Reminders — Covid-19... it's been nearly five years
It just occurred to me that it has been almost five years since the SARS-CoV-2 virus introduced itself to the world — the new pathogen was identified in December 2019. I don’t think it’s necessary to spend much time reviewing what happened after that because everyone was invited to the party. We had not seen anything like it since the Spanish Flu of 1919-1920, many people died because of it (over 7 million people worldwide according to the WHO), and the effects of Covid-19 left its mark. Four years later, I am sure everyone has thoughts on it still.
Other than perspectives on my journey, all I will say is Mother Nature gave us a break by giving us the Omicron variant which made it a much easier landing. And cryptically speaking, the Great Mother has been doing what she does for billions of years, and homo sapiens been doing what we do for 150,000 years (give or take) — we should be much more humble with regards to what we believe we actually accomplished.
Because of my background, I took an interest in the situation very early and started to identify sources of information that offered a scientific perspective and government policy to help navigate the unknown. In the beginning we knew there was an unknown virus and it was deadly and then the official lock downs started in March of 2020. A very unfamiliar reality set in.
We all formed bubbles of existence to do our part to reduce the spread of the virus — my father was 90 years old at the time, lived on his own and was very much at risk. My bubble of existence became very small.
Saturday night Zoom calls with close friends over wine, bourbon, or cocktail of choice, were life reaffirming. We shared information, thoughts, and tried to navigate the situation together.
When the warmer weather came and with everything closed, I walked, and then I ran the stairs at the Wallace Street Bridge. It was freeing.
Dr John Campbell was my go-to source for Covid-19 news. He always cited his information and drew his line in the sand with science.
Eventually there were whispers of a vaccine and one day I received a notice I was eligible for the new Oxford AstraZeneca Covid Vaccine in my neighbourhood as part of a pilot project — I signed up right away and two shots later I was feeling good. Lock down rules were easing (although in fits and starts) and drinks on a patio became a real thing. There was an air of normalcy, and we were heading in the right direction.
Shortly after my Covid 19 shots, the AstraZeneca vaccine was discontinued in Canada because of blood clotting concerns.
The wild type of SARS-CoV-2 had been mutating and luckily the Omicron variant came along. The data was showing it was less virulent — just as infectious as the Delta variant but far less deadly
Government policy seemed erratic, and you couldn’t help wonder what was driving the policy. Weren’t they looking at the data?
There was one brief window where the local shops were open before Christmas, and I did all my shopping in the neighbourhood. Shortly after Christmas, I received a card from one of the owners — she told me how much she appreciated my business, and it helped her make it through the year.
When the reminders about getting a booster started to show up on my phone, I elected to be boosted by Omicron (or one of the other variants). There was data that showed having vaccines boosted by the natural virus gave a better immunity (which made sense to me). It wasn’t lost on me that I couldn’t have a booster from a vaccine that potentially caused blood clots, but I could have a booster from a vaccine that potentially caused myocarditis.
I had been running lots of stairs and felt great — and I was back to the gym and stronger than ever.
It was just over two years and collectively we were all trying to get back to what we remember. For my part, I had registered for an April bike race, and on the day of the race, there was this overwhelming feeling to not be outside, not be around people, and get back to where I would be safe. It was not until I started to ride did the feeling evaporate.
Since then, we are back into routines free of constant Covid messaging and lock downs. Now we are mostly dealing with the economic fallout and the mental health ramifications of being scared shitless for more than two years. Regarding the latter, I wonder if the term Mental Health refers to true mental health issues, or does it also reflect poor resilience and coping skills, or worse still, just simply bad behaviour.
As I look at the legacy of Covid-19, there are two things that have stayed with me.
Health is very important and makes you more resilient — the healthier you were through Covid-19, the greater chance of surviving (most deaths were associated with underlying health conditions). This is not to minimize all the very healthy people who died before their time. As we know, Covid-19 was deadly.
I don’t trust so easily anymore — I am not cynical at all, but I do not take anything at face value anymore, will want to see proof and a willingness to answer questions. And if it’s on social media, I just assume it’s “made up”.
So here we are, November 2024, and I’m sporting what is turning out to be a not so bad looking moustache and soul patch because it’s Movember after all and all about men’s health. Recognizing men’s health is important because sometimes we aren’t really that bright — it’s something I learned over the past five years.
iamgpe
