I Played Russian Roulette and Got Shot

Despite my three shots and KN95 masks

I doubt it was the open-air bus tour that did me in. Photo by author

Two years and counting but this last spin of the barrel brought a bullet in the Russian roulette game which is avoiding Covid in a world with few restrictions left.

Yup, I’m currently battling the big Rona. I’m fully vaxxed and boosted or I doubt I’d be sitting here at my computer trying to force my fuzzy brain to focus five days after symptoms first started. In other words, I know this is mild and I’m extremely grateful to the scientists who brought me the vaccines. If this is the virus with protection I don’t want to imagine it without.

I’m not blaming Belfast, but based on timing, it was our “leisure travel is worth the gamble” city break which did us in.

When mask mandates dropped in Britain, we started wearing KN95s. We still avoid crowds, indoors and out. We rapid test before hanging out with our elderly friends. We also occasionally eat indoors at a restaurant if it isn’t too crowded. My spouse attends bell ringing practice and I’ve gone back to playing skittles for the village team. We do both those small group activities unmasked.

Avoiding Covid isn’t an all-or-nothing game, we decided. We’ll take all reasonable precautions, especially when they are so easy like mask-wearing, or eating outdoors when…