My Comfort Levels With COVID

COVID is coming up on its 2 year anniversary. Can you believe it? I can’t. The past 2 years have been so long but flew by at the same time. So much has changed in the world, my life, and even just how COVID is handled.

I live in Ontario, Canada, just for reference with everything I am writing. We still have the mask mandates and vaccine passports in place as of February 2022, which makes me feel a lot safer, personally.

When COVID started

At first, I was extremely scared to leave the house. A lot of us who have chronic illnesses were. The first year without any vaccines was very scary for a lot of us. I would go out and do things but I was extremely cautious and took everything very seriously. I still do, but things are a little different now.

I would FaceTime friends as well, and that was a lot of my social life for a few months. When numbers were lower, I would see friends - but outdoors only. We would make sure to socially distance and take all of the precautions possible. Sometimes that even meant wearing a mask outdoors.

COVID after the vaccine

I got my first vaccine in April of 2021. I couldn’t be happier to receive my vaccine. I got it ahead of other people in my province because of my AS. I have now received 4 doses of my COVID vaccine. In Canada, they are doing 4th doses for those of us with lowered immune systems.

In November of 2021, I took a road trip with my partner's family to go to the states for a week. I had recently had my 3rd dose of the vaccine in September, and we were driving, so I felt safe about that. I was also wearing my mask everywhere. I knew that I wanted to experience life, but I also took as many precautions as possible. My comfort levels have changed, and a lot of that has to do with the vaccine.

Still, whenever there is a surge of COVID in my area, I won’t leave the house much. For instance, with the recent variant and surge of Omicron, I stayed home for 3 weeks while things got under control. But when things ease up a little, I’m more open to going out to the store for a quick trip, or seeing a friend for a little while, of course only if they are as safe about COVID as possible.

It’s so important for me to make sure the people I physically surround myself with are taking this as seriously as I am. Not just for my health, but everyone’s health.

Things have changed

The situation with COVID is always changing. I’m always trying to be as safe as possible, so my personal rules with COVID are always changing as well. I know how badly I would be affected by it if I got it, and I’m doing my best to balance both my physical and mental health at this time.