Just before Thanksgiving, I got COVID. Or the novel coronavirus, or SARS-CoV2. Whatever you wish to call it, I had it. Here’s how it all went down…
I was driving in the car with someone for 45 minutes who tested positive the next day. They didn’t appear to be symptomatic, perhaps they were presymptomatic (the positive test was a surprise to them), but at any rate they ended up testing positive for COVID. That was on a Monday.
Immediately after they told me they’d tested positive, I self-isolated. Stayed home, avoided the gym, all of that. Just to be safe. I scrapped my Thanksgiving plans and ate steak alone in my room (which actually worked out, because I never much liked turkey).
How Was It?
I started getting symptoms the Friday following. It started as a single bout of water diarrhea on Friday. One bout, and then it resolved and never returned. No further GI problems. I began getting sniffles and some mild congestion and chest congestion later that day, so before bed I took an antihistamine and slept pretty well.
The way it’s reported, you’d think that susceptibility to COVID-19 severity is equally distributed across the world’s population. But when you compare case and mortality rates between countries, differences emerge. There are even differences within countries and states and cities. It’s clear that other variables besides simple exposure to the virus and infection are at play. Research continues to emerge regarding risk factors for severe COVID-19.
What are they?
And, more importantly, can you modify any of the variables?
Hi, everyone, Lindsay here. As a parent of school-aged kids, the upcoming school year is front and center in my mind. Like you, I’m trying to figure out how to make distance learning work for my family. Before starting today’s post, I want to acknowledge that everyone’s situation is different. Family structures, finances, support systems, living arrangements, access to technology, and employment all affect how we’ll approach this upcoming school year. Not to mention, our kids have unique needs, strengths, and challenges.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution. A lot of parents are facing tough dilemmas. Their school districts’ solutions simply aren’t workable for them for various reasons, sometimes reflecting larger societal issues. While I’m going to offer some simple, concrete steps and encouragement, I also don’t want to minimize the challenges that some people are facing. I’d love for other parents/caregivers to join the discussion in the comments and let us know how you’re juggling everything.
The new school year is almost upon us, and I’m sure I’m not the only parent who feels like my head has been spinning for five months. After being thrown into distance learning in March, school districts are still scrambling to figure out what’s happening this fall. Teachers and parents are rightfully worried about how to balance seemingly un-balanceable interests: educating our kids, supporting working parents, making sure all kids have equal learning opportunities (always an issue), maintaining kids’ socioemotional wellbeing, and allowing schools to stay funded, all while protecting the health and safety of students, their families, teachers, and staff.
Read MoreIt’s been a couple months since I did a post explicitly about COVID-19, or SARS-COV2, or coronavirus, and since the pandemic is still happening and is on everyone’s mind, I’m going to do another one today. This time, I’m going to do a big picture look at where we stand on transmission risks, reinfections, immunity, and what I think we need to keep in mind as we go forward.
Where do we stand with coronavirus?
How is it transmitted—and how can we avoid it?
What’s the deal with herd immunity?
What are my thoughts on the biggest challenges yet to come?
Read MoreOkay, so this situation is upon us. There’s no denying that all anyone can focus on is the coronavirus. There are several different names used for it, but I’ll use coronavirus and COVID-19 for today’s post. I asked across different venues for your questions and concerns about the topic. I tried to get to as many as I could.
Let’s just get into it:
Read More
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