'Phil Goff has Covid, says he is feeling mild symptoms and is working from home', read the news. The latest in a long line of mediocre politicians downplaying the virus that’s currently affecting over 200k New Zealanders (officially - presumably there are more, but the partners/mothers who are responsible for recording such life admin are too incapacitated to do so).
We’ve been hearing much about how mild Omicron is. Indeed, a common refrain from the ‘freedom’ protestors at Parliament was around the implementation of vaccine mandates to protect against something as ‘mild’ as a common cold or flu.
This rhetoric negates how debilitating a legitimate, bad flu is. It’s certainly not something you’d want to wish upon an entire community, simultaneously. The ongoing insistence at describing Omicron as ‘mild’ enforces another illness of our culture: that of hustle and grind.
In a society where ‘WFH’ has become the new norm, what even is a sick day? And when our ‘leaders’ don’t lead, how are we supposed to rest and get better?
But hey, at least there’s always a mute button if you threaten to cough up a lung mid-meeting. For all the government guidelines around isolating when infected, there seems to be the assumption we will continue to participate in society above all else.
But if succumbing to a pandemic virus you’ve been actively working to avoid for over two years isn’t a good enough reason to lie in bed for a week watching Love is Blind (in a dark room with a cool cloth, in a pool of sweat), then what more would it take for an already over-stretched society to take sick days seriously?
It’s well-reported that women are far more prone to long Covid than men, outnumbering them 4-1. Many reports over the recent weeks have also drawn a correlation between resting and reducing its risk.
Dr Anna Brooks, a cellular immunologist at the University of Auckland who is leading a major research project on long Covid in New Zealand, spoke to ReNews about the culture of 'pushing through', and the long-term impacts this could have.
“It is incredibly important to avoid Graded Exercise Therapy (GET) – or any overexertion or stressors too soon, as this may exacerbate symptoms and cause further damage," she told ReNews.
READ MORE:
I had Omicron. Here’s what I did to get through it
Why I’ve given up on going out
What happens when you’re vocally pro-vax?
It’s also no secret that women carry much of the emotional labour of a household along with an enormous amount of unpaid life admin. When a child gets Covid, who organises the testing, the notifications, the contact tracing, the school liaison, the online shopping, the meal planning? When the entire household subsequently gets Covid who is managing, full-stop?
This week, while at home in a state of delirium, fatigue, sweat and angst I’ve thought a lot about our inability to do nothing.
I’ve also considered how privileged I am to be otherwise fit and healthy, triple vaccinated and with a top shelf medicine cabinet boasting everything from lypo-spheric vitamin C through to magnesium and CBD oil. And still, it’s been tough. This isn’t a virus I’d wish upon anyone, especially those with weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions.
In 2003 I got campylobacter from a chicken pizza and ended up in Auckland hospital for a week. Four of us ate the pizza that night and I was the only one who got sick. I didn’t just get a bit of an upset tummy; I almost died. I was about 10 days into my first cycle of chemotherapy. My body already felt poisoned and, being new to this whole chemo business, I didn’t realise I had additional poisoning until a few days had passed. By then my white blood count (immune system) was non-existent and I was admitted straight to an isolation unit where guests had to scrub in and mask up to visit me. I lost 7kg in that week and my hair fell out at the same time.
If I was having chemo now, how would I cope? The psychological and and physical pressure I would be under is more than I can bear to consider in my currently incapacitated state. 2003 me would love to talk to the yoga teachers, meditation ‘experts’ and nutritionists who joined the Wellington protests to declare Covid mild enough that they should be allowed to dictate their own health mandates. And now to add to the fray we have public figures, friends, colleagues and whānau who insist on downplaying this shitty virus to show strength in office.
Please, let’s all take to our beds in protest. And rest.
