I Have a "New Attitude" Toward COVID

Patti LaBelle

By Pamela Hilliard Owens

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The COVID-19 virus, also known as SARS-CoV-2, is like a bad penny. It or one of its many variants just keeps popping up.

After the vaccines became widely available (at least here and in some other parts of the world), we hoped that we had the Alpha variant under control. 

But no. The Delta variant, which seemed to be more transmissible than its parent, the Alpha variant. Things got worse, especially for the non-vaccinated.

Then, just as the Delta variant started to wane last fall, up popped the Omicron variant. Omicron was even more transmissible, but the illness it caused seemed to be less serious, again, especially for the vaccinated and boosted populations.

Now, just as many were feeling more confident about getting out and about, especially around people we know are vaccinated and boosted, COVID cases are rapidly rising in parts of Europe and in China. More often than not, the rise of cases in the U.S. closely follows rises elsewhere in the world.

Why I am Double-Vaxxed and Boosted

My late father was an infectious diseases specialist and an epidemiologist. He went into that field because two of his older sisters died of TB in the 1930s when he was a young teenager. 

Since the last 1940s, it was my Dad’s job to research, develop, and test all kinds of diseases, vaccines, and treatments. My mother was a nurse and then a science teacher,

So I grew up in a medical family, and as soon as I qualified for the vaccines in February 2021, I got in line and received both Moderna shots. 

Then in November, when I qualified for the booster, I got that one too.

At this point, I am still wearing my mask in many situations, especially when I do not know the vaccination status of those around me.

Patti LaBelle is one of my favorite singers, and “New Attitude” is one of my favorite songs! Enjoy!

How My Attitude Has Changed

Some venues still have mask mandates and I don’t mind that at all. Others now say that “masking is optional.” I’m OK with that too. 

I know that even vaccinated people can still contract the virus, although for 99.99% of those cases, the virus doesn’t cause serious illness or require hospitalization.

I am certainly ready to move from the “pandemic” stage of COVID to the “endemic” stage. Just like the seasonal flu, which has a new variant every year, COVID will eventually move to the endemic phase, where it doesn’t control us and our lives as it has during the past two years.

Nevertheless, I am still going to keep my N95 and K95 masks handy for at least the next several months, primarily because I don’t yet trust others whose vaccination status I don’t know. 

We also don’t know if another variant might pop up.

But my attitude toward COVID has changed from being in constant fear to being constantly on my guard.

What is YOUR Attitude Towards COVID?

Let us know in the comments.