Surfing The Covid Waves

Cowabunga dude!

As we round off the end of 2022, it unfortunately appears we are met with explosive growth of new Omicron lineages. Several things are driving this: the intuitively appreciated shift to indoor venues as the weather cools, smoldering variants refining against the prior immunity of populations, and raw transmissible power creating rapid evolution. However, dear reader, you are not powerless. There are ways to keep protected despite being forced to engage and act in a world awash with SARS Cov 2. I will share what has worked for me so far, but I offer no guarantees. Of course, this is also not medical advice, and no measure is 100% efficacious.

First off, if you want to avoid covid and repeatedly catching covid, you will have to forego dining indoors. Sorry. If you don’t want to do that then perhaps this piece is not for you. Sit outside, it’s what I do. Even in chilly climes. There is a saying among sailors, “There is no cold weather, just cold clothes.” Remember, we are sailing through waves here, and “the floor of the ocean is paved with the bones of optimists.”

Next, you will need a mask. I prefer 3m N95. You can find them here. If you want to compensate further for the one way masking you will likely be doing, you can upgrade to 3m ffp3 or n99. If you want an even more solid and hearty respirator, you can go 3m n100 but it is not as comfortable as a 3m aura, in my opinion.

Now, put the mask on and wear it. Do it well. Shave off the stubble and tightly conform it to your face, like the true rebel that you are. What occasions, you ask? Any time when you are among other individuals indoors or in crowded areas outdoors. Also, any time you are going into a place that had other people in it. Some people are very interested in indoor air quality. I have so far assumed all indoor spaces potentially allow for transmission for now, and simply keep my mask on. I don’t take it off to eat indoors, or to drink. For those activities I go outside.

In especially close quarters with other people I might add eye protection. There are nice wrap-around clear safety glasses for that. This is to protect from spittle if some poor soul chooses to converse with me. But I have not worn these other than for flying.

You will get looks for wearing an N95, but trust me dear reader, you will not get as many looks as I got when I was wearing my respirator for every public venture from 2020-2021 before I switched to 3m Aura.

The main thing here, is discipline and non-conformity. I am a non-conformist and I relish in that. How fitting, that I refused to take part in building up immunity by infection as I watched everyone around me do so wittingly and unwittingly. In the year of our lord 2022 I was surprised to see a so far reasonable Professor confess he allowed for his breakthrough infection with Omicron shortly after a booster this summer. I Quote tweeted him and said no disrespect, but this was a foolish decision. He blocked me immediately thereafter, but I wonder if he will have the same strategy with the surging BQ.1.1 that evades all commercially available antibodies, according to a new preprint.

That really is it. I have spent 5 hours indoors with someone who tested positive that evening, with only a single N95 on and did not catch covid. I order takeout indoors in crowded places. I go to stores, shops, and work. No Covid. It just requires the discipline to not remove the mask. This discipline, I must remind you, has to extend to even private places like airplane lavatories. There is no free lunch here.

Now embark, Skipper, and surf the waves, beating against the current, like the solo captain you are!

AJ