Five years of COVID

Some anniversaries I would rather not celebrate.

But it's long COVID awareness day and over five years since a virus infected my body and ate away at my future. Here are some things I have learnt:

·      People who care about people are gold.

·      Too many people love shit science when it backs up their desire not to be inconvenienced.

·      Astoundingly, some people still don't think face masks need to cover their nose.

·      Most people are strongly convinced they don't have COVID before they have tested and have no intention of testing.

·      Most people forget that rapid tests were never intended to be accurate (that's why we used to have to post them off).

·      Health is, more often than not, seen as some kind of moral barometer.

·      Asking if people have comorbidities is very similar to stating, out loud, that disabled people are disposable or not as important as everyone else.

·      A lot of people have phenomenally shit at maths. A lot of people are convinced that fewer people die of COVID now as it's less dangerous, not accounting for the fact that a lot of our elderly and vulnerable people are dead and you can't die twice.

·      It is easy to feel forgotten, but in truth, everyone has stuff going on. Even when you are sad and beyond your limits, it's still often possible to send a text to a friend.

·      You don't always have to know what to say, but you can always offer to cook or clean.

·      “How is today?” is a lot easier to respond to than “How are you?”

·      “Are you better yet?” is ableist AF

·      Sometimes people aren't going to know what they need, but I promise you saying “Let me know if you need anything”, and assuming they will is rarely showing up for what anyone needs.

·      That if you are not asking for people to stay away if they are ill, your event is not really inclusive.

·      If you're not offering hybrid online and offline options at this stage, you simply do not care about vulnerable people's inclusion or input.

·      Asking people “How on earth they got so many infections” is always a dickhead move.

·      Other people's vaccine status will forever remain none of your business.

·      A link your mate sent you on Facebook is not equal to a peer-reviewed clinical trial.

·      I have noticed people who are hypermobile and have endometriosis seem way more likely to get long COVID and few people are talking about this.  And I cannot help but suspect this excellent opportunity to close some gender gaps in medical research, is being tediously overlooked.

I used to say COVID stole my future. Now I'd like to think I'm a bit more calm with the idea that we never really know what the future will hold.

It's comforting to think we do. But in truth, it can all flip on a coin.

The more I'm able to release the idea of how things should have been, the more peace I can find in how things are.

While COVID took many things from me: My energy, my heart, my health, my stamina, my money, my house, my partner, my job and 32 dead friends. What I hope it gave me is a greater capacity to hear where people are at, to greet them where they are and to loudly, liberally advocate for d/Disabled people's rights.

If we are lucky enough, we will all get to an age where our health is in decline. I hope we heed the way we want to be treated well before then.