Most people won the first battle with Omicron and . After all, only a very small number of people did not survive.
There are also a very small number of people, such as my husband and I. After all our relatives, friends, family members, classmates, colleagues, and neighbors all passed away, we became "Guo Xiang".
But now, we are in confusion. We don’t know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing to guard ourselves tightly and never have sex, and whether we should continue to stick to it.
After the peak of the first wave of infections passed, we suddenly felt that while the people of the country were fighting against the Omikron, we had become bystanders, watching a cruel story of a war between people around us and the virus.
Although, when the policy was first liberalized, we were panicked and distressed because we could not buy cold medicines, antipyretics, and antigen ; we were scared because we saw overwhelming descriptions of various "tortures" after infection on the Internet; we were saddened by seeing multiple obituaries and the death of relatives; we were uncomfortable when we learned that every family of relatives and friends was positive; and we were worried about the medical shortage that was happening everywhere...
We have also complained that the policy liberalization was too hasty, we have also hated the liberalization faction for recklessly "bumping into the door", and we have also complained that some experts' words are untrue...
Now, when everything has settled, the first wave of peak has passed, the Yangkang people have returned to their posts; the streets have seen people flow again; some people even took off their masks and strolled on the road. We two "Guo Xiang" found that we have been separated from society.
It seems that in the fight against Omicron, we became deserters and laggards.
As a result, we can only hide in hiding, dare not go out openly, dare not take off N95, dare not resume normal social interactions.
Although we are out of the epidemic, we are still in self-isolation and self-imposed control. We and they seem to live in two different worlds.
We began to wonder if we were wrong? Are you really out of tune? Should we let nature take its course and go to Yang once?
If you don't have Yang just once, it seems that your life will be missing such an unforgettable experience; if you don't Yang just once, it seems that you have lost the courage to get together with your relatives and friends.
But the personal pain that our family members feel after being infected makes us intimidated by the virus and dare not take the initiative to seek help. Especially when we learned that the new mutant strain XBB has been introduced into our country, we are even more scared.
Columbia University scientists warned in a study that the increasing number of Omicron XBB subvariants could further compromise the efficacy of the new coronavirus vaccine and lead to a surge in breakthrough infections and reinfections.
Li Tong, chief physician of the Department of Respiratory and Infectious Diseases at Beijing You'an Hospital, also said that the immune evasion ability of the XBB strain has been enhanced, which is different from the BA.5 popular in my country. After a period of time after infection with BA.5, the level of protection decreases. When encountering strains with strong immune evasion ability, the risk of reinfection will increase.
Omicron continues to mutate, seemingly endlessly, making us fear tigers and wolves. In the face of the virus, we have become complete cowards, cautious and timid in everything we do.
How long will such painful days continue? We who are not yet Yang are infinitely anxious. I wanted to be positive, but I didn't dare to be positive; I began to envy Yang Kang from the bottom of my heart.
Perhaps, the most difficult period is about to pass, and the dawn is about to reappear. The epidemic will eventually come to an end. But these are all victories for Yangkang.
Jiao Yahui, director of the Department of Medical Affairs of the National Health Commission, said: Acute infectious diseases still have their own rules. After the peak of acute infection, the first to second weeks are the most difficult. In fact, different cities are now experiencing peaks of emergencies and severe illness, which may be our most difficult period. As most of the infections in this wave become severe, after the peak of infection passes, there will be a downward trend in the future.
Well-known epidemiology expert Zeng Guang said that masks can now be removed according to occasions. For example, you don’t need to wear a mask in the open air. In places where the epidemic infection rate has reached 80 to 90%, at least two weeks after the infection, N95 masks will not be worn as now. However, when going to crowded places such as hospitals and shopping malls, and on airplanes and trains, you still need to wear a mask and wash your hands frequently.
In a world full of viruses, it seems that Yangkang people can breathe a little easier.
But we, Guo Xiang and others, never dare to relax, for fear that the masks will be worn crookedly.
