A year ago, only a few weeks after COVID-19 was recognized to be a viral infection on the verge of becoming an epidemic, I wrote a few comments on the immediate effects brought about by this novel coronavirus. At the time (March 2020), most people, especially our President, Donald Trump, thought it would be short-lived. In his view, this flu-like illness would vanish long before Easter. It did not. It grew worse. It became a true pandemic.
During that first year (2020 – 2021), some 2.4 million people around the world died of it. In the US, alone, there were about one-half-million COVID-19 related deaths. More than 107 million cases were confirmed, worldwide, of which more than 27 million were found in the United States. In Texas, there were about 2.5 million cases and 471 thousand deaths.
Obviously, much has changed from what I described in early 2020. Shortly after I wrote about the modifications implemented at mass at Epiphany of the Lord, Karen and I, along with all other Catholics in Houston, were no longer able to attend mass, in person. Churches were closed completely. We participated in the Eucharistic celebration through live streaming from St Anthony of Padua in The Woodlands. We sampled services streamed from other sites and preferred this one for its liturgical forms and homiletics.
Now, in early 2021, places of worship are reopening on a limited basis, with people sitting in socially distanced pews, i.e., every other pew is vacant. Masks are worn by almost everyone in the congregation. The Presider removes his only during the homily, standing at a safe distance from others. Karen and I have not received communion for the last year!
A new, conflicted lifestyle exists throughout the nation and the world. Surely, history books will record much of what has transpired during this century’s meltdown, one equivalent to that of the plagues of the 14th century in Europe. I need not cover these conflicts, but a few comments on how COVID-19 has impacted Karen and me would be appropriate.
We have been cut off from visiting with friends, and even more significant and devastating, we have been restricted in direct interactions with family members. We did not gather for either Easter or Christmas in 2020. Nor for birthdays or any other events. We have dined a couple of times with Ken and his family at Del Pueblos, with Deb and Frank at Brookwood, and with Chris and Kelly at the same place. We made an outdoor visit with Dillon, Carolyn, Brantley, and Shiloh at their house. We also had a very pleasant visit with Ken’s immediate family on his newly covered patio. That’s it!
Life within Eagle’s Trace has been drastically modified. For many weeks, the staff delivered meals and mail to the door of our apartment. Centralized dining was eliminated and is now returning with limitations relating to the numbers present and how far apart they must be seated. Karen and I continue to bring back a daily meal from the Eagle’s Roost café. Meetings of any kind have been cancelled for many months. I stopped presenting any offerings for the Catholic Project; Karen no longer organized prayer groups.
Our interactions external to Eagle’s Trace have been equally limited. I venture to Kroger’s once-a-week to stock up on essentials, mainly for breakfast and lunch, as well as laundry and miscellaneous household needs. I wear a face mask for every trip and use latex gloves while picking out items to be purchased. Toilet paper is back in stock, although limited in the number of rolls you can purchase at one time.
Karen, except for rare visits to medical sites and the brief family encounters I’ve mentioned, remains apartment bound. We have not been to a mall or shopping center for a year. We survive with items ordered online from Amazon or a few of Karen’s specialty catalogs. I completely understand why so many local businesses are closing shop.
In the last year, I have had three haircuts; Karen finally resumed restricted visits to the salon on the first floor of Eagle’s Trace for hers. We are encouraged to interact at a six-foot distance from anyone we meet within the common areas here. Face masks are mandatary. Hand washing upon returning to the apartment is strongly encouraged. Electronic streaming has become a way of life; for us, not only with Sunday liturgy but also with a weekly podcast viewed in lieu of attending a formal town-hall meeting. The content usually relates to news about COVID-19 at Eagle’s Trace.
Many within the city, state, and country argue vehemently about the need to wear a mask in public (scientifically proven safety versus governmental authority); about social distancing of at least six feet for masked interactions; about the opening of essential businesses like bars, nail salons, and fitness centers; and about whether students should attend schools in person or by electronic zooming. Karen and I have avoided any discussions with others on these and other politically related issues associated with COVID-19. We do what we believe we should be doing. We avoid those folks we believe are not doing what we do. There are times when intolerance might be necessary for survival, as one sees it. At the same time, maybe, there is a need to tolerate intolerance! We keep trying.
Perhaps life and its events will return to a new-normal in the not-too-distant future. It is highly unlikely to return to what was “normal” only eighteen months ago. Several vaccines have, remarkably, been developed over the last few months. Usually, it takes years before such treatments can be made available. However, using new technology relating to “messenger RNA” for the production of antigen-proteins, two vaccines (made by Pfizer or Moderna) are being used under emergency certification. The Pfizer formulation, although requiring storage at extremely cold temperatures, has been made available to Eagle’s Trace through CVS pharmacy. Karen and I have received our shots at the two required clinics held here. Some 1,000 residents, staff and related personnel have been vaccinated. On the other hand, anti-vaccers continue to rant against the treatment. Some seem to believe the pandemic has been faked, along with many other events in life.
Although the vaccine will not keep us from acquiring the virus, the symptoms requiring assisted ventilation within a hospital should be reduced along with resulting deaths from COVID-19. The only negative aspect of the inoculation, for me, was a painful upper arm muscle for the week following each injection. Karen had no complaints. Unlike what we have heard about the conditions others have faced in attempting to be vaccinated, our clinics were a breeze. We have found one more reason to say we made the right decision fifteen years ago by moving to Eagle’s Trace. If one must shelter-in-place, we have the ideal place in which to shelter.