We're fucked.

Meanwhile, in Calgary, sharing the arm sweat at the CoviPox jamboree. 😷

Be sure to bring the unvaxxed kiddies, wheee!

Car show today in Victoria. Covid loves this!

My long-covid cousin (class of March 2020) posted this today from London UK. He's a nurse. *banging head against wall*

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/17/unexpected-changing-waves-covid-seasonal

Quebec City

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/travel/news/first-festival-d-%c3%a9t%c3%a9-de-qu%c3%a9bec-since-2019-brings-sigh-of-relief-to-quebec-city-tourism/ar-AAZEO74?li=BB15ISWR&ocid=mailsignout

And don't even get me started on the airports. 😱

I am the only one I ever see wearing a mask anymore. Fuck them all, I am going to protect myself. They can all get sick and end up with long COVID. I keep seeing the media saying that we are all going to get this shit eventually. Maybe. But I am going to put that off as long as possible. I also keep hearing people say things like, “when the pandemic was around”, or, “during the pandemic”. It isn’t over, fucktards.

Just discovered two more cases locally. One is a close neighbour (his garden lies alongside mine) who is vaxxed. The other is a friend who practically never goes out because her health is fragile and vulnerable; she is vaxxed and always masked up if she does go out. She asked me today to collect and post a test for her. I feel there's a tsunami of cases about to break over us: this morning the news report said cases were up by 30%, but I reckon it's more than that here because of the festival.

Gotta admit- the possibility for 2.75 to spread and be VERY deadly does not make me feel more for adults who may get it after actively choosing to scorn vaccines, boosters, masks, or commonsense. Honestly, I think we may Need a wave that is on par with the plague in terms of how deadly it is before people start implementing and supporting effective prevention measures across the board.

It shouldn't be this way, but we live in a world with dismantled social safety nets, limited in-depth and educational journalism, rampant individualism and disregard for others, lack of science literacy, and lack of critical thinking. The conditions may be ripe for a more deadly variant to spread because of people's behavior and lack of concern, and because social systems are not educating people and fostering critical thinking or healthy discourse like they should in healthy society.

If a wave could arise that kills so many that earlier waves are small in comparison, I hope those who are left understand the importance of individual behavior AND societal interventions for prevention. I suspect many conspiracy theorists, anti-mask and anti-vax people, right-wingers in general etc.would be taken out... along with many complacent others

I'm feeling distinctly down this week. Not only was there an explosion of Covid cases after the Glastonbury festival (entirely predictable, especially with good ole Sir Paul McCartney and others urging the tightly packed crowd to sing) but I'm now seeing people walking round the streets of my town (just down the road from the festival site) that I know have Covid. I know, because they've told me. One woman was out wearing a mask two days ago and told me she had Covid. I asked if she shouldn't be at home. 'Oh, no, I'm feeling OK.'

I said, 'I meant, for other people.'

'Oh, it's OK, I'm wearing a mask whenever anyone else is near.'

Yesterday I saw her on a crowded pavement, chatting to some guy - no mask. Called over to ask how she was. In a nutshell, she still had Covid, but was 'going to do a test tonight.'

As I walked off, I heard the ahole with her babbling about Ivermectin. Which she will doubtless take - I've never had any medical condition that I've mentioned to her without being advised to use herbs/essential oils/cider vinegar/anything that's not actually medicine.

Today, at a cafe with counter service, there was a long line of people, mostly seniors, and one woman was coughing like a machine gun. No mask. Nobody moved away from her or reacted in any way whatsoever.

Local Covid cases are through the roof and on Tuesday I heard about our first case of Monkey Pox (at least, the first I know of).

We. Are. Doomed.

The post-folk-festival covid announcements / gig cancellations already rolling in. With all the 'omg it's been two long years' hugging, sharing of microphones and nobody masking, it's going to be a shit show.

In first photo, Asian dude (lower right-hand corner) is wearing a mask.

I lived in Hong Kong for five years.

Asians do that sort of thing without even being asked.

Whenever I went to my regular doctor appointments, you could tell who was sick because they usually wore a mask to the doctor's office.

Very civilized of them for the most part.

But I think many are just used to living in crowded areas where public hygiene around disease really makes a difference.

We are sick and tired. Covid on the other hand is much more patient

Yes I'm fucking sick of this limited life, but at least it's LIFE. Outdoor-only activities for me, and only the ones where I can stay FAR from others. But after last night, I think no more. The anxiety is shortening my life. My husband, who seemed like a good idea at the time, allowed some skanky long-lost high school classmate to get all up in his face, talking. Hubby "didn't want to be rude." WTF. I was too horrified to think clearly. What I should have done was butt in and say, "Oh, my husband has been very sick - you must keep your distance!" Or something. I'm still sick to my stomach over this, while meantime my son in his 30s, careful & fully vaxxed, is very sick and so far testing negative kaynohereh. These people are.deluding themselves at OUR expense. Sometimes I feel like just kicking the crap out of them.

Sigh.

It's terrifying that all these people are like, "Well that was not fun, let's get on with the party' and whamo, Covid hits again.

It will be a very interesting fall and winter. My own doctor is dreading it. If she dreads it, I'm not going to tell her otherwise.

I wear a mask with a filter in every public place. IDC what these idiots around here think. People don’t really hassle me about it, but on occasion I DO get the random idiot telling me they can’t understand what I just said. I have VERY expressive eyes, and VERY mobile eyebrows. I repeat what I said one time. never have a problem. I should care about people being so careless with their lives, and the lives of others around them, but I was in therapy a while back, and she said, “Deanna. You can’t save the world. Save yourself.”. ThT’s what I aim to do.

I spot one!! And there is just ONE. It's like a "Where's Waldo's Mask Wearing Dumb Ass"!! If you look at the first pic, there's a dark haired guy sporting a ponytail bun thingy and wearing a black t-shirt, he's in the foreground, he's the ONLY ONE!! JFC.

I will miss the local super-spreader event, a few miles down the road from where I live. Always good with the pubs doing other live music too, but not this year again. 2019 was the last one. https://upton-blues-festival.co.uk/

Folk festival in another town. Old boomer population the most vulnerable.

I totally get that people are beyond sick and tired of covid, masks, shots, distancing, precautions, etc., but people behaving like covid is all over and done just makes it harder for those of us who understand it isn’t done and we still need to be careful.

My wife is getting frustrated that we aren’t going out more. I go along with some plans but hold out on the obviously bad ideas. I’m vaxxed and boosted but the new variants can still cause death, long covid, etc. People acting like in the photo just get others wanting that kind of thing again too and encourages bad behavior in others.