How are you all dealing with coronavirus and the restrictions... #2

Oddly enough Coronavirus has been beneficial to me.
I feel bad for the people who suffered the loss of a loved one.
But it has shown us who cares and who doesn't care
I wear the mask and got vaccinated cause I cared.
And realized many others didn't care at all.
Also my extreme social anxiety is diminished when my face is covered.
Especially that part of my face, since my lack of upper teeth is visible now even if I don't open my mouth.
Being able to hide that part of my face helps my social anxiety a little
But it's still completely overwhelming.
I think I'm always gonna wear a mask now.
Even when all this is over
Who knows when a new super variant is gonna pop up.
I might even never show my mouth again.
Hopefully I will get to kiss someone again though.

I went to dozens of masked and even unmasked indoor events over the summer and I didn't catch anything. It was just before summer in early May when I wasn't going to any events where I caught something. I think you just have to accept the inevitable - this virus is highly contagious and you are going to get it.

I attended the indoor event. By the end, no one was wearing a mask. It was pretty disappointing. A woman next to me took off her mask and kept coughing. I don't think I will go again while the virus is so widely circulating.

Covid has just become a part of life now for me. I don’t know if it will ever fully go away. All I know is I’m vaccinated and I’m being careful and I ignore the news as much as possible. It’s just the new normal basically. But I’m not scared or living in fear anymore. I traveled this past week and stayed at a hotel and ate out twice. I finally went to the dentist. I’m just moving on with my life while still being aware of Covid.

Ugh, I woke up with a sore throat this morning and now it's starting to feel like a head cold. Fingers crossed it's just from not getting enough sleep! I'll stay in today and hope it's gone by tomorrow.

I'm not really worried about getting sick because I've had my vaccination and I'm not high risk in the first place, but it'd be horrible timing if I had to quarantine. I have a concert next week - already had to buy two tickets because the "single tickets available through phone" was conveniently hidden on the ticket website. If I can't go, I'll have lost over €100 (including train tickets which can only be cancelled for a fee)

@BreakForTheLight How do you feel? Fingers crossed it's all gone by now!

I'm not 100% good but not bad enough to get tested. Still a bit of a sore throat and achy lungs but getting better. Hopefully it'll be gone by next Monday at least.

I hope you are feeling better @BreakForTheLight!

Here we had zero Covid deaths reported today. The first time since very early on in the pandemic last year. Deaths reported on Tuesdays are typically lower than most other days of the week. Apparently, they report Saturday's numbers on Monday and Sunday's on Tuesday. Fewer people get tested on weekends and in many cases weekend deaths are informed to the authorities on Monday. Still, there have usually been 15-20 deaths on the low days. We had under 300 new cases, there were about 20 more than last Tuesday.

They are reporting about a Delta outbreak in the farthest north region, Arica. I know that there have been attempts in the US to blame people crossing the border in states with no border with Mexico. Here, though, it could be the relatively steady flow of illegal immigration in the north. In particular, the border with Bolivia is hard to secure and those that come in are from countries that do not have Covid as controlled as here. It was announced that many of the cases in that region are imported. Legal land crossings are closed and the limited international flights coming in are only through Santiago, where everyone is tested and has to quarantine.

One of my favorite youtubers has breakthrough covid. Its been a couple weeks shes been sick, and she has rails now, which to me means pneumonia. I told her to go to the ER tonight.

I haven't heard about myocarditis in kids with Sinovac, but they only recently started vaccinating. Since it's different technology from Pfizer, hopefully it won't be an issue.

My husband was able to get a Pfizer booster yesterday. He got lucky, today is a holiday, so yesterday they closed early. He got the last available dose.

They are loosening up the border a bit. Foreigners can come in, but they have to be vaccinated and have a QR code for their vaccines (a simple vaccination card won't work). It takes about a month to validate a vaccination. Upon arrival, they need to show a negative test and quarantine for 5 days. Government employees will be checking to see that people are quarantining in the place they indicate.

It seems it is more to allow family visits. I doubt many tourists will want to waste 5 days of their vacation, or in a worst case, they will try to get around the restrictions. If you are visiting family, you can stay with them, at least, for the quarantine period. I am sure there will be more online whining from the entitled that this isn't enough.

I was wanting to get that booster 3rd shot soon as I would be eligible. Now I'm wondering if I should fear getting myocarditis as a possible adverse reaction to the shot. Some research says that the risk for myocarditis goes up higher with each shot you get.

Hearing that Variant D causes your throat to harbor 1000 times as many viral particles as the original COVID infection has really spooked me. I'm hardly even leaving my apartment. Being at home by myself so much is starting to make me slightly crazy. Worst of all - I don't see this need for abstaining from close social contact ending anytime in the foreseeable future.

I guess that, eventually, everyone who isn't vaccinated will contract COVID and, thereby, have some naturally acquired immunity. I guess, once that has happened, the pandemic will wind down. Then - I guess - it will be like TB. TB is out there, but you don't run into it much. That could take a few years.

I'm thinking about infections like measles and whooping cough. The vast majority of Americans are either vaccinated against those two diseases, or have had the disease and gained acquired immunity . . . so the "herd immunity" should be pretty high. YET, we still hear of outbreaks and of individuals having bad outcomes from these infections. So I'm confused.

I'm thinking I may be living in fear of contracting COVID for the rest of my life. Sure, it's no big deal, if you get a milder case of it. But "long haul COVID" is horrible. I know someone who got COVID and seems to be permanently disabled from it. Before getting COVID, she was in great health, with no underlying health issues. Now, more than a year later, she's still to weak to work. When you know firsthand what this virus can do, it's hard to accept taking any risk.

Geez, I hadn't heard that each shot increases the risk of myocarditis. I am really not interested in a booster unless I really need it and that doesn't seem certain. Side effects from shot 2 sucked and I've read side effects from shot 3 are worse. I had Moderna which had triple the dose of Pfizer so hopefully that has me covered for a little longer. If I worked in a hospital or was older or had some other health issues, a third dose might be worth it, but I feel like it would be wasted on me right now. Giving people their first shot of vaccine will do more good than passing out a third dose to the general population imo. If people here don't want them, start sending them out. The wasted doses bother me.


The issue with measles is that some areas no longer are at herd immunity levels. Measles is really contagious so 95% of people need the vaccine for it to stop spreading. I have a vague memory that some spots in the northeast were seeing outbreaks when 10% of the kids in the school system weren't vaccinated. I also wonder how long those vaccines last? Like we have to redo the TDAP shot every ten years or so. I just googled and tetanus, diptheria, and pertussis are all bacteria. Maybe virus vaccines work differently.


I would like to see more research on long haul + breakthrough + long covid. I know of one person who had a breakthrough and who would technically be long haul because her symptoms lasted more than a month, but she was steadily improving.

It is funny how we categorize risk for ourselves. Crowded spaces like bars or restaurants sketch me out, as do large outdoor gatherings, like music festivals. I skipped an outdoor BBQ this week because I didn't want to mingle while people were eating. I probably stop in a store or see someone one on one more days than not at this point and don't worry about that. Another friend was horrified I was going to a masked indoor event last week with more than ten people, but he works in an environment I would consider high risk. I'm not looking forward to this winter when meeting friends outside is a less appealing option.

It's frustrating to still be living in fear after all this time. I guess the more we stay at home, the more we reduce the spread. The risk to us as vaccinated individuals is probably lower than it feels like it is emotionally.

We're getting to that time of year again where the weather starts affecting mental health right now I'm feeling incredibly isolated, I've lost touch with almost everyone.
And it feels like we have not made any progress with this mess.
In Germany we're not even at 70% vaccinated. By now there are enough vaccines available and appointments free, people just don't want to get it. So it keeps dragging on.

My best friend also doesn't want to get vaccinated, but doesn't really have a reason. Just "I don't want to" it really frustrates me when she posts those silly anti vax memes on her Facebook or rants about the corona pass in NL. And then people responding with things like "not getting the vaccine because WE have a right to decide what happens with our own bodies." That is not a reason, that is literally just throwing a tantrum like a toddler!

Overall in NL they are very good at complaining

I hope I can reassure some of you about Delta, yes it is more contagious but the vaccines really seem to make it more like flu or a cold.

In the uk only just over 1% of those who died this year from covid were fully vaccinated, the rest were either only one dose or unvaccinated (by far the majority). I think this is being seen in the US too.

It is still a problem to hospitals, because they can still get overwhelmed by unvaccinated people but I think as individuals we have so much less to worry about if we're vaccinated.

Yes I hear you about long covid @Rose76 it's definitely something some people have, I wonder if it's like chronic fatigue syndrome. I believe the vaccines do offer protection against long covid too.

I think the cure is worse than the disease with Covid. I am fully vaxxed btw. But this business of living indoors, living indoors, living in fear... how is all this negatively influencing people in terms of mental health? The people I know who had Covid had only slight head cold symptoms, this was prior to the vaccine. I understand it's worse for some vulnerable populations, and some unlucky people who do die from it.

Just my $.02

I've made it to the city of tonight's concert. First long distance travel on public transport in 1,5 year. Wasn't bad, no anxiety really, but wearing a mask for so long sucks. Hope I won't end up with maskne I know, I know, first world problems

Still flying solo for the gig though, shame for the second ticket not being used

Hope the concert was worth that long ride! I met up with someone this weekend. First thing he says is 'oh, by the way, I have a cold but I don't think it's Covid.' Um, maybe not today and thanks for letting me know ahead of time.

My friend with a cold wound up taking his kid in for Covid testing. It was negative but I am not sure if that means anything - maybe it was just too soon. I am glad I canceled on the spot. I would be so paranoid and canceling everything else otherwise. I hope they are all Covid free and over whatever it is they have very soon.

England’s Covid travel rules spark outrage around the world | Coronavirus | The Guardian

Under the new rules, travellers fully vaccinated with Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen shots in the US, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea or an EU country will be considered “fully vaccinated” and exempt from quarantine when they arrive in England from an amber list country.

But people who have been fully vaccinated with the same vaccines in Africa or Latin America, as well as other countries including India, will be considered “not fully vaccinated” and forced to quarantine for 10 days on arrival from an amber list country.

Wow. So being vaccinated with Pfizer, does not count as fully vaccinated because I received it in South America? That Is the dumbest thing I have heard in a while. I'm not planning to go to the UK any time soon but want to visit my brother and his girlfriend at some point. Her family is in Paraguay, so if they have been vaccinated, I guess theirs won't count either.

Idaho'''s COVID Nightmare: Hospitals Set Crisis Standards Of Care

I can't believe I am actually posting a Buzzfeed article here... Is this for real?! Wow, this hits hard. Why are people like this? Imagine someone you love dying of a heart attack because the hospitals were full of covid patients who refused to get vaccinated Maybe things over here aren't *that* bad.

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Originally Posted by rjdb I think the cure is worse than the disease with Covid. I am fully vaxxed btw. But this business of living indoors, living indoors, living in fear... how is all this negatively influencing people in terms of mental health? The people I know who had Covid had only slight head cold symptoms, this was prior to the vaccine. I understand it's worse for some vulnerable populations, and some unlucky people who do die from it. Just my $.02

I dont think anyone expects you to stay indoors, or live indoors. People are just asking for people to get vaaccinated and wear a mask.
My brother is an icu nurse. He just lost a 30-ish woman who was 6 months pregnant and unvaccinated. They had to take the baby early while the mom was on a vent. My brother is 32 and in excellent health. He caught covid in April of 2020 and was very sick. I wish I could let people hear him tell his story and about all the horror and trauma he experienced. No, its not just the vunerable and unlucky people who die from it.

Wow, so our state of constitutional exception is finally going to end on October 1st. That means no more curfew and they can't do lockdowns either. They will maintain the ability to place capacity restrictions on places like restaurants and gyms in areas with higher case counts.

It is hard to believe. It has been so long.

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Originally Posted by rechu Wow, so our state of constitutional exception is finally going to end on October 1st. That means no more curfew and they can't do lockdowns either. They will maintain the ability to place capacity restrictions on places like restaurants and gyms in areas with higher case counts. It is hard to believe. It has been so long.

What does constitutional exception mean?

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Sarah - basically it means that our normal constitutional rights do not exist because of extenuating circumstances. It allows the government to implement lockdowns, curfews, prohibitions on businesses' operations, etc. We were in the same state in 2019 due to the riots. The first one was lifted, but then the pandemic hit and they implemented it again.