AVIE POLL: A YEAR LATER, WE HAVE A VACCINE. HOW HAS COVID IMPACTED YOUR LIFE?- Lanai Jarrico Reporting…

With the vaccine phase of the pandemic slowly getting underway around the world, it has been a tough year since lockdowns and travel restrictions began. Many have gotten covid or know someone who has and many others have lost friends and loved one. This is a test to everyone's faith in regaining some normalcy in uncharted territory now that the vaccine is here. Second Life has become a safe haven for many around the world who are in desperate need for social interaction without worrying about social distancing and being exposed. Normally, I ask questions related to Second Life, but this is a topic that affects us all as human beings. We are all in this together and any advice or even venting concerns will help others cope better knowing they are not alone in this. I set out to ask residents from all over the grid how covid has impacted their lives and how they are coping with a new normal.

How has covid impacted your life? Now that we have a vaccine, what do you see in a year from now?

Logan: “Before I caught Covid I was very healthy and active. I hit the gym 5 to 6 days a week and I was working. I'm getting my personal trainer certificate. Ever since I have been sick I have now developed severe fatigue shortness of breath and it caused me to develop a 90% blockage of my heart. I had been in the hospital where they had put 2 stents in my heart and I haven't been to the gym since I've been sick.”

Aggie: “How has covid impacted your life?There was a significant impact - working from home. This, with the UK Lockdown meant that I have only been in my normal workplace for 7 days in the past year. There was a sense of loneliness and frustration. My normal work practice was to have several different tasks on the go, hopping in between them. What I did not know was how much I needed the occasional 'interruption' caused by someone coming for a chat, needing help, or overhearing something in the office to cause each 'hop'. I wound up with a sort of serialized 'writers block' which was pretty depressing. Working from home also meant that there was a tendency to carry on - get something finished - rather than putting it down. The

go-to-work and then leave-work cues were broken. I also discovered how much I hate Zoom! Now that we have a vaccine, what do you see in a year from now? I think next year we will be vaccinating again, counteracting the new variants that will be circulating. Work for a significant number of people will have changed in nature, as they will have found working from home suits them. Some firms may take a bolder step and restructure so that working from home is more the norm, saving them the costs of office space. Many small businesses will be unable to recover as shopping over the web rather than coming to stores will take a notch up. There will be inquiries and lessons-learnt on the various governmental and institutional responses to the crisis, but the output of these will be cherry-picked and rendered quite useless.”

Sam: “Wow what a year Covid is something one really has to be very careful about, you see this past year and even now it is hard for me for one thing I live with a roommate how has stage four cancer so ya it been unreal not being able to go out to any place, you see I has to be careful if I was to come in or near anyone who has it and I not know they did and I come home I can bring it in to them and that all it would take she be gone as her body would not be able to deal with it at all so yeah this past year has been a pain not being able to do anything or go any place, and well even now that they are vaccine's I for one am not 100% sure on how  good it is and don't feel like taking a chance just yet on it , I sure you can understand why I say that  but I am sure it will help out. I will be so happy the day we all can go back to doing the things we all loved to do before this happened. Now do not get me wrong about the vaccines I am sure they are safe and will do as they say they will and yes I know I should get it just waiting a little to see, but I get it in time soon. To all that are dealing with this hang in there we are way better then we were back in 1918.” 

Ami: “I became stuck in Asia longer than 1 year expected and unable to travel till now.  My business was affected and am changing careers and countries. As soon as I have the vaccine, I will travel to another continent and buy a home and start a new business.  Excited.”

Ryla: “My life was affected a lot not only because I don't see my family too often but because my body was affected from that moment I was infected... now  the virus is gone but I still have consequences like weakness,headache,flush nose and this is from November...I don't know if the vaccine will immunize people but is something like a moral peace if you don't have a bad reactions.I wish you all will stay safe and hopeful of one day we will escape this pandemic.”

Becka: “Covid has affected my life since I got infected with Covid in November 2020 by a careless boss who believed it was just the flu. She was allowing clients into the office and openly telling them they didn't have to wear a mask. She was putting us all at risk and tried to voice my opinion and was met with office gossip saying i needed to “shut the F up”. I ended up contracting it along with 5 other office members because of my boss’s ignorance. I resigned the day I got my results and was quarantined isolated for 2 weeks battling fevers and chill, lack of energy, weakness, loss of taste and smell and mental drain. I went through insomnia for about a month after I got sick and still suffer from fatigue and anxiety months later. I barely leave my house and find myself almost having a panic attack if I do go to the store or even the post office. I still haven't gotten the vaccine but I check the website everyday to see if there is a slot available in my area. I’m hopeful once everyone has the vaccine, the fear of catching a severe case will be minimized. It’s hard to tell where we will be in a year from now if people don’t take it seriously or they get lazy about wearing masks properly and respect social distancing. Without everyone’s diligence and respect for Covid and safety, will we not see a light at the end of this pandemic for a long time”

Staci: “My friend Courtney, who posed as Ivanka in the Golfing With Trump article we did during the election, runs her father's lobster mart in real life. She works every day, 10-12 hour days. She has a girl who comes in for afternoons, but she has school during the day. The rest of her family is at sea from 4 AM til dusk. Courtney got the Rona in February, and it was illegal for her to remain open. Even if she could, she had no staff. She was telling me this one day, wondering "Where can I get someone with experience to run the store until I am better?" The answer was at the other end of the message. I worked at the Green Harbor Lobster Pound for a few summers as a kid. OK, "as a kid" means "about 30 years ago," but Courtney was in a jam and I don't live that far from her RL, so I offered my services. Shoot, I had even been vaccinated. Courtney, who had no options, accepted my offer immediately. Two days later, I was reporting for work at the lobster mart. Courtney's dad, who's name I never learned and who I referred to as "Captain" when I needed him, doesn't like yuppies, but he did appreciate that I showed up at 4 AM. He thought it was cute that I refused to step foot on the boats, a trait I shared with his wife, who he outlived. Once he approved of me, I was allowed to open his store. Selling seafood hasn't changed that much since the 1990s, and the Captain was pleased that I knew how to measure/package scallops, that I wasn't afraid of reaching in the tank and grabbing a lobster and so forth. The customers began to come in, and they are a funny lot. Courtney lives in the town that The Perfect Storm was based in, and the guy who directed it really did nail the locals. Courtney is well-loved in her community, and not a day passed where some elderly lady didn't show up with a crock pot full of kale soup with linguica, saying "Bring this up to Courtney, she's been looking thin lately, this will help her along." The locals were able to help me do my new job, seeing me hesitate in my work and saying "They keep the bags under the counter over there, dear" and so forth. I did a half dozen 12 hour days, teaming with the high school girl at night and closing at 7 PM. I refused monetary payment, instead taking a dozen lobsters home. I had a great time, and was pleased to help my friend. Coronavirus stories shouldn't contain "I had a great time," but here we are.”

Mist: I've worked full time from home for several years now. Frankly, the  biggest impact has been that I cannot go to interest-related "meets" or  to the movies, which I dearly love and miss. I do not venture from the  house often. I firmly believe that we've handled COVID-19 so badly that it will  become endemic, like the flu, and we will have to have annual  immunizations. I would love to be able to travel again, but suspect that  I will remain uncomfortable about it for the foreseeable future.”

Karen: “It is my right to not wear a mask because I am entitled to think it's just a flu. I’m calling the cops!”

There is no doubt that Covid has impacted everyone around the world in different ways. From those who have first hand experience contracting covid or suffered a loss due to it to those taking precautions hoping not to catch it while combating others who have absolutely no regard for others and their well being.   

Many feel isolated or have limited interactions with their family and friends. We all as a global community  and have been deprived of the daily life we once had. None of us are alone in the concerns and fears collectively shared as Covid continues to spread and change. While vaccinations are being carried out around the world there are still concerns about long term effects, how it will react to new variants and ultimately what will it take to regain some normalcy. Only time will tell if each and every one of us take it seriously enough to be part of the solution and not the problem.

Be safe and well.

HOW HAS COVID IMPACTED YOUR LIFE? Please share your comments below and be part of the Avie Poll.