YOU’LL PARDON THE BREVITY of this editorial. I am recovering from Covid-19. It came on suddenly last Thursday. It may or may not have departed by now, a full week later. I’m waiting for the results of my latest home test.
I am vaccinated (2 shots of Moderna) and boostered (2 more shots), facts that are backed up by the dogeared COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card from the CDC. All of this will sound familiar to those of you who have had this sickness or who’ve have have taken steps to avoid it.
I was fortunate enough, it seems, to have the drug PAXLOVID which, when started soon after infection, may reduce the severity of Covid. We’ll see.
Of all the disruptions caused by my encounter with Covid, it’s the adjustment to quarantine that has been the most difficult to navigate. I have trouble reordering my daily routines in ways that protect myself and others in a place that I am temporarily forced to share with a presence whose only way to have a life is to threaten mine. I’m not talking about the cats or the dog.
I know there’s already resistance to new mandates requiring masks to be worn inside. From my perspective it makes sense. It’s a way to save lives. I can tell you for sure I’d rather wear a mask (and be among others who are wearing them too) than risk another brush with Covid.
There are no guarantees no matter what precautions you take but the odds are in your favor if you use the tools at hand. It’s too late for you or those you care for.
