2020 has been a memorable year, to say the least. There have been many days during the last 10 months where I've wanted to vent, blog, share and connect with others over the impact that COVID-19 has had upon the world and its individuals. Feel free to post and share anything relevant. This thread for me is about understanding others' experiences of this evolving pandemic around the world. I will, in the coming days, gradually post the thoughts and experience I've had with and as a result of this virus. How has COVID-19 affected you?
My great grandmother passed away earlier this year, but not because of the pandemic. She lived to 109 years old and died to natural causes. She lived a very good life: always surrounded by our family who she cares for more than anything, and we also cared for her more than anything. Due to the severity of the Covid-19 spread in the region, restrictions were imposed on the hospitals that prohibited visitors from entering the buildings. What hurt me and my family the most was not from her passing away, but that we could not be there for her on her final hours. For her to pass away alone like that with no one around broke our hearts. She was always there for us but we couldn’t be there for her one last time. In many nations like here in The U.S., cases are spreading more than it has ever been. Hundreds of thousands of new cases are being confirmed, and over a thousand are dying everyday. It’s often in our nature to connect with society through means of gatherings. From dining in at restaurants and bars to having a hangout/kickback at a friend’s house. Both cases are reasons that the virus has become so rampant and it won’t stop if we don’t stop. A vaccine will not happen at the rate we are going before thousands more are taken and millions more are affected. I strongly urge those in affected communities to think twice about their decisions to go outside. If you absolutely have to go out for, say food or drinks with your family or friends, please consider having takeout and enjoying it at a park where proper social distancing of 6 feet is plausible (Of course wear masks and bring hand sanitizer ). I believe exercising outdoors is fine as long as we are all weary of social distancing. I still enjoy my walks to get my daily 10,000 steps! Even if you feel it’s no big deal since you haven’t contracted the virus yet, you should be aware that you may be setting an example for others that pass by and see. It’s become almost socially acceptable to return to commercial areas and gatherings in conditions where the virus is known to spread the most. Restrictions have not been heavy enough, and the number of people going to these places now has caused the community to turn a blind eye to what is the deadliest virus that many of us have ever lived with. I’m sorry @Joez if this has been off topic and unsolicited. I have been meaning to find somewhere appropriate to talk about it . Due to the virus being so widespread in America, I have made decisions to stay clear of the many family gatherings we used to have. I opted out of our annual thanksgiving homemade turkey dinner that is always anticipated in our family. It definitely feels bad not to be able to see our loved ones in person so often, but thanks to modern technology (FACETIME) we still feel very connected! Many at my work were not so serious about the pandemic, but I have taken it in my own hands to regularly clean my office and disinfect the surfaces of common areas and doorknobs. I wore gloves and used a stick to torture my coworkers more from a distance! I have gotten sick this year and have gotten swabbed. Luckily I did not have the virus but my nose still remember the pain .
I'm sorry to hear everything you're going through. The restrictions associated with the pandemic have taken a significant toll upon our mental, emotional and (in some cases) spiritual wellbeing. This is particularly true in individuals with known mental health disorders. It's difficult but please remember that we all have purpose in our lives and try not to feel "like a pathetic human being", because you're not. None of us are. I can't offer any specific solutions for anyone but am of course happy to offer an ear during these troubling times. Having said that, my overall recommendations for the pandemic are unchanged - try to socially distance as much as possible, wash your hands regularly, and avoid close physical contact with others, particularly in confined spaces. As an aside I would also suggest against benzodiazepines if that's what you're talking about - long-term use particularly at our age is extremely dangerous with high risk of developing dependence. Melatonin is a much more benign choice, albeit not as effective. Sounds really fun! We all need some sunlight and fresh air every so often Hehehe sorry I made you go get a swab. I'm so proud of you (weird, I don't know that I'm even in a position to say this) and the exemplar you've been setting for those around you. I know I say to you every week America is screwed with screenshots of soaring cases but it makes me really hopeful when I see there are people who practice social distancing and all the public health measures designed to limit interpersonal spread of disease. They sound easy but they're really not - we are inherently social beings. Your great grandmother sounds like the most delightful being and I would've loved to meet her. It sound so very cliche but I'm sure she would've wanted your family to be safe.
1. On the subject of public health: It's so, so painful to see worldwide coronavirus figures but I have developed a habit of checking them regularly since the pandemic unfolded. Thousands of people are dying everyday. Hundreds of thousands of people are being diagnosed with coronavirus everyday. To put things in perspective, comparing to my city's population of ~1.2 million people, half are being diagnosed every, single day and between 1-2% of those infected will die. I'm actually incredibly blessed because we've barely had any cases in Australia. Our public health policies are robust and we have a significant advantage of being an island country. My parents are similarly lucky to be in New Zealand and my extended family more so in mainland China, all countries where there have been no community transmission for months on end. Beyond our natural advantage though there have been a number of changes we've adopted which have been successful, and whilst they may not be realistic these are just some suggestions which you may find useful: - masks are strongly encouraged and/or mandatory when in an outside environment because they provide an added physical barrier to transmission, which is predominantly droplet (i.e. respiratory) - social distancing, i.e. staying away from another human being usually by at least 1.5-2m, because that is how far respiratory droplets typically travel - surfaces, where coronavirus can survive for extended hours, are cleaned regularly - hand washing with soap or alcohol-based sanitiser is recommended following physical contact with these surfaces - rigorous testing (with combined nose/throat swab in most testing centres) if you develop symptoms/signs consistent with COVID-19, or if you are a known or suspected close contact of a confirmed case of COVID-19 - quarantine / self isolation until results are available if you are symptomatic. If you are asymptomatic, follow local guidelines (ours currently recommend quarantine for 14 days with repeat testing on day 12) - avoid crowds, particularly indoors as it is much more difficult to socially distance Remember that vaccines does not mean a magical solution to coronavirus before this Christmas. - they take time to rollout - they are not 100% effective; the purpose of vaccines is to achieve herd immunity within a community which means at least 60-70% of the population must be vaccinated before transmission rates decline significantly - the longevity of immunity is unclear at this stage as coronavirus belongs to a family of viruses which have the tendency to mutate relatively quickly Remember that until we achieve adequate herd immunity, millions more will be infected and thousands more will die. It is a fact that is deeply painful to me because I know that everyday, there are people in the world that will lose a family member, a close friend, a relative they care deeply about. I wish things were different, and no matter how small this community is, I want to encourage everyone to practice the strategies we've proven to be successful as much as we can. Because for every individual we influence, we may be saving someone else from succumbing to this horrifying pandemic.
Sorry if this is more of an "off my chest" kind of thing Graduated from post-secondary in a Humanitarian field that is unable to hire anyone at the moment due to the accounts of most agencies in my field being frozen from Covid I'm unable to find work with the pandemic existing because my household has members with per-existing health conditions that make them part of the vulnerable population My older brother figure committed suicide the day after my birthday and was unable to find help for his mental health before his death being told he may have to wait months or even years to be able to get his foot in the door His child, my niece is left behind wondering why her dad left her and I've been a part of consoling her and working with the loss of her father. Her mother isn't quite ready to be dealing with it either and has had a hard time My relationship of 3.5 years ended a month after my brother committed suicide and acquaintances of mine called the police for a mental health check and I ended up being held in the psych ward of a hospital involuntarily for 3 days To get my mind off things I wanted to play royals again for some mind numbing leech selling and then I had issues where I needed to post a damn ban appeal to help me figure out what was going on Years been great, 10/10 would never want to experience again
Covid in my area is extreme hot spot, I live in the silicon valley. It feels like this pandemic is never ending here. Just a few weeks ago cases were dropping a lot and social gatherings could be held again with proper social distancing, however just not a week later we had a major spike that once again made us go back to square one. Everything is closed with no outside seating either, our governor issued a curfew too to hope to reduce the impact, and literally just a few hours ago he placed another law that you must be quarantine for 14 days if you traveled in a 150 mile radius as well which has impacted this thanksgiving holiday due to so many people traveling for the long weekend (which they shouldn't to begin with). Covid has affected me and my family because my mom owns a nail salon that now had to be closed for months after the pandemic hit which hurt our family financially a lot, I used to work part-time while going to school but I've recently switched to full time to be able to help out with our financial circumstances. My mom is able to open the shop again but the laws state it must be done outdoors which makes no sense because how can you get a pedicure outdoors nor would customers even be obliged to that idea because doing that stuff is more of a private/disclosed thing (I think). Even though my mom is weary of the virus herself she has no choice but to go to work anyways despite of what she fears because of money, it sucks because she can only do pedicures which make way less money, on top of the fact that people come in to just get there nails cleaned and not nail art due to no events going on (she makes a lot of $ from this). On a positive note she is very healthy and exercises religiously so I don't worry too much about her! Personally for myself, covid just took away any social aspect I had and my hobbies, but I feel like a lot of people have it way worse so I try to look at it more positively. I at least get to save money and lose a decent amount of weight ever since I stopped eating out! Only thing that's pretty sad is playing royals again
Very badly. Been out of work for pretty much half of 2020 and still not working going into 2021. I used to workout several times a week and gyms are closed; basically my normal life is non existent. Luckily I got into a relationship recently so spending time with my girlfriend keeps me busy but I'm getting low on cash so...
Terrible year for personal development, but gotta look at this positively. Lots of people are in a less fortunate situation
That's okay. I don't have any issues with people using this thread as a dedicated venting platform for their hardships experienced in context of this pandemic and beyond. It sounds like life has been really tough this year and I'm not sure there's anything you could have done to change that. I'm going to refrain from saying "I understand your suffering" because I really don't, your experience is unique and defines who you are today. I can however see that there have been tragic and somber events that have happened this year which has made a significant impact and the escalating figures of the pandemic alone could make someone lose hope. I sincerely hope that you haven't and it would appear that way; I can't imagine how but it would take a tremendous amount of courage to take responsibility in consoling your niece in the wake of a tragic loss. I am incredibly inspired. Hopefully you sharing your story has allowed something to be 'lifted off your chest', if nothing else. I often encourage people to look forward in these times, but it is equally important to reflect on the past even if the experience is traumatic because memories are a part of what defines us. It is however unhealthy to dwell upon negative experiences and emotions and if you find that you can't climb out of that, call for help pls Small businesses have been one of the hardest hit as as result of this pandemic - it feels especially shit after waiting for months to reopen your business only to be kicked right back to square one because of this horrendous beast called community transmission. Your governor sounds like he's doing everything he can to protect the community from a public health and economic perspective. Full time work is tough, I wish I could be back in school. Being a part of supporting the family financially at our age is also not an easy thing. We learn from our experiences though! And having a full time position in the midst of this pandemic is a blessing in many ways because so many others in the world have lost their jobs owing to COVID-19. Teach me how to lose weight and you better not be sad HTing with me I am shamefully bad with exercising and the self-discipline to exercise but I did hear many successful stories of people working out at home! I feel like gyms closing is super tough on our generation though because working out has become an incredibly prominent part of this generation. Congrats on the relationship! Good luck with job-seeking. Indeed, though others being in less fortunate situations doesn't mean we can't try our best to make our own situation better though! Ganbatte
2. On the clinical aspects of COVID-19 COVID is a truly devastating disease. It is widely heterogeneous and the majority of individuals infected by it suffer from mild symptoms. A significant proportion are asymptomatic throughout their disease course. For those that are classified as severe disease there is a significantly elevated risk of developing a number of other complications, either due to COVID itself, or the inflammatory reaction associated with COVID, or as a result of prolonged hospitalisation. The long-term morbidity and mortality outcomes of patients infected with COVID are unclear. I have a close friend who works as a junior medical officer equivalent role across both surgical and emergency departments in Brazil. Her friend died from COVID-19. He was in his late 20s, apparently healthy with no known background medical conditions, and initially presented with mild respiratory symptoms and loss of smell/taste like many others. He developed progressive respiratory failure and was initially intubated, subsequently put on ECMO (artificial lungs, if you like) and somewhere in between developed ventilator-associated pneumonia with multifocal pneumothoraces and eventually succumbed. A confused old chap who was COVID positive pulled off his mask and her's in midst of his acute confusional state and coughed straight into her face. It's with sheer dumb luck that she didn't catch it from him. Increasingly I'm hearing from my friends around the world about their families and friends catching COVID. Even within this very limited sample size the disease course is widely variable. Common, but far from universal symptoms can include: - cough, more often dry than phlegm-producing - fever, often low-grade - non-specific muscle aches - shortness of breath - headaches - nausea / vomiting / diarrhoea - loss of smell or taste - runny nose - abdominal pain The frequency varies but cough and fever are more commonly seen than the others. Shortness of breath suggest possible need for supplemental oxygen and therefore is a marker of severity. Loss of smell or taste is less common but more specific for COVID than other respiratory infections. The above should prompt one to seek COVID testing even if you have not been in contact with known or suspected cases. Currently the only substantiated evidence for drug therapies against COVID-19 are - dexamethasone This is a potent steroid with side effects as heterogeneous as COVID itself. It has a modest but robust 28-day mortality benefit for confirmed cases of COVID requiring supplemental oxygen and/or ventilatory support. - remdesivir This is an antiviral that confers no proven mortality benefit across meta-analyses of randomised trials but has a good chance of reducing time to recovery. There is no benefit of drinking bleach and definite harm There is similarly no benefit to hydroxychloroquine with or without azithromycin, and probable harm Specific therapies are currently undergoing clinical trials, and their effects remain to be seen. Final thoughts on clinical aspects: Most clinicians around the world are anticipating a "post-COVID pandemic". - Increasingly there are reports of long-term complications arising from patients who have been infected and recovered from coronavirus, including neurocognitive complications which are plainly devastating. Dementia is one of the worst things in the world. - Individuals with known mental health disorders are likely to have suffered significantly from lack of their usual supports - The delay and suspension of ambulatory cancer screening means the prevalence of advanced cancers in the next few years is likely to spike Everyday I'm hoping that this virus would be a thing of the past. Everyday I'm hoping that my family and friends would be COVID-free. Everyday I'm hoping for normality.
3. Borders. Travelling is and remains one of my greatest hobbies. There is so much in the world to explore, from natural and architectural landscapes, to cultural influences over generations, to the food and bubbletea all around the world, to the people that you meet along the way. Distance became an arbitrary concept and I used every opportunity I had to embrace, literally, the friendships I'd made and cherished over the years. In this game, in other games, at work, in school. Somehow watching people laugh in person is just not quite the same as "LOLololoLOL" no matter how much you personalise your font. COVID took all of that away. Distance became a very real concept. I miss my friends and family. Dearly.
4. Jobs. Honestly, I never thought of myself as a frontline worker because the city I live in really has very few COVID cases (and currently we have 0). I can imagine how stressful and daunting it is to be in the front line in a place that's plagued with coronavirus though. It burns everyone out, you're having to work constantly, and you're forced to create as many physical barriers as you can even though as human beings we crave to connect. I remember the ~2 months where I was given the awful responsibility to decide on who needed a swab and who didn't. In hindsight I probably erred on the side of caution and asked for just about anyone with the hint of a respiratory thing to be swabbed and I don't regret this decision. I feel disgusted by it though because it really means I'm removing all pathways for anyone, including close family to be by their side at a time where these people are arguably most vulnerable. So sorry to the people who have been affected. Public health unfortunately dictates that we all have to try our best to keep everyone safe, and every so often I just hate that. In the end I'm grateful that I kept my job during this pandemic.
It showed me once again that humanity is a poor shit show. Rich 1000 families rule the whole planet and do not give a shit about anything until capitalism drives itself to its own destruction once again. This is so extremely ridiculous but unfortunately this whole shit show is real ...
Thank you for sharing. To quote my supervisor today, "sounds like there was a lot to learn from". I know that sounds less than satisfying but I'm hoping your job experiences have all taught you something in the process. I hope something comes out of your reflection, remembering that there will eventually be an end to COVID. Know that you are not alone in this journey. Personally I don't find this mentality super helpful because it just makes me feel sad about what's happening around the world. I hope you can take a moment to see all the positives of humanity that have surfaced from this pandemic. So many people have personified inspiration in 2020!
5. Uncertainty. I dislike uncertainty. It represents the control freak in me, the feeling that I must be in control of what's happening, the satisfaction from having a predictable future tomorrow, the next week, the next decade. COVID has meant that everything around me has suddenly become so uncertain. Part of the problem, of course, is just how little we know about COVID. Everyone is learning about COVID and strategies around and against it. Some will be wrong, and others will be right. Some will make no difference. When will we be vaccinated? When will borders be open again? How many more people are going to die from the pandemic? Are we going to have another surge of COVID cases? Will I eventually end up getting swabbed? Will my job be thrown into chaos? So many questions that I just don't have an answer to, as 2020 is drawing to a close. I hope 2021 will be a more predictable year. Happy New Year to my family and friends. Happy New Year to you.
Bumping to see if anyone else wants to share their story. It has now been over a year since the outbreak and I’m curious to hear how others have coped with the pandemic still going around. For those countries that are reduced to a handful of cases a day, I am happy for you and glad you took necessary measures to stay safe and well! For those that are still facing thousands of growing cases, please hang in there and keep doing what you can to keep the virus away from you and your loved ones. My heart goes out to those in countries like India, Brazil, France. There are several that are still spiking in cases. The vaccine is going out, but it’s not time to let our guard down yet! I’m truly grateful for those that are still working through blood, sweat, and tears in the medical field to provide health care to those in need. I’m also truly grateful for the essential workers that do what they have to do to keep their communities running. From firefighters, to mailmen, to convenience store workers, you all have been doing what you can so that many of us can better manage our own quarantining and working from home. For me, I’ve become more adapted to staying at home and taking care of myself. I have been working from home and, in addition to my Royals addiction, my job has me working at my computer for an extended period of time. I find myself using my humidifier a bit more to keep my eyes from drying out while also reading and taking walks everyday to catch some sunlight and fresh air. It is rather painful to see others not wearing masks around me despite the severity of the virus in my area. Nonetheless, I continue to wear mine while glaring at the rest . Recently I have decided to motivate my walks more by picking up trash throughout my normal routes. Litter has become a larger problem in my community that I want to help resolve in some of the only ways I can! Of course I take precaution: mask and gloves on, grabber arm tool thingy wielded, and extra trash bags at hand. I highly recommend this for those who have a hard time motivating themselves to get out every once in a while. Just be ready to see some exotic trash you never thought existed in your neighborhood . But remember, a clean neighborhood is a happy neighborhood! I’m still relieved to have not caught the virus throughout the year (hoping not to jinx it). The closest I have come to it was a planned in-person meeting with my work partners that ended up being cancelled. Why? One of them was tested and diagnosed with covid. Fortunately, they are doing fine now and made swift recoveries!
With the exception of having not hang out with friends & relatives alike. It's pretty much boring if I don't think about the negative side of COVID-19. Sure, I can think about it but what can I do about it? Nothing at all. So just sit back & relax & enjoy what the present has to offer xD
I'll do an update once I get my first vaccine dose. From an official standpoint I have to encourage all approved vaccines... but I am secretly hoping I would get Pfizer'ed rather than AstraZeneca'ed. We'll see how it goes.
Bit late to the party but got my first dose today! Please get the vaccine if you have the opportunity to do so. Please continue to practice social distancing where you can. Please continue to have hope, and please continue to give hope. Close to 500 million doses have been administered around the world, but remember that tens of thousands are still dying everyday.
