As I was hoping people were more than willing to share their Covid experiences, past, present and future. I have done my best to delete any words or phrases that will protect the identity of the writers. People were pretty good about keeping the politics out of it. A couple of folks had to have portions of their messages redacted…..but I think that will just make it more fun for the reader to project what they were saying!! Thanks to the folks who sent photos.
Following my own Covid experience message I have listed everyone else’s contributions based upon when they were received. It seems as time went by people had more and more direct/indirect experience with Covid. Virtually everyone sounds as if they played things close to the vest and are still doing so. I might have been the most “out there” person and by my standards, I thought I was playing it reasonably safe.
I will simply say thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences. I’m sure readers of this newsletter very much appreciate your contributions.
Randy’s Covid past, present and future….
I would have to categorize my past, present and future Covid plan of coexistence as stringent, moderate and stringent again. I fully recognize that my idea of “stringent and moderate” are not even close to some people’s definitions.
To begin with, I will tell you that I am a strong believer in the danger presented by Covid. I don’t challenge the Covid death count. I don’t downplay it. I fully believe in and trust our nation’s health officials. Covid is not the friggin’ flu.
After listening to all of the epidemiologist’s advice I have come to the conclusion that if I wear a mask, wash my hands and social distance the risk of catching Covid is reduced dramatically. Is the risk eliminated? Nope.
Past Covid behaviors
During January I spent three weeks in France and Italy touring and following the ice racing in the French and Italian Alps. My wife was with me for two of those weeks. As you may recall Covid problems were probably most severe in those two countries in the early stages of the pandemic.
Then in early March, I was in Sweden for a week. Sweden is famous for going with the “herd immunity” Covid strategy. If that strategy is evaluated by their death count their plan has been a huge failure. They only just recently changed from the herd immunity approach to pretty much every other countries COVID plan of defense.
When my plane took off from Los Angeles to Stockholm via London I was sick. I took a shot of Nyquil when the plane lifted up from LAX and didn’t wake up until we touched down in London. Did I have Covid then? Who knows? I do know this. I wish I had a hundred dollar bill for everyone who has told me they “think they may have had Covid” last winter/early spring. I’m giving blood next week as much for the idea of giving as also getting an antibodies test.
When I was in Stockholm I didn’t see or hear anything about Covid. This was from March 4-11. I sat in a sold-out 1,200-seat opera theater and a nearly sold out 8,000 person hockey arena. No one wore a mask or did anything different than normal. I landed back in Los Angeles from Sweden on March 11, the day that Covid was officially recognized as beginning in the U.S. I learned my flight was the last flight from Europe allowed to land before travel restrictions were implemented.
For the next 85 days (red!), I didn’t travel anywhere. My friends would ask, “Since you travel so much do you miss it now?” My answer was a resounding “no”. There was no reason to travel from point A to point B because nothing was happening at point B.
For the first month of the pandemic, we didn’t allow our house cleaner to come into the house. We paid her she just didn’t come to the house and do any work.
It’s somewhat difficult to remember how we handled things back in March and April. That seems like a really long time ago. I do know that we have commonly used restaurant drive-thru and pick up restaurant options to get our food, especially for nightly dinners. Did you know that In N Out Burgers invented the fast food drive-thru lane? I would estimate that during the past nine months (270 days) I have easily eaten food from a restaurant 400 times. That is not an exaggeration. However, less than ten of those meals were consumed inside a restaurant dining room.
In retirement, we eat out at least every other night. Throughout the pandemic, I like to get food with my wife, drive to a location in our town that overlooks the Pacific ocean, eat in the car and just catch up on our day. Yes, I know I am a hopeless romantic….but I just can’t stand to see her prepare, eat, and clean up each meal. My form of “helping out” is to take my wife out.
Throughout the pandemic, I routinely walk to the beach and power walk for 4-5 miles all without wearing a mask. At the beach (above – mile two), most people do not wear masks. I never really realized until I thought about it how much of my life is already socially distanced if you measure social distancing by the 6 feet requirement.
This strategy took me through early June.
Present behavior during the pandemic.
Beginning in early June I decided that travel if proper social distancing was observed, was a safe enough thing to do. Am I talking about going cross down to travel? Not exactly. I would classify this as my “moderate” phase of the pandemic. When others read what I’ve been doing I think they might consider my moderate phase as not even on their scale. Others might think my behavior was beyond the “absolutely crazy” portion of where their scale might stop.
From June 5 through November 14 (165 days) I traveled away from home for 70 nights staying in hotels. That’s well over 200 restaurant meals right there! I flew on 64 airplanes and rented about 25 cars. I’m happy to report I had an open seat next to me or an entire row on the plane for all but three of those flights. Where was I going?
My major hobby is something called “trackchasing”. Trackchasing is all about seeing auto racing at tracks I have never visited. It is a hobby about racing, seeing the local sights and logistically figuring out how to do all of that without completely depleting our retirement funds. From June 5 to November 14 I ended up seeing 59 tracks for the very first time in more than twenty states. I couldn’t travel outside of the U.S. but traveling inside the U.S. was easy.
I am not talking about going to the Daytona 500 or the Indy 500. I’ve been to those big events. I was going to America’s “short tracks”. They are almost always located in small rural towns and attract a blue-collar clientele. Masks are not worn in these places. Wearing a mask is about as common as seeing someone wearing a beret.
At virtually all tracks, with a crowd of 200-300 people or less, I can easily social distance. Of course, all but one of the races I saw was outdoors. I did go to a race in Owensboro, Kentucky where the grandstand seated 2,000 people and there were probably 2,200 in the seats! Not a mask in sight although I’m sure a lot of people were packing heat. I thought it was truly ironic when the couple in front of me asked the couple beside me not to smoke! That request was met with a sneer so the couple in front of me moved. This helped with my social distancing! I figured if you can’t get Covid at the Windy Hollow Speedway under these conditions….you can’t get it!
When I first started traveling in June the airports were nearly empty (above MSP 10:30 a.m.). Air travel was at about 10-15% of where it had been the year before. I would fly into a normally busy airport like Minneapolis and could walk down the hallways where I didn’t see a single person. That was when I judged that my idea of “moderate activity” was not the same as most others. By the way, I often get my four miles of power walking done inside airport terminals. It’s the perfect place for this. If I arrive early for my flight I don’t sit down I walk.
During the early stages of my flying around the country mask usage in airports wasn’t all that great. I remember one day being in Minneapolis where the mask usage was at about 40-50%. When I landed in Los Angeles mask usage was more than 90%.
However, as time went on mask usage in the airports and on airplanes increased to 100%. I had a flight the other day where the man in the row behind me was refusing to wear his mask. This caused a lot of consternation amongst the flight attendants and the pilot. The pilot, over the PA system, threatened during our taxi out to take the plane back to the terminal. Then when the man refused to wear his mask during the flight the flight attendant told him that she would just as soon call the captain and have him divert to another location as not. When that flight landed all of the passengers were instructed to stay in their seats and some folks came on board and took the passenger who had refused to wear his mask “away”. I can’t imagine anybody in their right mind, including those who don’t support the idea of wearing masks, who would think that kind of behavior would “fly”.
I truly do hate the idea that the Covid pandemic has been so politicized in the U.S. I’m told that in places like Canada and the U.K. that is not even remotely the case.
I have mentioned in the past that I absolutely hate politics. I am constantly around very conservative and very liberal people. I hear and overhear the broadcasts of very conservative and very liberal TV/radio hosts.
I have come to the conclusion that party A thinks that party B is a group of idiots, morons, suckers and losers. At the same time, party B thinks that party A believers are all of those things and more. Whenever I challenge someone on what their favorite political “guy/gal” said or did the common response without even thinking is the other “guy/gal” is worse. This is the only thing I really know for sure. “Two wrongs don’t make a right but three rights make a left”.
On one trip to Missouri, I found the hotel (Super 8) desk clerks were not wearing masks nor were the cashiers working in nearby convenience stores doing so. By the way, the more upscale hotel properties (Marriott/Sheraton) were great at following the guidelines. Sadly, the hot hotel breakfast has gone the way of the dodo bird virtually everywhere.
In my Missouri experience, the non-mask wearers were all women but that was probably by random chance. I was always wearing my mask. I got into the habit of asking them in a nice way, “so you folks don’t wear masks around here?”. Their responses, to me, were interesting.
One lady told me she had a “medical condition“ which prevented her from wearing a mask. She looked pretty healthy to me but then I’m not a doctor. Another person told me that she didn’t feel comfortable wearing a mask. Who does? Then another lady said the hotel staff was having a meeting “tomorrow” to discuss wearing masks and this was six months into the pandemic! Finally, another woman in a convenience store told me they were allowed to make their own decisions with regard to wearing masks.
Do masks work? Does social distancing work? Does washing your hands for 20 seconds work? Who knows? I think they do but then I’m not an epidemiologist. By the way, I spelled epidemiologist correctly the first time. I’m pretty proud of that.
The American population is such a band of mavericks that it’s nearly impossible to answer the effectiveness of the questions above if everybody doesn’t get with the program. With poor compliance comes poor results. The compliance with these recommendations isn’t that great as I have observed during my recent travels.
Toward the latter part of our “present” phase of Covid behavior, we began eating at restaurants but only on an outdoor basis. I meet with a buddy every couple of weeks or so and we always eat outdoors. Taco Tuesday is a big deal out here and we eat outdoors. We have had a few meals in 55° nighttime temperatures that required jackets. Once I arrived late to join family members for one of our dinners. They had already been seated by the restaurant indoors. When I arrived I insisted we all relocate to an outdoor table. The grandkids always want to ride home in my car after dinner. I do that…with the windows down.
In mid-November with news that the vaccine was coming our way soon, I decided to cut back on my travel. I changed from flying trips to driving trips to nearby states like Arizona. I still exercise at the beach without a mask using the theory that I don’t come anywhere close to anybody for more than a few seconds.
Future pandemic plans
I’ve said all along. It’s all about the vaccine. Then I heard someone else say it better. Their quote was, “it’s not about the vaccine it’s about the vaccinations”. I look at it this way. The more people who don’t take the vaccine the closer to the front of the line I get!
Will I get the vaccine? Absolutely. If the FDA approves it that’s good enough for me. When I get on an airplane I trust the pilot even though I don’t know her. I don’t know anybody at the FDA but if they approve the vaccine I’ll get it as soon as possible.
Speaking of “knowing” people….I’ve heard quite a few folks even in our family saying early on they didn’t know anyone with Covid. What was the big deal? When you think about it that’s not all that unusual.
It wasn’t until June 7 that the U.S. hit two million cases of Covid. The population of the U.S. is about 328 million. That means that one person in 164 had been diagnosed with Covid by early June. I don’t even know 164 people who I am close enough to where I would even learn of such a diagnosis.
However, as you read the experiences of others in this message just about everybody by now knows someone who has had Covid or someone who has been very sick with Covid or in the worst cases someone who had died from Covid. We have relatives and friends in Wyoming, Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin who have had a Covid positive result. Luckily, so far, everyone has recovered without any major problems.
As this is written, on December 10, nearly 16 million Americans have had a positive Covid test. Remember, those 16 million come from only the people who have been tested…obviously. That’s one person in every 20.5 Americans. More than 300,000 people have died Covid related deaths. Nope. This doesn’t sound like the friggin’ flu to me. I don’t think I have personally known of anyone who has died from the flu although I know that people have. I have several friends/relatives who have had someone in their immediate group die from Covid.
Yes, I will get the vaccine as soon as it is available? Absolutely. Will I elbow the little old lady using a walker out of the vaccine line so I can get one a little quicker? I think it might be inappropriate to answer that question honestly in this message. Will I pull strings to get the vaccine as soon as possible? Again, probably not an appropriate question for me to answer. Do I try to take strategic advantage of situations throughout my life? Yes, I do. If a vaccine “falls off the back of a truck” will I inject myself? What do you think?
Do I believe things will get back to normal once the vaccine is broadly distributed? Yes, I do. Americans have short memories. I would say by late summer if the vaccine works as advertised you’re going to see a boom in the economy with travel, restaurant consumption and all of the rest.
Do I think that the logistics of the vaccine distribution will run smoothly? No, I don’t. About a year from now you’re going to see all kinds of lawsuits and complaints about the distribution of the vaccine. Was it fairly distributed? Was it commonly available etc. etc. etc? Just think about how difficult it was to get a simple Covid test throughout much of the pandemic. I think the distribution of the vaccine will be a cluster.
I’m going to guess that a year from now people will look back on their Covid experience and probably exaggerate how hard it was or how easy it was or how strict they were or how unstrict they were.
In the meantime, if you made it this far without too much of a scratch, congratulations. We are close to the checkered flag but we have not yet seen the checkered flag fly. Let’s all get to the finish line and not the finish line in the sky…..just yet.
Below is the feedback I received from so many people who took a moment of their time to share. These responses are listed in the chronological order they were received. Thanks very much to each of you!
Indiana
Hi Randy,
I didn’t see your first request for information regarding Covid.
Since this is confidential, I will share my experience. I had Covid, all the symptoms, wound up in the hospital for 23 days. I received 2 transfusions from Covid plasma donors. Needless to say, these saved my life.
My husband got it also from taking care of me, but he didn’t get it very bad.
So, when the vaccine comes out, both me and my husband will be getting it.
Nevada
Hi Randy!!
I hope this email finds you and your family well.
My Covid experience….
March thru mid-June- stayed away from everyone (which is not my DNA!) Canceled trips to FL, CA, IL, Alaskan Cruise etc…Finally in July we made it to Lake Geneva…WI that is! Normally we have visitors at our home at least once a month, which we love! No visitors March -December 2020. Hated it!
July thru mid-November relaxed our Covid restrictions.
Mid November everything halted once again as my husband got Covid. Luckily he never had to go to the hospital but he was very sick for a good 10 days. Absolutely no energy, no appetite, heavy chest, horrible cough, achy body but never a fever.
I am happy to report he is back to his old self again! 😊
Holidays are normally spend with family someplace warm and sunny…not this year. We will all be in our respective homes for the holidays.
Will I get the vaccine when I can…probably but I won’t be first in line due to my age and health. I’m ok with that. I will continue to wear a mask and carry my hand sanitizer with me but looking forward to getting back “to normal” soon!
While this hasn’t been my favorite year, it’s only one year out of my life and I am thankful that I have not lost any close family/friends to Covid. Carry on with a smile!
…Probably more information than you wanted!
Thanks for all you do! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Ontario, Canada
My wife and I have been working through the pandemic. She is a manager at XXX, essential service. I’m Logistics Coordinator for a company that distributes clinical trial drugs including Covid vaccines. Both of my kids work in the service industry so they haven’t worked since March. It hasn’t impacted us very much other than eating at home, movies on TV, no trips to the USA and only being able to attend 1 race all season.
We don’t personally know anyone that has contracted the virus, but a friend of mine lost his mother. The vaccine was approved in Canada today, distribution will start by the end of the week. We all plan on getting the shot as soon as we can. Is sounds like it will be our turn in March if you believe the government propaganda.
I hope all is well with your family and look forward to seeing you when you finally get Southern Ontario Speedway aka South Buxton.
Wisconsin
Hi Randy
Trying to give feedback without talking politics is damn near impossible but I’ll try
End March-April I followed the rules and quarantined properly but then had to quarantine again because everyone didn’t get on board simultaneously
Then end of May I was on a task force to go to XXXXX Wisconsin to peacefully protest and try to reopen Wisconsin. Our #$#%^ Democratic governor blocked all peaceful talk about reopening
This on off bullsh*t went on all summer … fearful beyond what was necessary…brought down US economy and other economies which was not necessary… we won’t see the fallout from this for years!
In September Wisconsin’s numbers rose drastically. We have meat packing plants here that were hit very hard with covid
In October, 7 of us were in a 5 hour meeting and 3 days later one tested positive but no others caught it
I know more people today getting covid but do not know anyone really sick from it.
My liberal kids in Chicago will get the vaccine ASAP. I want more testing and will not get it probably for 6 months or so OR if I get better feedback from the first guinea pigs
Don’t trust anyone…like XXXX said she would get the vaccination under XXXX…well, I don’t want to get it with her at the head.
Ohio
Past
We have been fairly careful during the pandemic. We wear masks when we go out, and we have only visited restaurants a couple of times and that was in the late morning for breakfast when there were few other customers. We rarely see family members, and those of them that work with the public, we don’t see at all. We have turned down social engagements and cancelled our travel plans. We are in the high risk group because of our age, so we have decided to be extra careful.
Now
Since the rate of infection is up, we are even more careful and go out shopping less often, only for necessities. We are as concerned as in the beginning of the pandemic because the virus is so much more rampant, which offsets the fact that treatments are more effective for MOST people.
We know two people who were in the ICU with the virus, but both survived, though it knocked them for a loop.
Future
We will take the vaccine as soon as it is available and so will our extended family members. We won’t do anything differently until the health experts tell us it is safe to do so. We take one day at a time, and six more months doesn’t seem like it will be that hard, as long as there is light at the end of the tunnel.
It is upsetting to see so many people not taking this situation seriously, and endangering the rest of us. They have no sense of social responsibility – it’s all about their inconvenience, and their freedoms being taken away. There are political leaders who are setting a bad example for their followers. It’s sad, and shameful.
No location shared
Hello Randy,
The first 6 months most of us stayed home, worked from home and only went out for essential items, sanitized and were very cautious. Since then, I’ve gone back to the office full time. I noticed that going back to work in the office has had a negative effect in that I feel like we are back to normal. But we all know that’s a false sense of normalcy. It was difficult for me to pull back and get into the covid mindset. Plexiglass barriers went up between our cubes and we wear masks when we are up and around.
We haven’t worn masks at any of the Family wedding or birthday parties but there have only been a few. No one got sick.
Has it hit close to home? Yes! My sister and her two daughters. I was with them two days before they tested positive, mostly in 90 degree weather. Mom is in the hospital now with covid and pneumonia. They Sr living where she lives relaxed their rules and boom! Several caught it from one man who went to the dr. several of my cousins family had it. Everyday someone nearby tests positive.
Six months ago I would have said no to the vaccine but now if I want to be near my mother, I think I’m going to have to get it.
I’m not sanitizing my home like I did at first. Not wearing gloves to get gas. These may be some of the reasons vid is on the rise… we are not cleaning like we were.
I hope you be your family stay well.
Ohio
We have followed the guidelines here in Cincinnati Ohio. Enjoying life at home and visiting only those relatives who are also locked down and safe. Have an elderly mother who lives alone and depends on me for food deliveries and other support so I have to be extra careful. Have several hobbies that can be performed well from inside the home so not bored in any way. We get our groceries and many restaurant servings from curb side deliveries. We often use DoorDash to bring food too. We still call that eating out. Prior to the Pandemic 90% of our meals were at restaurants. We will be among those getting the Vaccine as soon as it is available.
Ohio
did you enjoy reading about others’ experiences when we did this a few months ago?
Yes. Polar viewpoints. Consistent with what I was hearing from those in our Ohio community. You were either extremely fearful, or blew it off as nothing to worry about.
PAST
How did you and your family handle Covid during the first six months or so of the pandemic?
We were very cautious, canceled most trips and all vacations and mostly stayed home. We have driven to Texas (18 hr drive each way) to visit daughter a few times whereas pre-COVID we flew.
Has Covid hit close to home for you?
Not until recently.
NOW
Are you doing anything differently now compared to the past with your Covid preparation, plans, etc.?
Staying at home and not eating out more so than before.
Are you a little less concerned at this point or more concerned than during the first month or two of the pandemic?
More concerned
How many people did you know in July who tested positive for the virus and what kind of outcome did they have?
None
Now, months later in December do you know more people who have tested for the virus and had more or less severe outcomes?
Quite a few have been hit by COVID. My brother was serious (icu, ventilator, etc) and is slowly recovering.
What is most puzzlingly is that healthcare workers ( doctors, nurses) we know are the ones who are taking the most risks ( not wearing masks, not socially distancing, attending large gatherings, etc)… and a couple of them caught COVID.
Ohio
Randy — Initially we were very careful about handling items from outside our home, i.e. groceries, mail and packages. We didn’t go out much, did do some fast food and restaurant take out and have not traveled. We have inlaws in their 90’s in a care home in Indianapolis (we live in Cincinnati) and we drove up there twice to visit with them through the window glass. My sister in law and husband traveled to Philadelphia in May when they closed the day care for their granddaughter. They stayed with their daughter and her husband (both MD’s) and all four of them did get CoVID and were fairly sick for a couple of weeks but not in the hospital. That’s the only people I know who have had it. What has changed. We are no longer worrying about groceries, mail, etc., on the advice of the experts. We still wear gloves to pump gas and use hand sanitizer a lot but not as worried was we were. We have been and still are faithful mask wearing people except when walking out doors if there are not too many people around. For a while in the summer – July, Aug, Sept – we had our retiree lunches as picnics outside, but when they started meeting inside I bailed. I have gone to dog club meetings as long as everyone wears a mask and sits six feet apart, but it is a small group usually less than 20. I do go to dog training classes where each dog/trainer pair goes in individually so there is no close contact. My husband occasionally meets a friend of his for lunch outside. And I talk to the neighbor with a mask on. Since things have gotten worse here this fall we are more careful again, but I think we have more faith in masks and social distancing than we did initially but are more scared of being with people without masks. I live in Warren county and this is a very Blue Trump area so there are a lot of people who will not wear masks. I rarely go to stores in this area, we buy almost everything on line and do pick up for the groceries. In other parts of town it seems less scary.
Oh, I forgot to say we got the inlaws set up with Zoom (took a little to get them going but they were game to try it) and we now Zoom about every other day. It is really great. He has moderate dementia to it helps her to have someone ‘normal’ to talk to and it seems to be good for him to have some stimulus as well. I also Zoom with my sisters on a regular basis since we can’t travel to visit each other (one in Portland Ore one in Chapala Mexico.) Also lots of Zoom meetings and virtual presentations for our master gardeners group.
Hope you are doing well and have a good holiday season.
Texas
Hey Randy.
From the Texas hill Country……
One thing I’ve enjoyed out of this whole pandemic is driving up to the bank teller window with my mask on asking for money!
COVID is as unpredictable as Russian roulette. You can’t tell who is going to have a slight cough and who is going end up on a ventilator. A couple who live up river from me both got COVID. He was in poor health and she was healthy as a horse. He had a mild flu-like case and she died two days ago on a ventilator. I’m wearing my mask religiously and staying out of town.
If they need Volunteers from the Hill Country to take the vaccine… I’ll be first in line.
Nebraska
From Nebraska, USA:
For the first few months my wife was furloughed and stayed home. We took a few “socially isolated” field trips and she spent a few weeks with our oldest daughter in Michigan. I sent my staff home to work for three months and ran the office alone. The absence of daily drama and petty issues was heavenly.
Covid did not hit home until recently. My son-in-law (who is a Power 5 football school strength coach) is tested daily and has had a few positives but no symptoms. My sister, one employee and a couple of friends have had the virus but no serious symptoms. More like a pesky sinus infection. I only know of one person who has officially passed away from it and he already had one foot in the grave.
My wife is required to get the vaccine as she is employed in the healthcare field. Even though I am only behind 23 million in line for the vaccine (according to the New York Times) I will probably wait and see on the vaccine. I think I’d rather take an overload of vitamins and avoid crowds than do the vaccine until more is known about its effectiveness and side effects.
Otherwise I just run my company and live my life. I don’t have a problem with wearing a mask or social distancing. I went to the races 48 times this summer – sometimes in a fairly full grandstand – and somehow managed to survive.
Thanks Randy!
Northeast Florida
Hi Randy,
This is my report from NORTHEAST FLORIDA – Very little covid here in my “bubble” in northeast Florida on the ocean side. Back in July, I knew 3 people who had covid. One of them you may have seen on the news because they were on the infamous cruise ship that wasn’t permitted to let people disembark in San Francisco due to covid on the ship. They ended up being on the ship for a month. My friend’s husband came home to Florida, self-quarantined and had some covid symptoms within 3 days but not bad enough to go to the hospital although he tested positive for covid. His wife (my friend) who was living in the same house and had been on the same cruise, never got covid.
Two other friends, a wife and husband, got covid but I don’t know where they got it. That was also around March or April.
Since then, I only know one person who lives west of the intracoastal (not in my “bubble”) and she got covid but she is better now and attended my women’s club meeting last week.
My friends and I go to a few different restaurants in this area that were always pristine prior to covid and are just as vigilant about cleanliness now. Again, living in northeast Florida we almost always have the option of eating outdoors although sometimes it’s so crowded outdoors that we eat indoors. Go figure. The group I walk with has re-started. We had to stop in the summer because it was just too hot.
I’ll get the vaccine whenever my age group, or however they sort it out, is called. I think it’s only right that medical people and first responders get it first, then people in nursing homes. Let’s keep all those people safe then work on the rest of us!
United Kingdom
Hi Randy
Apart from my work in tandem with the Ranlay back room team in my part of the UK life is somewhat normal except non food serving bars and pubs are not allowed to open and the likelihood is a large percentage will close permanently.
Personally we will be getting the Pfizer injection I expect at the beginning of 2021 and the 2nd one 3 weeks later.
One of the more sad aspects of covid-19 is that there is so much shopping being done online and with people not venturing out into towns and shopping malls are lot are going into administration putting a lot of employees out of work, the only businesses expanding are the food stores and delivery firms,Amazon UPS etc, some whose business is up 400% .
As for the future ???
Ohio/Florida
Hi Randy
Good to hear from you! Hope all is well.
The pandemic has clearly changed how we approach life – as you may recall, we were caught in a temporary apartment when the pandemic started – had just sold out home in February, as we planned our long awaited move to Naples, FL. We remained in the temporary apartment until late August when we hit the road to Florida. Those few months were spent doing 5 mile daily walks, binging on shows on TV, taking photography classes (me), making masks and baking(wife), and generally trying to stay positive about the whole thing. Our senior in high school missed many key events, but the school tried real hard to make those events as special as possible within the social distancing requirements.
We have now spent 3.5 months in Florida – LOVING IT!! Still doing our daily 5 mile walks, slowing completing decorating and unpacking – just a few things left (but as we have done in every home we have ever owned, the cars slept in the garage from the first night on! No using garage for storage at the expense of cars 😀)
As life continues, we continue to enjoy it as much as possible. We visit my in-laws at least once/week – they have a list of projects around their house I’m slowly knocking out – I love doing these kinds of things, helps them, and gives me something useful to do!
We continue to catch up on shows we’ve been meaning to watch – House of Cards, The Expanse, The Good Place, Criminal Minds….). And every few days, we’ll go out on web and check cruise deals out there – we have one booked late next year – transatlantic from Europe to US and continue to watch a few others…. will they happen? Who knows but… it’s a fun activity for us, and with the very generous cancellation policies in place, little risk of losing any money.
I now know of several folks affected by Covid, most recently my brother and nephew in NYC – my brother just returned to work this past Tuesday, after 6 weeks at home. Not fully recovered – body aches attack him out of nowhere, but getting through it. Several cousins have also been infected, and we lost one due to uterine cancer complicated by Covid.
Regarding vaccine, we will get it as soon as available. In general, I don’t do flu vaccines (the first time I got it some 20 years ago, it hit me hard – however, this year I did get it, as it seemed like the wrong time to wind up in a hospital due to the flu. Luckily no reactions this time). I expect we are not in the first groups of folks (health workers, seniors). And I’ve not heard what the plan is for the next groups – school kids? College kids? Young adults? Working adults? 55+? We are in the 55+, so whenever it’s our turn, we plan to get in line. This is one where it makes sense to get vaccinated in our minds – too many deaths due to Covid – the latest numbers show we are losing Americans at the rate of 2.25/minute – scary statistic I will do my darnedest to not be part of!
As always, stay safe! And thanks for bringing us interesting news from around the world!
Regards,
South Carolina
PAST
We travel a lot in retirement, or at least used to. Since our rental property in Hilton Head was not be rented (COVID related), we just stayed there rather than return to Cincinnati. This was the first time we were in Hilton Head for the summer months. We liked Hilton Head so much, we purchased another home in Hilton Head and have since relocated to South Carolina. The virus gave us this opportunity…so it did hit close to home for us, probably in a different way than for others.
NOW
We have not traveled much (at all) since things shutdown. We do not go out to each much, so that has not changed. Our friends from New York and Michigan are not visiting us because of their home state’s quarantine rules, requiring them to stay in their homes for 14 days after visiting us. We do have tentative plans to return to the Dominican Republic in April…while plans would have been firmed up by now, we remain in the tentative mode.
We only have a couple friends/family who have tested positive. One had very light symptoms and the other had to be hospitalized for a week. Both are in the early sixties, and are doing fine now.
FUTURE
We will treat the vaccine similar to vaccines we have had in the past, like flu, shingles, and yellow fever. We will get them when appropriate…not the first in line, but also not against getting vaccines.
Overall, the virus has caused a huge change in our life, mainly related to the decision to move from Ohio to South Carolina. We now have dolphins, otters, ducks and alligators in our backyard. We enjoy the birds coming to feed in the creek while we have an adult beverage on our deck…and we learned one very important lesson this year: We need a bigger deck!!
Ohio
Hi Randy. I’m writing from Cincinnati OH to provide a quick reply to your inquiry.
For the first 6 months we just pretty much followed the state’s guidelines. We stayed to ourselves, avoided close proximity public outings, etc. We certainly spent much more time together as a family, and my wife and I have picked up some great habits like walking the neighborhood that we will continue in the future. We didn’t dine out much at all, but carried out plenty as we want to/need to support our local restaurants.
As for now, we are in slightly different mindsets regarding risk levels and uncertainties. My wife is more concerned than I am (likely due to recent spikes and the fact that she is the primary caretaker for her 90 yr old father). We didn’t really know anyone in the first several months that was directly impacted by covid — but recently we have known several people who tested positive, and our neighbors a few houses down (70 yrs old) both contracted it and the husband died.
We are excited about news on the vaccines, but again, in different places — I would get the shot(s) today with no hesitation, whereas she wants to wait for some undetermined time to make sure they are “safe.”
As for the future, both of us really would like to host/attend friend and family gatherings, and just get away and vacation/travel, but neither is likely in the cards for a while. This was our plan when I retired 4 years ago — but my wife is more nervous right now about traveling, public airports, needing to quarantine when we come back, etc.
Fortunately, our different points of view on the Covid situation, the risk, vaccines, etc. are no big issue because of our longstanding (33 yrs) friendship and love. We also both believe that it’s ok for us and those around us to have different points of view on this or other subjects. It’s perfectly fine to even strongly disagree with one another, but we need to remain civil and respectful. :-)
Take care, Randy.
Virginia
I wasn’t getting your newsletter last time so didn’t contribute .
We live in Northern Virginia, near Washington DC. Starting March 14, we totally quarantined at home- getting groceries delivered via touch less delivery. We relaxed a little in late May and had a small family gathering outside for a birthday. In July, as cases waned, we flew to Southern California to visit our son at Camp Pendleton. We stayed on base and didn’t do anything other than visit with him in his room or our on base hotel and pick up food. We did take one drive (from hell) to see the bison that live on base and fortunately did not die in the desert mountains with no cell service (sign telling us that the road wasn’t safe for personal vehicles was not up and we didn’t know it until we were too far to turn back). In September, cases were pretty low here so we did go to the beach for close to two weeks, staying at a friend’s beach house for one and at a hotel for the second.
As the cases have increased greatly, we are now staying at home again. We do pick up groceries now since there is a mask manage that everyone here follows but we limit our trips to once every other week. We did not travel for Thanksgiving and won’t for Christmas. The thing that keeps us from going insane is that we have a mountain cabin a little over an hour away that we can go to for a change of scenery. The only risky thing I have done (other than the flight) was working at Justice Ginsburg’s lying in repose at the Supreme Court- but it was outside and fully masked. The Court did arrange for all of us to have Covid tests after and mine was negative.
Future plans- we will get the vaccine as soon as it is offered to us and will then attend the many wedding that have been postponed and also a Caribbean cruise that was postponed and a trip to Normandy that also was postponed. I don’t expect to get the vaccine until probably March though so gotta be patient
Ohio
Randy,
Here’s my C-19 story.
When it all started for us, we had just returned from a cruise and were getting serious about moving my 93 year old MIL to an assisted care/memory care facility. She had been living independently since my FIL passed away 5 years ago. But her physical and cognitive abilities have slipped to where she needs 24 hour care. Thank goodness that we had not already moved her because that was not the best place for her during C-19. My wife has to be able to visit every day and the conditions in those places are not the greatest.
So, when it started, our priorities were 1.) to keep my MIL safe and cared for, 2.) stock up on food so I could continue cooking and feeding the 3 of us, 3.) not to go anywhere except the grocery store, and 4.) get lots of exercise to relieve the stress and boredom.
To accomplish this, my wife moved in with my MIL and I stayed in our house 20 minutes away. We found a couple of reliable home care folks who relieve my wife 5 hours a day so she can get away. We didn’t visit friends or family. This includes our son, DIL, and grandkids. I bought a new freezer (which took 3 months to arrive) and increased the size of our pantry. We tried grocery pick-up and delivery. My wife walks like you when she can and I ride my bike a lot.
Currently, we still have the same living arrangements. We don’t feel so concerned about food so I am working down the size of our food stockpiles. We pretty much go anywhere as long as we wear a mask and don’t stay long. We do visit friends and family but at a distance and outdoors. Our son and his family visited once from their home in Oklahoma. Like most people in OK, they don’t believe much in special precautions like masks and limited gatherings. Our DIL has had C-19 and recovered without having to go to a hospital. Luckily, our son and grandkids have not had C-19 — yet. My wife still walks when she can. I normally ride my bike 1000 miles a year and this year I’ve gotten in 2000 miles. All in all, our stress is much less than 6 months ago.
For the future, we don’t plan to change much as long as we’re taking care of my MIL. When it’s safe, she will have to move into a facility. C-19 has given us some good data points on facilities that should be considered and those we should stay away from. We don’t plan to rush out and get a vaccine. We’ll see how things go before we take that leap. Government, no matter who is in charge, can’t be trusted (that’s a non-partisan statement). And I don’t have the greatest confidence in pharmaceutical companies (my sister and BIL worked for a large pharmaceutical company (both retired) and I’ve heard stories.
Ohio
Not doing a whole lot different now versus prior.
- My wife and I spend a lot of time with the g-kids, who live in 2 different cities from us. We zoom a bit in between visits.
- I play Professor Neumann for the 2 kids being Home-schooled, teaching Science & Social Studies. I invite the other kids when they can make it (when they are not in school, virtual or live).
- We get take-out for meals and eat it at home or in the car (lunch on the road).
- I did visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice because I joined for the year since my favorite group The Doobie Brothers got inducted.
- We go to church, where we wear masks and they only seat 25% of capacity.
- I am looking forward to preparing taxes under the AARP program in Jan-Apr. It will be done mostly remotely (someone will meet with taxpayers to scan in their doc’s and record answers to basic questions). We got cancelled in early March and were never able to resume for the 2019 tax year.
- I investigated being in one of the vaccine studies but decided against it once I confirmed that 50% of subjects get the placebo and the program runs 2 years.
- I will be getting the vaccine as soon as I can.
- I want to go back to attending rock concerts (I average 20-30 per year) and poker tournaments (only a few, but big ones in Vegas and other nearby casinos). I will not do that until I have a vaccine
Ohio/Florida
Randy
My wife and I have been going out to eat every night since May. We always wear a mask walking into restaurants and also while ordering and getting our bills. It’s been mostly my wife and I occasionally with small groups of friends. We split time between Cincinnati and Sarasota so we have been able to sit outside almost always when we eat.
When we have had get togethers with family we have ordered food to bring back to our back porch and eaten outside. We have reduced the number of family members we have invited to immediate family members keeping total to about 12.
We’ve done the FaceTime and zoom things with friends and family. We also rented an outdoor shelter in a local park for a large group of friends so we could see them at least once.
I’ve also been golfing 3-4 days a week during this time. I was asking for a cart for myself or walking the course. In the past month I started riding with another person initially using a Plexiglas divider provided by most courses. I tend to walk a good portion of the time.
My wife and I bring masks for when we pass by others while walking. We go to the neighborhood pool most days but generally are the only ones there at the times we go.
We’ve flown a couple times between Florida and Ohio. We do take short trips with stays at hotels.
We’ve gotten flu shots and will probably get a covid shot once broadly available.
Brother and his wife (in California) had and recovered from covid. Relatively minor cases. About 4 of our close friends had relatively minor cases and recovered.
Interested in what you learn. Hope this was a little of what you are looking for.
Southwest Florida
Hi Randy
Reporting from Southwest Florida
First of all, not to be political, but I think this COVID thing is plot by Alabama to keep the Ohio State Buckeyes out of the CFP.
We live in a golfing community, and that seems to be our primary escape out of sheltering to enjoy the outdoors. All courses have fairly good protocols to keep players safe, single carts or shields between riders, wiped down regularly, no-touch flagsticks, no bunker rakes, etc. This has evolved over the last 10 months or so.
We only get together inside with a select group of friends that we feel comfortable with, knowing that they are taking all the same or more precautions that we are.
We do visit stores with quick in and out for necessities, and at our age, we have our regular onslaught of doctor visits, dentist, dermatologist, annual checkups, etc. The offices are very restricted and cautious. We occasionally dine out, being careful on venues, but not that often.
I did make a couple of plane trips to Ohio, once when my sister died, and the other when my best friend died. I was very anxious about this, but felt fairly safe on the planes, and both times stayed with close friends.
I do know a handful of people who have contracted Covid, but all recovered well. I was not around or close to any of them. Examples were one had a wedding with a daughter getting married, and another from grandchildren supposedly.
We are not doing that much different than when Covid first hit, initially VERY cautious, then moving to more calculated risk level, now, with the spiking, getting more cautious for a while. Don’t know about others testing, but we do have a lot of snowbirds coming down to Florida in the last few months from the Northeast where things are worse. I don’t think they are quarantining as they should. No severe outcomes. I give blood every couple of months, and one benefit is it includes testing for COVID-19.
I plan to get the vaccine as soon as I can, as long as there are no big surprises about adverse effects. It will be interesting to see how the state prioritizes and the massive process for tracking, a big undertaking. From there my behavior will be based on how the vaccine impacts the statistics. One is probably never out of the woods for sure.
The thing is, a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link, and when you do anything these days, you are hoping you haven’t run into that weak link no matter how careful you are.
Be safe!
Ohio
Randy,
Here is how we have handled the Covid-19 crisis since last March:
–Hunkered down and stayed home for the most part
–Used curbside pickup whenever it was available
–Limited our in-store shopping and when we did in-store shopping, we shopped quickly and during Senior hours
–Have had only one visit from our immediate family
–Watched our church service via livestream
–Let our newspapers sit in the garage for at least one day before reading
–Washed all perishable items immediately as soon as we got home
–Let any dry goods we bought sit in the garage for 5 days
–Opened the mail in the garage and let any items that were not in envelopes sit for a day.
–Washed our hands constantly
–Avoided touching our faces whenever there was a chance of contamination
–Used 60-70% alcohol hand sanitizer whenever we could not wash our hands (e.g. when on shopping trips)
–Wore masks anytime we were near people
–Limited workmen in our house to two total since March and insisted both wear masks and stay 6′ from us
–Made only three day trips since March…two were to state parks and one was to see my 99-year old mother at a distance in her assisted living facility
–Ordered many things on-line
–Wiped down any surfaces that might have been contaminated
–Increased our intake of vitamins C and D
–Never dined inside a restaurant but did order a few carryout items
–Stocked up on food, cleaning supplies, masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and hand soap
Since July we have had a college friend die of Covid-19.
Since July six close relatives have had Covid-19. Fortunately all have recovered.
At this time we are at least as concerned about Covid-19 as in July given the dramatic surge in infections.
I will get the vaccine when it becomes available. However, my wife has decided to wait until some of her questions about the vaccine are answered..
After we have been vaccinated, we will probably do most of the things listed above until the U.S. reaches herd immunity.
Best regards,
Northern Kentucky
Hey Randy, I don’t remember seeing the previous information but here are my answers to below questions we are in a northern Kentucky suburb of Cincinnati,
How did you and your family handle Covid during the first six months or so of the pandemic? Has Covid hit close to home for you?
My wife and I live in our household but are right around the corner from my daughter’s family, but about 100 miles from my son’s family.
Originally we all stayed at home as much as possible, got click-list orders from stores, and mostly didn’t even get carry out food. When we got food orders, we used disinfectant wipes to clean everything, left mail sit for a couple of days before opening it, or used the wipes before opening. We did very frequent hand washing, and went through hand sanitizer like it was going out of style.
Our exercise was mostly brisk walks in the neighborhood distanced from our daughter, and grand-kids but we could talk with them….for a couple of months we would not get close enough to them to even fist bump, which was killer for grandparents. My Son was and still is even more cautious, and any time we spend with them is distanced and masked even if outside……no hugs or touching grandkids.
We knew a few people who got and recovered from Covid 19, one had a really tough time of it for about 6 weeks but fully recovered. We heard tails of one neighbor’s mother dying in a nursing home and the daughter couldn’t even see her before she died.
Are you doing anything differently now compared to the past with your Covid preparation, plans, etc.? Are you a little less concerned at this point or more concerned than during the first month or two of the pandemic?
We are going into stores now, cautious, but feeling a little more confident when masked and distanced, no longer wiping down purchases or leaving mail or packages sit….just sanitizing after opening. I have played some golf a little less distanced but outside so feeling less at risk.
We have seen our grandkids around the corner, and have stayed mostly distant but when they have been more isolated for days or a week we do hug them….even had them stay at our house overnight once when they had been mostly isolated for a week. Our grandkids from 100 miles away, no change their parents are even more cautious now. We do get carryout once a week or so, and are less afraid of that. In the last couple of weeks we have tried to limit our instore visits a little more and are very cautious about masks and distancing.
How many people did you know in July who tested positive for the virus and what kind of outcome did they have? Now, months later in December do you know more people who have tested for the virus and had more or less severe outcomes?
I don’t remember any close cases after the initial few months until the last month…. Recently I have had a sister, nephew, uncle all have and recover from Covid 19…. My uncle was the first, didn’t describe the symptoms as sever, and was hospitalized over thanksgiving because they thought he had blood clots in his lungs…he lives alone so appreciated thanksgiving dinner, and got the news that he does not have blood clots and has recovered almost fully now. He had significant heart issues including multiple past bypasses, but thank God he doing well now… My sister is obese and has had noticeable symptoms but seems to be recovering nicely. And My Nephew had the loss of taste and etc, but has quickly regained that and is doing ok.. We have heard of more friends, or acquaintances who are getting it now in parties, or from work, so it definitely ‘feels’ like it is closer to us.
Are you going to get the vaccine as soon as it is available? Are members of your family going to get it? Exactly what will you be doing differently with Covid as the vaccine becomes more widespread?
YES We do plan to get the vaccine as soon as possible…. We are 70 so hoping that gets us a couple of steps closer to the front of the line. Kids and grandkids do plan to get the vaccine as well.
We have curtailed all pleasure travel since the pandemic, and are hoping to travel to a niece’s destination wedding in Colorado in June as maybe the first journey once inoculated… if we complete the vaccine regimen. If by some chance it comes earlier we may travel to our winter visit to florida for some golf and beach time……
Thanks for compiling this.
Queensland, Australia
Hi Randy,
It was interesting to read of experiences in other parts of the world. Personally, the pandemic has had little affect on my life in country Queensland, Australia. Throughout the whole period to date, there have been no cases of anyone remotely local catching Covid-19, let alone any deaths, except for one fellow in the very early days who passed away after falling ill on a cruise ship. His home was in Toowoomba, some half-hour drive from here.
As you probably know, we in Australia have been pretty lucky throughout the whole pandemic saga, with serious outbreaks only happening in the state of Victoria and to a lesser extent in New South Wales (in and around the capital of Sydney), and now a minor problem in South Australia. This, of course, has been what has happened in the most recent few months, well after the initial problem when the virus first became such a menace last January/February and then settled down to some extent for the few months following.
Most of the restrictions on travel with state and territory border closures have now been lifted, allowing free travel without the previously mandatory 14-day quarantine period, some of which was allowed to be served at homes, but mostly at specially fitted-out hotels (at people’s own expense). These quarantine measures are still in place in special cases where it is feared people have travelled from a cluster “hot-spot”.
The so-called social distancing restrictions at sporting venues, which supposedly saw crowd limits placed on promoters and the 1.5 metre distancing rule in place, have now been lifted in most cases, with the result that a lot of the venues can have full-capacity attendances. This was a farce from the very beginning, with most organisations doing the right thing but a few of the major ones (the football codes, for example) getting away with obvious breaches which were clearly evident when watching games on television.
Public (street) protests about anything, during this pandemic time, have been the same, with authorities largely doing nothing to police social distancing. Token arrests in some cases have been made, but these proved futile.
You ask “are you a little less concerned at this point or more concerned than during the first month or two of the pandemic?” To be honest, I am just as concerned at the overall situation, knowing that while we seem relatively lucky in this neck of the woods, this sinister pandemic can flare up anywhere at any time, as evidenced in other parts of the world or even Australia for that matter.
I will be getting the vaccine as soon as possible, once it is available. The trouble is, nobody is quite sure how effective it will be against the obvious myriad of strains of the virus or which company/university in which country will come up with one that actually works. The Australian Government, for instance, has signed contracts with four companies (mostly working with universities) to not only invest in the research needed to discover the cure, but to buy millions of doses to provide for all Australians.
BUT. Just yesterday, the University of Queensland and manufacturer CSL (one of the four consortiums allied with the Government), released a press statement which stated that their vaccine, for which we all had high hopes, would not proceed to further clinical trials because every single test participant tested positive to a false HIV reading during phase one tests. A spokesperson stated that the vaccine would not proceed to phase two trials, effectively putting an end to their endeavours. So it seems nothing is absolutely certain with vaccines in so many ways.
Anyway, Randy, I eagerly await the opportunity to read how people in other parts of the world are coping.
Kindest regards,
Northern Kentucky
Hi Randy,
Hope I’m not too late to provide your requested feedback…
I live in Northern Kentucky across the river from downtown Cincinnati. In fact, I can see the P&G Tower Building from my balcony, I’m that close!
In the early days of the pandemic I rarely left home. I had my groceries delivered and pretty much never ventured out. Starting in June, I decided to go out for a daily walk at a local park both for exercise and to just get out and enjoy the sunshine. I wore a mask every time I went out and socially distanced the best I could. Often I was the only person at the park wearing a mask.
Fast forward to now – I still go for my daily walks however due to the colder weather I’ve been utilizing our communities fitness center and treadmill more. I follow their procedures in regards to cleaning the equipment before/after use. I still wear a mask unless I’m alone in the facility but I have one on me in case someone else shows up and then put it on. I am venturing out a little more than before. I’m doing curbside pickup of my groceries however I’ve not ventured inside the grocery store since early March. I’ve been in 3 stores in the last 6 months – Costco, Walgreens and Lowes. And only for the briefest amount of time possible. I wear my mask every single time I go out! (I do not wear it when alone in my car. lol)
As far as the virus goes, it’s hit a little close to home. My Step-son’s SO caught the virus in May and has been fighting issues caused by it ever since. I’ve heard of 2 high school friends who have died from it. Not sure if I personally know anyone who has tested positive but hear about friends of friends who have.
My concerns are about the same since I’m in the VERY high risk group. I had a kidney transplant 13+ years ago so I have a compromised immune system. I’m always careful but due to Covid have been even more careful.
As for taking the vaccine, I will take it when I’m instructed to do so by my Transplant Doctor. Even with the vaccine, I still plan to wear my mask when going out and to restrict my outdoor activities and store visits for the foreseeable future until 100’s of millions have been vaccinated.
Hope my feedback helps.
Northern Indiana
Randy ,
I was not in your first list. In northern Indiana. In July only had a couple of friends that had Covid and they had mild cases. Now have a friend that comes over every other week called Sunday to tell us he wasn’t coming as someone he had been with tested positive. Talked to him today and is very fatigued so sleeping all the time but no other symptoms. My 90 year old mother in law lives in a assisted living apartment and has been on restricted contact since March. They have done a great job keeping them safe. Only had 2 residents and 6 staff positive till now. Last week was notified that another resident was positive. That person had went to a family Thanksgiving party. They put that person on lock down when they came back. Thought that was the end of that but today was informed that another 3 residents and 1 staff were positive. Looks like a couple of the residents decided to go visit when they were restricted to their rooms. So now they will be testing everyone else. We have since March been masking ,hand sanitizer, distancing and limiting contact.
I believe we will wait awhile before getting the vaccine.
Hope you and the family have a great holiday!
Ohio
Hi Randy,
Sorry for the late reply. I had shoulder surgery this week, which makes for a difficult week, and couple of months.
We have tried to abide by the guidelines even though they have evolved from the beginning and still are. We do see our family that lives local including grandkids, but everyone is being as cautious as they can while still trying for some normalcy. This that are out of town we saw this summer, but not at Thanksgiving (their choice) because the kids are all in school, my daughter works in a school, and my son in law is a college administrator. Hopefully, we see them over Christmas.
I have taken two out of state fishing trip (what better way to socially distance) since spring, and we did spend some time at the Biltmore in NC after checking their logistics. We have also eaten out a few times either outdoors or during off hours when very few people were in the restaurant.
Masks are mandated in Ohio so we wear them, but did from the beginning if store personnel had to wear them as a matter of principle.
I hope this is what you are looking for.
Follow up…sorry, I should have answered what is maybe your key question…
We have known about 20 people that were diagnosed with COVID-19. Most didn’t get very sick and most were only sick a day or two. A couple of the more elderly ones did get pretty sick and required hospitalization (they all were in poor health). No one that we know has passed away from COVID-19 so far.
Massachusetts
Hi Randy,
This sounds like fun and I hope there is still time for me to contribute. I am a fairly new subscriber and I did not see the previous post from a few months ago.
Let me organize this in a way that gets to the core of the Covid-19 experience for me. The What I Learned sections implicitly cover Pastand Present, and Future is addressed separately. I hope this works for you. The context for this is that we live in MA on Cape Cod — a distinctive place in a different state.. Our Town of 30k has not been impacted to the extent of some larger cities. I know only 1 person who thinks he has had Covid-19 before tests were available, and he has recurring neurological issues. Otherwise, our friends and family and their immediate affinity groups have been free of the disease.
What I Learned :
The Good
- Karen & I have instituted a ‘cocktail hour’ when we sit and focus only on each other at the end of each day. This has helped us rediscover why we married 50 years ago. The time was always available — but we didn’t use it this way.
- We were actively involved in too many volunteer and recreational activities. You know how these things pile up and get added to continuously? The restrictions of Covid taught me that we can do just as much good in a lot less time and have more time available for ourselves. I feel so much better!
- In my elected town positions and volunteer activities we have moved to Zoom meetings. This saves roundtrip driving (~40min.) and frees up more time for enjoying life. In addition, I have noticed that the Zoom meeting is different from face-to-face in a good way —– everyone gets their opportunity to contribute because the technology forces you to be ‘polite’ and makes the discussion more equitable. Have you been in a Japanese business meeting with translators? ….. something like that!
- One way I have spent the extra time is by reading more extensively and trying to think more deeply to inform my point of view. Everyone in America needs to read Caste by Isabel Wilkerson …. this reframes understanding of American history.
The Bad
- We love the experience of eating out at restaurants, and we do not do this now. Take-out just is not the same —- where’s the experience!?
- We miss face-to-face visits with friends and family. We would like to hug our grandchildren. These activities are not recommended.
- We have deferred visits to family & friends in TX, OH, and AZ. We have deferred another river cruise. Realizing that every decade brings challenges, the window is closing for full enjoyment and appreciation of these activities.
- The pandemic has contributed another opportunity for further polarization of America as we line up on different sides for every element of this pandemic.
The Ugly
- I can trust <50% of my fellow Americans. Someone who cannot understand and act in their own best interest is giving absolutely no thought to others and the greater good.
- A corollary —- critical thinking is in short supply and this creates a very difficult climate for teaching values to children and improving our culture. Some friends with foreign passports are considering a move.
- Opinions replacing news and overlooking of corrupt behaviors is done so openly that it increases the difficulty of teaching moral principles and this will accelerate our demise.
The Future
- We may get on an airplane, go out to a restaurant, visit family & friends out-of-state, take a river cruise, attend a face-to-face seminar, etc. when the Covid-19 vaccine is fully distributed and injected and the positivity is <1%. Looks like end of 2021 in the USA and 2022 elsewhere.
- I will enjoy tennis with my trusted friends on private outdoor courts. This year we played singles only for a couple of months using USLTA rules (each player brings a can of balls for serving, etc.). The closed group converted to doubles ~July without any problems. We also have a closed pickleball group to enhance the prospects for safety.
- I will encourage the use of Zoom technology for Precinct meetings, Town meetings, Finance committee meetings and Volunteer meetings. I hope this technology continues to get a good foothold and webinar offerings continue to increase. Woods Hole Climate Research Center has had webinars with 250 people and literally attending from around the world.
- We will have more family gatherings via Zoom. Everyone has discovered how much fun it is to ‘see’ each other ….. even if it’s on a computer.
Randy – I hope this is something that will be useful for your purposes. Thanks for all you do, and keep the stories coming!
Enjoy the Holidays.
California
Hi buddy!
Very interesting to see how our fellow Americans are coping with this new, Covid mentality.
For me here in the OC,CA I’m cautious but moving! Go to the grocery stores & mostly drive-thru take outs. I did dine in on some occasions but mostly eat in the car or at home. Personal situation keeps me close to home so no travel. Business travel suspended. I still get to swim a mile three days a week. Out of the gym for but anxious to return.
Have taken so much for granted. Can’t wait to get back to some sense of normalcy.
Texas
Hi Randy,
The only flight I’ve made is the one to Vegas in October. We had my son and his girlfriend here at our home for Thanksgiving but my neither of my daughters nor my grandchildren visited due to concerns about Covid.
In early November I saw a post from UT Southwestern here in Dallas wanting volunteers for a research study seeking to learn how prevalent Covid was in the DFW area. I signed up and Kerri did too. They drew blood for the antibody test and shoved a swab up the nose for the active infection test. They called the next day, and I was negative for both infection and antibodies. Kerri was negative for antibodies, but positive for current infection. The only symptom she has was a very minor sore throat. We quarantined for 10 days as they suggested and she never developed further symptoms, nor did I. We had gotten somewhat relaxed and had eaten inside restaurants twice, both times at odd hours so few people were there. But that’s our guess regarding how she caught it. We won’t dine indoors again until the pandemic abates somewhat.
My first cousin’s husband passed away from Covid last week; he was 75. One of my teammates from Tech was on a ventilator for 39 days but he survived, although his return to normal will take some time, if ever. My big brother in the fraternity from college was hospitalized for several weeks last month but also survived.
I’ll probably get the vaccine as soon as it’s available to me. I’m more concerned now about the virus since around 3,000 people are dying per day from Covid.
I enjoyed seeing your recap last time, and I look forward to reading it again.
Be safe,
Ohio
Past – How did you and your family handle Covid during the first six months or so of the pandemic?
Just doing what we’re supposed to do – wearing face masks, washing hands and using wipes
Has Covid hit close to home for you? No, thankfully.
Present – Are you doing anything differently now compared to the past with your Covid preparation, plans, etc.?
Nothing different, except limiting exposure – smaller Thanksgiving and Christmas with family. Being careful with 90 year old mother in retirement village
Are you a little less concerned at this point or more concerned than during the first month or two of the pandemic?
No
How many people did you know in July who tested positive for the virus and what kind of outcome did they have?
Zero
Now, months later in December do you know more people who have tested for the virus and had more or less severe outcomes?
One – healthcare worker with my daughter, hardly any symptoms but loss of taste/smell
Future – Are you going to get the vaccine as soon as it is available?
Yes, probably. Depends as we probably won’t qualify until summer 2021
Are members of your family going to get it?
Some are, some aren’t
Exactly what will you be doing differently with Covid as the vaccine becomes more widespread?
Probably nothing different, maybe traveling more