Nows and Forevers

For the past three and a half years, against all odds, I’ve been able to avoid Covid. This week, I’m concerned my luck is about to run out.

I took Covid seriously from the very beginning, ever since I came back from a trip to the United Kingdom in January 2020 and first heard about what was fast becoming SARS-CoV-2. I was one of the lucky ones who were able to work from home for the first two years of the pandemic, and I restricted my social interactions and always with masks. I didn’t even let up when I had the vaccine in the winter of 2021, nor with a booster in April 2022. I wore a mask religiously until September 2022, when I got the bivalent booster and I figured that maybe, just maybe, I could be less careful.

I’ve had close calls. Covid had been in my house in 2022, and while I avoided getting it both times, I’m not sure I could tell you why. But this week we found out that Covid is back in the house. Today I found out it was going through work, too. So there’s a good chance that no matter where I go, I will be coming against Covid again.

First, everyone’s fine. Second, it seems like the majority of Covid cases are mild or at least nothing worse than a moderate case of the flu. No one I know has gone to the hospital or stayed. We’ve tested, we’ve avoided contact, we’ve changed our lives a bit to make sure that the sick child stays home until recovery.

Feels a lot like we’re one of the few families doing that. But I don’t want to be the reason for someone else to get super sick, even if Covid is all around us and there are as many safety precautions. But I digress.

I’m not feeling as anxious this time around as I did. I’ve not only kept up with the Covid vaccines and boosters, but I also got the latest vaccine Friday, four days before I learned of the Covid case at home. I’m hoping the presence of the vaccine will help me out, lessening the chance of a more serious disease. At least that’s the theory. Wish I didn’t have to test it out, but I’m glad the vaccine exists. The vaccine isn’t supposed to prevent disease, just lessen its severity.

Anybody know how long it takes to get fully immunized from this shot? No one does, apparently. Guess I’m going to find out.

And whether my covid-free streak keeps going.