It’s all Omicron all the time these days, it seems. At least, in the media.
That was my thought as I was driving to Montreal from the Laurentians on Tuesday for an emergency dental appointment. I hadn’t been to see my dentist for two years because I was afraid of catching COVID-19 in their office. But I had to take my chances on Tuesday or lose a tooth.
Along the way there and back, I listened to talk radio and all the hype about Omicron, which is sweeping Quebec. It’s the most contagious version of COVID-19 yet, with thousands of new cases being reported in the province every day. On Thursday, more than 10,000 new cases were reported — and that’s just the people who got tested. It is thought there are many more people who are not bothering to get a test.
On talk radio, the host, the guests and the Joe Public callers all seemed to be pointing fingers. It’s the government’s fault for not getting a handle on the situation. It’s the anti-maskers’ and anti-vaxxers’ fault. It’s China’s fault.
And on and on it went. Frustration levels are climbing, including mine. And fear levels, too — including mine. Even though Omicron is thought to cause mild infections compared with the Delta version of COVID-19, I don’t want to catch it.
Still, I turned off my car radio when I got home on Tuesday thinking we’ve all got to look beyond blame now and focus on getting out of this mess. The best we can do now is get whatever vaccinations and boosters are offered to us and mask up — double mask, if you can. That’s what I’m doing.
Yes, there are people who are still not taking it seriously. I saw a store owner not wearing a mask yesterday. And in the grocery store this morning, there were people with their masks not covering their noses, and others with thin bandannas that offer no real protection.
But that’s on them. You know the old expression: you can lead a horse to water . . . I’m not going to criticize them, but I will avoid them like the proverbial plague.
So, to all my readers out there, look out for yourselves this holiday season. Protect yourselves as best you can.
And try not to forget the message of the season . . .
Peace and love to all. We need that spirit more than ever now.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
— Jillian
Jillian Page 
Rather than double-mask, I think you should use a better mask. Wife just picked up a bunch of N-95 masks which catches particles much smaller than the standard mask does.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/choose-wisely-spot-counterfeit-n95-170021240.html
I think we are about as far as we’ll get in masking and vaccinations. Though we should keep encouraging people to do so, there won’t be a lot more who will actually do so. Some people have turned their anti approach to everything into a quasi-religion. It would take a dictatorship on the level of China to force everyone to comply. I’d rather have the medical disease than the political disease.
Protect yourself and accept that some other people are just going to have to get sick. Social distancing, avoiding groups – especially indoors, masking, washing hands after touching public surfaces, and vaccinations are what we have to work with. Your chances of not getting sick – or not getting seriously sick – are as good as they will ever be.
There’s a pill out that has been approved to lessen the effects of COVID. As good as that sounds, it will be the hook that the anti-vaxxers will hang their hats on. “It is what it is” – and no point in getting angry or anxious about it.
I expect it will become like influenza and every year we’ll need a new vaccine for the latest mutation. Life will go on. Enjoy it.
LikeLike