Covid July ‘22 (PCE)

[sewf]

I definitely feel like most people have gone back to life as normal. Sometimes I feel like the crazy one when no one else in the grocery store is wearing a mask. Like, am I going over the top? Is this just my anxiety, not letting me let go of the trauma of the past almost 3 years?

But then I see pictures like that and am thankful for KN95s and vaccines and the fact that we luckily have only had covid in the house once so far.

[willow]

sewf I still mask in stores and I have been wearing a mask for in person court hearings that I have as well. I don't mask around my friends or family, and don't wear a mask in my office suite because I very rarely interact with someone with less than 6 ft of space. I don't think you're being overly paranoid. I also don't know that others are wrong for not masking. I think at this point it has just become what you are comfortable with.

I definitely foresee myself still masking at stores and large places during the winter probably for a long time though. Just to avoid all seasonal illness if I can.

[sewf]

Jul 18, 2022 10:03:55 GMT -6 willow said:

sewf I still mask in stores and I have been wearing a mask for in person court hearings that I have as well. I don't mask around my friends or family, and don't wear a mask in my office suite because I very rarely interact with someone with less than 6 ft of space. I don't think you're being overly paranoid. I also don't know that others are wrong for not masking. I think at this point it has just become what you are comfortable with.

I definitely foresee myself still masking at stores and large places during the winter probably for a long time though. Just to avoid all seasonal illness if I can.

It probably doesn't help that I work in a store, so I see hundreds of people a day. My coworkers and I don't even eat in the same room anymore. My boss is going through chemo right now so we are being extra careful. I think the contrast with my coworkers and I, and my immediate family, and what seems like everyone else we have contact with, is so stark it makes me wonder if I am just over the top.

[enchanted]

I'm sorry, PandaWatch.

sewf I get it. I don't want anyone to get it, but when you won't even do the bare minimum, well...

[enchanted]

"Get it" meaning having a hard time feeling sympathy when someone is surprised to catch it after going to a crowded concert or a convention.

[jr]

Jul 17, 2022 19:57:43 GMT -6 piratecat said:

Jul 17, 2022 19:55:23 GMT -6 jr said:

We most likely gave it to a friend outdoors at a small pool party. What’s wild is that my daughter was right next to the other kid the whole time, but my daughter didn’t test positive or start symptoms til well over 48 hours later. My son mentioned a sore throat on the way home from the party, so was definitely at peak contagiousness, but I don’t think he interacted with the other kid at all, was just generally in the same backyard.

Hm, yikes. You don't think they could have been exposed elsewhere? 

It’s possible, but this family is extremely very cautious. The dad and the older son are somewhat more out in the world (though I think only the dad does anything indoors), but the little kids don’t go anywhere. And the parents and older kid never tested positive.

[lion]

Jul 18, 2022 9:57:14 GMT -6 sewf said:

I definitely feel like most people have gone back to life as normal. Sometimes I feel like the crazy one when no one else in the grocery store is wearing a mask. Like, am I going over the top? Is this just my anxiety, not letting me let go of the trauma of the past almost 3 years?

But then I see pictures like that and am thankful for KN95s and vaccines and the fact that we luckily have only had covid in the house once so far.

I'm very, very annoyed that most of our circle of masking vaxxed friends have all said "they just don't worry about it anymore" and don't mask anywhere or take precautions anymore. And not that I'd wish it on anyone but my two kids just tested positive, and we're the ones that don't go indoors without a mask, don't eat in restaurants, etc. It feels extra shitty. 

[jr]

Jul 18, 2022 6:48:25 GMT -6 PandaWatch said:

Oh, and she and DS were just boosted two weeks ago. This new variant is no joke.

My kids got COVID 3.5 weeks after they were boosted. Their cases were very mild, so I think it’s likely the booster protected them, but it didn’t stop them from getting it.

[elle]

Yeah, BA.5 is highly contagious, even outdoors, it evades immunity, even recent infections. Vaccines definitely are protecting against serious cases and hospitalizations but I don't think most people realize that you can basically get back to back covid infections right now. Really we need a two fold approach, mask mandates and ventilation upgrades across the board. Neither of those things are likely to happen, though I really hope at least schools bring back masking.

[piratecat]

Jul 18, 2022 12:22:22 GMT -6 elle said:

Yeah, BA.5 is highly contagious, even outdoors, it evades immunity, even recent infections. Vaccines definitely are protecting against serious cases and hospitalizations but I don't think most people realize that you can basically get back to back covid infections right now. Really we need a two fold approach, mask mandates and ventilation upgrades across the board. Neither of those things are likely to happen, though I really hope at least schools bring back masking.

I would be very surprised if masking comes back in any significant way.

[byjove]

Jul 18, 2022 12:48:08 GMT -6 piratecat said:

Jul 18, 2022 12:22:22 GMT -6 elle said:

Yeah, BA.5 is highly contagious, even outdoors, it evades immunity, even recent infections. Vaccines definitely are protecting against serious cases and hospitalizations but I don't think most people realize that you can basically get back to back covid infections right now. Really we need a two fold approach, mask mandates and ventilation upgrades across the board. Neither of those things are likely to happen, though I really hope at least schools bring back masking.

I would be very surprised if masking comes back in any significant way.

No doubt our school will continue to be masks welcome but not required.

[Ls2012]

Mil just texted that she's positive after waking up with a scratchy throat this morning. We were all together at DH's grandma's senior center (outside/ covered) yesterday to celebrate her 91st birthday. We're all freaking out a bit. Aunts/ uncles/ cousins/ etc all there and milling about around each other. Obviously grandma is a big worry, and the potential to spread it around the center. Fil is pretty high-risk with several surgeries the past 2 years for severe Crohns and now recently diagnosed with cirrhosis. Mil and fil both tested negative yesterday before going to the event, so we're crossing everything she wasn't super contagious but I have a really bad feeling about this.

I'm more than 2 weeks post-infection, so I'm not worried for myself. But Dh, dd2 & dd3 have never had it. I am really really hoping that us being outside with a decent breeze will be enough to keep everyone from getting it.

[willow]

Jul 18, 2022 12:48:08 GMT -6 piratecat said:

Jul 18, 2022 12:22:22 GMT -6 elle said:

Yeah, BA.5 is highly contagious, even outdoors, it evades immunity, even recent infections. Vaccines definitely are protecting against serious cases and hospitalizations but I don't think most people realize that you can basically get back to back covid infections right now. Really we need a two fold approach, mask mandates and ventilation upgrades across the board. Neither of those things are likely to happen, though I really hope at least schools bring back masking.

I would be very surprised if masking comes back in any significant way.

I honestly don't even know if I'll make my soon to be 1st grader wear one come fall. Maybe if numbers get really bad temporarily, but idk. He's compliant when I ask him to mask but I think it is going to be a fight when school starts again. And TBH I just don't have that fight in me now that the twins are about to be fully vaxxed. 

[byjove]

Jul 18, 2022 12:54:17 GMT -6 willow said:

Jul 18, 2022 12:48:08 GMT -6 piratecat said:

I would be very surprised if masking comes back in any significant way.

I honestly don't even know if I'll make my soon to be 1st grader wear one come fall. Maybe if numbers get really bad temporarily, but idk. He's compliant when I ask him to mask but I think it is going to be a fight when school starts again. And TBH I just don't have that fight in me now that the twins are about to be fully vaxxed. 

We have a month to go to really decide, but I'm leaning towards this too. Idk. We'll see how things are. It was definitely less than half of kids at the end of the school year, and most teachers weren't.

*my girls are still masking while indoors at summer camp and indoor public places. I'd consider for outdoor crowded places, but we aren't really in them.

[piratecat]

Jul 18, 2022 12:54:17 GMT -6 willow said:

Jul 18, 2022 12:48:08 GMT -6 piratecat said:

I would be very surprised if masking comes back in any significant way.

I honestly don't even know if I'll make my soon to be 1st grader wear one come fall. Maybe if numbers get really bad temporarily, but idk. He's compliant when I ask him to mask but I think it is going to be a fight when school starts again. And TBH I just don't have that fight in me now that the twins are about to be fully vaxxed. 

I'm not sure about my kid starting kindergarten either. His preschool just went mask optional and we did let him go without masks the last time they did for about a month. I just don't know anymore at this point. It feels like a losing battle regardless.

[leahcar]

Jul 18, 2022 12:54:17 GMT -6 willow said:

Jul 18, 2022 12:48:08 GMT -6 piratecat said:

I would be very surprised if masking comes back in any significant way.

I honestly don't even know if I'll make my soon to be 1st grader wear one come fall. Maybe if numbers get really bad temporarily, but idk. He's compliant when I ask him to mask but I think it is going to be a fight when school starts again. And TBH I just don't have that fight in me now that the twins are about to be fully vaxxed. 

Contemplating the same.  My elementary school kid was one of TWO that regularly masked in her first grade class by the end of the year.  I'm just not sure how much a mask would protect her if those are the ratios. I also strongly suspect she's ditching it pretty frequently anyway.  I need to talk to MH on the same. 

My teenagers generally choose to wear a mask, even in some places that I feel comfortable skipping, so I'll let them KOKO. 

[notblanche]

My 6yo will wear a mask in first grade. His kinder class went masks optional in the last few months of the year and they all kept them on anyway. Before we had a grasp on how bad this latest surge was/ is, we went in a few places without masks and he was very disapproving of us doing this. He's a strong pro masker.

[addymac]

Jul 18, 2022 13:14:30 GMT -6 notblanche said:

My 6yo will wear a mask in first grade. His kinder class went masks optional in the last few months of the year and they all kept them on anyway. Before we had a grasp on how bad this latest surge was/ is, we went in a few places without masks and he was very disapproving of us doing this. He's a strong pro masker.

Awww I love him.

I want to let DS not mask but with the baby coming in late Oct and me still dealing with post covid cough a month out, I don’t want this shit again. He’s pretty good at wearing it a lot though so I’m just gonna KOKO with a mask and if he ends up taking it off, then it is what it is.

[Ls2012]

I'm so sorry PandaWatch. I hope she feels better very soon, and the rest of your household is spared.

[Wtfshouldmynamebe]

My teen is still masking at high school summer school. DS2 will be in 6th, and he will mask too. The elementary school has a very high mask rate, so that's good.

[kbw]

The boys won’t mask at school but will in public places. DS2 with his speech delay going into pre k would be difficult and DS1 would be the only one in his grade wearing one and I know that would impact his mental health.

[willow]

I haven't been making him wear a mask at his indoor summer camps, mostly because he just had it in May so it felt "safer", but regardless, I again just don't have that fight left in me anymore. By the end of the year, almost no one else was wearing a mask in his classroom at school and I suspect it will be the same in fall so I don't know how much the mask would do any good anyway. He's very sensitive to which masks he likes too and only will wear cloth, so that feels even more pointless.

[cnf]

Jul 18, 2022 12:48:08 GMT -6 piratecat said:

Jul 18, 2022 12:22:22 GMT -6 elle said:

Yeah, BA.5 is highly contagious, even outdoors, it evades immunity, even recent infections. Vaccines definitely are protecting against serious cases and hospitalizations but I don't think most people realize that you can basically get back to back covid infections right now. Really we need a two fold approach, mask mandates and ventilation upgrades across the board. Neither of those things are likely to happen, though I really hope at least schools bring back masking.

I would be very surprised if masking comes back in any significant way.

Same. And where I work is very blue, but yeah, they won't bring back required masking

[cnf]

Jul 18, 2022 12:54:17 GMT -6 willow said:

Jul 18, 2022 12:48:08 GMT -6 piratecat said:

I would be very surprised if masking comes back in any significant way.

I honestly don't even know if I'll make my soon to be 1st grader wear one come fall. Maybe if numbers get really bad temporarily, but idk. He's compliant when I ask him to mask but I think it is going to be a fight when school starts again. And TBH I just don't have that fight in me now that the twins are about to be fully vaxxed. 

I plan to send masks and let them choose to wear it or not. All of us will be fully vaxxed and 3/5 boosted. If they have any sort of anything like sniffles or coughs though (noncovid crap) I will make them mask if they're not staying home.

[trueblue]

I am on Covid information overload. Does the collective ‘we’ know anything about the reinfection rate of B.5 to B.5? My sanity is currently hanging on the hope that even if vax/prior infection doesn’t offer up much against B.5, having B.5 will protect you against it in the future. If you can repeatedly catch B.5 I am just going to pack it in now.

[byjove]

Jul 18, 2022 14:13:48 GMT -6 trueblue said:

I am on Covid information overload. Does the collective ‘we’ know anything about the reinfection rate of B.5 to B.5? My sanity is currently hanging on the hope that even if vax/prior infection doesn’t offer up much against B.5, having B.5 will protect you against it in the future. If you can repeatedly catch B.5 I am just going to pack it in now.

I haven't heard anything about being reinfected with B.5 as of now if you've already had B.5. 

[richard]

Jul 18, 2022 14:09:36 GMT -6 cnf said:

Jul 18, 2022 12:54:17 GMT -6 willow said:

I honestly don't even know if I'll make my soon to be 1st grader wear one come fall. Maybe if numbers get really bad temporarily, but idk. He's compliant when I ask him to mask but I think it is going to be a fight when school starts again. And TBH I just don't have that fight in me now that the twins are about to be fully vaxxed. 

I plan to send masks and let them choose to wear it or not. All of us will be fully vaxxed and 3/5 boosted. If they have any sort of anything like sniffles or coughs though (noncovid crap) I will make them mask if they're not staying home.

This is what we did for the last month of school in May/June and it's my plan for next year (unless the district puts a mandate back in place which I feel like is more likely in our district than others but who knows). DS continued to wear his and DD mostly didn't - except I made her wear it the week after she went back from being out with Covid.

[athn64]

DD1 ditched masks for the last two months of school last year. But our cases were way down and they were still distancing so we felt comfortable doing that. DD2 was more comfortable keeping her mask on, so she masked all the way to the last day.

Thanks to a lawsuit, Pritzker can't mandate masks in schools. And our district definitely won't. I'm not sure what we'll do. When masks went optional and we still made the girls wear them last winter, DD1 got picked on because of it. Weighing physical vs. emotional/mental health is a part of the equation.

[ldubhawksfan]

San Diego unified is requiring masks again, effective today.

[elle]

Jul 18, 2022 17:13:57 GMT -6 ldubhawksfan said:

San Diego unified is requiring masks again, effective today.

I saw that, good for them. I hope other districts follow suit.