A Positive Outlook

With all the events happening in the world and around me, I limped into a new year.

After more than 2 years of playing “patintero” with it, and yet not getting tagged. More than 2 years with it breathing down my neck, and yet not getting through me. More than 2 years of looking at it eye to eye through my mask and face shield every day, and yet escaping it. But it finally caught me!

Yes, I became a victim of the virus that I have been fighting all these time. I tested positive for COVID!

I am fully vaccinated and even boostered. I have been so careful using PPE on all patients. I used my mask every single day in the hospital. I used my respirator when placing people on ventilators when they fail to breathe on their own from the effects of this virus. But when you are seeing about 20 or more patients with COVID in the hospital almost every day, donning and doffing PPE in between every room, then it’s a wonder I have avoided it for so long.

Did I put my guard down? Or did I even get it from a patient in the hospital or from somebody outside the hospital? I don’t really know nor does it really matter now.

The bad thing is it was not just me. I shared it with all my family at home.

But don’t feel too bad for me and my family for we all have recovered now. In fact our symptoms were mild. For me it was 1-day fever and sore throat. I also had some muscle aches that I thought I just overdid my exercises lifting weights. And it was the same for all my family – one day in bed and then we’re up and about. Unlike the very ill patients in the hospital that I am taking care of that they are chasing their breaths like fishes out of the water and bed-ridden for several days or even weeks, and some not even making it out of the hospital.

But my whole family is vaccinated. Overwhelming majority of the patients we have in the hospital are not. So the vaccines must have protected us from getting the severe effects of this disease. For that’s what the vaccine is for – to protect us from serious short-term and long-term complications from this COVID-19 virus.

The first day I experience some symptoms, I tested myself with a COVID home test. It came back negative. Since I recovered the next day, I really did not thought much of it. Until all my family got symptoms too. Also our friends who we were exposed to a few days ago got symptoms as well, and some of them tested positive. So I repeated my test a few days later when I had no more symptoms at all, and it came back positive.

It finally sneaked on me.

It must have been the Omicron variant. Recently this world took fancy with Latin letters, like Delta, and Lambda, and now Omicron. And they are creating panic in the hearts of many people. But as long as we have faith and know who is the Alpha and the Omega (Revelations 22:13), the Beginning and the End, then we should not fear all these letters in between.

I am facing this year 2022 being positive. No, not just the COVID test. But with a positive attitude, confidence, and trusting optimism.

Here’s to a hopeful New Year to all of us!