A reminder COVID is still around so take what public health is saying, seriously!
By Kendall Worth!
I want to start off by providing a-bit of background on why reporting on COVID related issues are still important even though the public at large is getting more used to COVID.
I am writing this post on Saturday May 7th 2022 and I am writing it firstly, because I, myself, on the evening of Monday May 2nd tested positive for COVID. Since that date I have been dealing with the symptoms of having COVID. In short, I will say “Readers, believe me, dealing with, and living life, over these past few days with COVID symptoms has been no fun!” The Second reason I am writing, is that while living the past few days following the self isolation requirements set out by Public Health, I have been in-touch with others, concerned because they believe, people testing positive for COVID, are coming out of isolation to attend places like Souls Harbour, Hope Cottage, and the Saint Mary’s Basilica Drop-in, plus the other places where People-living-in-poverty congregate.
Is this really happening, that persons living in poverty, who are testing positive, are still showing at those places? Coming out of isolation and showing up at these places is a big No-No! What they are doing is putting their own peers at risk, by doing so.
I started talking about COVID on March 16, 2020 for the Nova Scotia Advocate. However I want to take a moment here to remember back to this article posted on March 17th, 2020. (Note – If you click on that link you will find the find a link to the first article posted on the COVID subject March 16th in the 3rd paragraph.) Between March 16th 2020 and today, I have written about this subject various times, never knowing that the day was going to come that I myself was going to get COVID, and … when I least suspect it!
Important info from the article, linked to above… “I am not arguing in this letter that income assistance recipients should somehow be excused from following those public health warnings. I am saying that the extra difficulty which this is going to cause to people on income assistance during this time, needs to be addressed”
And in these past days I lived by exactly that advice, even though my situation is not a heck of a lot better than others I advocate for.
The following is the advice I give anyone who has to live 7 days of isolation as directed by Public Health due to COVID, regardless of whether you are rich or poor. I myself have lived this way over the last week.
First we are lucky it is only 7 days we have to live with isolation because started reporting on COVID then the isolation period was 14days directed by Public Health.
If your symptoms of the COLD/FLU is giving you the gut feeling you are going to test positive for COVID, before taking that Rapid test, check your cupboards, try and make sure that you have what you need or try and make sure you have some way of getting food delivered – friends, family members etc.
If making sure that you are stocked up on everything you need before taking that rapid test is not possible, I advice making arrangements ASAP to have friends, acquaintances, family members, or other contacts deliver no-contact groceries to you.
As Directed by Public Health, call and report a positive test result to 811 or report it online if you have internet. You may get directed to book a PCR test. Once you start isolating the only time you can come out of isolation is to attend the PCR Test. Go directly to the location of the PCR Test, and directly home, following the test.
Have lots of large bottles of COLD water in your fridge during isolation because while dealing with the symptoms, you are going to need it. From my personal experience you will get dehydrated while going through the worse of COVID.
Maintain your mental health during the time of Public-Health-Directed self-isolating (especially on the days you are feeling better but isolating as directed by Public Health) by keeping in touch by phone, etc with any social contacts/friends, social support you have in your community.
Be prepared. You cannot go to work or school during the 7 days of COVID Isolation. Some days you may not feel like doing any work at home either, because of COVID. My experience was to be drained of energy and makes you tried while dealing with those symptoms.
I myself felt very Blessed over these past few days in isolation, because of my Positive COVID tests… and you should know I had to do three rapid tests over two days, before I got a positive result on May 2nd; on May 3rd I was sent for PCR, and late in the day on May 4th received confirmation of the positive result. The reason why I can say I say I felt so blessed through these days of COVID Lock Downs, Restrictions, and more recently a week of isolation living with COVID, is that New Friends that have come into my life have gone out their way to be there when I needed them.
Now as for my Final part of this:
It does not come as a surprise to me that there are people who have tested positive for COVID, coming out of isolation, to attend Soup Kitchens and Food Banks, Etc. The reason I am not surprised is because these people have no-one to bring groceries and supplies to them. Most of them do not even have any family members or close friends cheeking in on them during COVID times. The question becomes “how do we create a service or a network of caring people so those, who have no-one who can deliverer groceries and supplies, can be served?” Maybe getting something like this started needs to be put on the agenda of a new group to replace BRAG. The sad thing is Soup Kitchen and Food Banks do not arrange delivery of food/meals to people’s home.
Keep in mind, people who live in poverty do not have the options that financially better off people have – they cannot pay for grocery delivery (or have a car for express pick up). They do not have credit cards to achieve any of this, either, as their financially better off neighbours do. If they need food where can they go if not to soup kitchens, and the food bank? The financially better off, often, have a better support network – family and friends that can help them out with delivery … but people living in poverty do not have good relationships with a network of family and friends as better off people do.
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