A Personal Update patrickrhone.micro.blog
Micro.blog
@patrickrhone So sorry to hear your fam's not feeling well! I hope and pray for a quick and smooth recovery, and that you'll be able to avoid getting sick this time!
@patrickrhone don't even know what to say-- I'm glad it seems that the cases are mild, but this thing just won't stop.
@nathanrhale Also, thought just occurred to me that I'll take thoughts and prayers when I know they are genuine and coming from someone I know walks the walk... Going to think on this some more. Might be a blog post.
@patrickrhone That stinks. I hope it’s a mild case.
Omicron subvariants seem like they will be circulating forever. My wife and I decided today to start masking again in stores to help prevent reinfection.
@patrickrhone I’m sorry to read that your family is having to go through this…again. And thank you for the warning / reminder of continued vigilance. Wishing Bethany & Beatrix swift recoveries, and that you dodge the bullet.
@mjdescy We'd been masking indoors and ate outdoors for almost the entire trip. We were mostly together, just the three of us, in outdoor spaces. The one exception was the boat tour at Galcier NP we took last Friday (7/1) where Beatrix informed us after that the person behind her was coughing a lot. Sure enough... So, yeah. Stay vigilant.
@patrickrhone So sorry to read this Patrick, I feel for all of you having to deal with this again. Please stay safe and healthy, and best wishes for a quick recovery.
@patrickrhone Very sorry to hear it. It doesn't seem fair when you all had it so recently! But that seems to be the nature of this virus (and the lacklustre public response now). 🙁 Hope your loved ones make a swift recovery.
@patrickrhone So sorry to hear it Patrick. It really feels everywhere. Two people on my team are sick across the country from each other. A candidate we've interviewing in India was sick earlier in the week with it. It feels like it's absolutely everywhere. Captain Hook is an apt description.
We are (hopefully) traveling at the end of the month for Alaska. fingers crossed
@patrickrhone oh wow, that's rough. Sorry to hear and hoping it passes quickly for all three of you.
@patrickrhone So sorry you're all going through this again, take good care and I hope for speedy recoveries!
@patrickrhone So sorry you're going through this. Everything I've been reading about the new variants comes down to what you mention: vaccines are no protection for these, and previous infection does nothing at all to keep the new ones at bay. I've read somewhere that it even lowers your protections, and you can now get infected every two/three weeks. It's hell!
@patrickrhone Oh, no. Again so soon?! That is not fair. There is so much we still don’t know about this virus. I hope it passes quickly and easily for you all.
@patrickrhone the variant is bypassing people's immunity, but it doesn't seem to hit as hard when it gets there.
I share your female family members experience this week of milder symptoms, which tallies with apparently low hospitalisation ratios (at least in UK).
Some cause for hope?
@patrickrhone oh no - hoping for a swift and uncomplicated recovery for all, with no further spread.
@maique I can't help but feel it is a hell of our own making. We dropped every mandated precaution way too soon.
I can seriously say that when we were out west we did not see a single other person wearing a mask. Not one.
@fgtech We know enough to know that we should all still be taking precautions because variants like this exist because not enough of us are.
@patrickrhone What? Again? Oh c’mon, save some for the rest of us!
But seriously, I’m really sorry to hear this. We’ll be thinking of you!
@warner I'm sorry to hear you have it too.
I agree that less hospitalizations is a good thing. But if this thing can just cycle through and hit us every 2-3 weeks that's... Not good.
@rnv Thanks. No pool party tonight, obviously.
It's the emotional toll of having to cancel/miss so many things we love too.
@patrickrhone Yes, I just saw this, via @baldur, so I am catching up on the latest scientific updates. Natural selection is sneaky!
@patrickrhone seriously that sucks, hopefully everyone will get better quickly and there is no long term issues.
@patrickrhone I seem to be a minority here, but (as a triple-vaccinated, research-following person) my take on all this is that masking has shown itself to be almost useless with the current set of variants. Possibly masking might slightly delay the next infection. I think masking has some serious social harms that need to be factored in, and I generally mask as little as the law allows. Sorry to be seen as part of the problem here, but there it is.
@patrickrhone And the uncertainties and fatigue of this spring/summer have really underlined for us how it doesn't have to affect us directly for it to take a toll: simply hearing of friends & family sheltering, or cancelling events/outings, etc, a thousand heartbreaks. Just exhausting.
@JMaxB As I'm sure you know, I don't agree but listen and understand your point of view and don't think any less of you for it. No need to apologize for having a different perspective.
@rnv I've been mulling in my head how to write about the emotional effects/toll of all of this. How I don't see it being widely discussed as a major part of the effects pandemic. Not only the emotional toll on those that get it but also those around them and what you've mentioned as well.
@patrickrhone I'm sorry to hear this, sir. These seprate quarantines month after month sound very challenging emotionally.
We just returned from a trip to Florida with a group of 115 (100 kids). I believe we're up to about 27% of the group that has come down with Covid. I expected something, of course, but not this.
Somehow the 4 of our family who haven't had Covid yet are still unscathed, though I still expect at least 1 of us to test positive today or tomorrow. If we don't… I don't know what to say. Maybe the rest of my family all had asymptomatic and are the reason I got it in May?
@rnv @patrickrhone The mental and emotional toll of this pandemic simply cannot be understated. People are at the end of the proverbial rope with this virus, and the knowledge of new variants that seem to be slipping past our defences is scary, and even more disheartening. Until we have a concerted global effort to stamp it out with vaccines and treatments, it’s always going to be mutating and evolving faster than we can accommodate for.
COVID has proven that we must come together in times of desperation. It’s also proven that we still have a long way to go on that front.
@patrickrhone Ugh. I hope you all heal quickly and get back to 100% soon. So sorry to hear it, Patrick.
@pimoore I'm glad you mentioned treatments, because I think they tend to be neglected in COVID discussions. Treatment has improved a lot, and I'm sure could be improved much more. Important since, as we're seeing, prevention, let alone eradication, is looking like a lost cause.
@JMaxB Paxlovid works really well, but they need to make it widely available to the general public as opposed to only those they deem highest risk. At this point everyone is high risk; this variant is the most infectious strain we’ve seen yet (comparable to measles), and can weaken the immune system regardless of the absence of comorbidity. The time of delegating who should get it is long over.
@bjhess Interesting anecdotal evidence for sure. Thanks for sharing that and here's to hoping you and yours remain the lucky ones.
@jeannie That’s true, we have so many eyes watching COVID than we’ve ever had for other pan/endemics. Unfortunately even though it’s become less deadly, it’s still capable of causing lasting nerve and organ damage, as well as increasing the risk of other diseases. Scientists are still trying to get a full picture of long COVID, but what they’ve uncovered so far is terrifying.
It would be far less invasive if it didn’t target ACE2 receptors, which are literally found throughout our entire body, especially the vascular system. The inflammatory response COVID causes as a result is the worst doctors have ever seen.
@patrickrhone The pandemic has been tough - certainly more so for those who’ve dealt with an infection (with lingering after effects or not) or lost a loved one. At work (pediatric hospital), we’re maxed at capacity - sometimes because all the beds are full but also, increasingly, because we’re facing staff shortages. Workers are worn out. COVID-19 is as likely to be positive on a viral test here in Atlanta right now as rhino/enterovirus (typical summer colds), but also RSV (historically a winter virus here). We’re still seeing the flu! A weird side effect of the pandemic has been a change in viral seasons. In time, I trust that COVID will mutate into a consistently less severe illness like most of its coronavirus siblings, because I think it’s far past the window to put it back in Pandora’s Box. And I want the thing to do it sooner than later!
@patrickrhone thanks dude, I've fully recovered on symptoms day 5, just a little lingering tiredness.
High case-frequency amongst non-elderly is not good, but it's not necessarily cause for alarm either.
In fact your attitude (as well as my own fam's) inspired a post asking whether (previously rationally) Covid-anxious adults should downgrade their risk-aversion, and try to reframe language more like flu, especially when dealing with youngsters.
Sorry fam's been unlucky, but might be too soon to hit the alarms.
@warner Interesting post, and the end of it perked up my ears. When I had Covid in May, my "ask a nurse" said that it's basically pointless to "test your way out of isolation" because even the at-home tests can hit a positive status up to 60 days after infection, but that doesn't mean you're contagious. (PCR tests at the doctor are even more sensitive.) So she suggested just following the guidelines (here they are 5 days quarantine, 5 more days of indoor public masking) and let that be that.
@warner Your post makes sense for many people, but for someone already coping with chronic illness, I do think the calculation has to be different. Adding long COVID to existing disabilities sounds miserable to me. But I agree that if people really would stay home those first five symptomatic days, we could all let go of some of our worry.
@patrickrhone Uhh! I really think this thing ought to give people some slack. Hope you’ll stay clear, and them others ride it off quickly.