or vice versa.

God, this whole thing really blows.

I've only been walking outside for exercise. I don't see myself doing much else.

I do have a foldable treadmill for walking when the weather is bad. I've had that for a while, pre-COVID. Going into the fall/winter, I'm going to rely on it, especially if cases spike and we are forced underground again.

I don't mind staying in but I definitely miss my family. outside of work, I have no physical contact with anyone and it's really wearing on my psyche.

I'm going to try and do better on my next exam but if I get at least a B, I'll try not to beat myself up.