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I'm writing this today, but it really takes place last Monday evening. (Today being Wednesday.)
In a nearby town about 45 min away is where some of my wife's family lives. Some of them run a small coffee shop that is closing (now closed) because of landlord of the large commercial building doesn't want a coffee shop there. Probably have other use ideas for the floor space more profitable than the lease money they earn now. Nobody knows for sure.
For the last three Sunday's some of us have gone there because it would soon be gone. On the first two Sunday's my wife and I went. Wore masks. Social distance. Etc.
On the first Sunday. One of the relatives, who is my friend, introduced me to his older brother. (we're all old men, fyi) After talking a bit, we fist-bumped instead of shaking hands as we parted.
On the 2nd Sunday. Nothing eventful. Talked with a few people including my friend whose brother I met the week prior. Didn't see the brother I met the week prior.
On the 3rd Sunday we didn't go because covid cases were on the increase in the local area. Sad because that was the final day the shop would be open. But hey we're now used to spending holidays alone in our house. Very sad. But no covid.
Next day, which brings me to last Monday evening. I get word through my wife that the person (the brother of a family member friend) I had met two weeks and a day ago has died from covid-19.
My first reaction was: WOW That was fast! I just met the guy. He seemed careful enough. (of course, I don't know vax status and don't ask unless people are coming into my home)
Second reaction between my wife and I were that if we had been exposed we would probably have symptoms by now. Of course, no symptoms as of the day I'm writing this. We rarely go out of our house. We even have groceries delivered to our door. Do Target pick up orders that get loaded into the vehicle trunk, etc. Amazon deliveries. Etc. (I do go to a deserted office every day because quiet and well lit.)
Some thoughts.
In the past I had posted that 1 in 500 Americans have died of covid-19. I know it is a joke to some people here.
Recently I googled and recalculated it to be 1 in 412 and posted that here.
As the numbers of dead go up and up, we will arrive at 1 in 400. Eventually 1 in 350. Etc.
The numbers don't lie. They are not fake news. They are statistics. And they represent real people who died of covid-19. The reasons don't matter so much.
Eventually everyone will know of someone within some small number of proximate connections who will (or has already) died from covid-19.
Once again, just to keep beating a dead horse: it is not vaccinated people who are filling up hospitals and taking up all the ICU beds. Wearing a mask is to protect other people more than yourself. Social distancing protects you both.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 22 2021, @07:33PM
Pandemics aren't a joke, the public health reaction tho...
Neither are vaccinations 100% effective at preventing serious disease or death. [ons.gov.uk] That's been a problem with the vaccine messaging. They obviously don't stop infection or transmission so when politicians claimed otherwise, people concluded they were liars.
Single-layer cloth masks offered very limited (often overstated) protection against the original variant. Delta really changed the numbers on that, they're useless. [independent.co.uk]
Distancing rules were introduced to protect against droplet based spread before the WHO accepted the virus was airborne. Well ventilated areas seem more important, ideally outdoors.
Omicron is now accepted as causing milder disease in most people. [bbc.co.uk] The same risk factors for serious disease remain but the optimistic case is still Omicron completely displacing Delta. Potentially fatal viral and bacterial infections have been around as long as humanity, calculate your own risk and behave accordingly.