March 2022: we’re surviving the third year since SARS-CoV-2 was identified as the virus causing clinical COVID-19, with almost six million deaths worldwide to date (JHU Mar 4, 2022). Why does it feel too early for caregivers to celebrate, and what do people mean by “Living with COVID-19”, the title of the UK government’s plan?
In the British Financial Times, an opinion : “Planning for a permanent pandemic, rather than pretending it does not exist, is what learning to live with the virus really means.” [Full article behind a paywall, this was mentioned in an article about the deeper meanings and fascinating social implications of CV19 communications].
There are plenty of public health and frontline UK doctors who don’t necessarily agree with the new guidelines, which eliminates some free testing, sick pay, and contact tracing, even though they do still promote “safer behaviours”:
“Individuals can still reduce the risk of catching and passing on COVID-19 by:
- a. Getting vaccinated;
- b. Letting fresh air in if meeting indoors, or meeting outside;
- c. Wearing a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces, especially where you come into contact with people you do not usually meet, when rates of transmission are high;
- d. Trying to stay at home if you are unwell;
- e. Taking a test if you have COVID-19 symptoms, and staying at home and avoiding contact with other people if you test positive; and
- f. Washing your hands and following advice to ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it’.”
The document (duplicate link here, but in PDF) does list dementia as being part of the most vulnerable group. The US CDC has not been this explicit with plans, but the Omicron variant hit the UK earlier and subsided earlier over there.
So what do caregivers do right now? Even in a state county designated for “low transmission” there are still several hundred daily cases; with no restrictions, we can’t depend on others to any extent anymore. And some of the family lives in the next county over, designated as “high” today.
Assessing Personal risk factors: the most vulnerable person here needs home caregiving; we also have visits from vulnerable babies (grandchildren) that we want to stay healthy, while CareGivingOldGuy himself has…well let’s just say several CV19 severity risk factors. Let’s not talk about using agency caregivers if the primary caregiver got sick.
An academic doctor asked himself whether he should wear a mask at a party in Florida, then go visit his 80-something mother. Using odds ratios from the medical literature, he figured his own risk at that time was 1 in 50 of getting CV19, and 1 in 150 of passing on to his mother, chances he was willing to take, despite acknowledging the risk of “long COVID” and cardiac problems, etc.
Someone at the party did get test positive later (all were suppose to be tested and immunized before coming), but he and his mother stayed well.
So…. curmudgeonly CareGivingOldGuy ain’t changin’ nuthin’!
Although…now that rapid tests are more available, adults visiting here will have to test before being invited in. We will probably have folks wear masks around the vulnerable. And CareGivingOldGuy will test before visiting the babies.
Marco Verch, CC0 BY 2.0, flickr.com [rapid tests showing negative, positive and indeterminate]
Of course, one need not travel that far for the same experience.
The plan is just to try and stay well, use what tools are available and do what’s possible to help keep others well. Some (UW/IHME) are predicting another surge of CV19, but next winter.
I’m thinking of writing in red on my KN95 mask: “OLD GUY” or “GRANDPA” or “SICK (and tired),” what do you think?
