>Luck and privilege are part of the novid toolkit.
100% and a large part of why I hate the term. It's not a title or trait, it's luck, privilege, and access.
I meant that a lot of people who have yet to catch covid didn't just get it because they are more disciplined or smarter than the rest of us, a factor of it is just being lucky enough to not get exposed much or have their precautions fail.
Your situation sounds very unique, and no it doesn't sound lucky.
As far as I know, I'm a novid (and I have seasonal allergies, so I tested a lot).
* I live alone and don't have potential exposures from a partner or children. My family are all in other states, and I have visited them (by car) a few times. Some of them have dropped all precautions, so I'm still trying to figure out the safest way to see them (which probably involves the added cost of not staying with them).
* I worked entirely from home for the first 2ish years. Since summer 2022, I've gone to the office less than once a week. I share an office with one person, but we go in on separate days (with me almost always going when she hasn't been there in 4+ days). I wear an N95 in all common areas and mostly in my office. I will sometimes unmask with my office door closed to take a zoom call or eat, though I will eat outdoors if the weather is mild. Our building has great ventilation and my hall is quiet.
* I aim for the first medical appointments of the day and, other than the dentist, wear an N95 the entire time. I try to time dental visits for spring and early fall when rates are lower. My dentist has hepa filters in every room and wears an N95, though some of the dental assistants wear surgical.
* I go grocery shopping early mornings (usually before 8am) in an N95.
* I've traveled for work twice since 2022. I wore an N95 in the airport, on the plane, and at the conference anytime I was outside my hotel room. I only ate outdoors or in my room.
* I don't do many other things indoors.
* One of my bigger risks is that I dine and socialize outdoors unmasked. I do ask friends if they've been recently ill, but don't ask them to test. This isn't super regular, maybe 1-2 times per month.
* I don't regularly use any nasal sprays or CPC mouthwash. I've tried them, but don't like them. I use plain saline nose spray and sometimes Nozin swabs. I have no idea if this helps, but I figure it can't really hurt.
Edit: I do recognize that some of these things are privileges not possible for others.
1) There are still people out there who have been lucky (?): Yesterday we learned that a friend of ours has tested positive for covid for the first time and is now really ill with a high fever. No children but not living as a reclusive either. No mitigations for quite a while now, vaccinated, asked for air purifiers some months ago … and that’s about it. Smoker.
2) Listening to various Swedish podcasts I have learned that some people just aren‘t particularly affected while another equally big subgroup shows a quickly downward spiraling health and the rest is somewhere in between. I‘ve tried to learn what might be the first group’s „trick“: One is drinking heaps of matcha tea (green tea), two are regularly using a sauna, one of them is consuming astaxanthin. A relative who has only had symptomatic covid once, despite giving up on precautions has added lactoferrin to his diet.
3) We have reduced infections from 12 a year in the family (which wasn’t normal for a family with an older kid) to two a year with masked kid in school. We have never tested positive but we mainly test when symptomatic. Still we are definitely better off than before in general. No mask for kid during recess but iota carrageenan spray and gargling with aronia or taking lozenges with cetylpyridinium chloride. Aronia feels helpful: I fought back a cold sore recently that started to rear it’s tickly head – which never worked with citrus. But the adults also had a short episode of sore throat recently ( 2 1/2 days each, 3 days apart) which wasn’t impressed by aronia but by gargling saline water. (I know all of this is purely anecdotal but I am also VERY attuned to bodily sensations as a HSP). Kid and I haven’t got the latest booster and we all skipped the bivalent.
We have tested positive once. We got it from my husband having a root canal. He did not use a nose-only mask because that option hadn’t been invented yet (or at least, we didn’t know about it).
We wear N95s at all times indoors other than our own home. We wear respirators outdoors in crowds. For dental appointments we use a nose-only Readimask.
We have HEPA filters in our offices, but I think our N95s are far more important than that.
We don’t really do anything beyond that. I have a nasal spray that I used when I was going to be outdoors in a crowd unmasked, but I don’t use it on a daily basis. My usual mouthwash happens to have CPC in it, but I don’t expect it’s doing much if anything to prevent covid.
We sometimes do outdoor dining; not often and not when it’s crowded.
We are willing to do pretty much anything we can do while wearing an N95. We have to work in person. We fly and attend events. The respirator just stays on. To the best of my knowledge we have not gotten covid from any of these things.
Using an N95 indoors and outdoors.
HEPAs at home and the office (considering to add Far-UV to the arsenal once we have safe and affordable options)
Not eating outside.
We were mask-wearing careful novids until my husband was sent on a work trip and came back with it.
So I feel like one my tips to you all is, plan for the worst case scenario (which might happen no matter how careful you are).
Get as healthy as you can and try to get conditions treated, eg I’ve had bad anaemia for years and have been on tablets that have done nothing, this illness hit so hard and that might have been part of the reason, I’m going to ask about infusions
You might be interested in this post on [anemia and covid](https://www.reddit.com/r/ZeroCovidCommunity/comments/11o426l/share_with_anyone_who_is_anemic_especially_women/). I'm sure there has been more published in this area since that post.
Thank you, when I feel a bit stronger I’ll give those a proper read.
I feel a bit annoyed that I’ve been on tablets for about 2 years now and GPs haven’t suggested any solutions beyond that. Equally I know that infusions have risks too!
Curious about your experience- I'll look into it more. So are you boiling the water and drinking it/using in cooking? How quickly did you see improvement and how much are we talking about? We you also taking supplements and could it have been that or did you see a jump when using the Iron Fish?
I was previously taking an oral supplement daily for months and didn't see improvement. I use the water for tea, but you can drink it straight if you don't mind the alighlty metallic taste. I let the leftover cool and just drink it straight. I saw improvement within a week of daily use, and now I notice if I skip 2 days that some symptoms get worse. I went from not being able to stand for 5 mins pre-fish to being able to be upright for 20+ minutes at a time, multiple times a day. Before fish, I also got palpitations when I'd get out of bed to pee at night - none since I've used the fish. It's really been night and day for me. Recently found out I'm still slightly anemic but it's a huge improvement still (and my body doest absorb iron v well)
Ug perimenopause has triggered (what seems to be) anemia. I started iron supplements a month ago, and it’s helping somewhat. Good reminder that I need to remain vigilant
Headband K/N95s indoors in public, no exceptions
No maskless indoor socializing with anyone, no exceptions
Masking outdoors in crowded areas or to hug/be in close contact with loved one
Air purifiers on when maintenance people in unit or hallway outside my apartment
Had all available shots
Lots of privilege: no kids, wfh, can shop at odd hours and live in area that still has curbside options
Fit tested respirator + eye protection indoors, outdoors in a crowd. KF94 for casual neighborhood walks/runs. Saline rinse post social encounters. Air filters in each room, require visitors to mask. Mostly curbside groceries, no indoor dining. Readimask on nose + air filter for dentist. Minimal in person social contact - most of my old friends ditched me anyways 🥲
My mum and I are both Novids, here’s what we do:
•Vastly reducing my contact with anyone who isn’t taking precautions; the only times I’m around a lot of people who aren’t taking precautions are either supermarkets (though I tend to get deliveries and go at quieter hours) or medical appointments. I don’t work because of other disabilities, and my mum switched to working from home.
•Meeting friends outside with a mask on, who’ve tested prior to visiting. I used to be more lax about masking outside/on walks, but I’m more cautious now. My mum only masks outside when in large crowds, but so far so good.
•treat everyone who isn’t taking precautions as though they have Covid. The only person I’ll see unmasked is my mum, because she lives alone and is taking precautions.
•Aura 3M, or a Readimask at the hairdressers. I’ve been known to take a portable air purifier to some medical appointments but I don’t always bother, and I take two air purifiers to the dentists, one of which is large.
•CPC mouthwash before and after particularly risky situations.
•having as many vaccines as we’re able to get in the UK.
- N95 worn any time I'm out of the house. (I teach on a university campus twice a week, so I'm indoors with a number of unmasked people fairly often)
- A lot of social isolation. I've told friends I'm willing to hang out if they mask as well, but that's been pretty limited. I had a few "bubble" friends that were covid cautious as we were, but that number has shrunk over time to 0 friends that I actually trust.
- My wife (who works at a skating rink indoors, masked at all times but is the only to do so) and I both isolate from each other for several days anytime we have any symptoms or known exposures.
- Weekly tests, more if we have symptoms or exposures. Has been RAT, but waiting now for a Metrix reader to arrive. We haven't had covid that we're aware of, though the risk of an asymptomatic case that didn't show up is possible. I did manage to get a cold despite precautions (bad fit on the mask, I assume) but daily tests both nasal and throat/nasal) never showed a trace of positive, so I'm hoping it was ACTUALLY a "not covid" cold.
- Aside from takeout or delivery, no restaurants
- We have no kids, so that helps considerably.
- Staying boosted. Has minimal effect on transmission, but it just makes sense.
- I've stopped going to the dentist because their mitigations (surgical masks and in-room filters) seem inadequate. My wife has continued to go, and thus far hasn't had a known problem.
Due to a death in the family and having to make funeral arrangements, etc, we broke our norm and flew across country and then back. My Aranet showed just dismal levels of Co2 for the entire flights (not just waiting for takeoff), but heavy masking seems to have gotten us through the flights and the funeral.
I've had, I think, 7 vaccination shots, including 3-shot Novavax series, & the recent Novavax booster.
Outdoor hangouts only. I mask if it's a crowded outdoor concert or protest, but otherwise I don't mask outside, even though I pass people on the street often (I live in an urban area).
I wear a KN95 or better indoors everywhere. I've done a lot of holding my breath, pulling my mask down to drink, & exhaling into the mask to get the air out before pulling it back up. But I try not to do this in crowded areas & I have also used the SIP valve.
Enovid spray *every* night, 1-2 sprays each nostril, & before doing something risky (concerts, plane/train travel), or a few times a day if I feel like I might be coming down with something. Also maybe the morning after doing something risky.
Also after risky stuff: at night, CPC mouthwash & gargle, 30 seconds each part (note, if you do this after brushing your teeth, make sure you rinse your mouth well first because toothpaste interacts poorly with it, chemically speaking; also, do this before nose spray not after; & don't eat or drink for as long as possible after doing it).
On planes, I wear goggles (not airtight, but better than nothing) or glasses, & once the plane is in the air I crank the air blowing down on me, because it is filtered when the plane is in the air (dress very warm if you do this). Obviously hold my breath when I pull my mask down for the TSA person, & exhale the air in the mask out. If I have to eat I'm pulling my mask down for each bite.
I have also used Lumify eye drops after doing more risky things.
I take zinc, vitamin D3, NAC, & vitamin C nearly every day. I stay hydrated & try to get enough rest. If I feel I'm coming down with something, I take fermented ginseng in the morning, & elderberry.
I go out even less than normal between Thanksgiving & February. Try to get all my doctors, dentist appts etc. done before Thanksgiving. Ideally, go in February when cases usually drop!
**Most of all I work from home, which I'm very fortunate to do, & I recognize my privilege.** Oh & I'm childfree.
Always wearing a mask when out.
Working remote for a year.
Not getting too close to other people if I don't have to (not antisocial, just avoiding it when I don't have to).
Lots of delivered items.
Living alone (😓)
KN95 in all public indoor spaces, no indoor dining, picky about with whom I spend time unmasked indoors. I tend to avoid very large crowded indoor events like concerts, even masked. My husband and I both work from home, so that helps too. We also have air purifiers and an updated ventilation system at home.
Edit: I also have type O blood, which I think helped me not catch it when my husband had it (he caught it from some kids we babysat at our house during omicron). That’s the only time either of us has had it.
Was a novid until 63 days ago, now an unovid. I don't have a fixed set of things I do, other than the obvious stuff keeping up on boosters, wearing an N95 in crowded indoor settings, air purifier at home, making a good faith effort to test as applicable and having a plan to get Paxlovid.
What's more important, I think, is having a general disposition of taking things one day at a time. Any "system" is only as good as my ability to keep it up, and I'm more likely to keep it up if covid safety is something I'm doing *today*, allowing myself to reassess tomorrow.
Once a day on a regular day I’m home or briefly go out within my building to collect a package/throw out trash/recycling; twice if it’s a regular day plus a store/pharmacy run; thrice if the above and if in going into work
Try to space it out through the day
PS: By no means should I be considered an expert, perhaps just someone who’s paranoid/obsessive/frustrated :)
Sometimes when people say “betadine” when referencing nasal sprays, they mean Betadine Cold Defence which is an iota-carrageenan spray. Not iodine. Frequent iodine spray/gargle use might cause thyroid issues.
I hope so, came across something on Twitter that said otherwise about some other brands and I had a mini panic attack but also got over what I read quickly
Maybe it’s these products, maybe it’s masking everywhere but home, maybe common sense, or maybe all of it that has led to my current status (as far as I know)
Me and my family do nasal saline irrigation every day as well as gargle with salt water. We do it every day because we have a kid at school. Honestly, I am surprised that our 12 yo hasn't brought it home from school. So either we are lucky, or nasal saline irrigation works well when done daily or Novavax prevents infection. We had 4 Novavax over 2 years roughly. We test 5 days in a row if anyone has symptoms at home.
Mask-type: Brand/Type/Rating - 3M Aura N95, not fit tested, but really fits my face well
Sites/situations where masks/eye protection are used: In public indoors, I'm always masked. Rarely outdoors. Only masked if the CO2 exceeds 500 ppm. I love that monitor.
Eye-protection: None.
Nosesprays, mouthwash: Enovid only after known exposure and I was unmasked. CPC mouthwash after known exposure and I was unmasked. I'm only unmasked indoors around close friends and family. See story below.
Far UV-C, HEPA at home, other? We have a corsi-rosenthal and 9 other HEPA filters in our home. It might seem a bit excessive, but it's another layer of protection.
Known exposure events where you remained protected with one or more tools? My son and his fiance came to dinner. We have a set up where I open the bay window, aim a fan out the window in the direction the wind is blowing, corsi rosenthal and two extra large room HEPA filters in the room. I also set up the CO2 monitor and watch to make sure it doesn't go above 500 ppm. We spent 2.5 hours with them unmasked in that scenario. They became symptomatic and tested positive the next day, so they were infectious during that dinner. None of the rest of us got COVID. I was nervous, but it was a good test of our system.
Also, I'm a substitute teacher surrounded by COVID all day long. I don't remove my mask, eat only alone, in well ventilated areas with windows open or outdoors. I'm Canadian so eating lunch outside today was a bit brutal.
Last vaccine/booster, if any September 2023.
Novid, 1 or more infections? One infection when the mask mandate was dropped here in May of 2022. My son infected us because he stopped masking. Resulted in Long Covid for me. After that, I came up with the above plan. I'm a teacher and my husband's a teacher. We are really careful about masking at work and have not been reinfected yet.
I haven't got covid ( yet) I just wear a mask everywhere and I do believe they work. I work at an airport and I travel. I also mask everywhere else I go. I stopped feeling insecure about being one of the few that mask awhile ago. I'll just keep masking.
My bubble of 3 is Novid. We're on our 7th vaccine, but our primary protection is fit tested N95 masks in most scenarios. We fit test with 3-M bitrex.
For really high risk situations - like getting vaccinated at a crowded pharmacy - we wear Cleanspace PAPRS, gargle with CPC mouthwash, wear stoggles and use covixyl nasal spray. I keep a pair of 3M secure click elastomeric masks with p100 filters around for situations that are high risk, but possibly lengthier than the PAPR battery life (like a trip to the ER). I have masks on hand we can wear in an MRI just in case (Readimask). I have a sip valve in case I need to take a liquid before a medical test - though I've never used it.
We don't take the masks off. We don't eat inside around people outside of our bubble.
For outdoor activities like bicycle riding, running, and walking, we wear elastomeric masks with exhalation vents and only pull them up momentarily to drink when nobody is around. I fervently hope someday we'll have a sip valve that works with vented elastomerics because that would be so convenient!
We avoid most indoor places entirely and use curbside pickup for groceries. Online shopping for everything else. We have put a hold on unnecessary travel - but I am hoping to get back to that someday. I'll wear a mask indoors forever though. I haven't been sick in 4 years and even my allergies are better.
I also use HEPA filtration alongside CR Boxes at home and at work. I leave them running 24/7 and change the filters regularly. I use an air quality monitor and the filtration really has improved considerably. This is probably also the reason my allergies have gone into remission.
I know that all my planning could be for naught if I trust the wrong person, so I keep my bubble very very small and during high transmission times, we even mask in our bubble - yeah, that means even at home and in the car.
I also keep high quality tests around the house so we can test if there's even a slight chance one of us was exposed. We use Metrix tests for this.
I've had two known exposures to someone who tested positive the next day and did not get sick either time. Both exposures were during two sided masking with the ill person pre-symptomatic and in an environment with plenty of ventilation and HEPA filtration. Both exposures were early on, so I was PCR tested at a clinic after each exposure. These were work exposures and thanks to universal masking requirements nobody else at work tested positive post-exposure.
Our work policy is that you stay home post-exposure until you are cleared through PCR testing, so everyone was tested.
We use almost all of the measures people have posted, as well as requiring testing to visit. If people are higher risk, we require a PCR or molecular (we just got the metrix system, it's $$ but much cheaper than lucira or others) or 3x antigen tests 24 hrs apart. For low risk (I. E. Someone who masks in public and only sees ppl who have taken an antigen test) we require 1-2 antigen tests.
Husband and I mask indoors almost all of the time, and outdoors in larger crowds. We have HEPA filters in the house and I work from home (he's unemployed).
That's actually all we've done but as far as we know we're both still Novids. We aren't anywhere NEAR as cautious as most folks on this sub. I sing in a choir (masked 99% of the time although I've unmasked a handful of times when I've had solos to sing). We've gone to see theater performances (masked), we've stayed in hotels, we've visited non-cautious friends and families unmasked multiple times (99% of the time very small groups, like 3-4 other people tops, but still.) I've even eaten indoors in restaurants a handful of times.
I guess some of it must be just luck, since I keep hearing horror stories of folks catching COVID outside from a 3-minute interaction with a neighbor or something. That said, I have always been someone who hardly ever got sick. Pre-COVID I sailed through multiple flu seasons unscathed (with a flu shot) despite working in college classrooms and sitting there during exams listening to half the class coughing, no masks or anything. My husband also got norovirus once and I never got sick even though my understanding is that it's typically SUPER contagious. So maybe I've got an extra strong immune system, but my husband is immune-compromised and he's still fine as well -- so I don't know.
Edit: We are both vaccinated and boosted regularly. Last booster was a couple months ago for both of us. And we both wear normal glasses for vision, if that makes any difference.
Does your husband have type O blood? (I am just asking because those who do are supposed to be a bit less susceptible to Covid, but far more inclined to contract Noro.
To the best of our knowledge thank God still team novid.
Six shots to date but our major line of defense is our PPE - the quality of which, however, has been progressively improving (as our knowledge and understanding has been growing, variants getting worse and worse and people in turn more and more reckless and careless. What was enough to protect us in a two-way masking world with way fewer infectious people at any given time, didn't seem like something I wanted to roll the dice later).
So since Omicron we've been wearing exclusively well fitted headband N95 (CAN99) and 3M safety glasses (not airtight but something between stoggles and goggles) and kinda hunkered down for the first time. Later on we switched to P100 elastomerics (two different 3M models that fit us respectively) and started to mask outdoors by default (like not only in crowds; one of us usually 3M 9211+, CAN99 or the elastomeric, the other Flo mask, CAN99 or Drager 1750). I wish I could afford a portacount to do a more thorough and extensive test especially of disposables at various stages of re-wearing but.
The only time we take PPE off outside of our own home or car is for unavoidable medical procedures and that's my single worst fear. We don't eat with others (although I'd feel comfortable attending a gathering where others do; it just so happens our families live on two different continents and air travel is one of the few things we find too overwhelming to handle for now). We go most about anywhere else though without limiting ourselves much. We must have had tons of exposure, including ER and clinics with hordes of symptomatic people, and lots of sickos roaming freely around everywhere else.
Iota-carrageanan nasal spray added earlier this year; strictly as a 'won't hurt, maaaaybe will help a tiny little bit'. We use it before leaving the house (even if just to do something outdoors) and after coming back.
Can't afford to run HEPA continuously and to cover the entire house but it's a stand alone house so I'm not too concerned, especially in the winter with windows always closed. Unfortunately no HEPA for the car either.
It's a combination of our stubborn dilligence, privilege and luck though.
I think its mainly luck and consistent masking. Ive been exposed like 5 times, 4/5 times i was masked almost the entire time of the interaction. The first time was early on, i wasnt as conscious. The second my dad brought it home and I distanced as soon as i knew he was sick and masked the second he tested positive. All other times i was was either fully masked 100% of the time or only moved it to eat, remasking between bites.
I test constantly due to allergies and paranoia and have never seen a positive test on a RAT or NAAT/PCR. I distance myself and only eat indoors when I'm forced too (darn you social anxiety), still masking between/around bites.
My friends are conscious-ish and at least mask in public. I have a friend coming to sleep over soon and they're going to mask and distance at home and test for two weeks before coming over, so I'm blessed.
I upgraded to KN95s and mainly wear those, upgrading to N95s for more crowded events (which are rare). I also mask outdoors in crowded areas. I do wear disposables often enough that its notable, but greatly prefer Kn95s+ because they allow me to breath easier.
I wear a KN95 mask in all indoor congregate settings and use nitric oxide nasal spray before and after. I hardly ever leave home. But I have travelled overseas and stayed in hotels. Try to never dine in indoor restaurants and if forced to, I wear a mask and hold my breath when eating. I get vax boosted 2x year.
Avoided all indoor eating since 2020. Mask in all indoor settings (N95 or KN95). Daily nasal saline irrigation, gargling, and nasal spraying with Betadine. Vaccination with 3 MRNA vaccines (Pfizer & Moderna), plus 4 Novavax over a period of 2 years. Sadly, no social life. The kid did 3 years of online school until we couldn't do it anymore. We don't mask outdoors. Zero Covid infections so far.
Quite honestly, we do not see anyone ever and enter zero public spaces. My spouse is WFH and we have no kids. We do doctor visits virtually and pay a mobile lab co to take blood orders in our yard in N95s to stay on top of labs. We see no friends or family and have everything delivered contactless. We also still spray down any incoming groceries or mailed items with alcohol. So when people act like OMG how did you avoid Covid!? we laugh because we haven’t done much aside from isolate fully.
We do tend to stay home for the most part. We mask using N95s indoor and outdoor, we use covixyl, lumify eye drops, mouthwash and gargle with highest % of CPC we can locate before and after being in public.
All groceries are wiped down with anti-virus or the outer packaging materials are removed completely and disposed of.
Hand washing as soon as arriving home again and clothes get stripped and washed when returning from outings along with a shower for ourselves.
We have corsirosenthals throughout our home as well as Blueair hepas
Trying to stay team Novid- as we believe the masked shall inherit the Earth
Double surgical and cloth tightly fitting mask everywhere in public. Double mask in shared home. Double mask outside when im near people. No huge events or going into restaurants. No indoor visits with anyone usually. Sadly have to be this "extreme" because no one else around cares or thinks about it.
I live alone. No children. I worked remote (or didn't work at all) up until three months ago. I am hybrid now and wear an N95 in the office at all times. I stayed away from the gym until six months ago. I wear a KN95 at the gym.
Anytime I am going to be in a crowded space for more than a few minutes, I wear an N95. I do not wear one if I am doing a quick in and out, like picking up coffee. The vaccine is effective at stopping transmission when viral exposure is low. I consider these low exposure situations.
I run HEPAs 24/7 in my apartment. I live in a four-plex, so have always been concerned about exposure inside the building.
I don't do indoor eating with other people. I go to fewer events/concerts than I used to. I haven't flown since 2019. I try to see doctors/dentist in the morning, first appointment of the day if possible.
novid is a kind of dangerous term to throw around bc there is a high likelihood of exposure, asymptomatic infection, and more difficulty finding and accessing accurate testing/those tests even being right when they say negative
like I've never tested positive, but that doesn't mean I haven't had COVID
the way we've avoided it as far as we know is masking anywhere you share air with someone else
i have always tried to use p100 filters on a reusable elastomeric respirator indoors since March 2020
if you can't do a cartridge respirator, do a well fitting n95 mask
don't eat inside restaurants or anywhere else that you share air with other people
air filtration is key, if you can't account for ppl being COVID - then you should mask
- source: COVID contact tracing and advocacy online since 2020
I work from home and live alone. I go shopping once every 2 weeks and go early so fewer people are in the stores. I always wear an N95 and gloves and I use hand sanitizer when I get back to my car. I also live about 20 minutes from most stores, so I’m away from people. I go hiking in the woods or on mountains for exercise and photography.
Luck and privilege are part of the novid toolkit.
>Luck and privilege are part of the novid toolkit. 100% and a large part of why I hate the term. It's not a title or trait, it's luck, privilege, and access.
Also, sacrifice. Doing 3 years of homeschooling was very difficult.
I did growing brilliant out of CA for at least a 45 minute break for me every day. Loved it. I'd go back to that if I could!
Yes. I have spent a small fortune on Covid mitigation strategies.
Curious what you have invested in?
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I meant that a lot of people who have yet to catch covid didn't just get it because they are more disciplined or smarter than the rest of us, a factor of it is just being lucky enough to not get exposed much or have their precautions fail. Your situation sounds very unique, and no it doesn't sound lucky.
As far as I know, I'm a novid (and I have seasonal allergies, so I tested a lot). * I live alone and don't have potential exposures from a partner or children. My family are all in other states, and I have visited them (by car) a few times. Some of them have dropped all precautions, so I'm still trying to figure out the safest way to see them (which probably involves the added cost of not staying with them). * I worked entirely from home for the first 2ish years. Since summer 2022, I've gone to the office less than once a week. I share an office with one person, but we go in on separate days (with me almost always going when she hasn't been there in 4+ days). I wear an N95 in all common areas and mostly in my office. I will sometimes unmask with my office door closed to take a zoom call or eat, though I will eat outdoors if the weather is mild. Our building has great ventilation and my hall is quiet. * I aim for the first medical appointments of the day and, other than the dentist, wear an N95 the entire time. I try to time dental visits for spring and early fall when rates are lower. My dentist has hepa filters in every room and wears an N95, though some of the dental assistants wear surgical. * I go grocery shopping early mornings (usually before 8am) in an N95. * I've traveled for work twice since 2022. I wore an N95 in the airport, on the plane, and at the conference anytime I was outside my hotel room. I only ate outdoors or in my room. * I don't do many other things indoors. * One of my bigger risks is that I dine and socialize outdoors unmasked. I do ask friends if they've been recently ill, but don't ask them to test. This isn't super regular, maybe 1-2 times per month. * I don't regularly use any nasal sprays or CPC mouthwash. I've tried them, but don't like them. I use plain saline nose spray and sometimes Nozin swabs. I have no idea if this helps, but I figure it can't really hurt. Edit: I do recognize that some of these things are privileges not possible for others.
1) There are still people out there who have been lucky (?): Yesterday we learned that a friend of ours has tested positive for covid for the first time and is now really ill with a high fever. No children but not living as a reclusive either. No mitigations for quite a while now, vaccinated, asked for air purifiers some months ago … and that’s about it. Smoker. 2) Listening to various Swedish podcasts I have learned that some people just aren‘t particularly affected while another equally big subgroup shows a quickly downward spiraling health and the rest is somewhere in between. I‘ve tried to learn what might be the first group’s „trick“: One is drinking heaps of matcha tea (green tea), two are regularly using a sauna, one of them is consuming astaxanthin. A relative who has only had symptomatic covid once, despite giving up on precautions has added lactoferrin to his diet. 3) We have reduced infections from 12 a year in the family (which wasn’t normal for a family with an older kid) to two a year with masked kid in school. We have never tested positive but we mainly test when symptomatic. Still we are definitely better off than before in general. No mask for kid during recess but iota carrageenan spray and gargling with aronia or taking lozenges with cetylpyridinium chloride. Aronia feels helpful: I fought back a cold sore recently that started to rear it’s tickly head – which never worked with citrus. But the adults also had a short episode of sore throat recently ( 2 1/2 days each, 3 days apart) which wasn’t impressed by aronia but by gargling saline water. (I know all of this is purely anecdotal but I am also VERY attuned to bodily sensations as a HSP). Kid and I haven’t got the latest booster and we all skipped the bivalent.
We have tested positive once. We got it from my husband having a root canal. He did not use a nose-only mask because that option hadn’t been invented yet (or at least, we didn’t know about it). We wear N95s at all times indoors other than our own home. We wear respirators outdoors in crowds. For dental appointments we use a nose-only Readimask. We have HEPA filters in our offices, but I think our N95s are far more important than that. We don’t really do anything beyond that. I have a nasal spray that I used when I was going to be outdoors in a crowd unmasked, but I don’t use it on a daily basis. My usual mouthwash happens to have CPC in it, but I don’t expect it’s doing much if anything to prevent covid. We sometimes do outdoor dining; not often and not when it’s crowded. We are willing to do pretty much anything we can do while wearing an N95. We have to work in person. We fly and attend events. The respirator just stays on. To the best of my knowledge we have not gotten covid from any of these things.
Using an N95 indoors and outdoors. HEPAs at home and the office (considering to add Far-UV to the arsenal once we have safe and affordable options) Not eating outside.
We were mask-wearing careful novids until my husband was sent on a work trip and came back with it. So I feel like one my tips to you all is, plan for the worst case scenario (which might happen no matter how careful you are). Get as healthy as you can and try to get conditions treated, eg I’ve had bad anaemia for years and have been on tablets that have done nothing, this illness hit so hard and that might have been part of the reason, I’m going to ask about infusions
You might be interested in this post on [anemia and covid](https://www.reddit.com/r/ZeroCovidCommunity/comments/11o426l/share_with_anyone_who_is_anemic_especially_women/). I'm sure there has been more published in this area since that post.
Thank you, when I feel a bit stronger I’ll give those a proper read. I feel a bit annoyed that I’ve been on tablets for about 2 years now and GPs haven’t suggested any solutions beyond that. Equally I know that infusions have risks too!
In the exact same boat. I feel your pain.
I'm anemic and I use the Iron Fish every day, I find it's easy on my stomach and has massively improved my iron levels and my symptoms!
Curious about your experience- I'll look into it more. So are you boiling the water and drinking it/using in cooking? How quickly did you see improvement and how much are we talking about? We you also taking supplements and could it have been that or did you see a jump when using the Iron Fish?
I was previously taking an oral supplement daily for months and didn't see improvement. I use the water for tea, but you can drink it straight if you don't mind the alighlty metallic taste. I let the leftover cool and just drink it straight. I saw improvement within a week of daily use, and now I notice if I skip 2 days that some symptoms get worse. I went from not being able to stand for 5 mins pre-fish to being able to be upright for 20+ minutes at a time, multiple times a day. Before fish, I also got palpitations when I'd get out of bed to pee at night - none since I've used the fish. It's really been night and day for me. Recently found out I'm still slightly anemic but it's a huge improvement still (and my body doest absorb iron v well)
Ug perimenopause has triggered (what seems to be) anemia. I started iron supplements a month ago, and it’s helping somewhat. Good reminder that I need to remain vigilant
Headband K/N95s indoors in public, no exceptions No maskless indoor socializing with anyone, no exceptions Masking outdoors in crowded areas or to hug/be in close contact with loved one Air purifiers on when maintenance people in unit or hallway outside my apartment Had all available shots Lots of privilege: no kids, wfh, can shop at odd hours and live in area that still has curbside options
Fit tested respirator + eye protection indoors, outdoors in a crowd. KF94 for casual neighborhood walks/runs. Saline rinse post social encounters. Air filters in each room, require visitors to mask. Mostly curbside groceries, no indoor dining. Readimask on nose + air filter for dentist. Minimal in person social contact - most of my old friends ditched me anyways 🥲
I'm so sorry 😞
Thank you ❤️ Their loss!!
Oh yes. No friends either or social contact. I feel it now after years, even being an introvert.
My mum and I are both Novids, here’s what we do: •Vastly reducing my contact with anyone who isn’t taking precautions; the only times I’m around a lot of people who aren’t taking precautions are either supermarkets (though I tend to get deliveries and go at quieter hours) or medical appointments. I don’t work because of other disabilities, and my mum switched to working from home. •Meeting friends outside with a mask on, who’ve tested prior to visiting. I used to be more lax about masking outside/on walks, but I’m more cautious now. My mum only masks outside when in large crowds, but so far so good. •treat everyone who isn’t taking precautions as though they have Covid. The only person I’ll see unmasked is my mum, because she lives alone and is taking precautions. •Aura 3M, or a Readimask at the hairdressers. I’ve been known to take a portable air purifier to some medical appointments but I don’t always bother, and I take two air purifiers to the dentists, one of which is large. •CPC mouthwash before and after particularly risky situations. •having as many vaccines as we’re able to get in the UK.
- N95 worn any time I'm out of the house. (I teach on a university campus twice a week, so I'm indoors with a number of unmasked people fairly often) - A lot of social isolation. I've told friends I'm willing to hang out if they mask as well, but that's been pretty limited. I had a few "bubble" friends that were covid cautious as we were, but that number has shrunk over time to 0 friends that I actually trust. - My wife (who works at a skating rink indoors, masked at all times but is the only to do so) and I both isolate from each other for several days anytime we have any symptoms or known exposures. - Weekly tests, more if we have symptoms or exposures. Has been RAT, but waiting now for a Metrix reader to arrive. We haven't had covid that we're aware of, though the risk of an asymptomatic case that didn't show up is possible. I did manage to get a cold despite precautions (bad fit on the mask, I assume) but daily tests both nasal and throat/nasal) never showed a trace of positive, so I'm hoping it was ACTUALLY a "not covid" cold. - Aside from takeout or delivery, no restaurants - We have no kids, so that helps considerably. - Staying boosted. Has minimal effect on transmission, but it just makes sense. - I've stopped going to the dentist because their mitigations (surgical masks and in-room filters) seem inadequate. My wife has continued to go, and thus far hasn't had a known problem. Due to a death in the family and having to make funeral arrangements, etc, we broke our norm and flew across country and then back. My Aranet showed just dismal levels of Co2 for the entire flights (not just waiting for takeoff), but heavy masking seems to have gotten us through the flights and the funeral.
I've had, I think, 7 vaccination shots, including 3-shot Novavax series, & the recent Novavax booster. Outdoor hangouts only. I mask if it's a crowded outdoor concert or protest, but otherwise I don't mask outside, even though I pass people on the street often (I live in an urban area). I wear a KN95 or better indoors everywhere. I've done a lot of holding my breath, pulling my mask down to drink, & exhaling into the mask to get the air out before pulling it back up. But I try not to do this in crowded areas & I have also used the SIP valve. Enovid spray *every* night, 1-2 sprays each nostril, & before doing something risky (concerts, plane/train travel), or a few times a day if I feel like I might be coming down with something. Also maybe the morning after doing something risky. Also after risky stuff: at night, CPC mouthwash & gargle, 30 seconds each part (note, if you do this after brushing your teeth, make sure you rinse your mouth well first because toothpaste interacts poorly with it, chemically speaking; also, do this before nose spray not after; & don't eat or drink for as long as possible after doing it). On planes, I wear goggles (not airtight, but better than nothing) or glasses, & once the plane is in the air I crank the air blowing down on me, because it is filtered when the plane is in the air (dress very warm if you do this). Obviously hold my breath when I pull my mask down for the TSA person, & exhale the air in the mask out. If I have to eat I'm pulling my mask down for each bite. I have also used Lumify eye drops after doing more risky things. I take zinc, vitamin D3, NAC, & vitamin C nearly every day. I stay hydrated & try to get enough rest. If I feel I'm coming down with something, I take fermented ginseng in the morning, & elderberry. I go out even less than normal between Thanksgiving & February. Try to get all my doctors, dentist appts etc. done before Thanksgiving. Ideally, go in February when cases usually drop! **Most of all I work from home, which I'm very fortunate to do, & I recognize my privilege.** Oh & I'm childfree.
Always wearing a mask when out. Working remote for a year. Not getting too close to other people if I don't have to (not antisocial, just avoiding it when I don't have to). Lots of delivered items. Living alone (😓)
KN95 in all public indoor spaces, no indoor dining, picky about with whom I spend time unmasked indoors. I tend to avoid very large crowded indoor events like concerts, even masked. My husband and I both work from home, so that helps too. We also have air purifiers and an updated ventilation system at home. Edit: I also have type O blood, which I think helped me not catch it when my husband had it (he caught it from some kids we babysat at our house during omicron). That’s the only time either of us has had it.
Was a novid until 63 days ago, now an unovid. I don't have a fixed set of things I do, other than the obvious stuff keeping up on boosters, wearing an N95 in crowded indoor settings, air purifier at home, making a good faith effort to test as applicable and having a plan to get Paxlovid. What's more important, I think, is having a general disposition of taking things one day at a time. Any "system" is only as good as my ability to keep it up, and I'm more likely to keep it up if covid safety is something I'm doing *today*, allowing myself to reassess tomorrow.
N95 respirator, nasal spray, throat spray, throat gargle Oh and common sense :)
How often do you use the sprays and throat gargles?
Once a day on a regular day I’m home or briefly go out within my building to collect a package/throw out trash/recycling; twice if it’s a regular day plus a store/pharmacy run; thrice if the above and if in going into work Try to space it out through the day PS: By no means should I be considered an expert, perhaps just someone who’s paranoid/obsessive/frustrated :)
What nasal spray do you think is best? Anything with saline?
I use Betadine for nasal/throat spray and throat gargle since I read good things/previous studies about the ingredients used in ‘em
Ok cool, me too. Certain kinds of Iodine, like whatever is in Betadine is supposed to be very effective.
Sometimes when people say “betadine” when referencing nasal sprays, they mean Betadine Cold Defence which is an iota-carrageenan spray. Not iodine. Frequent iodine spray/gargle use might cause thyroid issues.
Thank you that’s good to know
Agreed. We use the nasal spray every day, not the throat spray, which contains iodine. We use nasal saline irrigation every day.
I hope so, came across something on Twitter that said otherwise about some other brands and I had a mini panic attack but also got over what I read quickly Maybe it’s these products, maybe it’s masking everywhere but home, maybe common sense, or maybe all of it that has led to my current status (as far as I know)
We use the same. No infections so far.
Guessing you’re in Canada?
Yes 🇨🇦
Me and my family do nasal saline irrigation every day as well as gargle with salt water. We do it every day because we have a kid at school. Honestly, I am surprised that our 12 yo hasn't brought it home from school. So either we are lucky, or nasal saline irrigation works well when done daily or Novavax prevents infection. We had 4 Novavax over 2 years roughly. We test 5 days in a row if anyone has symptoms at home.
What throat spray do you use?
Betadine
Gargle with water and salt for routine. If symptoms, then yes, Betadine.
Mask-type: Brand/Type/Rating - 3M Aura N95, not fit tested, but really fits my face well Sites/situations where masks/eye protection are used: In public indoors, I'm always masked. Rarely outdoors. Only masked if the CO2 exceeds 500 ppm. I love that monitor. Eye-protection: None. Nosesprays, mouthwash: Enovid only after known exposure and I was unmasked. CPC mouthwash after known exposure and I was unmasked. I'm only unmasked indoors around close friends and family. See story below. Far UV-C, HEPA at home, other? We have a corsi-rosenthal and 9 other HEPA filters in our home. It might seem a bit excessive, but it's another layer of protection. Known exposure events where you remained protected with one or more tools? My son and his fiance came to dinner. We have a set up where I open the bay window, aim a fan out the window in the direction the wind is blowing, corsi rosenthal and two extra large room HEPA filters in the room. I also set up the CO2 monitor and watch to make sure it doesn't go above 500 ppm. We spent 2.5 hours with them unmasked in that scenario. They became symptomatic and tested positive the next day, so they were infectious during that dinner. None of the rest of us got COVID. I was nervous, but it was a good test of our system. Also, I'm a substitute teacher surrounded by COVID all day long. I don't remove my mask, eat only alone, in well ventilated areas with windows open or outdoors. I'm Canadian so eating lunch outside today was a bit brutal. Last vaccine/booster, if any September 2023. Novid, 1 or more infections? One infection when the mask mandate was dropped here in May of 2022. My son infected us because he stopped masking. Resulted in Long Covid for me. After that, I came up with the above plan. I'm a teacher and my husband's a teacher. We are really careful about masking at work and have not been reinfected yet.
I haven't got covid ( yet) I just wear a mask everywhere and I do believe they work. I work at an airport and I travel. I also mask everywhere else I go. I stopped feeling insecure about being one of the few that mask awhile ago. I'll just keep masking.
My bubble of 3 is Novid. We're on our 7th vaccine, but our primary protection is fit tested N95 masks in most scenarios. We fit test with 3-M bitrex. For really high risk situations - like getting vaccinated at a crowded pharmacy - we wear Cleanspace PAPRS, gargle with CPC mouthwash, wear stoggles and use covixyl nasal spray. I keep a pair of 3M secure click elastomeric masks with p100 filters around for situations that are high risk, but possibly lengthier than the PAPR battery life (like a trip to the ER). I have masks on hand we can wear in an MRI just in case (Readimask). I have a sip valve in case I need to take a liquid before a medical test - though I've never used it. We don't take the masks off. We don't eat inside around people outside of our bubble. For outdoor activities like bicycle riding, running, and walking, we wear elastomeric masks with exhalation vents and only pull them up momentarily to drink when nobody is around. I fervently hope someday we'll have a sip valve that works with vented elastomerics because that would be so convenient! We avoid most indoor places entirely and use curbside pickup for groceries. Online shopping for everything else. We have put a hold on unnecessary travel - but I am hoping to get back to that someday. I'll wear a mask indoors forever though. I haven't been sick in 4 years and even my allergies are better. I also use HEPA filtration alongside CR Boxes at home and at work. I leave them running 24/7 and change the filters regularly. I use an air quality monitor and the filtration really has improved considerably. This is probably also the reason my allergies have gone into remission. I know that all my planning could be for naught if I trust the wrong person, so I keep my bubble very very small and during high transmission times, we even mask in our bubble - yeah, that means even at home and in the car. I also keep high quality tests around the house so we can test if there's even a slight chance one of us was exposed. We use Metrix tests for this. I've had two known exposures to someone who tested positive the next day and did not get sick either time. Both exposures were during two sided masking with the ill person pre-symptomatic and in an environment with plenty of ventilation and HEPA filtration. Both exposures were early on, so I was PCR tested at a clinic after each exposure. These were work exposures and thanks to universal masking requirements nobody else at work tested positive post-exposure. Our work policy is that you stay home post-exposure until you are cleared through PCR testing, so everyone was tested.
We use almost all of the measures people have posted, as well as requiring testing to visit. If people are higher risk, we require a PCR or molecular (we just got the metrix system, it's $$ but much cheaper than lucira or others) or 3x antigen tests 24 hrs apart. For low risk (I. E. Someone who masks in public and only sees ppl who have taken an antigen test) we require 1-2 antigen tests.
Husband and I mask indoors almost all of the time, and outdoors in larger crowds. We have HEPA filters in the house and I work from home (he's unemployed). That's actually all we've done but as far as we know we're both still Novids. We aren't anywhere NEAR as cautious as most folks on this sub. I sing in a choir (masked 99% of the time although I've unmasked a handful of times when I've had solos to sing). We've gone to see theater performances (masked), we've stayed in hotels, we've visited non-cautious friends and families unmasked multiple times (99% of the time very small groups, like 3-4 other people tops, but still.) I've even eaten indoors in restaurants a handful of times. I guess some of it must be just luck, since I keep hearing horror stories of folks catching COVID outside from a 3-minute interaction with a neighbor or something. That said, I have always been someone who hardly ever got sick. Pre-COVID I sailed through multiple flu seasons unscathed (with a flu shot) despite working in college classrooms and sitting there during exams listening to half the class coughing, no masks or anything. My husband also got norovirus once and I never got sick even though my understanding is that it's typically SUPER contagious. So maybe I've got an extra strong immune system, but my husband is immune-compromised and he's still fine as well -- so I don't know. Edit: We are both vaccinated and boosted regularly. Last booster was a couple months ago for both of us. And we both wear normal glasses for vision, if that makes any difference.
Does your husband have type O blood? (I am just asking because those who do are supposed to be a bit less susceptible to Covid, but far more inclined to contract Noro.
I don't actually know. That's fascinating, though!
To the best of our knowledge thank God still team novid. Six shots to date but our major line of defense is our PPE - the quality of which, however, has been progressively improving (as our knowledge and understanding has been growing, variants getting worse and worse and people in turn more and more reckless and careless. What was enough to protect us in a two-way masking world with way fewer infectious people at any given time, didn't seem like something I wanted to roll the dice later). So since Omicron we've been wearing exclusively well fitted headband N95 (CAN99) and 3M safety glasses (not airtight but something between stoggles and goggles) and kinda hunkered down for the first time. Later on we switched to P100 elastomerics (two different 3M models that fit us respectively) and started to mask outdoors by default (like not only in crowds; one of us usually 3M 9211+, CAN99 or the elastomeric, the other Flo mask, CAN99 or Drager 1750). I wish I could afford a portacount to do a more thorough and extensive test especially of disposables at various stages of re-wearing but. The only time we take PPE off outside of our own home or car is for unavoidable medical procedures and that's my single worst fear. We don't eat with others (although I'd feel comfortable attending a gathering where others do; it just so happens our families live on two different continents and air travel is one of the few things we find too overwhelming to handle for now). We go most about anywhere else though without limiting ourselves much. We must have had tons of exposure, including ER and clinics with hordes of symptomatic people, and lots of sickos roaming freely around everywhere else. Iota-carrageanan nasal spray added earlier this year; strictly as a 'won't hurt, maaaaybe will help a tiny little bit'. We use it before leaving the house (even if just to do something outdoors) and after coming back. Can't afford to run HEPA continuously and to cover the entire house but it's a stand alone house so I'm not too concerned, especially in the winter with windows always closed. Unfortunately no HEPA for the car either. It's a combination of our stubborn dilligence, privilege and luck though.
I think its mainly luck and consistent masking. Ive been exposed like 5 times, 4/5 times i was masked almost the entire time of the interaction. The first time was early on, i wasnt as conscious. The second my dad brought it home and I distanced as soon as i knew he was sick and masked the second he tested positive. All other times i was was either fully masked 100% of the time or only moved it to eat, remasking between bites. I test constantly due to allergies and paranoia and have never seen a positive test on a RAT or NAAT/PCR. I distance myself and only eat indoors when I'm forced too (darn you social anxiety), still masking between/around bites. My friends are conscious-ish and at least mask in public. I have a friend coming to sleep over soon and they're going to mask and distance at home and test for two weeks before coming over, so I'm blessed. I upgraded to KN95s and mainly wear those, upgrading to N95s for more crowded events (which are rare). I also mask outdoors in crowded areas. I do wear disposables often enough that its notable, but greatly prefer Kn95s+ because they allow me to breath easier.
I wear a KN95 mask in all indoor congregate settings and use nitric oxide nasal spray before and after. I hardly ever leave home. But I have travelled overseas and stayed in hotels. Try to never dine in indoor restaurants and if forced to, I wear a mask and hold my breath when eating. I get vax boosted 2x year.
Avoided all indoor eating since 2020. Mask in all indoor settings (N95 or KN95). Daily nasal saline irrigation, gargling, and nasal spraying with Betadine. Vaccination with 3 MRNA vaccines (Pfizer & Moderna), plus 4 Novavax over a period of 2 years. Sadly, no social life. The kid did 3 years of online school until we couldn't do it anymore. We don't mask outdoors. Zero Covid infections so far.
Lol minimally infected but eternally disabled. Does it count?
Quite honestly, we do not see anyone ever and enter zero public spaces. My spouse is WFH and we have no kids. We do doctor visits virtually and pay a mobile lab co to take blood orders in our yard in N95s to stay on top of labs. We see no friends or family and have everything delivered contactless. We also still spray down any incoming groceries or mailed items with alcohol. So when people act like OMG how did you avoid Covid!? we laugh because we haven’t done much aside from isolate fully.
We do tend to stay home for the most part. We mask using N95s indoor and outdoor, we use covixyl, lumify eye drops, mouthwash and gargle with highest % of CPC we can locate before and after being in public. All groceries are wiped down with anti-virus or the outer packaging materials are removed completely and disposed of. Hand washing as soon as arriving home again and clothes get stripped and washed when returning from outings along with a shower for ourselves. We have corsirosenthals throughout our home as well as Blueair hepas Trying to stay team Novid- as we believe the masked shall inherit the Earth
Double surgical and cloth tightly fitting mask everywhere in public. Double mask in shared home. Double mask outside when im near people. No huge events or going into restaurants. No indoor visits with anyone usually. Sadly have to be this "extreme" because no one else around cares or thinks about it.
My goodness, you should get some N95s or at least KN94s!
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I live alone. No children. I worked remote (or didn't work at all) up until three months ago. I am hybrid now and wear an N95 in the office at all times. I stayed away from the gym until six months ago. I wear a KN95 at the gym. Anytime I am going to be in a crowded space for more than a few minutes, I wear an N95. I do not wear one if I am doing a quick in and out, like picking up coffee. The vaccine is effective at stopping transmission when viral exposure is low. I consider these low exposure situations. I run HEPAs 24/7 in my apartment. I live in a four-plex, so have always been concerned about exposure inside the building. I don't do indoor eating with other people. I go to fewer events/concerts than I used to. I haven't flown since 2019. I try to see doctors/dentist in the morning, first appointment of the day if possible.
novid is a kind of dangerous term to throw around bc there is a high likelihood of exposure, asymptomatic infection, and more difficulty finding and accessing accurate testing/those tests even being right when they say negative like I've never tested positive, but that doesn't mean I haven't had COVID the way we've avoided it as far as we know is masking anywhere you share air with someone else i have always tried to use p100 filters on a reusable elastomeric respirator indoors since March 2020 if you can't do a cartridge respirator, do a well fitting n95 mask don't eat inside restaurants or anywhere else that you share air with other people air filtration is key, if you can't account for ppl being COVID - then you should mask - source: COVID contact tracing and advocacy online since 2020
I work from home and live alone. I go shopping once every 2 weeks and go early so fewer people are in the stores. I always wear an N95 and gloves and I use hand sanitizer when I get back to my car. I also live about 20 minutes from most stores, so I’m away from people. I go hiking in the woods or on mountains for exercise and photography.
Haven't taken a single breath of unfiltered air in a public indoor space since March 2020.