And you probably should, too.
COVID
Don’t catch it. Avoid it. Wear a mask. Punch anyone that isn’t wearing a mask. (Okay okay – maybe don’t be physically violent but do not let such callous disregard for one’s fellow humans go unchallenged. People are infantilised enough already, don’t let them regress to the puerile toddler stage of “but they’re all doing iiittt” BS.) What’s that? You don’t think people are developmentally retarded all the way back into their nappies? Then check this:
It’s Come to This
— https://www.uexpress.com/oddities/news-of-the-weird/2023/04/07
“There will be no plans to hunt eggs again.” So proclaimed Jessica Baer, the assistant manager of The Greene in Beavercreek, Ohio, after an Easter egg hunt went awry there on April 2. The Dayton Daily News reported that the activity, which was planned as a well-choreographed event for children, was ruined when people didn’t listen to directions. Instead, during the time period restricted to 1- and 2-year-olds, adults ran out to hunt eggs, which prompted a free-for-all. Some people even allegedly pushed children out of the way or knocked them over. “This is absolutely unacceptable behavior,” officials said. “We feel the community will be better without the hunt.” [Dayton Daily News, 4/3/2023]
(Bold face added for emphasis. Ed. aka Ted.)
The Strain Matters
We didn’t have a really severe strain of it, which is lucky for us both. And yet it still knocked the stuffing out of us. But another time one might not be so lucky. EVERY time the virus jumps between hosts it mutates. Each time it mutates it’s probably going to be very similar or even less able to reproduce or affect whoever caught it. But there’s also a definite non-zero chance that this mutation will be the strain that ends humanity. That’s not me being dramatic, that’s me saying that despite the nasty strains we’ve seen so far, we’ve all been extremely lucky.
And by that I mean – there have undoubtedly already been a few times that some poor soul has caught the virus, it mutated into a horrible and really deadly strain and killed the person before they had a chance to pass it on. But one day the variant will occur that takes six or seven days to kill the host, and in that time the host will be freely shedding virions all over.
The Vaccinations Matter
I’d had three of the vaccinations and then stopped because there were mixed messages about the fourth dose. But in October (you should wait six months after being clear of COVID before taking a vaccination) I’ll be doing it.
The flu vaccination matters too. This year we were both caught by surprise at how early and virulent the flu has been, but had we had the flu shot we might have avoided having an ongoing flu that we’ve both now had for over eight weeks (!!!!) already and I think if we hadn’t been battling a pretty shitty case of Influenza A we might have not caught the ‘rona, and had we not caught that, we might have been finished with Infl. A already too.
Vaccinate. It’s science. It works.
Carpal Tunnel
Once I’d been told I had CTS in both hands, I realised I’d had it – steadily worsening – for some ten years before the diagnosis. Thanks to circumstances beyond our control, it would be another three years before I could get back to this. And then tanks to a really bad strutting self-important ineffective quack of a doctor it would be another two years on top of that before I was finally able to have surgery.
And it was only minimally effective at best, meaning – it was as useless as teats on a bull at such a late stage.
Don’t Leave CTS Surgery Too Long.
You will regret it. I only had one hand done and won’t bother with t’other. It comes with a certain amount of weakening of the wrist/hand and that has just not been worth the (miniscule and probably wholly imaginary) benefit.
If we hadn’t had a far worse medical emergency to cope with, and a strutting cock of a doc to top it off, I might have recovered a smidgen of feeling in my hands but the surgeon was of the opinion that five years after onset is already in that sliding cost/benefit deficit. Also, the younger you are when you have the surgery the better you’ll recover from the surgery itself. They do have to cut into a tendon or two.
Wrap-up
Antivirals work, if you can qualify for them in any way, get them. The two we tried have different efficacies and so you should ask your doctor for the most effective that is still suitable for you. Wife has allergies and chronic illnesses that meant she couldn’t take Paxlovid and was prescribed Lagevrio instead, Lagevrio rates itself a 33% chance that your COVID won’t get worse, Paxlovid rates itself an 80% chance of the same thing.
And of course, Paxlovid does a bit more of a number on your system. Lagevrio is slightly more gentle. And of course any medical allergies or conditions affect which you should use. Choose wisely young padawan.
Don’t let the bastards around you impose the agenda. Wear your surgical or N95 whenever you go out and need to breathe the air someone else just breathed out. And wear them properly. I know they’re uncomfortable (ask some with emphysema and COPD – like myself – I’ll tell you it’s hell on a hot humid day) but respirators are far far worse…
It’s a horrible world at times like this but – (and yet it’s both the only world we have and are able to live on, and a pretty beautiful planet as well) – it’s always been like this, we just lose sight of it after any period of prosperity and relative peace. While we’ve had farms and supermarkets, animals still fight for their living everyday (which we’re making harder and harder with our climate and world changing ways) and every other living thing needs to find a niche to live in and SARS-CoV-2 just happens to find that we’ve not only made a niche for it but we even let it ride along to our shops and malls and take it on airplane trips and cruise ships and over three quarters of us can’t even be bothered to put up a token resistance and wear a mask.
Be the top 25%.