For the last almost 21 months, as I have watched this darn coronavirus pandemic wreak havoc around the world, of course, I’ve been very concerned for all of my loved ones, just like any other parent would be. My reality is that I have several loved ones who are first responders, not only in Philadelphia but in Missouri, South Korea, Austin, Texas, and New York City.
I’ve had one first cousin who was 57 years old pass from Covid at the end of the Spring of 2021.
I’ve had eight family members, (in different parts of the country), who were diagnosed with Covid, but who, thank God, made it through the virus and survived and are ok today.
I’ve had another five people who were extended family members who passed from Covid. I’ve had at least 40 people that I have considered a friend or mentor, or someone I greatly admired or came to know from interviewing them several times over the years, who all succumbed to Covid.
Yet there are still non-believers out here who think Covid is a joke. Or they just stupidly think Covid won’t “get them.” Or they don’t believe the Covid-19 vaccination is good. They think the vaccination is a trick of the government to track each and every American citizen who takes the shot, or other crazy theories like that.
For those of our SCOOP USA Readers who follow Rap Stars, look at Nicki Minaj and what she had to say about taking the Covid-19 vaccination recently: (This post was on Nicki’s Instagram page).
“They want you to get vaccinated for the MET. If I get vaccinated, it won’t be for the MET. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now. In the meantime, my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grip your head and face. Not that loose one.”
After Nicki’s post went viral, the backlash started immediately from people who do believe in getting the Covid-19 vaccine. People were wondering sarcastically if Nicki Minaj did all that “research” before she had plastic surgery.
In other words, some folks are trying to come up with all kinds of excuses and reasons why they aren’t taking the vaccine. But what they are doing, I am convinced, is putting their lives in danger and the lives of their loved ones in danger.
Back to my reality. Right now, I have family members who have the Covid cloud hovering over their homes. One adult in the home is confirmed positive. The second adult in the household is awaiting their Covid results from a test 24 hours ago. One of their children, a preschooler, was sent home from school two days ago because the little boy who sits next to her has tested positive for Covid. The other child in the home, who is 11, has to stay home, just because her Daddy is Covid positive. The children will be home from school for at least the next 25 days, maybe more. It depends on when both parents can show negative Covid tests. So back to school online, for them.
I wonder how many other American families are going through the same thing right now.
I’ll say it again. This Covid pandemic ain’t no joke. Covid is not to be played with. You cannot see it, but it damn sure is a silent killer. It will sneak up on you when you least expect it to.
Here’s the kicker. The family members I’m speaking of have both been fully vaccinated months ago. One got the Johnson & Johnson shot. The other got the Pfizer immunization, which was two shots, spread apart. The family member who got a positive Covid test back from his private doctor two days ago is 90% certain he got the virus from a colleague at work. The very day he was informed by his colleague that he had Covid, he moved out of the bedroom he shares with his wife. He’s been staying in the spare bedroom at their home for almost a week now. When his wife brings him food, she’s masked up. The only time this family member leaves the bedroom is to use the bathroom. That’s it. But now, the wife has had no sense of taste for about 72 hours, hence, her Covid test.
The family member who is confirmed positive, at the time I’m writing this column, says he took a Rapid Covid test about 24 hours after his colleague first indicated he was positive. That Rapid test came back negative. He still decided to quarantine just to be sure he was ok, and he decided to take a second Rapid Covid test 2 days after the first one. The second test came back negative.
That should make one feel good right?
In the case of this family member, he still wasn’t feeling right physically. He had no energy. He was dragging in the bedroom. He seemed to suddenly keep a headache. Then, terrible aching took over his entire body. He said he felt like he had been in a horrific car accident. On top of that, he couldn’t seem to go to sleep. He decided to go see his primary care physician who gave him a Covid test, and this one, which was sent to a lab and took two days to get the results back, showed the truth. He is Covid positive. A word to the wise, maybe don’t trust the rapid test 100%?
As we’ve been getting through this pandemic, I’ve often wondered why some families choose to “keep it a secret” when one of their loved ones has come down with Covid. I’ve also wondered why some families chose to “keep it a secret when one of their loved ones passes” from Covid. They choose not to mention that in the obituary. At the end of the day, it is a private matter, and everyone has the right to choose how they want to handle various situations. Over the years, my dear family has often lovingly accused me of “telling all their business” on the radio, or in my SCOOP columns, or on my cable TV show. Until the day I die, I will only admit that’s partially true. I’ve never told “all of anyone’s business” in public. However, when I’ve felt like there was a teaching moment I could share, yes, I’ve done that. I’ve also talked about some of my personal business, publicly, like when I was under threat of a foreclosure on my house, years ago. My point was to say to people if you are about to lose your home, speak up and ask for help, which is what I did.
To spare myself from being told off by my beloved family members who are going through this Covid illness right now, I dare not mention the names of the loved ones I’m referring to. I am believing and trusting because the two adults have had the vaccine, they will get through this ok. My greater concern is for the children who are not yet vaccinated. The parents want them vaccinated, but until the FDA gives the go-ahead for children ages 5-11 to get the Covid vaccine, all our babies remain at risk.
Let me capsulize my thoughts by repeating: Covid is real. If you are not vaccinated, get vaccinated. Getting the Covid vaccine does not guarantee you will not get Covid, but you have a much better chance of surviving Covid, immunized, rather than not be immunized. Keep wearing face masks when you are out in the public around people you do not know. It really isn’t that hard to wear a face mask unless you have major respiratory issues. So, get over it and mask up. The life you save may be your own or one of your loved ones.
One final thing: For the families who have had loved ones who refused to take the Covid vaccination and were very vocal about not taking it and died from Covid. Those families who then went public with their stories after their death and begged Americans to get the vaccine, I applaud you for your strength and for coming out publicly and sharing your truth.
