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The post I’ve been dreading for two years
Well, it happened. Someone in my household contracted COVID. My daughter tested positive last week, though we only learned her results yesterday morning. Aside from a headache (that may or may not be related), she has been entirely asymptomatic. Both Randy and I feel well and for now, we are seemingly negative. I use the word seemingly because we haven’t yet received the results of our PCR tests. We did take a rapid antigen test at home, but I’ve read from multiple sources now that they are not as sensitive, nor do they always pick up mild or asymptomatic cases.
So here we are… two years into this pandemic, facing the thing we’ve been so worried about all this time. To be honest, I’m feeling calm and strong both physically and mentally. I will continue to post updates as we navigate through this. Wish us luck!
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5 Replies
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Yes indeed, it’s a bit of luck you need now Jenny. You guys have been doing all things right to prevent infection, but kids in schools are the main target of the virus these days. Not much is done about that.
In the Netherlands, primary schools have just been opened again after a short 1 month lock down. And although children can be vaxed, only about 30% of parents choose to do this unfortunately. And of course even the vaccination only gives 70% protection against Omikron. Currently we have about 40.000 new infections daily here, in our county Limburg 10.000 cases per week, which is 1% of population. So when spring comes about 10% will have contracted the virus. Those are the odds. But with good precautions, masking, ventilation and distance, and a lot of hands washing, it is possible to avoid the spread of the virus in home as well.We wish you luck and above all, grace and peace of mind. Together you will face whatever will come and survive, I am sure. We send our love.
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Thank you, Paul. We are still doing well and still have no symptoms. I appreciate your kind words and well wishes.
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Not a pretty picture here in Victoria, Australia. We broke the record last year as the most locked down city in the world trying to control the beast. The Premier of WA still thinks of himself as King Canute (though he does not admit it) as he tries to keep the Omicron strain out – has the West Australian borders locked tight. Can do so because there only two main roads into the state – across the Nularbor from South Australia and through the Kimberleys in the North from Darwin. Two other roads, accross the Tanami Desert and through Giles and Warburton, are unsealed 4 wheel drive and trucks only tracks.
We suspect we had it mildly a few weeks ago – didn’t go out for a test till recovering so the test was negative. We have had 3 doses of vaccine. Now they are talking of a fourth. How many more will be needed? Victoria has 95% vaccinated with two doses and 36% with three but that is only of the over 16 age group. 12 and over have been able to get it for a while and just starting to vaccinate kids 5 to 11.
Meanwhile us oldies live a little like hermits – go nowhere, see no-one met no-one!
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Tim, that has got to be so hard! Here in the states (more specifically my state), I’ve been frustrated at times with how little has been done to slow the spread of the virus. Even our “lockdowns” were rather loose and didn’t last long. In my area, a mask mandate has really just been a mask suggestion as many have chosen not to wear one from the start, and our vaccination rate certainly leaves something to be desired. The flip side of that though is a situation like you’ve described. I am happy to have had the chance to go out and to things as I’ve felt safe and seen fit. It’s exasperating that so many places and people are still under such tight restrictions.
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It’s even worse. There seems to be a new breeze of ignorance, that is based on the thought “covid is now endemic, so we have to let go of all restrictions”. England, Denmark and even Swiss plan to completely abandon all restrictions. And in the Netherlands we have just today re-opened the bars and restaurants until 22 o’clock. They fully trust on boostering and testing, but boosters are only 70% effective against omikron. Self tests are only 40% reliable if there are no signs of infection. And 2G/3G is not effective either (estimate 15% reduction in infection at most), because in many cases it is impossible to check and ask for a vaccination proof.
The advise from the experts in the Netherlands was, to only open to 17 or at most 20 o’clock. Even then the models expect an increase of infections to 100.000 per day, and in hospital occupation from 900 to 4500 beds. So opening to 22 hours will even be worse than this. Why? And it is not a lack of knowledge, because our new minister of public health was, before becoming minister, Ernst Kuipers, a very respected scientist and medical officer who was in charge of the entire national covid hospital care. He advised the government on what to do. And now, within 2 weeks of his appointment as minister, he defends the policy where the government is grossly neglecting these kinds of advises. This is how the system works, or fails to work.
And who shows any real compassion for the poor hospital workers who already are exhausted and sick (10%) from the previous covid waves? Or for the 130 thousand patients that are waiting for an operation that has been cancelled, including urgent 100 open-heart surgeries that have not been performed in November and December. Or for the extra vulnerable who are getting isolated more and more every day and society becomes an ever more dangerous place for them.
And this only because there is a lot of protest against covid limitations in some parts of society, and government is ever more scared to do what is necessary to get infection rates down. They have themselves to blame for this, because of their illogical and irrational and erratic policies of the last 2 years, that made people distrust government even more than they already did.
Well, having said this, I fortunately also know that all of this is just what happens, and Oneness as well. Apparently this is the way that history goes at the moment, and it is what is supposed to happen to mankind and the earth, or to the illusions that they manifest as. It will be good in the long run, no matter what will turn out. So, even if on a level of society and the trouble of mankind this all seems to be an enormous mistake and needless suffering, in the large picture we can trust and be sure that this is exactly what is supposed to happen. Only this trust will give us the peace of mind that we deserve and the stillness that we all are.
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