The War is Not Over

Things had seemed to be going so well.

Summer 2021 was full of promise and hope. There were effectively no restrictions. We could see our friends and loved ones. We could travel. We could go to restaurants, bars, and mass events and stay for as long as we wished.

People were getting vaccinated. Daily case numbers were in the hundreds. COVID-related COVID-related hospitalizations were almost nonexistent. Most importantly, only a very small number of people were dying.

Life was good. COVID appeared to be in the rear-view mirror. It appeared that we would spend this Thanksgiving being thankful for having made it through the pandemic, or at the very least, the worst of it.

That might be the case in some parts of the world. But here in Europe, it’s not to be.

In the Czech Republic, we spent our Thanksgiving setting our fourth new daily case record in the past fortnight. Nearly 28,000 people had positive tests on Thursday. Hospitalizations are back over 6,000 and rising every day. We’re seeing as many deaths in one day as we were for entire months during the summer. The Czech president, already dealing with several health issues that left him hospitalized for a month and a half, had to go right back to the hospital over testing positive this week. Since the president has to officially appoint a new prime minister, the new government of Petr Fiala, who thankfully defeated Andrej Babis in national elections last month, will have to wait before they can begin to clean up the mess of their predecessors. Ugh.

Speaking of Mr. Agrofert and friends, they spent their Thanksgiving throwing new restrictions at us. The state of emergency has returned for supposedly 30 days but will likely last for several months, just as the last one did. Bars, restaurants, and clubs must close at 10 p.m. Christmas markets are banned. Drinking alcohol in public is prohibited, as are mass events of more than 100 people. Negative tests are no longer accepted as a clean bill of health and unvaccinated people can’t do much of anything. Heck, I was at KFC the other day, and they were checking vaccine certificates just to have a sit-down meal there.

Travel is very difficult, if not impossible, and it appears my dreams of a Christmas trip may have to wait. In the Czech Republic, the government has a travel map of four different levels: green (low risk of COVID infection), orange (medium risk), red (high risk), and dark red (very high risk). In the summer, the map was mostly green with a little orange a sprinkled in. Maybe two or three countries were red or dark red. Now, the only European countries which are green or orange are the Vatican (green), Italy (orange), and Malta (orange). That’s it. Perhaps this is a good time to finally have my audience with the pope…

In all seriousness, it might take some divine intervention to get us out of this mess. It’s frustrating because these sorts of blanket measures had appeared to be a thing of the past. And now, another lockdown, while we are not at that point yet, appears to be a distinct possibility. Neighboring Austria and Slovakia have already chosen that path. If our numbers continue to go the way they’ve been going, it’s inevitable that we will join them before long.

The war is not over. In fact, a new battle has begun, and we’re on the wrong end of it right now.

I’m scared.

One reason I feel that way is because it’s starting to hit home. A number of students at my school have come down with it, sending classes into quarantine and distance learning. Colleagues, including a fellow English teacher, have tested positive. Next week, we’re starting mandatory PCR testing for students and employees, vaccinated or not. I’ve always had a deathly fear of COVID tests, and it’s not because of the funny feeling the swab gives you in your nose. It’s because I have so much to lose if I ever, God forbid, tested positive. My whole world could be turned upside down and everything I’ve worked so hard for here in Prague could go up in flames. Plus, I’m really not a fan of the agonizing wait for results, and now, I have to go through that once a week. Yes, it’s probably the right thing for our school to do, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s not good for someone who has through-the-roof COVID anxiety. All I can do is hope and pray. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. If it’s not, it’s not.

Hoping and praying can only do so much. Caution and common sense are key, too. If I were to test positive, I could also be in a world of trouble health-wise. Yes, I’m vaccinated, but I’m 32 years old and have a family health history which is far from glowing. Asthma, being overweight, and anxiety are not necessarily a great combination, either. It’s not out of the question that I could get really sick and land in the hospital.

Before you start screaming at the computer screen with cries of “Mike, you’re young” or
“Mike, you’re vaccinated,” let me tell you the story of Mike Tagliere. I did not know this man personally, but I feel like he had an impact on me. Not only did we share the same first name, Mike and I also had two of the same passions: Writing and fantasy football, and boy, was he ever good at both. I would never set my typically futile lineups without reading his 20,000-word weekly article which masterfully detailed all the games and players for the coming week and often included a well-articulated personal story.

Mike was 39 years old, fully vaccinated, and probably in better health than I am. But in August, he contracted COVID. A few days later, he wound up in the hospital on a ventilator. Six weeks after that, he was dead. He left behind a wife and two children. To see someone so young, likable, and at the top of their field taken from us just like that is a sin.

As I’ve said in this space before, it can happen to anyone. COVID does not care who you are or what you do.

With all this being said, PLUS the students and colleagues testing positive, PLUS the fact that it’s another month and a half before I’m eligible for the third dose and that my immunity is wearing off by the day, PLUS the emergence of the new Omicron variant, I’m more nervous than ever. It’s gotten to the point where I’ve paused virtually all non-work related social activity. I haven’t even been talking to my roommates. I had to decline an invitation to a Thanksgiving dinner this weekend. I go to work and to the store. That’s all. For someone like me who thrives on social interaction and wants to keep my friendships healthy, it’s gut-wrenching. If I come out of this with no friends, so be it. I’d much rather not have friends than not have a job, a flat, or good health. Priorities.

Friends, the COVID war is not over and won’t be for quite some time. A long winter lies ahead. Like I said before, I’m fearful, hence the lack of bad jokes in this post. We need to take this threat extremely seriously, even if it means giving up some of the things we love. We can save lives.

Keep fighting. Keep using common sense. Keep using hand sanitizer. And above all, keep wearing masks and keep getting vaccinated.

And hug your loved ones a little tighter this holiday season. And during your embrace, remember Mike Tagliere’s family and the millions of people who can’t.