In August 2022 we drove to South Carolina. When I got there I tested positive for COVID and drove back the next day. I already had two basic COVID immunizations and two boosters so it was mild.
In August 2023 we took a trip to Washington DC. While there I tested positive for COVID and drove back that day.
In July 2024 I tested positive for COVID. Two of my daughters and 5 grandchildren were due to arrive the next day. So their trips were canceled. The good news is that with all the immunizations and repeated infections this was the mildest yet. A little runny nose and hoarseness were the only symptoms.
My wife pointed out that it never seemed to happen at a convenient time. I am sure that the virus is doing that intentionally.
It certainly occurred at inconvenient times. During the pandemic it also happened in inconvenient locations. Nursing homes were devastated. The nursing home population makes up less than a half percent of the total population. However, that population accounted for about 14 percent of the total COVID deaths.
Coincidentally about 14 percent of all nursing home patients died of COVID. In 2020 the nursing home population was 1,316,950. During the pandemic 172,228 nursing home residents died of COVID. The following year the nursing home population dropped to 1,098,305.
Certainly COVID can be inconvenient. However, everything is relative. The top three killers of seniors are heart attack, cancer and stroke.
Both of my parents and two of my grandparents died of heart attacks. I am 16 years older than my dad was when he died of his heart attack. At least all I had was just COVID and not a fatal heart attack.
My other two grandparents died of a stroke. Six of my eight aunts and uncles died of heart attacks or strokes. At least all I had was just COVID and not a fatal or disabling stroke.
My other two uncles died of prostate cancer. My prostate biopsy was negative last year. At least all I had was just COVID and not a diagnosis of cancer.
I do iFit training programs on my treadmill. One of the trainers is recovering from lymphoma which put him into a medical induced coma for six months. Another had leukemia as a child. They both say the same thing about appreciating each day that we have.
COVID is inconvenient. It is also deadly. Getting a mild case of it and recovering is far better than having a severe case of it or potentially dying from it. Getting it as a diagnosis compared to something common and deadly at this age is also a far better option.
As the iFit trainers say, we need to be thankful for each day we are given instead of spending our time complaining about everything that we see as wrong with the world. All that does is create unnecessary anxiety. In the overall scheme of things a mild case of COVID can be considered a good thing.