Staying COVID-safe
Taking steps towards a more caring world
I’m sending this to my entire email list because this topic is both important and urgent.
We are still in the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people have “moved on” from the earlier pandemic restrictions upon everyday life, but the virus has never gone away. It still claims many people’s lives and livelihoods, especially but not exclusively Disabled people, who often depend on other people’s hygienic choices to stay well and survive. You may unknowingly be among the many people who are at higher risk for severe disease: on the CDC’s long list of conditions with confirmed higher risk are asthma, diabetes, pregnancy, being a current or former smoker, and even mood and psychotic disorders.
The danger of COVID is not just the acute illness, as Long COVID may happen for anyone who is infected, even if they had only mild or even no symptoms. I recently found this article about cellist Joshua Roman’s harrowing experience with Long COVID. In summary, he went from being able to practice for many hours a day to only being able to practice for a couple minutes at a time. There are many, many other stories out there of people now having to navigate debilitating symptoms of Long COVID — you are sure to find one that resonates with you. Perhaps you even know someone yourself who has had some sort of continuing symptoms following a COVID illness. Again, if you have any sort of chronic illness — even something as seemingly unrelated as migraine — COVID may worsen it.
But staying COVID-safe is not just about protecting yourself. It’s about practicing community care in a capitalist world that has never truly cared about our wellbeing. It’s about understanding that access for Disabled people means access for all. It’s about creating safer spaces where we keep one another accountable to our ideals, compassionately calling people in when they fail to act in ways that foster a healthful community.
It’s okay if you stopped masking for some while, skipped a vaccine or booster dose, didn’t test for COVID when you were sick with a “cold,” etc. I’ve been negligent at times as well and often feel very bad about it. But we can always make better decisions today. And I invite you to consider how you can be more COVID-conscious in your actions as this summer surge continues on and the flu season also approaches. Here are my suggestions:
Get the updated COVID vaccine, accessible at pharmacies or at your primary care doctor’s office. This will help you stay protected against the newer variants of COVID and especially help to prevent severe disease and Long COVID. Yes, the side effects can be uncomfortable, but in the vast majority of cases, they are temporary, will not harm you, and are a sign that your body is learning to fight the virus.
Wear a well-fitting respirator mask whenever you’re in public, especially when in crowded or confined spaces. Choose N95, KN95, and KN94 masks over surgical masks. Make sure that the mask makes a tight seal onto your face. Here is a guide on checking for and fixing gaps in your mask.
Especially if you live with or interact a lot with people who are less COVID-conscious in their actions, take a look at stevie spring’s zine, The Swiss Cheese Model for Layered COVID Protection. It lists additional strategies and medicinal tools you can use to bolster your protection against COVID.
Talk with the people around you about making more COVID-conscious choices. If you can convince someone to take even just one step towards living in a more socially conscious manner, that is still an improvement. For example, my parents are adamantly against getting the updated COVID booster (even though they received the original vaccine), but I was able to convince them to mask in public during this summer surge.
If you are eager to take political action, check out this list of resources for resisting mask bans, which are becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. If you are in an area that has implemented a mask ban, please do continue to mask, especially if you have socioeconomic privilege; note that there might be an exemption for health-related masking, such as in Nassau County, NY. Here’s the ACLU’s explanation of your right to mask in New York.
When society does not care for us, we take care of one another. Please spread the word; don’t spread COVID 😷.