Ask Lemmy

I would have masked up, but it wasn't possible to get masks in the UK. So I caught Covid and Long Covid instead.

PS. Mask up. It's not gone.

I started hearing about covid on reddit back in December 2019. In another life, I worked at FDA and what I was hearing really scared me: my sister was immunocompromised, and I was terrified she'd contract the virus and die. So when I talk about what I was doing, recognize that we had to be taking extreme precautions, to avoid my sister getting infected by this virus that would kill her and that no one knew how to treat. Because of her health, we absolutely had to be a couple weeks ahead of whatever precautions were being taken by everyone else, and we took extreme precautions during the early months of the pandemic.

In a way being ahead of the curve was nice - everything we needed was easily available. But we were operating ahead of official advice, so we had to figure out our mitigation strategies ourselves. I bought a lot of stuff: N95 and surgical masks, surgical gloves, hand sanitizer, bleach, Lysol wipes, UV-C lights, copper foil, garbage bags, plastic wrap, medication for any ailment I could think of, extra prescription medications in case of supply chain issues, pulse oximeters, blood pressure cuffs, overfilled my pantry with various staples, etc.

You mentioned handling groceries. In the very early days, when they were really worked about fomite transmission, I was the "outside contact" for my sister and a couple other friends with health issues. When someone needed something we didn't have, I'd collect lists of whatever anyone needed from that store. I'd make two versions of the list: one master list for when I was in the store, and a separate per-person list that was stuck to the refrigerator for later reference.

I'd wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, surgical gloves, an N95 mask, then a surgical mask over top of the N95 to help filter out larger particles and extend the life of my N95 masks [more on supplies later]. I'd go to the store, buy whatever we needed, and put it in the trunk of the car: the trunk was the hot zone, where all the non-sterile stuff went. I'd open the car door, use the hand sanitizer to clean the trunk and car door handles and my car keys, then remove my gloves and toss them in a garbage bag the trunk as well. I'd take off my masks and put on a fresh surgical mask.

I'd get home, put on fresh gloves, prop open the doors, disinfect the handles, leave my shoes outside the front door, and bring all the bags into the kitchen; everything got piled into one section I'd taped off on the floor that I called the hot zone. Once everything was inside, I hung the used masks on a pole across the ceiling of the utility room, disinfected the trunk and car door handles again, along with my keys and the steering wheel, and disinfected the knobs on the front door.

I went into the utility room, removed my gloves and scrubbed my hands and forearms like a surgeon. Then I stripped my clothes off directly into the washer, scrubbed my hands again, and disinfected the outside of the washer. At this point, the only contaminated stuff should be the items I'd just bought - and myself. I brushed my teeth, used a disinfectant mouthwash, took a shower and scrubbed thoroughly.

I put on another mask, got dressed into another long-sleeved shirt and surgical gloves, and de-bagged everything I'd bought onto the counter in the hot zone - being very careful not to step onto floor in the taped-off "hot zone". The empty bags went into the garbage out back, I changed my gloves, the doorknobs were decontaminated, and I mopped the floor with bleach, then removed the gloves and scrubbed my hands again. Now the only potentially contaminated stuff was on the hot zone counter.

I put on fresh gloves, and started disinfecting whatever we'd just bought. If it had a plastic covering, was a jar or can, it got washed with disinfectant. If it was cardboard, it got wiped down or scrubbed with Lysol wipes. Once something was clean, it got moved to the clean zone.

Odd-shaped items were an issue - think things like broccoli. I'd finish the all regular cans and boxes, take off my gloves and shirt, scrub my hands and arms, put on a new long-sleeved shirt and fresh gloves, and bring the odd-shaped items into the UV-C "chamber". This was a large shelf that I'd lined in all directions with tin foil, with plastic wrap on top of that, that had a UV-C light strung across the top. [I don't remember the specific technical details, but I remember obsessing and making sure I was buying a light in the correct range to kill viruses and stuff.] [Continued next comment]

Wore kf94 masks every time we went out, and it wasn’t often at the height of the pandemic. Always carried hand sanitizer and applied it after we touched anything (i.e. door handles). Wiped down groceries with isopropyl alcohol wipes (we still do today). Fruits and vegetables were submerged in water with vinegar for 10 mins before going to the fridge. Avoided standing downwind from other people.

Stay at home... easy to do since I was like 17.

I don't even touch the mail, literally just hid in a room xD

Then I got suicidal and got a bit carless about covid since I really feel like dying... so I got covid... and I thought my mom would care about me... but then she blamed me for "infecting the family" 🫠 Average Asian parenting... It's fine, I got used to it...

Probably the final thing that triggered the start of my depression.

Thanks, CCP.

That shit caused so much Anti Asian hatecrimes...

I basically just browse the internet all day...

The only reason I even got infected is because mom wanted me to work for two months in summer 2021 before school started, this time in person, again, so I got infected at work...

so yea, my entire family had to stay home and quarrantine because of covid

My my mom blames me for getting infected because she wanted me to work a job during covid... how does that make sense?

But I didn't die, that's the closest to a "suicide attempt" I've tried, don't have the balls to actually jump from a bridge lol

You know its kinda funny. Im a masker but during the pandemic I was amazed at things people seemed to do or say they do. On the one side you had neighbors using their dog to trades stuff and its like. Um a big warm biologically active surface. Not the smartest. Then like people don't seem to understand distancing and masking in terms of math. Outdoor is different than indoor and ventilation matters. I had some people saying they did not go outside during lockdowns (not lockdowns like someone actively had it in the household but city wide ones). Its like you can go outside just don't get within ten feet. That being said really early on when we did not know shit my wife would spray down deliveries with lysol and only opened them to check what they had but left them be until needed rather than putting them on shelves and such.

A guy came into the clinic I work in wearing a spray paint respirator mask with a beekeeper's veil overtop, and with dishwashing gloves that he had pulled ordinary latex gloves over. It was wild.

What I always do, avoid society.

Masked up.

Isolating with my wife.

After grocery shopping, I would change clothes in my detached garage and wait 30 minutes before going in the house. Since the grocery store was 30 minutes away I would piss in a bucket in the garage.

Washed my pets paws with water and soap after coming from a walk for a few months. Washed ny hands everytime i got home, something i only do now before a meal.

I stretched the truth a bit to ensure I wouldn't be listed as a "critical to be onsite" employee. My sports-induced asthma that I manage just fine was enough for me to check "respiratory illnesses". So I worked from home and avoided the shit tasks that landed on all the people who wanted to go onsite. They did get prioritized for vaccines months before I got mine, so some pros for them as least. Barely any of the work actually required we be physically present though, it was a pile of crap.

Only shopped for groceries every 2 weeks.

Only left the house at all once every 2 weeks.

Didn't see anyone at all for 3 months straight, and even then it was only twice between March, and July of 2020.

I still don't think I've fully recovered from that tbh.

In the very first days, that is, when I had read about that virus that appeared in China and threatened to infect and kill many in the whole world, I had to make a decision:

Should I fear for my life?

It took me a few days, and I decided against it.

Later I did not do so many of the crazy things other people did out of fear. I did what seemed reasonable, like some distancing, wearing masks, washing hands...

I hung up signs on the outside of my door reminding me to wash my hands when I got home and on the inside reminding me to wear a mask when I go out.

Bought n95 masks, gloves, and sanitizer. Also bought full-body covering (used by care workers and such to avoid being covered in various fluids) though those never got used. I mostly stayed home except for once every two weeks or so (groceries, etc.)

Thing is, my friends and I all think we got it before it was officially in Japan and, indeed, I was a close contact of someone who got it and was immune so it seems plausible.