Hi, I’m back again. These are the posts that people respond to and what people seem to want to read about (though aren’t we all sick of reading about COVID-19, all puns intended?)
But, here we go – you asked and I’m here to do my best to answer.
When Will This $(%@)#*% Pandemic END?
If I knew that, I’d be retired on a private island by now. What I can tell you is that with vaccines, treatments, etc., – we are closer to endemic than we were a year ago though it doesn’t feel that way right now with Delta and Omicron spreading at such a rapid clip.
Hold tight, keep your mask on, stay distant, get tested when you need to, get vaccinated and/or boosted – we’ll get there. TOGETHER.
That is the keyword – together. We have not done that as a society, a country, a continent or as a world. That’s why we are where we are. Sorry folks.
Should I Wear a KN-95 or KN-94 or N95?
In a word, yes. Why? Omicron is SO much more transmissible. Now, you might ask yourself – what is the difference between a face covering, a mask, and a respirator? The answer is quite a bit more complicated than I want to dive into here, but suffice it to say that there is a BIG difference. Now is the time to upgrade. Remember, there are KN-95 masks and KN-95 respirators out there. Same for N95. Does it matter for the general public? Not really. Just be sure that the KN-95 or N95 you DO pick comes from a reputable manufacturer because there is a shit ton of counterfeit products out there.
Do the Vaccines Work?
YES.
Should I Get a Booster?
YES.
What About All Those Claims of Side Effects?
Go look at VAERS. Go look at the equivalent databases around the world that people report problems, adverse reactions, fatalities to, and then let’s talk. Are you nervous about the fact that Pfizer, Moderna, J&J, etc. supposedly do not have to report clinical trial or adverse reaction data for 10 years? Me too. But, you know what? If there were truly big problems with a vaccine (Re: Sputnik) or myocarditis with J&J or clotting with J&J or something else, you do hear about it and they would stop telling people to take it. [See the recent CDC guidance on that topic, or if you are over the CDC, look at medical journals and websites.] Big pharma may have the reins on all of this, but blood on Biden’s hands from telling parents to vaccinate kids that can enlarge their heart is not something that polls well. Let’s move on….
Will We Need a Booster Every Year?
Too soon to tell.
Did Betty White Die of COVID?
No, she was 99 and died of old age – the way it should be.
Are We Going to Achieve Herd Immunity Now with the Number of People Getting COVID and Those that are Vaccinated?
Unlikely. I could make a Darwinian remark here, but I shall refrain. The time for herd immunity dreams has come and gone, my friends. Wake up to the fact that without vaccine global equity and global travel continuing – herd immunity is not really possible in the way we first conceived of it. Also, since people are getting breakthrough cases and variants and other factors – that is now just a dream.
Are We Doomed to Have COVID Around Forever?
Yes and no. There have always been coronaviruses around. At some point, we will move from pandemic to endemic where we can live with this. We’re not there, yet. But think – we have many tools in our toolbox to help us – public health measures (social distancing, masking [see above], washings hands), testing (hard as that may be right now) vaccines, boosters, monoclonal antibody treatments, other approved treatments (I’m not looking at you Ivermectin, Hydroxychloroquine, etc.).
What’s Next?
This too shall pass. If we look to the UK and South Africa, their Omicron biggest peaks have already pretty much come and gone. The hospitalizations are not as huge, the symptoms not as severe (especially for those vaccinated/boosted), and the death rates are not what we have seen with Delta. That should provide a certain modicum of comfort.
But, before you relax or think – I’ll just get Omicron and be done with it. No. Still try to avoid getting COVID, please. As we have seen, there is no accounting for how you will react and if you will develop long-haul problems. (I don’t want to write this, but small study after small study [and that’s all there is at this point] shows that about 37-40% of people still have some effect of COVID after a YEAR. Ugh.
Also, have you heard of Flurona or Delmicron? Trust me – you don’t want this. I promise.
Stay safe. Stay masked. Stay vigilant. Stay in touch. I’m here for you. [Drop your questions, comments in the bottom or reach out to me directly.]
It was not the end of the pandemic. It was not the year of herd immunity. It was not smooth sailing going back to school. It was not easy at work. It was not actually all that bad.
We did do a ton of stuff. Soccer, swimming, sending the kids to camp, seeing if we could survive a cross country road trip (yes, we can!).
Here’s a little snapshot of what 2021 was:
We all got vaccinated (and the adults got boosted)!
We drove to Duluth, Silver Bay and Grand Marais the second the kids finished school last year (June).
We made it back to Three Bears water park for July 4th with my husband’s parents, sister, brother-in-law and their kids.
We went to a bunch of weddings and saw lots of family we have not seen in a while!
We drove out Massachusetts where we saw my parents and also took a little adult getaway to Mystic, CT.
We went to Florida and spent a week off the mainland at Sanibel.
We dealt with pet health issues and said goodbye to my in-laws’ dog Rylee.
We dealt with kid issues related to school and things are much better now, though it’s a work in progress.
We saw friends, welcomed new babies from friends, went back to concerts (Green Day, Weezer, Fall Out Boy – all outside at Target Field, the MN Orchestra).
We went to more parks; we have started sledding; one kid started skateboarding and wants to snowboard. The other kid is a great Lego and Minecraft builder who is reading really well. Both boys rock at math and science!
Here are some other things that happened:
I got promoted at work – twice. I still oversee COVID comms for my division and now I help out lots more with senior leadership. I really enjoy this work and I’m interested to see how we navigate next year as we enter year three of this pandemic.
My husband has also taken on more at work. I find his job very interesting since he is now focused on one account that is enormous.
We read a lot of good books in the book club I am part of, which has been a shining point throughout all of this.
I do more cooking and discovered that I can throw together a meal now based on whatever I have in the house. Whether everyone will eat it or not is dicey, but hey, trying our best over here.
I really enjoyed Don’t Look Up, Taylor Swift’s Folkore and Evermore, The Dig, Pig, the newest season of the Great British Bake-Off, and a bunch of others that I will devote to another post soon.
Bailey is good; the fish are fine (well, scratch that, one expired yesterday after being with us for almost three years); the cat, our elder statesman of the house, is hanging in there.
We hope you are well, persevering and looking forward to 2022. We hope to see you!
Well, here we are again. How are you doing? I know, I know – it’s been more than a minute since I last wrote, but I’ve been very busy writing for my job.
But seriously, we’re still in a pandemic; we’re still facing a lot of the same issues as the last time I was here writing a blog. How are you doing? Are you hanging in there? I know I have a lot to say so let’s get started.
Coronaversy Learnings
Let’s first recap a few things I learned during 2020:
I’m not as good a teacher or tutor as I thought I would be.
I’ll never be a person who follows a recipe to the letter – even for baking.
Ricotta cheese is incredibly easy to make and the results are very rewarding.
I attended Zooms for political activism, concerts, virtual tours, educational webinars – some of the best were a star-studded Seder and many Broadway tributes.
My husband has learned to never take date night for granted!
My kids are now experts at being contrarians and playing devil’s advocate.
I got to use my bioethics training in my job and to help me mentally process a lot of what I experienced related to the pandemic.
I had many of my questions featured on a number of CNN Town Halls.
I appeared in the audience of The View on February 19th.
I did a retro watch where on nights I had to be up or could not sleep. I would watch a show or movie I had never seen before that was regarded as a classic or popular when I was younger.
I really enjoyed Tiger King, Queen & Slim, Coming 2 America, The Chicago 7 – just to name a few.
The tragedy of what happened to George Floyd and the resulting aftermath happened not far from our city and it really made me understand more just how deep inequality, frustration, can trigger a collective psyche. (Derek Chauvin was released on bond/bail into custody to my husband’s cousin who took him up to Brainerd.)
My youngest son and I watched the Insurrection and it took me weeks to truly understand the gravity of what happened.
Impeachment laws need to be changed just like voting laws.
I need to become a citizen.
What are some things you learned? Did you pick up a hobby? Adopt a pandemic pup or cat or bird? Buy a Peloton or a very expensive clothes rack?! LMK in the comments. I really want to hear how you made it through 2020 and 2021.
So, these are some learnings from 2020. Next post I will recap some learnings from 2021. Then, I will address Omicron and other COVID questions that have been posed to me lately. Until then, grab a Christmas cookie, hit up your Amazon Prime account one last time, and be proud you have made it through another year.
Happy spring equinox! How are you doing? Long time no talk…..let’s get into it (as Chris Cuomo likes to say*). Strap in, this might end up being a long one. I’ve got a lot to say that I have been carrying around and it is time to take a load off and get it off my chest.
Seriously though, really, how are you doing? It’s been a year and nine days since the WHO declared the global pandemic. So much has changed and people want things to go back to being the way they once were. That’s not going to happen. We can talk about the new normal or the ‘next normal’ as I call it, but things will never be the same. I don’t say that to be pessimistic; I say that to be realistic. It’s not a bad thing.
I think when we achieve herd immunity (and yes I say when1) there are a lot of things that will be different and some of them will be great. A lot of places will have upgraded their air filtration systems, which was probably overdue. I think we could use some social distancing measures being left in place. I hope people will be a little more considerate of others when navigating public spaces.
Unfortunately, the combination of the previous administration and some other factors has left many people paranoid, fatigued, frustrated, and skeptical. Some of this is wholly understandable. Some of this has revealed people’s true colors. The racist, sexist, misogynistic, xenophobic, bigoted, anti-Semitic, cruel people out there who once kept their comments to themselves have now come out from under their rocks or from behind closed doors to spout their hate. We had a leader who encouraged their rhetoric and beliefs because he ruled out of fear and appealing to the lowest common denominator of the human condition. It’s truly terrible and not what the country or the world needs right now.
Our current administration made a promise of 100 million doses administered within the first 100 days of the administration. That was a good sound bite and it’s been achieved ahead of schedule. But anyone who knows how government is supposed to work could tell you that was a very attainable goal. When mobilized correctly, FEMA, HHS, CDC, etc. can do wonderous things. People don’t like the idea of big government, but this is what government is for; they are supposed scale-up projects on a massive scale. We’ve watched it happen for other natural disasters. Now, they are by no means total experts, but the people who work in federal and state governments try to learn from their mistakes and put processes into place to help out whoever fills their shoes for when the next crisis comes down the pipe. (Pandemic playbook anyone???)
Have you been vaccinated? Are you going to get a vaccine? Please do. Even if you are not a fan of Western medicine, let me make my case to you right now and while we are at it, debunk some other shit.
Vaccine Hesitancy
You don’t get a flu shot? Fine. I get it. You feel it’s big pharma’s way of making money. Sure; there is some truth to that. But the Pfizer and Moderna shots are made using a new technology (mRNA) and it’s not manufactured the same way as a traditional vaccine. Now, we don’t have widespread evidence that long-term this is a good thing, but the science we do have has revealed it is pretty safe AND very effective.
People, you are taking part in not just history because of how this outbreak has affected the entire world, but you are part of scientific history. [For the record, I urge you to seek out and read interviews with the people who developed the vaccine. Their intentions are noble; they are brilliant; will they make a lot of money from this? Yes. But innovation should be rewarded and think about how we can use this technology in the future. The married couple who helped develop this mRNA technology want to use it for cancer next. CANCER. Ok, I’ll get off my soapbox now.]
Guinea Pig Problems
You don’t want to be a guinea pig. Well, the whole world is in this experiment together. If you are in the U.S. be happy that we have pretty rigorous study parameters and review boards (you can argue/believe that federal agencies may be in the pocket of big pharma, go ahead), but think about what is happening with the Sputnik vaccine in Russia and then let’s talk.
Herd Immunity Piggybacking
You think if you wait long enough you can piggyback on the herd immunity we are trying to build. Stop. Stop right there. If enough people think this way (even actually a small percentage), this helps PREVENT herd immunity. Also, more importantly, you still put yourself at risk. Yes, way less people will be ‘spreaders’, but you will inevitably put yourself at risk for the more potent strains and mutations that are bound to come2. Do you really want to take that chance? That’s a pretty Darwinian approach.
Vaccine Eligibility
You think you are not eligible because of certain factors. Yes, there are some people who do not qualify. Whether this is because the vaccines have not been tested yet on pregnant women, children, people with certain comorbidities, then yes – you should probably wait and keep taking every public healthy safety precaution that has been advised by the experts. (Masking, social distancing, hand washing, avoiding large groups [especially inside], doing what you can to boost your immune system.) If you have an allergy, consult your doctor and the bulletins put out by the CDC, WHO, FDA, drug manufacturers. Read the websites and the emergency use authorization (EUA). Check the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database to see who has had severe bad reactions and if they know the direct cause, etc. So far, the vaccine-related incident rates are extremely low and healthcare workers have been able to help most people recover quickly.
Hyper-realists
You don’t believe the hype. There are still a lot of people out there that don’t think this is any worse than the flu. Look at the numbers. Look at the symptoms. Look at the long-haul COVID-19 victims. At this point, if you still think this isn’t all so bad and maybe it’s just been overblown I think you need to talk with some survivors and healthcare workers and people who have lost a loved one. Then, let’s talk again.
There are a lot of really smart people out there who dispute the public health measures playing a significant role in stopping the spread. Some of them are in my Facebook feed. It’s been amazing to watch smart people debate smart people. I have to admit that some studies do show that masking is not as effective as we want to think it is and the same goes for social distancing. BUT, I think taking those steps are small prices to pay if it means you don’t get sick or I don’t get sick or a Holocaust victim is spared or a child does not lose a parent or a remote tribe does not lose one of their last remaining males. (I’m not kidding on that last part – it happened.)
Conspiracy Theories
Let’s go down the rabbit hole for a minute. There are still some people out there who think this was manufactured in a lab in China – maybe not to be released on purpose, but accidents happen. While it has been shown that the ‘china virus’ did originate in the Yunnan province – it might not have started in a wet market as first thought. There is now evidence that there were bats in a mining cave that travel around the province and this is where the strain originated. There were some researchers (and one famous one known as the ‘bat lady’) who studied these bats and brought them back to the lab to investigate the viruses they were carrying, but there is no evidence that they took this strain and then released it from the lab into the public. Even with the Chinese not fully cooperating with the WHO and CDC, there is still not enough evidence to support this and China has a long history of being uncooperative (which is a topic for another time).
Microchips
There are no microchips in the vaccines. No nanoparticles. First, our technology really isn’t that advanced, yet. Also, it would be cost-prohibitive to put this into billion of doses AND monitor that many people. This is not an Isaac Asimov, Phillip K. Dick, or even a Michael Crichton novel come to life. [That being said, read those books – they are truly interesting.]
Sick is Sick
Yes, a lot of the people who have died had preexisting conditions or comorbidities that made them more vulnerable. BUT, that’s not an excuse to dismiss their deaths and it makes their deaths more tragic, not less. With proper health management and not contracting COVID-19, they probably could have lived longer and for those that lost their lives on a ventilator with no family by their side to say goodbye, you try telling me that ‘it happens’. I don’t think so.
For all the people who have had #COVID-19 and fully recovered pretty easily or were asymptomatic, I’m happy for you. But please, do not use that as a reason to say, ‘get over it, I had it and it was no big deal’. You were lucky. Many have not been. There were people who were in peak physical condition and they are not the same and don’t know if they ever will be. So please, exercise some compassion and vigilance. Also, you don’t know what kind of damage the disease did to you that you may not find out about until later. (Don’t go look at autopsy photos and other lab reports. Trust me on this.)
The Unforeseen Costs
Also, we cannot even begin to calculate how many people have died from loneliness, suicide, and other effects (hey, car accidents and road fatalities have soared) resulting from the pandemic. This is not collateral damage. Humans are social animals and many measures we have tried have had adverse effects. That is truly tragic and it will take a long time to try to repair what we can. All the people whose livelihoods have been affected, the kids who have lost precious school time and development, tamping down the feelings of resentment, anger, etc. It will take years to fully understand and come out with recommendations on how to handle it better next time. And make no mistake, there will be a next time. (I don’t want to sound like a doomsday person here, but listen to experts like Mike Osterholm or even Bill Gates.)
Risk is Risk
You’ve stayed healthy up to this point and think you’ll be fine without changing anything. EVERY SINGLE TIME you step outside is a risk. You can social distance all you want; you can double-mask; you can wash your hands every time you touch a surface (please don’t, you’ll destroy a lot of natural immunity your body tries to build by just being out in the world – this is why I wonder what will happen by the amount of hand sanitizer we are using. This means things like super staph and MRSA and Candida auris could become more widespread – if you don’t know what I am talking about – don’t Google it – or do so at your own peril. Sorry.)
Unless you live in some sort of biosphere with super air filtration, the risk is just something you have to acknowledge. I’ve had people tell me that they only get take-out, don’t go to shops, sit way more than six feet away from friends AND only outside when visiting them. That’s good; that’s all good. You are doing the right thing. Keep doing all of that. But microns are microns and air is air. You can’t control it and this virus does not give a shit how hard you are trying to be safe. It needs a host to survive. End of story.
There is light at the end of the tunnel – for some unfortunately it is the light some people claim to see when death is upon them, for others it is the ray of hope that this is ending and we will come out on the other side where we hug each other once again, go to concerts and don’t have to worry about going to a wedding or the grocery store.
But until then, feel free to keep asking me questions, comment on how you are doing, and tell me something that has helped you through all of this. #Maskup. #Shoplocal. Be vigilant. Be kind. Be patient. And remember, even though we are staying apart, we are all in this together. Be safe. Be well. Shabbat Shalom.
Author’s note: *Um well, this did not age well. This post has been edited for grammar and content since it was first published.
1Ugh, I was overly optimistic here and did not take into account vaccine hesitancy or how information was being disseminated from the executive branch.
2Hahaha, Delta and Omicron anyone?! Plus, there are a few others that didn’t cause a stir in the U.S. but did elsewhere. The future is yet to be written on Omicron mutations and other variants that have and will pop up throughout the world.
During the beginning of the second week of January, I was sitting at my desk when my boss rushed in and said, ‘I need you to draft a blog right away based on the technical bulletin I just emailed you.’
I opened it up and skimmed it over. A chill went through my body. This looked like a fact pattern right out of one of my bioethics classes in law school. I set to work and an hour later I had a blog written and ready to put into our approval system. I walked over to the office where my boss sat and said, ‘It’s finished.’ But I knew it would never see the light of day. By Friday, a colleague came over and told me that we would not be publishing the blog, and instead, the tech bulletin would be put on our website and updated as needed. I told her I thought that would happen. I figured at this point my work on the issue might be finished.
The next week I was working from home when I got an email from our head of marketing operations telling me to clear the rest of my week and be ready for non-stop meetings for the next few days. I had never received an email like this before (and that included putting in a lunch order!) so I did what I was told and showed up the next day in the office to be told that we were setting up an emergency task force to handle this new novel coronavirus. I looked at the data we had and started to really worry.
I went home that night and told my husband that I was concerned about what I was seeing. And the following week, our division established two war rooms in our building. One was dealing with product and supply chain and one was for dealing with pretty much everything else, especially communications. I was ordered to that second room. I sat down to see the head of marketing operations, our division counsel and a guy I had never seen before but has since become one of the best people I have ever had the pleasure of working with, our government affairs contact, a man of such intellect, knowledge and compassion that everyone should be so lucky to work in a crisis with a man that exudes calm, careful concern at every turn.
In that war room it quickly became clear what my role was going to be. I took notes for the meetings, I helped draft correspondence to internal and external stakeholders. I would help with documents that would be posted to our site dedicated to this issue and the fraud site we would also need to set up to combat the bad actors out there who would try to take advantage during this public health crisis.
I soon started working with people from other divisions in the company from all over the world. It was fascinating and inspiring to see how everyone took an all hands-on deck approach to doing whatever they could to help protect people and combat this miniscule enemy.
We looked at models about case projections, what the current administration was doing, what was going on in other countries. We looked at data about how people were being affected by this new strain of coronavirus. We stayed in close contact with the CDC, NIH, WHO, etc.
At this point, my parents were set to visit and I went over to one of our disposable respirator marketers and asked if he had a spare box of n95s. He gave me one and I was going to ship them to my parents for the flight, but then my dad found some at a local hardware store. I ended up giving some to a woman in my book club who was going to San Francisco. This was early February.
By this time, we had set up a global repository for all the documents we were creating from our task force and anticipating real global spread. We were ramping up production of disposable respiratory products and other solutions within our portfolio as a company. I made the decision to begin working from home full-time since, based on the science, data and what I saw in the news, this seemed to be the direction we were headed in and I wanted to mentally be ahead of the curve. I told my boss of my intentions and she had no objections.
We coordinated with local and national news about using our experts for news stories. We prepared charts, infographics, marketing materials, letters to customers and channel partners. For every issue we helped with it was like whack a mole and more popped up. I got to see people spring into action and work together in ways I have never experienced before. It was awe inspiring.
When the pandemic was finally declared and schools were shuddered, it became very real for a lot of people. I had been engulfed in all things COVID-19 for a while at that point so everything felt inevitable. It wasn’t easy, but we muddled through the rest of the school year in distance learning. I really felt for my husband. He works from home to begin with and now suddenly he had all of us in the house all the time so that was not easy for him. I don’t have a dedicated office at home, so I had to migrate between the couch and other rooms for meetings, writing, etc.
With the first quarantine period, I learned to make ricotta. I tried recipes I had not before. I ordered bagels from Montreal. I organized closets. We did some projects around the house. I did lots of reading. My book club moved to virtual meetings and every month the ladies asked me all kinds of questions about the pandemic. I spent a lot of time answering questions from friends and friends of friends and relatives. I was more than happy to oblige because with all the disinformation out there I knew I had facts and science on my side. I wanted people armed with information so they could help make the best decisions for themselves and their families.
We had masks in our house early and although we did not use them with great frequency, when the science said start wearing them more, we did. Hand washing and hand sanitizer became a big part of our routines. My five-year-old became an expert on social distancing and would explain it to anyone who would listen. For me, the hardest part was the endless time with all of us together and no ‘date nights’, cancelling family trips, occasions, things we looked forward to. I also had to contend with my fair share of deniers and some of it was understandable and some of it was absurd. I tried to stay out of the fray on a lot of that just because with working 12-15 hours some days and dealing with kids, etc. I didn’t have a lot of patience or energy for it.
I remember back at the end of January reading that if this became a pandemic like the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 than it was entirely possible that everyone would know someone affected or who died by the end of this. I tried to not think about this but kept it in the back of my mind as a motivator to be diligent and not back down when people challenged me on how serious this whole thing was. It actually took longer than I expected to personally be touched by it. A friend who lived in NYC who I don’t frequently keep in touch with caught it in March before they decided to relocate to their upstate home full-time. He said the brain fog lasted three months. Another friend from when I lived in Connecticut for law school caught it in March as well and he said he was pretty sick for two weeks and lost about 10 pounds but then was fine.
Soon, I would hear about friends who were healthcare workers coming down with it or telling me about what they were seeing in their units across the country. They said sometimes people recovered and sometimes they did not. They could not explain why healthy people died and people with comorbidities recovered. They treated people with long haul symptoms of all kinds and people who were asymptomatic and later tested with strong antibodies.
I was also listening to the MIT COVID-19 course, which was very interesting. We dealt with the DPA at work and entering into partnerships with companies like Ford, Cummins, and Tesla. Our company reiterated how important it was to be vigilant, but the work demands never relented. Many of my questions were featured on CNN Town Halls and I took screen shots of them.
By the time June rolled around, every day presented new challenges. We decided to take a road trip as a family to the Badlands, the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, and Devils Tower. It was busy, but we were able to socially distance for the most part and the spread had not really started in the Midwest in a terrible way to this point. It was a great trip, but I knew after July 4th things would get ugly. People were getting restless and a major holiday where people frequently gather in large groups meant a recipe for disaster. We usually get together on my husband’s side of the family at a water park, but this year we all congregated at my in-laws and we spent the afternoon together outside.
The surges and spikes really started after July. But also, I started to see more people start to question the pandemic in general. I saw friends who saw other countries do a better job starting to make exit plans. I watched friends and colleagues start to telecommute from other places. George Floyd’s death took place a couple towns over from us and we watched as the world changed again. As the election ramped up, emotions ran higher about what was at stake and people’s divisive views. Meanwhile at work, on top of all the COVID work, portfolios were gearing up to come back online so work ratcheted up as well. We tracked vaccine progress; we looked at modeling numbers; we opened/expanded more locations to produce PPE. We refined messaging about our response and numbers of cases we opened to deal with massive amounts of fraud and counterfeit products.
Celebrities passed away from COVID-19. Other notable figures fell sick. The President and many of his staff tested positive. They had access to many of the experimental drugs that most people do not. Our company was very involved with working on the government because of the DPA and because we are seen as a leader in the field so there was a fine balance that had to be negotiated at all times.
Meanwhile, between the election and everything else, I could see that some people were turning on how they approached things. Some people believed that even though the numbers were soaring, since they didn’t know anyone who had been very sick or died, that this wasn’t as serious as everyone else made it out to be. Or, I was hearing about people who said when the vaccine became available, they were not going to take it until millions of doses had been administered worldwide and there was concrete proof it was safe. Sometimes I spent time trying to explain science, facts, personal anecdotes to people and sometimes I decided to not get involved.
I did phone banking for local and national candidates. I donated blood on election day. I watched the returns come in on marathon loop. I began to wonder what work would be like after the COVID task force was dissolved even though I know we are nowhere close to that. Major changes were taking place within the company and being back to full-time distance learning were things we were navigating. I got a promotion at work, my husband accepted a new role within his company. We know we have been very, very fortunate throughout this whole thing.
We have done our best to stay safe. We have put months and months of sacrifice, hard work, being diligent. We have explored lots of parks, learned to cope as a family. We have had many meltdowns and days where no one wanted to be around each other. The few months we had of hybrid learning really helped and now we are doing the best we can to survive until there is a wide distribution of the vaccines available.
I know change is hard. I know being forced into it is harder. No one likes being told what not to do or feel they are having their freedoms taken away when you can’t ‘see the enemy’. I wish I could explain how real COVID-19 really is. I talk to my friends who are doctors, nurses, respiratory techs, home healthcare workers, medical administrators, etc. and they will all tell you how real this has been for them and that they are changed forever.
The people who have lost their jobs, the businesses that have closed, the restaurants that have shuttered – they understand the reality of what has happened, whether they believe this pandemic to be real or not. The long lines for food banks, the testing sites, the apprehension to go places you never thought twice about before – this is part of a world that many people never envisioned. But here we are.
I consider myself extremely lucky that we have not had anyone get sick in our immediate family. That’s not to say we are out of the woods, yet. We still need to stay vigilant not just for ourselves, but for others. Until true herd immunity is achieved by vaccination, we’ll continue to keep calm and carry on the best we can.
I have hope that the incoming administration is going to take a different approach to handling things. At work, we continue to plug away on partnerships, supply chain issues, combatting fraud, education, training, etc. I’ve had three different bosses during this time and two different leaders of our COVID task force. We have seen massive organization shifts, but it’s never stopped the people working on these issues from giving their full force and energy to every task set before them. It really is awe-inspiring. In a way, many are unsung heroes of this pandemic. These are a different kind of frontline workers who work quietly behind the scenes to do the best they can when faced with incredibly difficult circumstances. No one could have foreseen the demand for PPE this would place on manufacturers, but I have seen a company respond with dignity, fortitude, and diligence.
We are a company that operates on science. It is right there in our motto and we live it to the core. We don’t always do a great job with emotional tone, but as a conservative stalwart in the industry, I do understand that, frustrated as I may be at times when it comes to drafting talking points, press releases, memos, etc. As a lawyer, I get it. As a human and a writer, it’s been more challenging.
I, like everyone else, want this to end. Of course I do. I want to see family again without worry. I want to start traveling again. I want to go to concerts, sporting events, the mall, a movie. I want holidays to be the way we usually do them. I want to go to places like the library, the grocery store and not have to remember a mask or to use antibacterial sludge after, which I was never a big fan of to begin with anyway.
I want to go back to having debates with my friends and family about things other than the pandemic or health issues or how my company responded to something. It will happen. If I do my part now, it will happen.
Until then, I will keep doing everything to keep my family and myself safe and healthy. I will continue to answer questions from anyone at any time about anything I can. If I don’t know the answer, I will do my level best to find out because I know when one person has that question, chances are we have all thought about it at one time or another. I will continue to look at the models every day and the statistics and the science and the news. I will continue to hug my kids and reassure them that we are doing all of this to help them. At the end of this, we will be able to say ‘We made it. We remember. Next time we will do this.’ There will be a next time. Maybe in my lifetime, maybe not. But, either way, as a society, we will be a little more prepared than the last time.
In Judaism there is a very well-known principle known as Tikkun Olam, which means to repair the world. Whether by charitable donation, volunteering, etc. Jews hold this idea very close and it’s something we practice without thought to a karma bank or reciprocity. When I give money I do it because I believe in the cause; when I volunteer for anything it is with the belief that I am helping; when I sacrifice I want it to be so that it will be for a bigger benefit. I just hope, especially during the holiday season but even beyond, that people emerge from this a little bit kinder, a little bit more patient, a little bit more sympathetic and empathetic.
And for all those we have lost, in Judaism we say, ‘may their memory be a blessing’, which is to say let their death not be in vain and let their soul be now at peace. As we repair the world, we cannot forget all the lives that have been lost during this time. We shall mourn their passing and do what we can to prevent any additional loss. There is a lot we will need to repair in this world and if we all do a little bit to help people we know and people we don’t, the world will be that much better for it.
Former Michigan governor Rick Snyder: I am a Republican, vote for Biden
Donald Trump is a bully who lacks a moral compass. Joe Biden would bring back civility.
Rick Snyder, Opinion contributor Rick Snyder was governor of Michigan from 2011 to 2018. Follow him on Twitter: @onetoughnerd
Forty-four years ago, I celebrated my 18th birthday at the 1976 Republican National Convention as part of Gerald Ford’s national youth group. At that convention, I had the honor to watch two great leaders in action — Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. I have remained a lifelong Republican and proudly announced Michigan’s support for Mitt Romney in 2012 from the front row of the Republican convention in Tampa.
I will continue to support and stand up for Republican policies and values, and support Republican candidates, but I will not support Donald Trump for reelection.
Trump has not unified the nation
When elected to office, you do not represent only your supporters, you represent all of your constituents. That is your job. I was at the nation’s Capitol when Trump gave his inaugural address. I had hoped this first speech as president would be a message to unify a divided nation. Instead, I heard a speech directed at how he would help the people who supported him. And sadly, that is how President Trump continues to govern.
Furthermore, President Trump’s answer to people who oppose or disagree with them is to be verbally abusive. In other words, he is a bully.
A great leader treats people with respect even when they present different opinions. Without a variety of views and opinions, we would have no innovation or creativity in our nation. Being a bully and being strong are not the same thing. Being strong is standing up for your convictions. Being a bully is trying to intimidate those who are perceived to be weaker or a threat. As a proud nerd, I had to deal with bullies over many years; it is tragedy watching our world suffer from one.
In addition, President Trump lacks a moral compass. He ignores the truth.
Facts and science matter. Good decisions should be based on facts and supported by sound scientific theory whenever possible.
President Trump also has demonstrated that he does not fully appreciate public policy matters, including public health, the economy and foreign relations, nor does he seem to want to learn.
While we have had a strong economy during his term, it reminds me of the old expression that it is better to be lucky than smart. Some regulatory reforms have been helpful. But his tax reform was a failure. It didn’t have real long-term value, enriched large corporations and violated the basic principles of good tax reform to be simple, fair, and efficient. In the foreign policy area, there have been some good agreements, but overall, our nation is no longer respected as a leader on world affairs.Get the Opinion newsletter in your inbox.
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Not supporting Donald Trump for reelection is not the same thing as voting for Joe Biden.
Bringing back civility to the nation
I had the opportunity to interact with Mr. Biden when he served as vice president. My interactions were always constructive and respectful. He has shown the desire to heal a deeply divided nation; has demonstrated strong moral character and empathy; and he seems willing to listen to people who have different perspectives from his own.
For years, I mentioned in most of my speeches the need to bring back civility to our nation. We will not continue to be the greatest nation in the world if we can’t get along among ourselves. We have only become more divided over the past four years. We need a leader who believes in civility and bringing Americans closer together.
While I am endorsing Joe Biden for president, I am still a Republican who also will be publicly supporting Republican candidates at the local, state and federal level.
My weekly column signoff is — “Remember, Relentless Positive Action (RPA) in your life will help you and others. So, I wish you RPA every day!” RPA is a philosophy of no credit, no blame, and solving problems in a relentless fashion. Never in our nation’s history have we needed RPA more. I hope you will join me and help others by using Relentless Positive Action to elect Joe Biden as America’s next president.
Ok, I’ve put off writing this post because I deal with this issue day in and day out. I’ve been talking about, researching, writing about, sitting in meetings all related to coronavirus since early January. But now I’ve had enough people ask me the some of the same questions that it’s time to just answer a few here:
Should states reopen now?
No. It is too early. It astounds me that some people I know who are pretty smart are advocating this. There are still too many cases, not enough testing, not enough antibody testing and the curve is not flat enough to even really consider this.
What kind of mask should I wear outside?
Well, ideally everyone would wear an N95 respirator, but that is not possible. So, you would want a fabric that is not easily penetrable and even one where you can insert a filter. (There are some available that provide MERV 13 or N90 factor.)
How close are we to a vaccine?
Not very close. Even if something was developed today, it still needs to go through many rounds of testing for efficacy before it would be used on the public.
I’ve had COVID-19 and I have recovered. Am I immune?
You might be. Some people develop antibodies. Some people continue to test positive for long after they have ‘recovered’. Some people have been shown to have it a second time after being thought to be in the clear.
Is it safe to order food from my favorite restaurant?
Yes. The standards that commercial kitchens have to abide by is far stricter than a home kitchen so you should be fine.
What have you been doing during quarantine?
Well, we all know I have been cooking. Homeschooling. Lots of work. A lot of BA Test Kitchen and Binging with Babish! Reading.
Stay safe. Stay inside. We’ll get through this. And, as always, if you have questions, feel free to reach out!
First up, how’s everyone doing? How are you hanging in?
Next, I tried making ricotta, and folks, I am never buying store bought pre-made stuff again. It was SUPER easy and far superior. I also used the whey to make salted caramel. I think I need to work on that recipe.
I made slow cooker Bolognese that I will use to build a lasagna tonight with another batch of ricotta.
My husband kept saying he is seeing everyone making bread and so next up, I made Challah. YUM.
I’ve also set up a fermentation station, a la’ #BradLeone. Toot, toot! I’ve been burping sauerkraut and though it smells like a**, I think it’s going to be really good.
Next up, I’m going to assemble a muffaletta. It was my husband and I’s 10th wedding anniversary this past weekend and we got married in New Orleans so this seems like a fitting tribute. Let me tell you, it was not as easy to find Mortadella as I thought it would be. But, I refused to settle and finally found some.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported an outbreak of disease originating in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, caused by a novel coronavirus (referred to as 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)). The initial cases of this virus have been associated with a specific seafood and animal market in Wuhan.
Additional cases have been identified in people who have not visited this market but have visited other markets or have interacted with infected individuals. Cases of this disease have been identified in certain other cities in Asia. Additionally, there have now been documented cases in the United States, Australia, and Europe.[i]
What follows is background on the virus and proposed recommendations for safety and health precautions. The situation is evolving, and it is recommended that all concerned consult the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) websites frequently for the most updated information regarding this situation. We also encourage you to download the information from this blog with additional helpful resources that can be found in this technical bulletin, which will be updated as new information becomes available.
What is Novel Coronavirus?
The illness being caused is by a newly identified coronavirus, now being referred to as 2019-nCoV. It should be noted that coronaviruses are common and typically cause mild to moderate respiratory and cold type symptoms, though certain strains of coronaviruses have caused more severe illness.
This newly identified virus (2019-nCoV) is in the same family as the viruses that cause Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which was first identified in Asia in 2003, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which was identified in 2012 with cases still occurring today. A main initial animal reservoir for the virus that caused SARS is believed to be bats that infected other animals, while the initial animal reservoir for the virus that causes MERS is believed to be dromedaries (e.g. camels). The reservoir or direct source for 2019-nCoV is still not known at this time.
What are the Health Effects?
The symptoms of the illness associated with this novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, are similar to those caused by influenza and other respiratory illnesses and include:
Coughing
Shortness of breath
Difficulty breathing
Fever
A small number of people infected with this novel coronavirus have died.
How is Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Transmitted?
Right now, very little is known about the transmission of this novel coronavirus. Currently, the primary reservoir (source) of this virus is not known but it is believed to be an animal that the initial cases encountered at the seafood and animal market in Wuhan.
Authorities have confirmed that human-to-human transmission has also occurred. Secondary cases (contracted from humans rather than a reservoir) include both members of the public and also healthcare workers who have had contact with other infected people and have occurred in several countries in addition to China.[ii]
What Precautions Can People Take Right Now?
The WHO recommends that everyone:
Wash their hands regularly
Cover their nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing
Avoid close contact with anyone who is coughing or sneezing or showing signs of respiratory illness
Thoroughly cooking meat and eggs
At this time the WHO has not made any recommendations for personal protective equipment (PPE) use, including respirators, by the general public. Please also see the technical bulletin entitled, ‘Respiratory Protection FAQ: General Public’ for additional helpful information.
The WHO has published guidance intended for healthcare workers (HCWs), healthcare managers, and teams working in infection prevention and control, which can be found here. As of right now, the WHO recommends that eye protection (goggles or a face shield) be used during patient contact along with gloves, a medical mask, and a fluid resistant gown. Airborne precautions, including an N95, FFP2, or equivalent respirator, should be used during aerosol-generating procedures.
The U.S. CDC currently recommends that people entering the hospital or clinic room (in a healthcare facility) of a suspected novel coronavirus case use standard precautions, contact precautions, and airborne precautions, as well as use eye protection (goggles or a face shield). CDC refers to their infection control guidance website for additional guidance, which has information specific to novel coronavirus.
Those potentially in contact with suspected or confirmed cases of this novel coronavirus should review all recommendations by the WHO, CDC, and other health authorities. For more information about PPE for healthcare workers, download the information from this blog with additional helpful resources that can be found in this 2019 Novel Coronavirus technical bulletin.
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