DEAR HARRIETTE: I am so mad right now. I have been super-careful every day since the coronavirus pandemic started. For more than a year, I didn’t go outside except to go to the grocery store and the doctor. Only in the past few months have I relaxed at all. I still wear a mask even as I have started back at the gym. I take my mask off only when eating or drinking, and I still keep my distance even then. And what do I get for it? COVID-19.
I am so angry and so scared. I have preexisting conditions, which is why I was so cautious. I feel so sick and worried. My doctor says there’s not much I can do but ride it out. I am fully vaccinated and boosted, but so what? I feel like a failure and like maybe I have put loved ones at risk. I’ve told the few people that I have been around. What else can I do? -- Positive
DEAR POSITIVE: COVID-19 has been spiking all over the country and around the world. The omicron variant is said to be drastically more contagious than other variants of this illness. Give yourself a break. It sounds like you have been extremely cautious. I am so sorry that you are ill.
Be sure to get plenty of rest and stay in touch with your doctor. The going wisdom that I have seen thus far is that we should go back to wearing N95 or KN95 masks now to help protect ourselves. A year ago, my doctor told me that we are all going to have to learn how to live with COVID-19. He was too right. Do your best to stop beating yourself up. Like it or not, you and thousands of others are going through the exact same thing right now.