Everything You Need To Know About COVID-19
Can you believe that it has been almost two years since this all begun? Actually, it’s been over two years which is mindblowing. Throughout this post, I want to break down the timelines, symptoms, variants, vaccines, resources, and how COVID-19 affects travel. Since I know it’s a lot of information at once, I encourage you to jump around and read what interests you more and what is the biggest priority for you guys! I hope everyone is doing what they can to stay safe and I hope that you find this informative. If you know someone that is looking for a condensed guide to COVID-19, pass this along as it could impact their health if given the proper information and resources.
Timeline
Here is a general timeline of distinctive dates and events that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s really mindblowing that it’s been two years, so I can’t stress enough to read this over and give yourself a little bit of perspective on how history truly does repeat itself. It’s very evident that the pandemic has had its spikes and surges in the form of cycles and the effective ways to prevent these are by getting vaccinated/boosted and wearing a mask when possible.
2020 Timeline
- January 13th: the official first case reported by Thailand
- January 20th: the official first case reported by the United States
- February 23rd: Italy’s cases on the rise causes a nationwide lockdown in an effort to contain the virus
- March 11th: The World Health Organization declares this to be a pandemic
- March 17th: the first human trial on vaccines are conducted
- April 10th: The United States surpasses positive cases over Italy
- May 28th: The U.S deathtoll surpasses 100,000
- September 22nd: The U.S deathtoll hits 200,000
- December 14th: “Sandra Lindsay, a nurse in New York, becomes the first American outside a clinical trial to receive the COVID-19 vaccine”
- December 24th: About 1 million people in the U.S. have recieved their COVID-19 vaccination
2021 Timeline
- January 18th: The U.S death toll surpasses 400,000
- January 26th: “Worldwide COVID-19 cases surpass 100 million”
- March 13th: The U.S. has given out over 100 million vaccinations
- June 1st: NEW DELTA VARIANT identified in India which starts another wave of the pandemic throughout the summer
- August 6th: CDC concludes that if you had COVID in the past and have been vaccinated are 50% less likely to get inflected
- October 29th: New prevailing study from the CDC shows that the COVID-19 vaccines offer higher protection than previous COVID-19 infection
- November 11th: The CDC highly encourages that everyone over 18 years old who received a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine receive a COVID-19 booster shot 6 months after they are fully vaccinated
- November 24, 2021: NEW OMICRON VARIANT resported from Botswana on 11/11 & South Africa on 11/24
- November 30, 2021: The United States declares that this new variant is of concern
- December 1, 2021: The U.S confirms their first case of the Omicron variant
- December 23rd: Delta cancels over 200 Christmas Eve flights as the Omicron variant affects staff- courtesy of WashingtonPost.com
The Variants
So now that we have the general timeline, let’s jump into the different variants. Actually, you know I go on a tangent but this is important to note. This isn’t the world’s first exposure to COVID-19. In fact, it has been known to infect animals in the past and more recently with COVID-19, affecting humans. The variants occur because over time the RNA in the virus makes a ‘copying mistake’ and mutates causing another variant. That’s the biggest reason why it’s highly encouraged to get a flu shot every year- because of the strain that dominates changes due to these mutations. For more information about this please visit this website! Right now the COVID-19 pandemic has spread into two more variants, the Delta & Omicron variant.
Notable Differences Among the Variants (Depends on If You Are Vaccinated Or Not)
Original SARS-CoV-2 Strain Symptoms
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Delta & Omicron Variant Symptoms in comparison to the Original SARS-CoV-2 Strain Symptoms
Since I am not a medical expert, I have done my research and recommend reading the entire article for more information, but I did want to highlight a few distinctions among the variant.
- “48 percent of patients with the original SARS-CoV-2 strain reported loss of smell and 41 percent reported loss of taste, but an analysis of a small Omicron outbreak among vaccinated people in Norway found that only 23 percent of patients reported loss of taste, and only 12 percent reported loss of smell”
- “Vaccinated patients with Delta or the original coronavirus tend to present with headache, congestion, sinus pressure and sinus pain, while unvaccinated patients are more likely to have shortness of breath and cough, along with flulike symptoms”
- “Vaccinated Omicron patients complain of headaches, body aches and fever — “like a really bad cold,” she said. Unvaccinated people have the same shortness of breath, cough and flulike symptoms she saw among unvaccinated people with Delta and the original coronavirus.
- “One other difference between Omicron and other variants is that Omicron seems to have a shorter incubation time — after a person is exposed, it takes as few as three days for them to develop symptoms, become contagious and test positive compared with four to six days with Delta and the original coronavirus”
Vaccinations & Is It Worth It?
People are probably wondering about cases. on the rise and the struggle to avoid COVID-19 at this point being impossible, why should I even be vaccinated? To preface this, do you know someone who has polio? Probably nobody right? That is because of vaccines. Due to the efforts of medicine & science, doctors working hard to create these vaccines, “the world has achieved a 99.9% reduction in wild poliovirus transmission and elimination in 5 of 6 WHO regions, yet persistent challenges remain to end all forms of polio”. If you are looking for more information, click this link. I do think that recently this has become a more political debate on freedoms and given my country, the United States, and our values of freedom, I do think that it’s important to understand why, but the lack of consideration for others and ignorance to go as far as to fake their own vaccine card is completely out of line. If you are going to not get vaccinated, own up to it and don’t fake a vaccine card. Accept that when you seek medical care, it’s because it’s their job to help you and if they could teach you why vaccines could have prevented hospitalization, they would because who are at the frontlines? Not you at parties, it’s the healthcare workers. If there are any healthcare workers that are reading this right now, THANK YOU. Thank you for everything that you have done and for encouraging others to get vaccinated. If you are a healthcare worker that cannot side with science on this one, I think re-evaluating career paths might be an option for you. I am not trying to get into any debates but if you have gone as far as to study how science works more than the average individual and still cannot trust, I am at a loss for words.
For those of you who are hesitant to get vaccinated, I urge you to please consider those around you. If you are doing it because YOU think that YOU are healthy, you are being selfish point-blank. Do the right thing and let’s all work to move past this. I respect others’ opinions; however, after two years of trying to get rid of COVID-19 and go back to normalcy, it’s more than clear that there are many people stinking up the joint. If you are looking for guidance on getting vaccinated, please reach out to me and I can help you throughout it and go over any questions or concerns that you may have. Whether you would like to find me on Instagram and send me a DM or even comment on my post here, please reach out!!
Testing: Everything You Need To Know
To start this off, after any exposure, quarantine for 3-5 days before getting a test result. If you get a result exactly after, it might come out negative, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have it, it means it did not show up in your system YET. After quarantining for 3-5 days, I would recommend taking a PCR test.
- A PCR test is more accurate and takes more time for the results to come in. There are some testing centers that offer a more rapid PCR test that takes less than 24 hours. Personally, I took a PCR test and it came within 12 hours which was really impressive for a PCR test. This is to ensure that you are 100% confident in your result. If you get a false negative, you are putting others at risk so again, please make sure you are putting others’ best interest.
- The rapid antigen test is not as accurate as the PCR test; however, if you get a positive result from the rapid, it is more likely that its accurate since. ittends to give more false negatives. If you have been quarantined with NO symptoms before a trip and your rapid comes out negative and that’s what the destination requires before entry, then that should be fine! Rapid tests are typically better for when you are already experiencing symptoms as it will give you an immediate result if you have COVID-19.
- At-Home Tests: in the event that you are not able to get an appointment, I would recommend getting an at-home test. If you click this link, there are three different brands that CVS sells!
For more information on testing information visit here!
Resources
It most certainly seems as though there is an abundance of resources, but when you are in the middle of panic mode, it’s for sure hard to find everything. I put a list together of some resources you can get used to finding a vaccine appointment, testing centers, and other information that you might need. When attending your vaccine or testing appointments, bring your ID, Vaccine card if you have it yet, and insurance card so that you won’t need it to waste any time rummaging through your wallet for it and you have it all on hand.
Also, make sure that if you have the option to schedule the Moderna or the Pfizer vaccine as those are the two vaccines that are most effective in fighting against COVID-19. If you get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, just know that it’s not as effective and you won’t have as much peace of mind with it. When scheduling your booster shot, it has been known to mix and match vaccines for increased immunity. For example, if you received both vaccines of Pfizer, getting the Moderna booster will increase your immunity. Similarly, if you have the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, getting either the Moderna or Pfizer booster shots will increase your immunity.
Schedule a Vaccine Appointment Today
- https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/
- https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid/19/landing
- https://www.cvs.com/vaccine/intake/store/covid-screener/covid-qns
- Vacccine Walk Up Sites in NYC: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/coronavirus/vaccines/covid-19-vaccines.page#walk-up-sites
Schedule a COVID-19 Test Today
- I personally booked by appointmtments through this app, Solv here is the website https://www.solvhealth.com/ & here is the app download https://www.solvhealth.com/download. I really like this app because once you input your information in, you don’t have to keep doing it over and over again!
- https://www.walgreens.com/findcare/covid19/testing?ban=covid_vanity_testing
- https://www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/covid-19-testing
COVID-19 & Travel
I am going to be completely transparent with you guys about my experience traveling during the pandemic. To preface this, it is a privilege to be able to travel regardless, and during a pandemic, that much more. Do not take for granted the experiences that you have and the opportunities that you are given. I know that my situation could have been 1000% times worse, but am sharing this experience to shed light on how it was to travel during the beginning of the pandemic.
Travel Resources
So in case you are looking for a trip in the future, I use this website to plan ahead. Now keep in mind as things are changing pretty quickly, just looking at this when you plan the trip is not enough. You have to check on it frequently to make sure that you have everything you need for a seamless trip.
COVID-19 Regulations
- Travel Recommendations by Destination: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/map-and-travel-notices.html
- Travel Recommendations (If you are traveling to the United States): https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/map-and-travel-notices.html
Airline Tips
- Book on the official website! If you book through a third party (ex: Expedia, Booking.com, etc) the refund and cancelations have to go through those companies who are less likely to help you in case something happens. It is always best to book with the airline itself because in these events they can help resolve your issue.
- Get travelers insurance! It’s a slight fee, but to have the flexibility to change your flight especially with all of this madness gives you the reassurance you need to make sure you are not losing out on everything.
- If you are unsure of the requirements before you book a flight, call them! Sometimes talking to a representative can give you peace of mind.
- Right now Delta is offering free changes on all flights booked before December 31, 2021, so now is the time to reconsider your trips for the betterment of your health. All you have to do is click this link enter your information and confirmation number, then click modify flight and you only pay the difference for the flight instead of that on top of a change fee.
There You Have It!
As you guys know, I really pour my heart and soul into these posts, so I hope you found it insightful and I hope my experiences give you a different perspective on travel, especially during a pandemic. I know that there are extra steps and precautions to take because of COVID-19, but I hope this does not deter anyone from traveling. In. y personal opinion, I would reconsider travel for a little bit given that this new variant is extremely contagious as it spreads faster than any of the other variants. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy and if you have contracted the virus to take it easy and rest up. I hope that if you have contemplated getting the vaccine, you gut it in an effort to stop the spread and improve the health of yourself and your family as well. Again, if you have any questions or concerns about anything head over to my Instagram, send me a DM, or even comment on this post, and I will work on any of your doubts to ensure we take the right course of action! I wish everyone a Happy Holidays and just as we know it, it is going to be next year!! Let’s start getting pumped and make those new years resolutions! – xoxo Vee
what do you think?