Jeff Lewis Forum Index
$1.75 US
$1.95 CAN
Jeff Lewis
message board
 
  FAQ     Search     Memberlist     Usergroups     Register  
  Profile     Log in to check your private messages     Log in  

So annoyed at the new Covid spike in NYC...
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Jeff Lewis Forum Index -> About anything
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
lauragek



Joined: 26 May 2009
Posts: 165

PostPosted: Sun Dec 26, 2021 12:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Belated merry Christmas to you too! Mine was decent, though my little brother tested positive just before he was about to travel to my parents'. That was a bit of a switch to make. He's a medical intern so the past 2 years we've basically been waiting for the moment he'd catch it. He's young, fully vaccinated and boostered 2,5 weeks ago so we're not too worried about his health. But the timing was definitely the worst (though better than testing positive 1 day later and infecting us all I guess?)

The past 2 weeks have been weird. Another lockdown, Another holiday season with last minute cancellations, switches to online, family members not being able to come... And I feel fine with it? I guess we've learned to roll with the punches by now, and learned to take and enjoy what we can.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
misshelenc



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 943
Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

PostPosted: Mon Dec 27, 2021 1:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

How is your brother doing? I really hope he’s got a mild case. I actually had the same kind of Christmas as a family member here tested positive (all fine, mild case) so I haven’t seen friends or family. We will catch up at a safer time. Really hope he is okay.
_________________
You don’t put your life into your books. You find it there.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1481

PostPosted: Mon Dec 27, 2021 3:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Best luck and wishes to all of you, these positive tests are just exploding everywhere, I know SO many people right now who are having similar situations to what you are reporting. Hopefully, hopefully, it's no more than a passing annoyance - I haven't heard from anybody experiencing any scary symptoms, but people are going through a lot of traveling/visiting complications. My friend and her boyfriend are visiting her family out of town - but he just tested positive so he's quarantining in the family basement. Another friend traveled out of state to see her family for the holidays - then test positive after arriving and is similarly locking herself away from the family at the house there. Another friend who wouldn't have a drink with me indoors last week because he was keeping so super-safe about any virus-risk situations just tested positive. And others - every day more people I know are telling me they or their partners just tested positive and it's greatly disrupting their family get-togethers and travel plans.
But, of course, these disruptions are mere annoyances, and the real issue would be if there were threatening health situations, in which case the "inconvenience" of the annoyances seems very small indeed. So... hoping to hear that everybody's situation ends up totally fine, asap.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
misshelenc



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 943
Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

PostPosted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 6:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think everyone’s holiday time has been blighted by Covid one way or another. Have to cross our fingers for next year. There’s so much of it in the uk you can only protect yourself and do your best but it’s no certainty that it won’t still find you. Hope everyone is staying well here and having a good time with the friends and family you can see.
_________________
You don’t put your life into your books. You find it there.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
linomat



Joined: 03 Sep 2013
Posts: 40
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 11:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm sorry it's so hard again right now for all of you and for many others. It must be so frustrating to put a lot of energy and money into gigs and plans that then can't happen.
I had a ticket to see The Burning Hell play in Berlin in November. The concert took place, but I didn't dare to go as I work for a vulberable person and have been very cautious since the pandemic started.
Here in Berlin it's a bit of the calm before the storm, or rather before the Omicron wall, which is also expected here soon. Still the official numbers are sinking (nevertheless they are still on a high level). According to the Minister of Health, the number of unreported cases is three times higher as less testing is done during the holidays.
Unbelievable how expensive self-tests are in NYC. I hope for you the free tests are coming soon!
Here, there is one free antigen test per week at one of the many testing centers and a PCR test only if the rapid test is positive. I work as an assistant for a disabled person and self-test before each shift - it's mandatory and paid for by the employer. The prices for the home self-tests always go up as demand increases, currently around 3-5€ each. They are also harder to get at the moment & are sold in limited quantities.

I am dreading what is coming in January - similar to what you all experience already, I guess. Still, I have hope the new health minister will do better and we will get through this better than the last 2 waves and last winter.
I wish us all good perseverance and strong nerves and still enough reason to laugh and be happy inbetween!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1481

PostPosted: Fri Dec 31, 2021 12:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the report from Berlin! I love that we can get all these different first-hand accounts from different places.
It sounds like you're in a very delicate position, spending that time with the vulnerable, and I'm glad you're able to test daily for that, seems like a good way to do it. I would test daily here if I could!
3-5€ for a home-test sounds quite reasonable, at least compared to the prices here!
Last night I went at midnight (!) to my local hospital testing location, my sleeping schedule has been all messed up lately so I wasn't going to be able to get to sleep anyway. I wanted to try out their 24-hour covid testing, and it was fine! Obviously there was nobody else waiting. Maybe i should go back every night at midnight! But maybe it's not good for me to over-use the system, the testing labs might be under a burden. Maybe 1 or 2 tests a week is enough for me. The only reason I really feel I should keep safe like that is because I usually see my parents once or twice a week and they are both old (although we are all fully vaccinated AND boosted).
I just keep waiting for enough time to go by so people hopefully see that the giant wave of new omicron infections here in NYC in the past 10 days has NOT turned into a lot of people actually getting sick/hospitalized. I think if enough time passes, and everybody realizes that tens of thousands of people tested positive, but almost none of them really got sick, then we can stop being so afraid and just get back to a bit more normal life and gigs and everything. But it's still too soon to know! Maybe a lot of people WILL end up getting badly sick from this big wave. I certainly hope not!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
linomat



Joined: 03 Sep 2013
Posts: 40
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Fri Dec 31, 2021 3:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I also find the exchange interesting and much more vivid than reading anonymous news about the situation in other places!

Good that you and your parents are boosted and can see each other! Additional testing sounds very useful to protect your old parents. Is this 24 hours test for free and is it a PCR, as you write a laboratory is involved? We hardly ever get these here officially, and if we do them voluntarily, it's about 50-100€ for a 24 hour result.

Good your messed up sleeping schedule is at least useful for getting tested more easily... But appart from that, it sounds aweful and hopefully you find enough sleep again soon!

Yes, my job situation is somehow delicate, but at the same time I feel very privileged to have a crisis-proof job and to be vaccinated very early.

It would be such a relief if Omicron leads to mild courses and thereby somehow ends the pandemic. Drosten (the German equivalent of Fauci) just said in an interview that this might happen, but the problem in Germany right now is the many unvaccinated people, who will be more severely affected and if they are at the hospitals all at the same time, the health system might collapse. In NYC (95% have one jab, I read) and elsewhere with high vaccination rates, it could actually go better. I hope so!!
It is very hard to bear that still quite some people deny the pandemic and demonstrate together with nazis against the measures or at least just don't get vaxed here. How about that in the UK, Netherlands, USA/NYC right now?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
misshelenc



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 943
Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

PostPosted: Sat Jan 01, 2022 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Happy new year to all you legends, hope it’s really sparkly x
_________________
You don’t put your life into your books. You find it there.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1481

PostPosted: Sat Jan 01, 2022 10:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You too! And to everybody!!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
lauragek



Joined: 26 May 2009
Posts: 165

PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2022 11:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Happy new year, best of wishes!

Lockdown here is still going, though I notice many people don't really stick to it in home situations. The numbers have (predictably) started rising here again, despite the lockdown, since omicron has become dominant now.

I'm staying at home as much as I can. I'm happy I can get my booster next weekend. I'm currently 6 months pregnant and don't want to wait and see what effects omicron can have... I don't expect to go back to the office anymore before my maternity leave starts (1,5 months left) and am starting to feel a little on the fence about organising a baby shower/get together with some friends... Will it be responsible to do so in any capacity before March??

There's conspiracy theorists, covid deniers and anti-vaxxers here too. We're stuck at 86% fully vaccinated. Covid deniers and people disagreeing with the covid measures demonstrate by the hundreds, but it's important to realize the people quietly keeping to the laws a guidelines are by the millions! But yeah, people not keeping with the lockdown rules and not getting vaccinated are a big reason for me to have to be extra careful which sucks.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
misshelenc



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 943
Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2022 12:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A baby! Obviously going to have an awesome taste in music! How exciting! You’re lucky you’re not close or I’d have to come round for a cwtch! (That’s Welsh for cuddle, pronounced as it reads) I love babies. Hope your pregnancy is going well and you’ve not been too sick and uncomfortable.
The uk too is about 80% vaccinated, I had the moderna booster and it was rough for a few days but I got through it. Still haven’t had Covid so they obviously work somewhat. Covid is everywhere in the uk but most people are “only” getting flu symptoms and recover fully so although it’s horrible and awful you can fully recover in a few weeks and move on. I guess this will happen eventually, it will just be a bit like flu where it’s a risk every year but we just kind of live with it and get vaccines especially for the older and/or vulnerable every year. I don’t think there is a major lockdown coming here because of the low hospitalisations. I don’t know if the news reached everywhere, but during major lockdown this time last year, top uk politicians had parties that were illegal and then laughed about it when asked. So basically if they set rules, no one will follow them, like, if they don’t why should I kind of attitude. A few people have resigned and the police are involved but people are pretty pissed off. Can you imagine that you missed the last Christmas that your loved one survived because you were being good and following the law and then the people that set the rules are taking the piss and laughing about their cheese and wine, it’s not gone down well with the public. Bunch of gammons.
_________________
You don’t put your life into your books. You find it there.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
jefflewis



Joined: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 1481

PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2022 3:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Congratulations!!!!!!
(yeah when I got my moderna booster I felt weak for a couple days, especially day 1, but the original 2 vaccine shots had no effect on me. Very glad to be boosted tho, considering the numbers in NYC!)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
misshelenc



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 943
Location: Cardiff, Wales, UK

PostPosted: Tue Jan 11, 2022 1:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi everyone! I hope the new year is treating you kindly!
Sending some support to you all with all the Covid hideousness. I’m sure you’ll all want to applaud for the uk as this week we reached 150,000 deaths of people who had a positive Covid result in the 30 days before their death. Population is 67.2 million.
Really hope you are all okay and safe.
_________________
You don’t put your life into your books. You find it there.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
lauragek



Joined: 26 May 2009
Posts: 165

PostPosted: Tue Jan 18, 2022 11:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good and bad news! The lockdown here has been lifted. Schools and shops are open again, as well as hairdressers and other contact-intense occupations. We are allowed to go to the gym and play sports again. Horeca is still closed, no events or anything yet. But at least something more than just going to the supermarket or going for a walk in the dreary winter weather is possible now Smile

Bad news is that there's no end in sight yet in the increase of the case load. We are currently at 4x the cases we had with the last highest peak (Delta), which translates to 2000 daily new confirmed cases per million. Predictions are we might still get 3x as high as currently... Omicron might lead to less hospitalisation (hospitalisation is still on the decrease), but that doesn't mean you can't still get really sick from it. I can't afford that, so I feel like I have to be more careful now that restrictions are lifted. I'll take the opportunity to go swimming but other than that I'll keep isolating myself at home and see very few friends and family.

The cultural sector is really not doing well with these never-ending restrictions. A new initiative has been started, "hairsalon theater": where theaters are turned into hairsalons so artists can perform while people get their hair cut. Because getting a haircut is allowed, but going to the theatre isn't...

PS: fun fact: 9 months after our elections, the Netherlands now finally has a new government! It took a long time for the 4 parties that now form the majority to agree on their cooperation. Hopefully we will get a long term plan for covid now.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
lauragek



Joined: 26 May 2009
Posts: 165

PostPosted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 3:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just saw your post on instagram, but I don't post or comment there so I figured I'd go here and say: stay well Jeff! Hopefully you'll be just as fine as my little brother who went skiing straight out of isolation, haha!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Jeff Lewis Forum Index -> About anything
 
Page 2 of 3
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3  Next

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group