COVID Update

I haven’t posted anything about the pandemic for awhile now. First of all, I figured that I had expressed what I felt quite clearly. And secondly, the death of George Floyd took my heart and mind in a different direction.

However, time has moved on and I just want to share a few personal experiences.

Many of you haven’t known anyone who has been really sick or died from Covid. Luckily, though many get infected, few get extremely ill. But I do spiritual counseling and have a lot of clients who consult me about themselves and their families and friends.

I’ve had a couple of dozen of these people become very ill. I’ve supported people whose loved ones have died. I went through a hellish few weeks talking every few hours to 3 families with very sick children, one of whom still hasn’t recovered her full lung capacity even though she “recovered” from the virus in April. So for me, this crisis has been up close and personal.

With everyone sheltering in place, the infection rate slowed down here in California and Washington where my immediate family lives and even New York looked like it was turning the corner. My clients were mostly recovered and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, due to politics and the need for many to get back to earning a living, the states started to open back up.

Now in the last week, I have 4 clients newly infected with the virus. They found out they were infected because they all got sick and were tested. So they are not asymptomatic.

Two of them went to birthday parties. They say they stayed 6’ apart, but naturally, they ate communal food and all used the same rest rooms and furniture.

One of them went to a BBQ at an Assisted Living Facility!! 🤦🏻‍♀️

And one is a nurse, who has been doing her best to stay safe but works at a hospital in Tucson. According to her, in her department (which is NOT the Covid ward) there is very little social distancing or mask wearing.

She is extremely worried, because some of the Covid patients have been barely symptomatic (like her: a cough, fever, some shortness of breath) when suddenly they collapse and are dead before the day’s out. Forget worrying about availability of beds or ventilators. They just die.

No one knows why. Stronger strain of the virus? Higher viral load exposure in the hospital? 🤷🏻‍♀️ No idea. Just more dead people.

So I know that some of you have decided masks aren’t for you. Or that cases are over-reported. Or that this isn’t really a virus. And you’re tired of not socializing with friends, picnicking and BBQing around the water on these hot summer days.

But this disease is still here, and until there is a cure or eventually 3/4 of the population has been infected (for herd immunity), it’s here whether we’re tired of it or not. And it’s well known that people who have no idea they’ve picked it up can give it to someone else.

So please, stay careful. Stay SAFE. Be conscious of the fact that you just might inadvertently kill somebody and be scrupulous and responsible in your actions. It’s the sane, mature, and compassionate thing to do. Thank you.