Drama Llama Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 and then you pulled back because of omicron, are you still planning to go back to those things after the numbers go down? Our numbers are falling fast. Before omicron we had planned on letting our kids do indoor playdates, sleepovers with their cousins, and a few other things. But now I'm not sure. Quote
KSera Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 3 minutes ago, Baseballandhockey said: and then you pulled back because of omicron, are you still planning to go back to those things after the numbers go down? Our numbers are falling fast. Before omicron we had planned on letting our kids do indoor playdates, sleepovers with their cousins, and a few other things. But now I'm not sure. We had been planning on those things after they were vaccinated, but then that aligned with omicron, so we didn’t. I’m still planning/looking forward to them doing those things when numbers fall again. I do hope that my youngest will be vaccinated by then, because until then, we’re maintaining a high level of caution, though there are certain things I still think we will proceed with when numbers drop low. Quote
prairiewindmomma Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 Omicron genetically is moving farther away from the original vaccine, so future variants may be even farther away. We also know the vaccine is “helpful” against preventing infection for a limited amount of time even future variants are a close match. The question we are asking in our house is whether we want to move forward with activities under the supposition our kids have no vaccine protection. We are decision making off of that…. Our current position is after this wave if the activity can be done in a N95/KF94 with social distancing, it’s a go. Otherwise, no. (It’s the same position we had pre-vax.) 2 1 Quote
Katy Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 I’m assuming the announced Omicron booster will be approved for kids too, with that I’d absolutely let them go back to regular activities. Until then I personally wouldn’t but otoh I’m sure my math is different than most. I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that Omicron is already less dangerous than the flu for most kids. I imagine there will be at least one more significant variant in the next year or so, then hopefully things will drop down to a 2-3 times a year booster. 1 1 Quote
Lawyer&Mom Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 I have no idea what my parameters are anymore. I mean I know what we do, which is mask for in-person school, but I no longer have any idea when we would add anything. It was going to be post vaccination, and now I’m adrift. 6 Quote
Loowit Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 We are just playing it by ear. After DH and I were vaccinated and numbers were down early last summer we went out to dinner, once, masked and it was still limited seating in the restaurants and in a county that takes things more seriously. We have not felt comfortable doing that again. I feel like every time I think things are looking up, then the other shoe drops, so now I just don't make plans very far in advance, which is really hard for me. I am a planner. The only thing I am planning for at this time are DS's graduation from boot camp in the spring. We will take all the precautions we can, but unless the Marines shut down graduation again we will be there. Other than that we just take everything as it comes up and make a decision at the time with the information we have. Our numbers are still on the rise here, so I don't see us doing much for a while. 1 Quote
kbutton Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 54 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said: Our current position is after this wave if the activity can be done in a N95/KF94 with social distancing, it’s a go. Otherwise, no. (It’s the same position we had pre-vax.) That's kind of where we are. I might make exceptions for reasonably cautious friends who are vaccinated and/or recently recovered, but we'll probably just wait for spring and outdoor stuff. 1 Quote
Carrie12345 Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 Planning might be too strong a word. Pondering and hoping? Yes. We had 5 days of really dropping off the cliff. Daily cases were more than halved by that fifth day. And then we had an all time record setting high. Now we’re back to dropping, but my confidence is a bit shaken. Was it a fluke due to test availability/lab staffing? Is it genuinely getting low and then hundreds of extra people did just coincidentally get sick at once? I did get an alert from one of our hospital systems that said they are now only providing testing to symptomatic people. So no routine “clearance” testing. Is that having an impact on our numbers? I don’t know. But I do think I’m going to allow certain things with certain people. The general public will take some more convincing. 3 Quote
Ausmumof3 Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 I have no idea. Both DH and I will likely have exposure via work and to a lesser degree ds so it feels stupid to keep the kids home from stuff indefinitely. But in just three weeks with basically only work and minimal stuff we have ended up with close contact twice which means isolating those family members from everyone else or isolating everyone for seven days. I feel like we still won’t do much indoors because I can’t deal with the ongoing hassle of quarantine etc totally aside from the virus threat that I’m obviously worried about. 1 Quote
wintermom Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 (edited) Sure. We've also had Covid, so that makes it easier. Only problem is that our province is still in a lockdown, so other than school being back in-person as of this week, there isn't anything to actually get back to. Music lessons are on-line, basketball is stopped until the lockdown is lifted. Edited January 21, 2022 by wintermom Quote
Paige Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 I'm so frustrated for my 4yr old. We thought we'd let him do things with a mask before Omicron but since that's so contagious we're still keeping him home. I signed him up for some outschool, which I can't believe I'd ever do at 4 but the first couple of classes were ok. I wish they'd approve something for younger kids soon. The older kids are only going places masked now and we are reducing the places they go. Our county's hospital is in crisis despite the numbers going slightly down in the community. I'm trying to wait until at least the hospital's numbers are down to pre Omicron numbers. 1 Quote
TravelingChris Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 Absolutely. I am still doing things but much less than the period when Delta was high. I did go to a mini vacation in a part of Northern GA back over Labor day weekend plus a few days during Delta. I have gone out to a few restaurants during Omicron. One was more busy than the other but none of us got COVID. I am going to a concert this Saturday but will have on N95 made by 3M and am not worried at all about it. Even though I am higher risk than many, Quote
mellifera33 Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 I waver between optimism and hopelessness. Our numbers are higher than they've ever been, but isolation is no longer tenable so we're doing co-op in person (masks recommended officially, but all families currently attending are masking) and starting to get back into other indoor activities with N95s. We figure we will all get it, but we are very careful about monitoring any symptoms and staying home if there is any doubt. I had a headache one day this week and we stayed home from an activity. I was fine the next day, so we could have gone, but I am taking the abundance of caution approach to avoid being Typhoid Covid Mary. Quote
Ting Tang Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 12 hours ago, Katy said: I’m assuming the announced Omicron booster will be approved for kids too, with that I’d absolutely let them go back to regular activities. Until then I personally wouldn’t but otoh I’m sure my math is different than most. I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that Omicron is already less dangerous than the flu for most kids. I imagine there will be at least one more significant variant in the next year or so, then hopefully things will drop down to a 2-3 times a year booster. I've read the idea there could be more worrisome variants, but I feel like it is unlikely most will go for 2-3 boosters in the next year. I was hoping we could get down to one shot per year. 😞 Quote
Katy Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 2 hours ago, KrisTom said: I've read the idea there could be more worrisome variants, but I feel like it is unlikely most will go for 2-3 boosters in the next year. I was hoping we could get down to one shot per year. 😞 Immunity for the natural variants wanes in 3 months. It looks like 5 or less for vaccines. 1 1 Quote
Mrs Tiggywinkle Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 (edited) Yes, I was, and frankly I still am. I’m the first to say Covid sucks and we’re dealing with it right now. But my kids are 11, 9 and 6. The 6-year-old doesn’t remember prepandemic life. There are going to be more variants. Long lasting Immunity seems unlikely at this point. While I don’t live in the most Covid cautious place, masking is required indoors, school and church is 100% masked, and my kids are vaccinated—and they still caught it and it’s still swept through the area, even among all my HCW friends who mostly are boostered and everyone is vaxxed at the very least. Most of us had Covid in 2020. And we all still got it again. I’m not getting boosters every five months or isolating. Once we are done with Covid this time, we’re going back to life as it was and accepting that the Covid risk is always going to be there. In fact the two kids are that have been 48 hours symptom free and off quarantine are having a cousin overnight tonight. They haven’t seen each other physically more than a few minutes here and there, and both sets of cousins have had Covid in the last six weeks and my mom wants all of them for a night before she goes back to full time caregiving for my grandmother, so I’m allowing it(the third child has symptoms yesterday so he is staying home). Two years is going to just as easily stretch to 3 and 4. i get that this may be an unpopular opinion, but everyone has their own risk assessment and this is ours. Edited January 21, 2022 by Mrs Tiggywinkle 8 Quote
Ting Tang Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 25 minutes ago, Katy said: Immunity for the natural variants wanes in 3 months. It looks like 5 or less for vaccines. I think the hope is eventually, though, it becomes less of a risk for people *if* it just becomes less severe. I know that may take time. 😔 1 Quote
catz Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 (edited) Well, in a few weeks when we get back to pre-omicron circulation levels and positivity is more reasonable again I am going to let my teen resume stuff she was doing in the fall. Which was generally KN95 masked, covid aware, and many activities were requiring proof of vaccine. In terms of sleepovers and playdates? Maybe, with vaccinated kids. I am hoping ramp up on accessible testing becomes better for many of us so you could consider doing rapid tests on kids doing sleepovers and the like. It's been 2 years. For the vaccinated and reasonably healthy, I'm feeling increasingly ok with the risk levels. We have been VERY conservative, but I would like to start stepping out a little more as the weather improves this spring if we don't have another huge surprise wave. We had a very slow long delta wave starting from July (just as the last member in our family got double vaxxed) into December, I can't lock down for 6 months a year. I think if you're a primary caregiver of someone higher risk, it's a harder calculation. I get that we aren't going to get long term antibody protection with the current vaccines to prevent infection, but I think there is a decent change t-cells, etc will hold so we'll continue to have good protection from severe disease. The new antiviral drugs will hopefully be much more widely available soon. I will happily get boosters or whatever though if the data looks good on them. I am following the science on that closely. Edited January 21, 2022 by FuzzyCatz 1 Quote
plaidpants Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 I had been hoping to do things myself, but now I don't know. I don't want to be stuck in a classroom with gross college students, masks or not (you can't tell me they've learned hygiene suddenly) but I can't make school progress if I don't. I don't know if I trust churches and dance studios, I definitely don't trust the people at Target and the grocery store. But... it also looks like this is never realistically going to end. And people are starting to care even less, strain on whatever system notwithstanding. Unless I'm required to, I won't be switching from my cloth masks or the stash of surgical masks I have (but I'll wear them), and I'm leery of getting more boosters that don't seem to do much. I'm nowhere near one of those covid-hoaxer people, but I am starting to understand the people who at this point are just going about their lives. (The people doing it in 2020, not so much.) So we'll see. Quote
mjbucks1 Posted January 21, 2022 Posted January 21, 2022 We are very cautious as I am homeschooling my niece who has cancer. She is vaccinated, as is her family and all of our family. My youngest (13) is the only one left at home, so I am doing my best to try to allow him social interaction within reason. We do wear KF94 masks everywhere and we do not eat out at all. We have been doing our speech and debate club in person (one or two other families mask, but it is in a pretty open area), and we have been going to church (few wear masks, but there have not been any outbreaks). Ds was going to youth group, but I have made him stay home since after New Years. I may wait a week or two more, but will allow him to return (again, he wears a mask and is vaccinated). I have worked in healthcare until the pandemic started (I just could not risk exposure due to homeschooling my niece). Honestly, I think the vaccines are doing their job (preventing severe disease). I know a ton of people with Covid right now. Most are vaccinated and have very mild symptoms. I also know people who have severely compromised immune systems who are vaccinated, got Covid, and it was very mild. I talked to a nurse the other day that works in a local ER. She said they are not admitting most of the people who are coming to the ER for Covid. Many just need a test (and the ER is not the place to go), and some are just scared of Covid, but are vaccinated and they are doing fine (and this backs up the numbers in our state which shows hospitalizations falling fast). I do know two people who have passed away from Covid recently who were unvaccinated. Even though we have been very careful, I think we will eventually get it. Our middle dd had Covid in 2020, was fully vaccinated as of October, and is 99% sure she had it again (but her symptoms were very mild). I think most people are going to eventually get it. Of course I DO NOT want to contribute to the spread, so I do want to be careful right now. But, we are planning to let ds go to camp this summer (we even let him go last summer as precautions were in place....he did come home sick, but it was not Covid). We don't do sleep overs (even pre-Covid), but once this wave settles down, we will let ds have his friends over again (they are either vaccinated or have had Covid). Quote
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