Doing my best to not be angry with the  people who got my family sick.

Trying, and failing.

I cannot help but think that if more folks masked, got vaccinated, took proper care, that any of us would be where we are right now.

But that’s not realistic.

I had hoped that our own safeguards in place would be sufficient, but that obviously had a weak link. (A few weak links, on reflection.)

If you are sick, with something that can kill somebody, for fuck’s sake, stay home.

If you are sick, and you don’t know what you have, stay home until you get it tested properly.

The fact that my whole family was put at risk by a variant of the same shit that has  killed off 11 of my friends, at this point in time gives me no small amount of rage.

You are generally contagious with COVID-19 for 5 to 10 days after symptoms begin. You are most infectious 1–2 days before symptoms start and during the first 3–5 days of illness. While many people are no longer infectious after 5 days, others can remain contagious for up to 10 days or longer.

Key Contagion and Isolation Guidelines:

When to Isolate: You can spread the virus 1–2 days before symptoms appear and throughout the symptomatic period.

Ending Isolation: You can generally return to normal activities when your symptoms improve and you have been fever-free for at least 24 hours (without fever-reducing medication).

High-Risk Individuals: Those with severe illness or weakened immune systems may remain contagious for 10–20+ days.

Asymptomatic: Even if you have no symptoms, you can still transmit the virus.

Precautions: If you must interact with others, wear a high-quality mask, especially during the first 10 days.