Omicron

I sure as hell did not want to be here again.

Sitting in my office, having a bourbon, worried about whether my family or I am going to get the coronavirus.  I. mean, shit, I'm vaccinated and boosted.  Jude is vaccinated and boosted.  The boys are vaccinated.  Jude's parents are vaccinated.  Shouldn't that be enough?  Apparently not.

Just when it seemed like we were in the clear, I knew with certainty, that we were not.  I can recall - vividly - sitting in the same chair in my office I'm sitting in right now, on a Saturday or Sunday morning a few weeks ago, and reading about a "variant of interest" that had been identified in South Africa.  I read, with dread, how contagious the variant was and how, at least preliminarily, it appeared to be able to infect vaccinated people.  

Omicron.

Instinctively, I knew the pandemic wasn't over, not even close.  Yes, I can be a pessimist at times.  And, yes, I read so much and listen to so many podcasts that maybe, at times, I have too much information rattling around in my head about the coronavirus.  Sometimes I find it hard to strike a balance between being informed on the one hand and obsessing about the virus on the other hand.

As I read about Omicron that morning, though, I knew it was very likely already in the United States.  With globalization and the ease of worldwide travel, if it was in South Africa, it was here.  No question.

A few days later, as Jude, the boys, and I walked down 12th Avenue one evening, I glumly predicted restaurants would be closing again due to the coronavirus during or after the holidays.  Jude looked at me like I was crazy and told me I was a pessimist.  I told her I was a realist.

Sure enough, Dose (coffee shop) closed last week for a few days when several employees tested positive for the coronavirus.  Closer to home, Burger Up stayed closed a couple of extra days after Christmas, then opened to go only for a few more days.  

Europe is setting records for coronavirus infections every day as "the Omicron variant tears thorough populations with a swiftness outpacing anything witnessed over the past two years of the pandemic," according to today's New York Times.  In New York, some subway lines are suspended and coronavirus testing sites are closed because of staffing shortages due to the virus, also according to today's New York Times.  

Not that it matters much in the scheme of things but several college football bowl games have been canceled after one or both teams experienced and outbreak of the coronavirus among players and staff.  NHL, NBA, and NFL games have been postponed.  College basketball games have been postponed or canceled.  

Today, I learned that Belmont University is going to start school remotely and isn't planning on having students on campus until January 17, 2022.  I bet other colleges and universities follow suit.  In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the boys' schools, particularly USN, start the spring semester with remote learning.

Honestly, that's probably the best course of action.  At MBA, so many of the boys are traveling over the break - J.P. has had 5 out of 12 team members at basketball practice - the Omicron variant is likely to run wild through the school the first week or two the boys are back.

My law partner's wife and daughter, who is a grad student, tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week.  It's their second bout, as they had it a year ago, too.  He tells me that many of his daughter's friends tested positive, more so than at any time during the pandemic.  He has several friends who have it, as well. It's crazy, really, and more than a little scary.

My paralegal's stepfather died this week from the coronavirus.  He was 67 years old, in good health and in good shape before he got sick immediately after spending time with family at Thanksgiving.  Sadly, he was an ardent anti-vaxxer and had not received the Covid-19 vaccine, let alone the booster.  And now he's gone, just like my college friend, Steve Bettis.

When is this all going to end?  The Omicron variant appears to be less serious than the Delta variant if one has been vaccinated and boosted.  That's a hopeful sign, obviously.  On the other hand, only 62% of the United States population is fully vaccinated and even less are boosted.  What that means, to me, is that the next six weeks to two months are going to bad.  Flights canceled, restaurants closed, and worst of all, hospitals filled with sick and dying people.  

It's all very depressing.  But, it's where we are and where we're going to be for the foreseeable future, I suppose.  I'll keep running.  My family will keep distancing, as much as we can.  We'll stay in town and close to home and, hopefully, we can get through this without serious illness.  That's my prayer - quite literally - every day.      

Postcript.  My father-in-law, Jim White, went to the emergency room the afternoon I wrote this and later tested positive for Covid-19.  He spent the night there and was released yesterday evening.  He felt better, and sounded better, last night after Jane brought him home.

Apparently, he has the Omicron variant which, we hope, is relatively good news as it appears to be a less virulent strain and he's fully vaccinated and boosted.  Certainly, a scary afternoon and evening but we're optimistic he's through the worst of it.