How has COVID-19 affected you personally?

Jana said:
Calm down, as you said yourself, this doesn´t need to be a covid. Europe is going now though an epidemy of a new variant of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) that causes pretty bad type of flu. Just do common precautions and you will be good.
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To be honest, I wouldn't have worried so much about these symptoms if my mother hadn't had a contact with a person who tested positive.

But I have barely left the house or had contacts lately and my parents haven't been out that much either, so I don't see how I could have had contact with any virus other than Covid (if my mother were to be positive).

I had my test this morning, probably one of the least pleasant medical procedures I've ever had done, luckily it went very quickly. Unfortunately I probably will not know anything until after the weekend, and potentially not until Tuesday or even Wednessday.

It was really, really scary to see how busy it was at the testing facility. We are in extremely deep doo-doo here in Belgium, and I all remaining hope and optimism I had for the progression of this fourth wave have now been completely crushed. The holidays are not going to be any better than they were last year, and a new lockdown, with the closure of zoos, perhaps forever, is unavoidable.
 
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KevinB said:
We are in extremely deep doo-doo here in Belgium, and I all remaining hope and optimism I had for the progression of this fourth wave have now been completely crushed. The holidays are not going to be any better than they were last year, and a new lockdown, with the closure of zoos, perhaps forever, is unavoidable.
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I understand your sentiments but this here is far too pessimistic. Cases are increasing for sure, but more importantly the deaths are hardly increasing at all, which does quite clearly show the efficacy of the vaccine when you compare to previous waves of similar case numbers. While I may not have the full picture given I don’t live in the country, from what I have seen there situation is nowhere near as bad as you suggest. As for zoos closing ‘forever’, that won’t happen and you know it ;).
 
amur leopard said:
I understand your sentiments but this here is far too pessimistic. Cases are increasing for sure, but more importantly the deaths are hardly increasing at all, which does quite clearly show the efficacy of the vaccine when you compare to previous waves of similar case numbers. While I may not have the full picture given I don’t live in the country, from what I have seen there situation is nowhere near as bad as you suggest. As for zoos closing ‘forever’, that won’t happen and you know it ;).
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The situation is almost catastrophically bad here in Belgium right now - infections, hospital admissions, ICU admissions and deaths are rising rapidly and there is no sign whatsoever of slowing down or coming towards a peak. We are almost certainly headed for a worst case scenario, or even a situation worse than the most pessimistic predictions. There is a high chance the hospital case loads will end up not being very much lower than they were at the end of 2020, and the infection rates are already just as high if not higher. Hospitals and doctors have stated clearly that they believe the new restrictions announced earlier this week will not be sufficient to stop this wave. There is a clear effect of the vaccination campaign, and that is a good thing, but it also clear that has not been sufficient to prevent extremely concerning situations during fall and winter in a society where restrictions have largely been scrapped or are barely followed anymore.

With the first Western European country going back into full lockdown today (Austria), I have little to no hope several other Western European countries will be able to avoid it. I see little to no reason to be hopeful or optimistic about the coming few months, I wouldn't know where to find any silver linings anywhere in the current situation.

With regards to zoos, I am very pessimistic about all, of even most, of them surviving another lengthy closure. I see at least some, if not many, closing their gates for good this winter.
 
With covid situation getting worse in my country too, our goverment decided to return to periodic testing of employees. Testing is my duty in our company and I will start on Monday. The new law mandates testing only for unvaccinated. But my boss is anti-vaxx and found it discriminating, so she decided we will test ALL employees weekly. As of today afternoon, 69% of them are vaccinated and 4% are ill with covid or in quaratine. Decision of my boss will increase my workload but on the other side, this should increase safety because even vaccinated people can catch covid. So far so good.

On Monday, a lockdown for unvaccinated starts in Czechia - they won´t be able to access restaurants, hotels, spa, clubs, concerts etc.

Zoos and botanical gardens are extempt from all measures and don´t need to control vaccination status of visitors. The new rules will still hurt their attendance because 99% of people have absolutely no idea all licensed zoos are extempt...
 
Jana said:
Zoos and botanical gardens are extempt from all measures and don´t need to control vaccination status of visitors. The new rules will still hurt their attendance because 99% of people have absolutely no idea all licensed zoos are extempt...
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That is good policy I think, I don't see much of a reason why zoos should have to check for vaccination or test status if they implement other safety measures. That said, while lower attendance could be a problem, right now it is probably for the better if zoos are not packed or too busy.

I have received my test results and luckily I tested negative for Covid-19. So that is one concern of my plate, but everything else is still on there for me to deal with.

I have put very strict rules and limits on myself with regards to news consumption and Covid-19 related research, as right now I just cannot deal with much of it. As a curious person and someone who likes to be informed I hate having to tune out like this, but right now it is the only option to stay somewhat sane.

I am however still thinking about my concerns given the current situation and what I saw at the testing facility. I was planning perhaps a few more zoo visits and some nature walks in the rest of 2021, but right now I am questioning whether I should actually go ahead with those plans. Even the nature walks, let alone the zoo visits, almost feel like criminal behavior and a lack of responsibility and decent citizenship right now. From the media it is clear that the social tolerance for going out for non-essential reasons and especially visiting busier places is rapidly declining at this time.
 
KevinB said:
That is good policy I think, I don't see much of a reason why zoos should have to check for vaccination or test status if they implement other safety measures. That said, while lower attendance could be a problem, right now it is probably for the better if zoos are not packed or too busy.

I have received my test results and luckily I tested negative for Covid-19. So that is one concern of my plate, but everything else is still on there for me to deal with.

I have put very strict rules and limits on myself with regards to news consumption and Covid-19 related research, as right now I just cannot deal with much of it. As a curious person and someone who likes to be informed I hate having to tune out like this, but right now it is the only option to stay somewhat sane.

I am however still thinking about my concerns given the current situation and what I saw at the testing facility. I was planning perhaps a few more zoo visits and some nature walks in the rest of 2021, but right now I am questioning whether I should actually go ahead with those plans. Even the nature walks, let alone the zoo visits, almost feel like criminal behavior and a lack of responsibility and decent citizenship right now. From the media it is clear that the social tolerance for going out for non-essential reasons and especially visiting busier places is rapidly declining at this time.
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Zoos here in Victoria, Australia, do have to check vax status, as do every theatre, cafe, sports event etc. No vax, no entry. To put this in the context of this thread I own a small zoo. So how COViD has affected me is that it is about stress. For most of the time it is stress as to will we survive. Now we are into the vaccine phase it is will staff get vaccinated, and in time, will people feel safe enough come out, will we get anti-vax protesters, how do we adapt to the most recent (and frequent) rule changes?

I've spent quite a lot of time outside the front gate on busy days, checking peoples vax statue, helping them out etc. Almost universally, it has been a positive experience. Within a week, our State will reach 90% fully vaccinated for people over 12 years old. People are happy to share their status, there has been no resentment. Many thank us for our vigilance, I don't think the vaxxed want to share their spaces with the unvaxxed. Even on the very small number of occasions when we have had to turn someone away they accepted it with good grace.

As for the negatives I worried about we only let go one staff member, a casual in the visitor services section, and we adapted to all the rules easily. We only had one incidence of anti-vaxxers, three women who turned up looking for a fight. They had their 10 minutes of yelling at me, I told them they were trespassing and I was calling the police and they left. Best thing is numbers have been good and I no longer fear going broke.
 
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MRJ said:
I've spent quite a lot of time outside the front gate on busy days, checking peoples vax statue, helping them out etc. Almost universally, it has been a positive experience Within a week, our State will reach 90% fully vaccinated for people over 12 years old. People are happy to share their status, there has been no resentment. Many thank us for our vigilance, I don't think the vaxxed want to share their spaces with the unvaxxed. Even on the very small number of occasions when we have had to turn someone away they accepted it with good grace.

As for the negatives I worried about we only lost one staff member, a casual in the visitor services section, and we adapted to all the rules easily. We only had one incidence of anti-vaxxers, three women who turned up looking for a fight. They had their 10 minutes of yelling at me, I told them they were trespassing and I was calling the police and they left. Best thing is numbers have been good and I no longer fear going broke.
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Feels somewhat awkward to "like" a post where - despite how fortunate you have been relatively speaking - you nonetheless note that you have lost a staff member to the pandemic, but overall I am very happy to hear that you *have* been so fortunate.

I just wish people in my neck of the woods were as sensible and cautious as your locals seem to be!
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Feels somewhat awkward to "like" a post where - despite how fortunate you have been relatively speaking - you nonetheless note that you have lost a staff member to the pandemic, but overall I am very happy to hear that you *have* been so fortunate.

I just wish people in my neck of the woods were as sensible and cautious as your locals seem to be!
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When I say "lost" she is still alive! She just did not get vaccinated so we are unable to roster her. The circumstances are unfortunate in that she has some mental health issues. She is not opposed to vaccination, just cannot get her head around getting it done. (I've just edited the original post for clarity)
 
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MRJ said:
When I say "lost" she is still alive!
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Ah, the joys of a common euphemism not being used in a euphemistic fashion - with the additional wrinkle of being parsed through an autistic mindset!

Good to hear, in any case :)
 
I forgot if I ever posted my experiences here. If I didn't I'll just give a small rundown.

  • lockdowns in Alachua County FL happened right after my psychotic roommate left. Field trips got canceled and as someone who barely was able to go out due to the fact that I couldn't drive in car-centric FL I felt much more isolated than I already am.
  • I failed my college program. I already was less then desirable so the damage to my quality of life sort of accelerated it. I had to change courses instead.
  • I started to fall into a spiral which consisted of me listening to heresy/conspiracy theories
  • I did get the virus the day after halloween. I though it was a cold because I went outdoors with wet hair. I forced myself to do my online classes which felt terrible.
  • I got the vaccine at a publix pharmacy (take not of that) a few weeks after my parents decided that I have to "return" to Turkey.
  • Turns out that the vaccine alone was useless because I still needed a negative pcr test results the day before I went to Turkey but I suppose it is better than having nothing.
Since I usually stay in home, I can't say that I am too bothered. The outdoor mask restrictions have been lifted but I only go outside to take a walk. It seems that the total ammount of people getting their shots are increasing albeit slowly. People with the shots often are complacent and only wear their masks indoors or in crowded areas.

I stopped watching conspiracy theories/wrongthink, which made me feel less misserable about life and the world and stuff. So that's an improvement. But I did manage to get myself sad over other stuff.

I also lost my vaccination card. I asked Alachua county how to get it and I was referred to the place where I got my shot from. The funny thing is that Publix (supermarket chain which dominates FL and surrounding states) for some reason has a website that is inaccessible outside of the US. Which is why I cant simply just reach out to the specific location by email. Instead I will have to call them on the phone and explain that I left the countey almost one month after getting my second shot from them. I. Hate. This. So. Much.
 
Now that Sydney is no longer under lockdown, our athletics season has finally started - so most weekends I am out at an athletics track with my son for either training or competition.

We have a state-government run QR code checkin system which has been running for many months now and is mandatory at any venue, including shops etc - it's become second nature to "check in" when you go into a shop or anywhere else - it's not a big deal at all.

We also now have to show vaccination status - and our vaccination certificates can be linked to from the same app that we use to QR code checkin.

So turning up to venues with my son for competitions is pretty easy, I scan the QR code for the venue, show it to the security at the gate, then click the link to show my vaccination certificate - and we're done.

Occasionally people want to see information for my son - here in NSW, kids under 16yo don't need to be fully vaccinated if they are with their parents who are fully vaccinated. My son actually is fully vaccinated - but he doesn't have access to the apps which show his certificate, so he just has a PDF version stored on his phone - not that he's had to show it. He does need to carry his student ID card which show his age so he can prove he is under 16 - personally I would think it would be easier to just show the vaccination certificate, since that's all that actually matters.

There's only a small minority of people making a fuss about vaccination certificates and mandatory checkin - most of the population just want to get on with life and are happy to comply with the government requirements. Most people I know are just glad to be out of lockdown and to have so few deaths from COVID.

We are at nearly 91% of people aged 12+ fully vaccinated in our state now.
 
I know I said I would try to avoid posting about Covid again, but I just have to vent a bit right now.

I am feeling anxious, depressed, despondent, frustrated, hopeless and deeply pessimistic with how things are progressing. Some countries are again going into lockdown and/or closing zoos, and things also aren't going very well in Belgium, and we are probably looking at additional restrictions and possibly again a lockdown with the closure of zoos in the not very distant future. It seems ever more unlikely that zoo visits will remain possible throughout this winter.

It seems things are only going to continue to get worse with this pandemic, that nothing is really going to work to control or end it and there is very little hope of things getting better for longer period of time or for the world and society to ever become more normal again (or at least not for many more years). This omicron variant is absolute nightmare fuel, it seems all remaining hope for a somewhat partially normal society while living with this virus is pretty much down the crapper now.

I have almost completely lost my hope and optimism for a realistic long-term future for zoos in a world that will continue to be dominated by ever more dangerous variants of this virus. I am starting to think I will soon have to start looking for another hobby than the zoo stuff, but I wouldn't even know where to really start, given how much I like it.

Some days I am just at a bit of loss on how to continue to get through this seemingly never-ending, ever-worsening crisis.

And we are getting a cold spell next week here too, so that's something extra to worry and be stressed about (with regards to my pets).
 
KevinB said:
I am starting to think I will soon have to start looking for another hobby than the zoo stuff, but I wouldn't even know where to really start, given how much I like it.
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Your zoo hobby needn’t end simply because you can’t visit zoos right now.

You could:

1. Research the history of your favourite zoos via newspaper archives.

2. Compile species lists through online research of your favourite zoos.

3. Write reviews of zoos you’ve visited.

4. Go through zoo photos you’ve taken previously.

5. Make a studbook of one of your favourite species.

6. Begin a population list of your favourite species.

7. Write a piece of fiction about a zoo.

8. Search online for old footage of zoos you’re interested in.
 
Despite always having been careful and having barely been outside for the last few weeks, and despite those I live with always being careful, I quite possibly have Covid and got tested today.

This definitely doesn't feel good and it doesn't really feel all that mild.

With omicron I would ask everyone to exercise the utmost caution.
 
KevinB said:
Despite always having been careful and having barely been outside for the last few weeks, and despite those I live with always being careful, I quite possibly have Covid and got tested today.

This definitely doesn't feel good and it doesn't really feel all that mild.

With omicron I would ask everyone to exercise the utmost caution.
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According to the test it wasn't covid after all.

I'm still feeling pretty crappy, not sure what it is. Going back to the doctor later today.
 
The situation is getting more worse here. Because of post chinese new year, the cases in these few days have been a lot more than previous days. Last 2 days register 300 cases each and today it's 614. (and the previous highest cases in a day is 160) and of course a lot of the restriction have been tightened. All of my university classes will be online which is not good. I avoid going out the street these few days. (Although I was forced to visit my relatives in CNY, and that's the reason for the surge. I really hate people so keen on traditions that they're ignoring government advice. sigh.)

Another problem is I don't really think this is going to end soon. However, the government will be going to go through more restriction to control the pandemic as best as they can. I'm fearing the worst that is lockdown. (btw we are never forced to stay in our own home for the whole 2 years) And honestly I'm feeling a bit more annoyed rather than just frustrated.

I honestly think this is not going to end, and I just want to "co-exist" with the virus, just like basically everywhere else. Unfortunately I know this is not going to happen. And I really hate that. I have take 2 shots of vaccine(I'll take the booster shot in late February) and when I look at news around the world and they are going to normal, even with say 10 thousand cases. (e.g Singapore) Of course I know the reason for this is because the Chinese won't allow the opening of the border unless the pandemic is clear, and a lot of people want (and need) to travel back to the mainland.

So yeah, not going well here and I feel like my emotions have been a bit more up-and-down. (Mostly down) Fortunately the winter olympics do cheer me up a bit.

also there are not enough medical facilities for the confirmed patients soon, so I just don't think the zero policy will work. Government are listing buildings to be tested for covid everywhere. People are literally lining up in the covid test facilities for 2 to 3 hours. This is just not gonna work.
 
Our (populist centre-right) government has decided to give up fight against covid. Tommorow, covid passports (to enter restaurant/hotel/event) won´t be valid anymore. Last measure (limitation of mass events) will be scrapped on 1th of March.

I´m unhappy with this. We have record numbers and I really don´t want to see our future excess mortality stats. We should have waited another 6 weeks till spring with warmer weather. But people were getting tired and majority wanted to end it so we are where we are.

There is only one silver lining for me. Mandatory testing in companies stops in 10 days. I won´t need to wake up early twice a week to oversee testing of our employees anymore. (we have floating working hours and some people prefer to start their work from 5am so I had to be there that early and it was killing me)
 
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Well, it's taken over 2.5 years but I've finally ended up catching CV19 :p most likely due to my attendance at a Crowded House concert last week, and as a result having been on quite a lot of trains and suchlike lately!

Main symptoms - sleepiness, very sore throat, brainfog, headache. I'm certain I'd feel worse had I not been jabbed!
 
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