Covid and selfishness

Covid sucks. I think we can all agree on that. Masks aren’t a complete fix by themselves to lessen the spread of it, but when added to the social distancing and also getting vaccinated they can help.

If you’re able to get vaccinated, please do. I know there are some who can’t for health reasons and I understand that, but those who aren’t vaccinated or refuse to be and could be, they’re being selfish. They think that either the vaccines aren’t tested enough, or they already had Covid, so they’ve got natural antibodies to keep them safe. Both are lies. They’re just cop-outs for the unvaccinated to remain selfish and irresponsible in the face of this on-going pandemic. Also, a quick Google search you did about the dangers of vaccines isn’t the same as the years of study and research those doctors at NIH and CDC, not to mention your local health departments have done, so zip it.

All of last year Munchkin did virtual school and Little Miss hadn’t started school yet, so we did what we could in the face of the situation at the time and kept them home to keep them safe. It was hard, it was draining, but we did it because we didn’t know when the vaccines would happen and when we all could be vaccinated to stay safe. Cue vaccines being given emergency approval for use to combat Covid. Huzzah!

Vaccine rollout was a bit chaotic, but thankfully Mister and I both were able to be vaccinated a few months after the vaccines were rolled out (yes, remember that there are options [i.e. more than one] for which vaccine you want). We still did what we could to lessen the spread of Covid by limiting where we went, who we spent time with unmasked, masking up when possible and kept up with the health suggestions the CDC and local health departments were advising.

In early August, we let our guard down and enjoyed a fun time at the Zoo with friends. We figured; “We’re vaccinated, we will be mainly outside and it’s ok to be outside without masks right?” Boy were we wrong. We enjoyed the time and the kids had fun spending time with friends, but shortly after the Zoo trip Mister started sounding like he picked up a cold. He was treating it as such then realized he couldn’t taste any of the food he had for breakfast that morning. He scheduled a Covid test for the next day and until the results were in either way, he did his best to limit contact with us out of concern of sharing the germs with the kiddos and me.

Next morning he got his Covid test and unfortunately it was positive. So out of caution he temporarily shifted his sleeping space to upstairs in our guest bedroom so he could quarantine between his office and the guest room all while limiting any contact between us and him. Thankfully it worked out, but only days later Little Miss started to be warmer than normal and extra sleepy. Cue the call to the telehealth doctor and scheduling of a Covid test for our 5 year old. While we waited, masks on for everyone in our house before she went for her Covid test. The local urgent care has a drive-thru testing space that we were able to make use of and with only a short wait the results came back. Our spitfire ninja daughter was laid out with Covid.

Not surprisingly Munchkin began to show similar symptoms a day or so after Little Miss, so one bonus to that crazy situation was that Mister was able to expand his quarantine space to the whole house and we quarantined as a family. How cozy. (/sarcasm/)

Thankfully we were taken care of by friends and family who delivered meals, entertainment for the kids and just were there as best they could for us (from a safe distance of course) to make our quarantine go as smoothly as one could go. Also, the timeline of symptoms and waiting before entering into society at large again ended right before the beginning of school this year, so we all went to Meet the Teacher(s) with masks on and excitement for the new adventure after Munchkin had done all of 2nd grade virtually.

That night there were a LOT of people in fairly close quarters (school hallways are only so wide), but what was encouraging to me was the amount of masks I saw being worn on kids and parents alike. I figured the parents were trying their best to keep their kids, especially the under 12 crowd, safe. The district shared that masks were optional, and we have been sending our kids each day to school with a mask on to limit the spread of germs anyways, but especially the ones that cause Covid.

The school district has a dashboard that shows the number of reported cases of Covid district wide, broken down by schools and if the case is in a student or a faculty member. The numbers didn’t jump astronomically once school started, so I hoped they’d stay that way over the course of the first part of school, but that hope seems to be short lived.

Recently there seems to be a steady increase in Covid cases within the district and mask mandates in schools were getting some political pushback from Texas governor Greg Abbott. Some larger districts in the state were including them in their schools to help limit exponential growth of infections while Abbott came down on the side of personal freedoms over public health. All the while our district was in a seemingly precarious balance between doing what’s best for the students in the district and not angering the Governor for defying his orders for no mask mandates in schools.

Our district sent out a survey over the weekend to get parents opinions as to if a mask mandate should happen in our schools. Once they received back the answers and compiled them, they were shared with the parents in the district. Based on the results, most parents were seemingly in favor for masks being mandated in schools, especially in the schools where students weren’t eligible for a vaccine yet. (mainly elementary age) and the school board took up the question in last night’s board meeting. Shockingly to me, the board voted for no mask mandate in the schools at any level in the district.

This morning there were parents crowing in victory about no mask mandates happening in our schools. Guys, Covid still exists. Cases in Texas for kids are increasing. Masks aren’t an end all to end this pandemic, but they can be a key component in helping slow the spread of this sometimes deadly illness. Vaccines aren’t able to be given to children under 12, yet they are getting sick and unfortunately spreading it to others, whether that is their classmate or their parent when they get home from school. Limiting the use of tools that we can use to lower infection rates and keep more kids in schools and learning isn’t personal freedom, it’s being selfish.

What I find so galling about Governor Abbott’s’ executive orders limiting masks and even vaccine mandates for those who are among our children on a daily basis is the fact that he’s fully vaccinated, has gotten Covid as well as the antibody treatment to lessen the severity of Covid; all the while seeming to side against public health and CDC guidance that state masks are a tool that we all can use to limit the spread of Covid and get back to that “normal” he’s so keen on getting back to in Texas. Seems a little hypocritical and selfish doesn’t it?

Also, just in case you didn’t know: The Governor not only banned mask mandates, he’s also banned any vaccine mandates from any entity that received state funding (like schools). So when your kid is waiting extra long at the bus stop in the morning or waiting at school extra long because the bus routes are doubled or tripled due to the lack of bus drivers, think of Governor Abbott and remember the frustration you’re feeling right now and take that to the polls come election day. I know I will.