It was a year ago that I was doing my first post about COVID. Always with an ear out for items in the news that could cause worry for my patients, I was on alert. Over the years it was not unusual for a virus to circulate that made the news. Measles outbreaks, West Nile, Ebola, Zika, even one called enterovirus D-68 that most of you probably don’t even remember (that one was a cousin to Polio and caused some paralysis). These were terrifying, but in terms of actual threat to our Bay Area families, were soon enough in the rear view mirror.
If I ever claim to have some psychic abilities, that ESP was nowhere to be found when it came to covid. At the very least, I would have bought extra toilet paper. My initial covid post from last year warned families to be prepared in the unlikely event that we might need to do the unthinkable and quarantine for a couple of weeks. Wow, what a difference a year makes.
So many of us had plans to travel, tickets to shows, weddings and events on our calendars. It was unfathomable that everything would be put on hold, but 2020 put us in uncharted territory
It is fair to say that we have found ourselves in a brand new landscape.
- The horrors of the shocking numbers of cases, deaths and chronic consequences.
- The staggering economic hardships of so many people who have lost jobs and livelihoods
- Frightening number of people who maintain that the virus is a hoax...WTF!
- The isolation of people who are living alone and the sadness of family and friends who are not able to be together.
Sigh.
For anyone reading this, congratulations on making it through a very difficult year. For all of the difficulties and sadness some moments of light have floated through.
Zoom...who had even heard of it? Yes we can all get zoom fatigue, but I have had routine zoom sessions with friends and family near and far. Now I gather once a month virtually with my 98 year old uncle and cousins. More and more extended family members join in the call and it is lovely. We fill our screens with old family photos and take advantage of uncle Melvin’s remarkably sharp memory while he identifies the people in the pictures and regales us with tales.
Working at home in your pajama bottoms and bare feet.
Your pets are thrilled to have you around all day.
Many people have taken up new hobbies. The tap dancing classes that I took from a friend only lasted for several weeks, but I have been playing piano more than I have in years. My son-in-law Adam has perfected his sourdough bread!
Flu numbers are unusually low for this time of year. Pediatrician’s offices are seeing way less of common colds and viruses. No doubt this is in part thanks to the social distancing, masks and hand washing.
So what’s next?
The promise of vaccination is already here for many, and within the next several months for many more. It will no doubt take some time to get everyone protected but at least there is some hope in sight.
While we are making progress, this is the proverbial two steps forward, one step backwards. Alas, as promising as the vaccine is, covid is a wily virus and new strains are popping up. Some of those newer and more contagious strains have recently been identified in the Bay Area. Until there is herd immunity, even with the vaccination, wise people will continue to mask up and continue with social distancing until the public health experts spread the message that we can get back to normal. We simply can not afford to get quarantine fatigue.
Here are some of the quarantine related blog posts that I have done this year:
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