#to the covid scare

[aastarions]

this weekend i’m gonna start working on chapter 5 of stay gold me thinks

[amaditalks]

Right now the US is experiencing the second worst spike in COVID since the beginning of the pandemic. Right now, about 1 in 20 people have the virus, it is estimated that when this wave is over, 1 in 3 people will experience an infection.

It doesn’t have to be that way. COVID is not an inevitability to just passively accept, it is a life changing disease (every time) that you should use every tool and tactic at your disposal to avoid.

You already know what to do. If you haven’t received the updated vaccine, do that. (It’s not a booster, it’s an update, in the same way the annual flu shot is updated.) Mask, any time you’re near people you don’t live with or where anyone else has been in the last 30 minutes. (This includes outdoor spaces, like picking up a no contact delivery or pumping gasoline.) Avoid crowds. Now is not the time for concerts and hockey games or even a leisurely stroll around Target to browse. Clean your air and demand clean air in your workplace and your kids’ schools and anywhere anyone in your family has to spend time.

If 1 in 3 Americans contract the virus on this wave, that means that another half million people are likely going to die, mostly elderly and high risk. (Like me.)

It also means that 11 million people — or more — are going to be disabled, at least short term, when this is done, and there are no reliable predictors for who does and does not develop post-COVID disability.

Those numbers are horrible. But don’t let them terrify you into paralysis, let them galvanize you into action to protect yourself and your family and community.

[hellyeahsickaf]

Used my mobility aid in public for the first time today and that was a big deal for me. I've had it for months but haven't had the balls to use it. Too much internalized ableism, it's dumb how scary it is. But y'know it wasn't too bad. Maybe I can do this

[cistematicchaos]

hello! I have a Question about masking. when should we wear a mask? is it only when we feel sick or is it always? is it inside or outside too? if ur vaccinated but were told to only wear when sick is that bad? literally almost no on in any area around me in my state wears one except when sick and I feel unsure what to do. genuinely everywhere I go there’s close to no one. I feel afraid to wear one all the time bc judgement. but what do we need to do? I’m disabled and disability justice is important to me but since no one else wears one my friends do not think it’s needed and thinks comfort matters more bc it’s very humid here. I feel like wearing one is the right thing to do, but idk how to explain that to others or to start again and shake the fear. ppl assume ur sick when u wear bc that’s what we’re taught is the right time to. /gen

Genuinely, ty for trusting me to answer this. If you're outside or inside a public area, or inside with people who don't mask, it's best to be wearing a mask. Even when you don't feel sick! Not only can you have covid without feeling sick, but you can also carry lots of viruses without feeling sick and so can others. (Also other people don't always tell you when they're feeling sick unfortunately.)

As for the question about vaccinations, yeah, that's bad. You were lied to. People who're vaccinated can still spread covid without feeling sick and can still catch it and get long covid or die. All the vaccine does is make you a little safer if you catch it, it doesn't replace masking.

Masking is very scarce in a lot of places, so I understand that. In my area so many people don't mask and it's scary! I also understand being scared of judgement; especially from family and friends. But you're right, masking is the right thing to do and disability justice is important. And masking is especially important if you're already disabled; you're higher risk for covid fucking you up (by giving you long covid or generally worsening your disabilities/giving you more).

Since I've already explained WHEN you should be masking (if you have more questions, ask, I don't mind at all.), lemme see if I can help you out with the rest. To shake the fear, I'd suggest starting wearing your mask when you're alone to get used to wearing it more. You'll probably have to bite it and do it afraid anyway, because its a pandemic and masking is a necessity (if you can), but you can still get ready first.

To explain it to your friends, put it simply. "I discovered the vaccine doesn't replace masking, so I'm being safe." or "I realized masking keeps all of us safer during the pandemic, especially disabled people, so I'm going to keep doing it."

They may argue with you, especially since they may feel bad for not masking. You don't have to argue back with them. You can offer to send them articles about it or explain your thoughts but you don't have to justify masking!

If people think you're sick, they'll probably ask and you can explain or they'll avoid you, which may work to your advantage because social distancing from people who don't mask is good too.

If part of this doesn't make sense or you have more questions, ask me! I'd love to answer and have a lot of info on the subject if you want it. Again, thank you for trusting me to answer and I hope this helps. <3 Stay safe!

[not-poignant]

every now and then i forget how bad my chronic illnesses are and every now and then my body is like 'hmmm you seem to have forgotten what it's like to be cripplingly bedridden and disabled and we don't want you to forget' and then i'm reminded and it feels a little like being yeeted into a granite cliff wall at full speed and leaving a dent

[animentality]

[skunkes]

blood test tomorrow and i dont think theyll let someone in with me so nobody's going to hold me down, making me feel Calm and also preventing me from escaping. smile.

[zebratimw]

[batwynn]

Me, immunocompromised and blessed with Emetophobia, reading that the new COVID variant includes 2-5 days of barfing and that everyone’s seen someone doing that in stores and in the middle of the road and at work and—

[coulson-is-an-avenger]

"a life threatening illness isnt a reason to miss work. you will be penalized if you choose to do so." am i going insane? am i entirely bonkers rn? is this real? IS AMERICA A REAL PLACE? AM I THE PROBLEM? HUH

[thefrogdalorian]

So I was really proud of my autistic flop of a self this weekend for successfully completing my first long distance drive AND surviving being in the biggest crowd of my entire life. Both things were very daunting but I managed to overcome them!

But monkey's paw and all that.... I think Covid is back for Round 3 :(

I feel absolutely horrendous. Sore throat, teeth-chattering chills, head fuller than Pedro Pascal's filming schedule.

Really wish I had a caring sweetie in beskar to bring me some soup and cuddle me warm rn😭

I HATE being sick (doesn't everyone) and my head is pounding too much to really look at a screen for too long, but if anyone has any Din x reader sick!fic recommendations I would love some comfort right now!

I'll hopefully feel better over the weekend but I hate feeling this awful so much :(

[suncaptor]

nothing will make you sympathise with conspiracy theorist ideology more than having a seemingly rare reaction to a vaccine lmao.

[hellyeahsickaf]

Not me remembering when I lived with my mother and she was pissed that I wore smoky eyeshadow because it was "wrong". I'd gotten a few compliments for it though!

Except I wasn't wearing any. it was my chronic illness, especially when I hade flareups. I had dark circles under my eyes and looked like a pale sickly Victorian child.

[yellowmonday]

health organizations dont care about covid and stopped talking about long covid symptoms. there are so many people who don’t know they’re experiencing long covid even with telltale symptoms like altered sense of smell, just awful life-changing symptoms and it is so isolating there are so many people begging for answers and support

[starrynightsoversunflowers]

I'm honestly so fucking tired of seeing post made by gringos that mock the desire to kill and exterminate mosquitos. "Ohh but they're part of the environment!!!" Fuck off

I want every single aedes aegypty mosquito dead

Not because "it's annoying" or "an inconvenience"

They are a literal and very real threat to health to people in South America

Houndreds of thousands of people are sick with dengue. It is a disease that weakens you, makes you bleed internally, gives you fevers, rashes, vomiting. It's called the bone-breaker because you feel like you've been hit by a car. You can't leave your bed for more than half an hour (even less sometimes) before you're exhausted. Even after, it's very likely to have sequels.

I know. I've had it

Thousands have died in horrible pain because of it

And it's worse than it's ever been because the mosquitos are everywhere

Because of climate change and the higher and higher temperatures every year the mosquitos live longer. They thrive. It's not something we're used to. Not in this scale

So fuck all the way off to any gringo that has the gall to mock south americans for not wanting to contract a disease that could literally be everywhere