Posted on 01/17/2025 8:57:54 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
Susan Scarbro stares down a bowling lane at the distant pins.
She hears a sound that breaks her focus. Was that a cough? Will her mask protect her?
COVID-19 remains a very present threat for the 55-year-old. Scarbro has multiple immune disorders, making her vulnerable to infection.
“Any minute anybody could cough, just incidentally,” said Scarbro, who lives in Sunset Beach, North Carolina. “And that cough could be the one thing that could make me sick.”
This month marks the fifth anniversary of the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. The virus would go on to kill 1.2 million Americans and disrupt countless lives.
While the pandemic's emergency phase ended in May 2023, the threat of infection remains a governing force in the lives of people like Scarbro. They protect themselves from the virus with masks and isolate themselves in small family bubbles. Some grasp for unproven strategies — gargling with antiseptic mouthwash, carrying a personal carbon dioxide monitor to check the ventilation of indoor spaces.
In online support groups, they trade research about the danger of repeat infections and cognitive impairment. They miss the empathy they felt during the early days of the pandemic. Some have lost friendships, but they strive to maintain the social ties that are important to mental health.
Scarbro’s bowling league helps her feel connected to her neighbors. But recently, she’s detected more stares and skeptical looks from strangers when she bowls in a mask.
“There was more respect and understanding, but now they’re over it," she said. "They expect me to be over it, but they don’t understand that even before COVID-19, these were the precautions I needed to take.”
(Excerpt) Read more at channel3000.com ...
I still take precautions, but that’s because I still suffer from Long Covid, so I have to be careful. That said, I don’t wear masks, but I try and ensure that I’m more careful in public.
My goal is to avoid such people, not meet them.
“My mother in law, one of my close neighbors, and 5 other acquaintances passed away from Covid.”
You were TOLD they passed away from COVID. You don’t know if it’s true.
“Jeez. Not this shit again”
Sorry for your losses. To Saxxon’s point, remember that people who, as an example, died from cardiac arrest and had covid, were categorized as dying from covid.
I think if Susan Scarbro is so chronically afraid of a cold, then maybe she shouldn’t be bowling with a large crowd. /s
I saw a busload of people, apparently Chinese, all wearing huge COVID masks. They wore them all day. (We were at a conference, so I saw them throughout the day.)
My cousin’s son is on a ventilator now, which we believe is the result of the vaccine. Diagnosis is HLH caused by Epstein Barr.
His father, my cousin, died a few hours after his vaccine in 2021.
Big libs from VA/DC area. Couldn’t wait to get the vax. After my cousin died, his wife ran to get her second shot, even though she believed it caused her husband’s death.
You can’t fix stupid.
When you compare the size of the virus to the size of the fibers in a mask, it is comparable to putting up one of those yellow concrete posts every two miles to prevent cars from driving onto your property.
I’m always interested to know if these people wore masks before Covid, or if they’re using compromised immune systems to rationalize the masks.
My friend wore a mask when she was having chemo. Of course, those people MUST be careful because there are other dangers beyond Covid.
Wow! You just wonder how some people had a switch flip in their heads back then. That’s extreme.
Did they REALLY due from Covid? Or was it a case that docs said that because TPTB got rich from assigning Covid for any reason?
I don’t mind that people take precautions if they think they need to. What I object to is being forced to “take precautions” that someone else says I should take.
My sister-in-law and her husband quarantined their delivered packages in their garage for 9 days before they opened them. Totally crazy people.
That’s sad and pathetic.
I’m in a somewhat similar situation healthwise. Mine are more allergies, but also have the extensive food sensitivities, so I bring my own food anywhere I go.
Weird think is, some people act put out by it, as if I’m telling them they’re not good enough.
So I don’t feel the need to mask up because I’ve had Covid twice. The first time hit me pretty hard. I was short of breath for months afterward but recovered from that. The second time was just a cold. I’ve had worse.
I had thee Hong Kong flu when it went around.
I just found out that a few years ago, someone at church died within a week of getting vaxxed. The person was so afraid of getting Covid that he/she ran out and got vaxxed. Did them in.
Exactly, although I do roll my eyes when I see a masked up mom with her masked up preteen kids in the store.
Those poor kids don't stand a chance.
If you grow up and live in a completely sterile environment you will undoubtedly succumb to some virus that will kill you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.