Today I happily went into a grocery store unmasked for the first time in ages. The sign on the door said masks were only required for the unvaccinated. (NY just switched.) There were only a handful of other people in the store since we’re in a small tourist town pre-season, but it still felt good to be near the end.
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I went inside stores this past week (still masked) after a few months of curbside pickup. I still used hand sanitizer. Today I definitely have a cold. How did this happen?!
Curious about this myself. Have been wondering if the masking and distancing, although critical for slowing - not removing, but slowing - the spread of covid, has been detrimental to our overall immune systems. As I understand it, natural immunity is achieved by building tolerance for things like common cold, flu. Obviously covid prevention was the priority and rightfully so, but I feel the more we mask now, the less natural immunity we’ll have to deal with other things.
I don’t believe the incubation period for a common cold is within hours. You may have allergies to pollen, or were exposed days earlier. I hope your post is made in jest.
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What we see in schools is colds tend to set in two or three days after exposure. eg Kid comes to school Monday with a cold. Those around them will get sick Wednesday or Thursday.
That may not be “always,” but it’s what we tend to see and expect.
ETA And colds are super contagious at the beginning of the school year and after every long vacation as new germs are spread around. It makes sense that they will be super easy to pick up in the population now if one is around. Our immune systems are definitely not as “up” as they often are. I suppose the trade off for many of us is no cold the past year.
I usually get a couple of doozies per yr, going all the way back to childhood. Ones that last over a week. Haven’t had a sniffle in 14 months.
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@MADad I indicated that I went in stores this past week- actually 2 and 3 days ago. It is not allergies. Not a big deal either.
Why would my post be made in jest?
I worked for years in a homeless shelter with 1,000 men. I got sick the first few months and then never got sick for years. Definitely stoked my immune system.
Viruses can also enter through our eyes.
Yes that is why I wear wrap around sunglasses in stores. Again this is no big deal.
Note: I use capitals for emphasis, not to indicate I am yelling, just to be clear from the outset.
I read two posts in succession and confused who said what. The previous post to yours stated someone went to a market the day before, then you said you got a cold and my brain fused the two posts together. SORRY.
I thought you were joking in that you were implying that you got a cold after visiting a market the day before. Again, SORRY. I did not think that you believed that colds developed that quickly, and I was right. Again, SORRY.
I am overwhelmed with people believing crazy things about COVID. I am still reading about people who think the vaccines cause fertility problems. My wife has employers who won’t get vaccinated for the most stupid of reasons (the vaccine side-effects are worse than COVID, they think----possibly dying is not as bad, to them, as being sick for a day).
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I am fully vaccinated. I also wish everyone would get a vaccine, for the sake of themselves and everyone else.
Regarding the post, no worries!
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Well I just realized my “cold” is my usual lupus sickness from the sun. Every year I forget the first time. Just posting so others don’t think they will get sick shopping now!
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Our local TV station has had a practicing physician on call for over 30 yrs. Needless to say, she’s been very busy over the last 14 months, on the evening news every night. She answers COVID and/or vaccine questions sent in to the station. I am getting crotchety over the fact that she has to debunk the SAME misconceptions night after night after night!! I wish I had a dollar for every time she’s had to say “no, the vaccine will not make you infertile!”, “no, the vaccine will not change your DNA”, “no, there is no RF chip in the vaccine for implant”.
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I am fully vaccinated. I am half wanting to “get out and do normal things” and half “I think I lost my social skills”. Today was a good exercise for me though: I was meeting some former work friends for lunch in Tysons Corner (Virginia). Because I had a pair of shoes I needed to return, I went over to the nearby mall first. I hadn’t been anywhere like that in ages (to be fair, I’m not much of a shopper anyway). Masks were required in stores, but only recommended/suggested for the mall itself. I saw VERY few people unmasked. Interesting - all but one were young men. The mall itself and stores were pretty busy and I have to admit, it was nice to be around people again. And it was nice to see people buying things. A few shops have closed, but not very many.
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We are 2 days away from being officially fully vaccinated. Personally, I do not think those 2 days make or break it. My husband is already ready to ditch his masks… he works away from home, so has to mask up in the lab and common office areas. Their group is going to be fully vaxxed on Monday, so masks will be optional unless a visitor comes in.
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That makes more sense. In the scenario you set forth picking up a cold virus is very unlikely.
I flew for the first time and didn’t feel comfortable, even though I’m vaccinated. There was no social distancing going through security or in the gate areas. Even surrounding gates were 60% full. 4 of 5 flights were packed. Delta was inconsistent, handing out wipes on some flights, emphasizing nose coverage on other flights, hot, stagnant air upon entering one plane. Masks come off with the beverage service. I asked a man sitting next to me if he wanted the window seat and it was clear he had lost his voice, barely able to tell me he didn’t care, as he just needed to sleep.
This was mentioned in the “Get it off your chest, no replies allowed” thread, so I bring it up here:
Was anyone else uncomfortable watching the PGA championship yesterday? 10,000 fans were allowed, they were shoulder-to-shoulder, not a mask in sight, in SC, where only about 30% are fully vaccinated?
I believe I read that it was requested that fans wear masks, if so, that was certainly ignored.
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My daughter just flew across the country and had a similar experience. I am so glad I bought an extra, middle seat but security and the crowd at the gate were awful.
I am fully vaccinated today and have been isolating. Picking her up at the airport was kind of traumatic.
Masks are no longer required in my town as of today nd I feel like I have gone from point A to point Z in 24 hours.
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Did SC reach easy vaccine availability more than six weeks ago? If so, then it may be reasonable to assume that unvaccinated people there are voluntarily unvaccinated, so they are mostly playing COVID-19 lottery with themselves, although the unlucky people who did not get much immune response from the vaccine could also be endangered.