I hope that all of my readers are safe, regardless of where you are.
I had a close brush with COVID-19 last week when I learned that I came into contact with someone who tested positive. Things were therefore a bit nervy for a few days because of worries that I would test positive, and in the process inconvenience both my own life and that of my immediate family. Thankfully, my tests have come back negative, so somehow, some way, I remain COVID-free. While I know I have taken a more cautious approach to the pandemic than many, it still remains somewhat of a mystery to me how I have been able to remain COVID-free to this point. Regardless, I am grateful that at least for now, I have dodged this virus.
Where I live, which is New York City, is seeing the BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron variant spreading. This is happening after we experienced some rapid declines in case counts between mid-January and mid-February, as the Omicron surge was subsiding. I don’t know if it’s time to panic quite yet, especially as it seems like there is a lot yet to learn about this subvariant. However, with medical experts continuing to urge vaccinations as the best way to protect yourself against BA.2,[1] it is rather unfortunate that my city exempted certain groups of people (local performers and athletes) from workplace vaccine requirements. After all, all this policy seems to have done as far as I can tell is muddle messaging around how important vaccinations are and empower the anti-vaccine crowd–the last things we need at a time when we need more people getting vaccine shots and boosters.
Speaking of certain requirements being loosened, a part of me wonders how much this increase is due to how transmissible BA.2 is and how much the increase has been due to the loosening of certain restrictions in recent weeks. As I reported in my COVID update post at the beginning of last month, some pandemic restrictions were being loosened here in New York City, so I can’t help but wonder if we’re now seeing the results of letting go of the pandemic before the pandemic is letting go of us.[2]
Those are the updates from my little corner of the world. As always, I welcome updates from others!
[1] https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/5-things-to-know-omicron
[2] Here’s my COVID update post from last month: https://blindinjusticeblog.com/2022/03/03/coronavirus-update-from-new-york-city-march-3-2022/
Blind Injustice 
I’ve remained Covid-free all this time too. I am fully vaccinated, but got mine late in the game. I also don’t always wear a mask (I’m not anti-mask, but it’s just uncomfortable for me, I feel like I’m in a fish bowl). I can’t wait to this pandemic is over and done with. It’s so scary. I lost one friend to covid, and many others during this time for other reasons (and perhaps the stress of the pandemic truly did them in).
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I too want this pandemic to be over…and yet it’s not. I’m hoping that so many of us got Omicron that a lot of us will end up having some form of built up immunity from BA.2.
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