Thursday, May 19, 2022

Corona Parked

Hey, gang! Sorry for the virtual disappearing act -- I swear I wasn't trying to be a drama queen -- and a big thank-you to everyone who reached out to check on me. Here's what happened: 

I suffer from year-round "seasonal" allergies, but over the weekend my sinuses started to hurt more than even usual. (With the amount of pseudoephedrine I purchase, I know everyone at my local CVS secretly calls me Mr. T and Tina.) When I developed a low-grade fever, my first thought was a sinus infection. Then Monday rolled around and I was completely bed-ridden -- incapable of even turning on my computer much less blogging or actually working. The past few days have been spent sleeping, fighting off a fever and generally being miserable. Despite being two years into this pandemic, I still wasn't thinking I had Covid-19. (I've also been on a bit of a Lucky Charms bender, you know.) My sense of smell was intact. I didn't have any breathing problems. And I had gone two years -- including trips to the maskless Ozarks, maskless Egypt and a month in maskless Arizona plus a handful of concerts and other large events -- without catching it. (I was starting to smugly believe I was one of those naturally immune types!) But I was finally strong enough to get a test yesterday and sure enough I had been infected. Definitely on the mend now, so I will be easing back into my regularly scheduled blog fare in the days and week ahead! xo

P.S. Contact-tracing is impossible anymore, but what do you think about this? As I said, I have been out and about in the epicenter of the pandemic for two years and never got exposed. Last Wednesday, Damian and I attended a Tori Amos concert at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, which we at first assumed was where I got it, despite being masked and going about things as I have the past two years. (If I caught it there, however, somehow Damian did not -- or remained asymptomatic.) But then I remembered on Thursday night -- when Damian went to see Tori again -- I was turning over a load of laundry late at night in the basement of our extraordinarily quiet apartment building (sans mask) and being startled when the elevator stopped on the way back up and a delivery guy got on at lobby level -- also maskless -- and that we exchanged pleasantries inches away from one another. I guess I'll never know for sure how my luck ran out, but my incredibly kind boss had this to say about my theory:

It’s always the delivery guy. No more pleasantries!

12 comments:

KWinters said...

Feel better soon, Kenneth!

Edgar_Carpenter said...

Good luck with this - I hope you recover quickly from here.

The currently circulating viruses are pretty different from the original covid used for the vaccines. I think the vaccine companies haven't tweaked the vaccines to mimic the new variants because its cheaper to just get by with the old ones, as long as they're somewhat effective, but our immune systems are not being properly prepared by the current vaccines any more. What you got (and I got in January) looks significantly different than what the vaccines are telling our immune systems to watch out for, so our immune systems don't stop them in time.

The vaccine manufacturers need to be sending vaccines for the current viruses, not the one that was around 3 years ago - last fall Pfizer said they could have a new vaccine ready to go in 100 days. Where is it, I wonder? Lost in the huge profits they're making, probably.

Sorry for the rant. Glad to have you back!

Unknown said...

Feel better, Ken, and thanks for the message I was starting to get worried!

Lee4rdg said...

So glad you’re feeling better! Take care, kind man.

Jeffery said...

A friend of mine got the flu about a month ago. She had been vaccinated. A few weeks late she got covid. She was up to date on her vaccinations and boosters. There’s no rhyme or reason for who gets it how or when. Hope you feel recovered soon.

JimmyD said...

Glad to hear you’re ok-ish! Your silence was noticed. I hope Damien was no Baby Jane to your Blanche!

martini421 said...

Sigh of relief. I was a bit worried because you're so good at letting us know when you'll be late or will have difficulty posting. Sorry you had COVID - glad you're feeling better. And great to have you back!

j said...

Be well Kenneth wishing you good health

Stephen said...

Happy you are ok. Good having you back.

Billdp said...

Nice to hear you're feeling better. Morning wasn't the same.

bentley1963 said...

Kenneth-Take as much time to recover-will wait as long as it takes.

RedpineWI said...

I hope you get well soon, Kenneth.