Thinking about Covid-19's impacts on our lives - Part 1

I should have written about this last year but perhaps I also was in some sort of denial about what is happening around us. I guess that's one way of coping with the immense impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on our lives. A lot if not everything has changed and in many cases, it appears that we are quite helpless or unable to influence outcomes. The notorious statement "Sumunod ka na lang!" or "Just obey/follow!" that was the apparent slogan of die-hard supporters of the current regime just scrapes the bottom of the proverbial barrel that is the pandemic of our time. 

How many people whom I personally know have been infected by Covid-19? And how many have survived?

Last year, a very close friend and kumare (Godmother to our daughter) caught the virus. Fortunately, she was asymptomatic and only had to go on a 2-week quarantine before she was cleared. It was also fortunate that none of her immediate family members were infected (others in their household tested negative).

Just after Holy Week, I learned that a close friend had to be hospitalized after testing positive for Covid-19. He had diabetes, a comorbidity that required him to be closely monitored. He has since recovered after being diagnosed of having mild pneumonia that doctors attributed to the virus. That was likely a close call considering Covid-19 to have seriously afflicted many who have comorbidity like diabetes and hypertension.

A couple of weeks ago, I learned that a longtime work acquaintance passed away due to Covid. He had just retired last December 2020. I recalled that he even asked me to get him as a lecturer in our training programs at the university after he retired from the government agency he worked at. That was after one of many meetings and small talks we had after Mass at the parish church we go to during Sundays before the lockdown last year. 

Yesterday, I learned another close friend had contracted Covid and was already recovering at a private hospital. He is a health buff and known to be quite careful when heading out to secure supplies for his family. Still, somehow, someway, he was infected by the virus. Fortunately, too, his wife and children were negative for the virus.

We try to be as careful as we can - wearing face masks and shields whenever we are out of our homes. We try to eat healthy and take our medications and vitamin supplements to fortify our resistance to becoming ill. Soon, many of us will also be vaccinated vs. Covid-19 (I already got my first dose last April 21.). Some of us are more fortunate than others in that we have the space and environment that allows us to have the physical distance and ventilation required to reduce chances of getting infected. Such, however, has led to us being detached from loved ones and friends. We hope to reconnect with them very soon even as we continue to struggle with the threat of Covid-19. There is always that longing to be with certain people that virtual meetings or phone calls cannot replace.

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