Christmas/Omicron-What to do???

[math teacher]

I know what I Want to do. Numbers aren't real bad here or where we would be going-34 per 100,000 here, 15 per 100,000 where my parents and sister lives. I had covid last year and my lungs are still not normal. I don't want it again. I am boosted. Dh has Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and is going through treatment. He is double vaxxed, but cannot get the booster until his treatment is over.Sister is double vaxxed, BIL is not vaxxed, Mom is double vaxxed, Dad is boosted. Son is double vaxxed. One nephew is unvaxxed, one I don't know, but just a guess, neither he nor his wife are vaxxed.

 

Should we go?? Such a quandry. 

 

ETA: Dh is never sick. I probably get sick more often than he does. No one has ever told us to what degree the leukemia suppresses his immunity.

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by math teacher
left out important information

[Drama Llama]

How would you travel there? Would you stay overnight?

Would people be willing and able to test in advance?

[math teacher]

6 minutes ago, Baseballandhockey said:

How would you travel there? Would you stay overnight?

Would people be willing and able to test in advance?

Drive and come back the same day. No one will test. 

[Drama Llama]

Honestly, unless it's can't test (e.g. can't find one), if someone refused to test to protect a cancer patient, I'd conclude they either didn't actually want to see us, or weren't the kind of people I want to see.  I'm sorry if that seems harsh. 

We're taking significant risks to be with family.  But, everyone is trying to keep everyone safe.  

[Starr]

It doesn’t sound great with omicron. 😞 but sometimes we take chances. 

[Amethyst]

People are not vaxxed. I would not chance it. Even people who have not had a booster are not safe against Omicron. You don’t want to get it, and you don’t want your dh to get it. It’s hard, but you shouldn’t be gathering. My family cancelled our annual family Christmas gathering. It stinks, I get it. 

[Matryoshka]

We're not getting together as a big group with family, and everyone is vaxxed and all but one boosted, and no one is so high risk.  And everyone is willing to test.  We did just a couple of weeks ago for family birthdays and a bit before that for Thanksgiving, but things are changing rapidly!

One dd and her bf just got exposed - after they test (and are hopefully negative), we are hoping to do something outdoors around the fire pit on Christmas Eve.

Other dd and fiance actually have to quarantine for something that is not Covid!  

We're hoping to see my parents (and test first) on Christmas Day, outside to eat and inside all masked.

We are hoping to all get together in January after hopefully Omicron has peaked and we have a better idea if it's actually as mild as they're promising, and we'll all test then too.

Because I agree wholeheartedly with this: 

12 minutes ago, Baseballandhockey said:

Honestly, unless it's can't test (e.g. can't find one), if someone refused to test to protect a cancer patient, I'd conclude they either didn't actually want to see us, or weren't the kind of people I want to see.  I'm sorry if that seems harsh. 

We're taking significant risks to be with family.  But, everyone is trying to keep everyone safe.  

So, no, I wouldn't go.

Edited December 22, 2021 by Matryoshka

[kristin0713]

Vaxxed or not, people are getting it. I just heard of two more vaxxed positives in addition to my niece. I’m not concerned for myself or my immediate family at this point. The vaxxed positives I’m hearing about are presenting as colds. But if my DH had leukemia, we’d be staying home. 

[ktgrok]

You have compromised lungs and your husband has cancer - no, you do not go around people that are not vaccinated. 

[happi duck]

I don't think omicron has truly been determined to be less severe.  I'm afraid that covid fatigue plus wishful thinking that omicron is mild will lead to bad outcomes.

[KSera]

31 minutes ago, happi duck said:

I don't think omicron has truly been determined to be less severe.  I'm afraid that covid fatigue plus wishful thinking that omicron is mild will lead to bad outcomes.

Agree. It may turn out to be mild and I really hope so, but we definitely don’t have enough information this early in the course of this new variant to know yet. It worries me for so many people to be acting on that as an assumption before we actually know. If the guess is wrong, it’s going to be a really big problem. Hopefully in another month, all those can say, “I told you so” about omicron being mild, but it will only have been by chance that those people were right based on current information.  (And based on the first omicron death in the US being an unvaccinated 50-something who had already recovered from Covid in the past, I really don’t think we’re looking at “just a cold” for unvaccinated people, unfortunately).

[skimomma]

We are all low risk, boosted, and have very modest holiday plans with a small number of also boosted people.  In your case, I would cancel.  I have about had it with people that will do nothing to protect others.  We have now drawn the line with anyone that will not vaccinate and/or mask/test.  this includes a much-loved branch of the family.  I am sad about it but it is what it is.  I am not for forcing people to vaccinate but if they won't and also will not mask (or allow others to mask in thier presence) and rapid test, we cannot spend time with them.

[math teacher]

Alright, I have an update. I am picking up test kits today at 1. I have sent messages to my family members asking if they will take the test. If they can't take a test that I paid for for my family's safety, we won't be going.

Thank you, friends, for always being here when I need you!!