Absolution
On January 21, 2020—2 years ago today—the Washington State Department of Health announced that they had diagnosed the first person in the US with a novel coronavirus infection. In the two years since, we've seen more than a million people get sick with COVID-19 in Washington and more than 10,000 people die of it. The losses that we have sustained are almost unfathomable. Our lives and our priorities are forever changed.
Even reading is different now.
Today it seems like every family I know is dealing with COVID in some way—somebody has just tested positive, or they're recovering from COVID-19, or they are waiting for test results.
Sometimes I hear from people who are sick something like, “I’m double-vax’d AND boosted!” “I wore 2 masks!” “I don’t understand how I got this—I did everything right!” Remember—all of these things do reduce our risk, but none of them makes us invulnerable.
On the other hand, I hear people blaming themselves for a COVID diagnosis. “Oh, I knew I shouldn't send the kids to daycare!” or “this is probably from that outdoor playdate!” I'm not immune to this either. My 12-year-old daughter got COVID, and I immediately blamed myself. As soon as we were all fully vaccinated, the whole family started going back to restaurants. Restaurants are the only place where we're in public and not wearing masks. That has to be where she got it, right? If only we had stayed home and had tuna casserole again!
As easy as it is to try to place blame, let me take this opportunity to offer a Public Health Absolution of Guilt. If you or a family member got COVID-19, it’s not because you did anything “wrong.” It’s because we are in a global pandemic, and this virus spreads in our breath. Yes, there are things we can do to reduce the chances of us getting the virus or spreading it, but, no, no one is sick because of something you did or didn’t do. People are sick because COVID is literally everywhere, and because we breathe.
No judgment there. Feel better.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Have we peaked?
Not quite…maybe? There is some indication that Western Washington may be at or very near a peak. Eastern Washington is probably not there yet. Remember, like the solstice, the peak is hopeful because it means the cases are going down and the light will return. But, like the darkest night, the peak itself is the highest number of cases we’ve ever had, and it will still take weeks for that to come down and for there to be palpably less transmission in our communities.
Q: If Omicron is so mild, why are our hospitals full?
Math. Fewer people who get Omicron need to be hospitalized compared to other variants. But, since so many people are getting Omicron, that small proportion of a lot of people is filling up our hospitals.
Q: Are the vaccines working?
Yes! People age 35-64 who are not vaccinated are 3 times as likely to get COVID than people who are fully vaccinated. Check out more age groups in this report here:
COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, and Deaths by Vaccination Status (wa.gov)
Q: What do I do now?
Wear the best mask that you can stand. It’s most important that you're wearing any mask at all in public places. An N95 or KN95 will provide better protection, but if you cannot wear that, a surgical mask is more comfortable and offers more protection than a cloth face mask. And a cloth face mask is better than nothing.
Boost! Make sure that you've got your booster and that your kids get their booster when they are eligible. (Did you remember your flu shot this year? Might as well get caught up on that while you’re at it!)
Meet up with friends outdoors. I know the weather isn’t perfect for this, but try to limit the amount of time that you're spending with other people indoors.
Order COVID tests. Order a free testing kit from the Federal program at CovidTests.gov or, in Washington State, from the state at www.sayyescovidhometest.org.
Check in on your people. You probably know somebody who has COVID. Send them a little text. Or if you actually talk on your phone, give them a call to see how they're doing. Maybe there is something you can drop off at their doorstep. Just check in on folks. It's a rough time and it can be isolating to be sick.
Acknowledge and prepare for the fact that anybody could get sick at any time. Or any of our kids could get sick at any time and we might suddenly have to not be at work. This is happening across the country and in all kinds of sectors of the community.
Take care of yourself. If you have a fever or feel sick, rest, drink a lot of water, and watch TV. Get better soon!