Please remember to wear masks, no matter what.

[mwmisses4289]

I don't post often, but I wanted to remind myself (and others, if they would be so forbearing), to wears masks, not matter what.

Although i am fully vaxxed (second jab in june, was eagerly anticipating getting a booster in January), I got a case of breakthrough covid. I'm pretty sure I got it at work. I work at a non profit that has a small paid staff and tons of volunteers. Unfortunately, one of the volunteers had covid, I had some interaction with them and during a couple of the interactions, forgot to wear my mask. I developed what i thought was a bad sinus infection that turned into an ear and throat infection. I went and got tested after my supervisor told me about this volunteer testing positive for covid. I believe at the time of our interactions, the person was asymptomatic, but they did mention not feeling 100%, but had to get some stuff done. As far as I know, the person is also fully vaxxed.

I am a bit freaked out because of having exposed family to covid during thanksgiving. I didn't start feeling bad until thanksgiving friday,
and even then, passed it off as a bit of a chill, since the thanksgiving dinner the day before was mostly outside on a covered deck in cool and somewhat rainy weather. By sunday night, temp had gone up to 101, and i started to feel really bad. Got tested Thursday, got results yesterday, and here we are. I did let everyone i had been in contact with over the holiday know my results. Fortunately at this time, everyone i have been around is well and not showing any symptoms.

Masks do work. So does the vaccine; I am at home recovering, not taking up a valuable hospital bed that's needed for someone in more dire straits than I am. Wear the mask, get the vaccine and booster as soon as you can.

Thank you, DU'ers, for being here.

[Kath2]

1. Thank you!

I am a confirmed mask-wearer and I got the vaccine. The anti-science crowd is a danger to us all. Peace, and get well soon.

[Deuxcents]

2. 🙏 Wishing you a speedy recovery

[crickets]

3. Good advice! Feel better & get well soon, mwmisses4289. ❤

[Wounded Bear]

4. I do, whenever indoors in public...

and when I get around a crowd outdoors as well.

[wnylib]

6. Ditto.

[KPN]

5. Good reminder. Thanks for taking the time to post this.

I think it’s likely the majority of us have had lapses in mask wearing, especially in situations, places or company of others that feel safe. The truth is, you never know so don’t assume. Wear the mask.

Ps — wishing you a speedy recovery

[DENVERPOPS]

7. I was amazed yesterday

when I masked up and went around running my errands.........The bank employees were masked, but few customers,
The Safeway store employees were masked, but only a few of the shoppers, same thing at the drug store.

The most amazing was attending a hockey game that one of our grandkids was playing in......It's an indoor arena, tons of spectator/parents, shouting their heads off, and I was the only masked person in the entire indoor arena including the rink staff.......

I just shake my head.........

[mahina]

23. Oh my God. Horrendous they would let kids in there at all.

Nobody checking vax cards I’m guessing?

What state is this if you don’t mind my asking please?

I went to the museum yesterday and had to show my vax card and ID and have my temp taken. It was sparsely attended.

Interesting show on Mauna Kea, protest kupuna ( senior citizens) and homelessness. I was not expecting that.

[DENVERPOPS]

24. It's not the state,

It's the city: Colorado Springs..............

[appalachiablue]

8. Thanks for this essential info & post. No let up!

Hope you feel better, take care.

[NewHendoLib]

9. YES! THIS! My area seems to think COVID is completely done. Ignorance....wow.

[SergeStorms]

14. Same here in western New York.

You'd never know there was a pandemic with a new, extremely virulent variation on the loose.

No one can be bothered to look out for themselves, let alone others. Selfish and stupid seem to be the new American Way.

[Larissa]

10. I hope you are feeling better

Don't beat up on yourself. Thanks for sharing your experience because it helps everyone else. The fact that you were already fully vaxxed is great because the vaccines -- even if you come down with Covid -- is much less severe. Because of the extreme contagiousness of the new kid on the block, Omicron, it's been back to square one for me. That means mask on even before I leave the house. And, yes, I am fully vaxxed and boosted. I had started wearing masks before Gov. Murphy put New Jersey on lock-down from March 21st through June 9th, 2020. Until Mississippi passed us, New Jersey had the worst death rate in the nation from Covid-19. The spring will make it two years that I've been wearing a mask. And still today I am grateful that such a simple thing can do so much.

[paleotn]

11. Yep. Simple, easy things that protect us and those around us.

[IronLionZion]

12. I never stopped masking

You never know. I got my booster before Thanksgiving since I knew I would be around lots of people including elderly and children.

It's good to know that even if we get infected, vaccinated people are very low risk of hospitalization or death. Places with lots of unvaccinated unmasked conservatives tend to also have lots of COVID. That's not a coincidence.

[Tommymac]

13. Hope you get to feeling well soon. And Thanks for caring!

Great post.

[CrispyQ]

15. Every day friends & family post pics of themselves socializing maskless, like Covid id over.

I fear what the numbers are going to be by New Years.

[mgardener]

16. Hope you feel better

We are fully vaxxed + booster.
But we have been wearing a mask since last year.

[Delphinus]

17. Glad you wrote

Hope you feel better soon.

[maxsolomon]

18. They are not needed outside in socially distanced situations.

You can wear one outside if you want or if you're required, but there is, and has always been, little risk of outdoor transmission in uncrowded spaces.

So it's not "no matter what". It's "indoors".

[NullTuples]

19. They were not. As the virus becomes more successful at infecting w/lower viral exposure...

I'm not taking chances. Too many of the studies correctly saying "masks aren't needed outdoors" were based on the mid-2020 strain(s) for my comfort. And too many SARS studies have said outdoor transmission can be viable.

For me and most people, I'd venture to say, a single simple behavior change is most effective.

If I'm going to be around other people, I wear a mask. Why risk forgetting or making a misinformed choice?

[maxsolomon]

20. People have differing levels of comfort with risk.

My comfort level may be .001%, but yours may be .0000001%.

The CDC:

In general, you do not need to wear a mask in outdoor settings.
In areas with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.

In General. The risk is lower outdoors; I'm not saying it is zero. Nothing is binary here.

[Solly Mack]

21. Wishing you the best! And, I do - still wear a mask.

It's like defensive driving - you drive as if everyone else on the road can't drive at all or won't drive safely. You follow all precautions and remain alert because you can't trust others to do so.

Same with Covid-19.

You simply can't trust everyone to do the right thing.

Even if you do the right thing, someone, somewhere along the line, won't and there's an accident or a breakthrough case, but you're still the one wearing the seat belt, the one not speeding, the one with a properly maintained car - all things that can save your life in an accident. Like a vaccine, so to speak.

[Maru Kitteh]

22. You say "WAS eagerly anticipating" getting a booster. Unless you

received monoclonal antibody treatment, you absolutely should proceed with your booster in January, especially with Omicron on the horizon.

Your natural antibody response will be more specific to the variant (99% likely Delta) you contracted - leaving you wide open for Omicron if you do not get the broader protection offered by the vaccine.


Wishing you well. Keep an eye on your Os.

[ARPad95]

25. I volunteered at a museum today that's hosting an indoor festival for the next 3 weeks. Everybody,

Last edited Sat Dec 4, 2021, 11:33 PM - Edit history (2)

including all of the children 3 and up, wore masks.

[BigmanPigman]

26. I'm still wearing my N95s.

The ones where I drew a red slash throuogh "tRump" still get tons of compliments (I live in a blue area).

[Meowmee]

27. We never stopped wearing masks

And I am still wearing kn95 everywhere. I recently did a nuclear stress test on treadmill to open vessels and kept my mask on. That was hard. First they were trying to tell me that I was going to have to take it off but I called the office and said I refuse to do that because I’m not going to expose myself to Covid. I also had to get a nasal swab before the test. The whole thing was awful it took five hours and they didn’t tell me it was going to take that long or that it would be freezing cold there so when I wanted to keep my down coat on on the treadmill the practitioner started yelling at me at which point I yelled back, eventually I got an apology. I said I am not here to be badgered by you I’m your patient. Anyway that is another story.

I am glad you are ok. I am very worried that I’m going to be teaching in person and I will have to wear a mask because I have asthma- it will be hard to wear it for 2 to 3 hours at a time and talk etc. I should’ve selected only to keep teaching online, I really regret that now. And I know the students are not responsible some of them, I have told them for years do not come to class sick and numerous students come in sick exposing all of us. Some will not be vaccinated even though it’s required because they get religious and medical exemptions some of which will be bogus, the religious are bogus out right. And now I am also worried about policing mask wearing. This country is a big mess. We are leaving in time when my father’s estate is settled and other matters are resolved.

Please get your self checked out after you recover, a few times. Covid can cause heart damage. I have had things show up on my echo that were not there before. I had covid double pneumonia at the start and am a long hauler. Echo showed pericardial effusion which was not present before. I believe I had some damage now from other symptoms. And I also had a bad reaction to my booster which this doc sort of dismissed. I will be going for more evaluations.

[MLAA]

28. Wishing the speediest of recoveries! 💕

[hamsterjill]

29. I'm still double masking.

I keep hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes in my vehicle. Trying to be super careful, but understand that one tiny misstep could lead to a case.

Thank you for your post. I hope you feel better soon and I commend your thinking of the others who might have been exposed. May they all remain healthy as well.

[lkinwi]

30. I never stopped wearing a mask in public places.

It surprises me to see so many go without masks with the variants and spikes in cases.

[madville]

31. Interesting mask directions for a job interview next week

I have an in-person job interview scheduled this next week in front of 5 people, the email confirmation said to feel free to wear a mask if I felt the need to, honestly if I get there and none of them have masks, I won’t wear one. If they are all masked, I’ll put mine on.

I’m vaxxed and boosted, not too worried about it either way.

[Ms. Toad]

35. Risky choice -

Not only personally - but also in terms of contributing to the development of more variants.

We all need to do what we can to avoid creating fertile ground for the virus to play around in and mutate.

[CTyankee]

32. Oh, honey, I will! I have decided to keep wearing my mask in the supermarket even after they take

their rule away. I am elderly and I'll mask up anywhere I am closer contact with people indoors.

Why not?

[MustLoveBeagles]

33. Thank you for your post

So many people are acting like this pandemic is over. I hope you make a quick recovery with no lasting side effects. Take good care of yourself.

[Ms. Toad]

34. I know so many people in your circumstances -

My employee caught COVID (likely at work), took it home and infected her entire family.

She is vaccinated and ALWAYS wears her mask outside of the home, and was convinced what she had was allergies. So after she started experiencing symptoms she still shared overnight duties taking care of her daughter - and infected her vaccinated husband adn 3 unvaccinated children.

I'm currently sitting at home in an empty house wearing a mask. I woke up with a scratchy throat yesteday - still present today. It feels exactly like a cold. It's responding to zinc (in the same way my colds always do) - AND - I've had two negative COVID tests. BUT I'm not risking sharing it with my family via lingering aerosolized particles once they arrive home, nor was I willing to risk sharing it with my students at the live session I was supposed to teach this morning, so I shifted that class to remote. I'll take another test tomorrow morning, and as long as my symptoms are declining and it's negative I'll run a couple of errands tomorrow and take the mask off in the house.

I was with fully vaccinated cousins, unmasked, the day after Thanksgiving. (The price of admission to the event was full vaccination.) After we had been there for a couple of hours, one of them said their child was home with a cold. Like you, their first instinct was that it was something other than COVID - since she was fully vaccinated. I told them to get her tested - but I haven't heard the results. I'm also pretty sure there is also a lot of COVID going around school, since they just implemented additional safety measures yesterday. (I always wear masks there . . . but so did my employee.)

So - everything you said - PLUS - if you have any symptoms consistent with COVID (allergies, cold, sinus infection, headache) - get tested, and stay home at least until you get a negative test.

[Heartstrings]

36. Healing vibes sent.....nt

[Sherman A1]

37. I do whenever I go inside in a public setting

It just seems to be the correct thing to do.