Opinion by Meg Jacobs
As soon as I got the call last week, I cried.
I was not worried about myself. I was worried about my four kids. Not for caretaking,
I have a very competent husband, and the kids are all either old enough to vote or close
to it. No, I panicked because my Covid-19 diagnosis triggered the memory of when I got my cancer diagnosis. I learned that information over the phone, too.
A routine mammogram at the age of 49 led to the discovery of a mass and a needle biopsy. For four days, I waited on the results. Finally, just as I was about to leave home to take my father-in-law to a doctor’s appointment, I saw the radiologist’s number pop up on my phone.
We had a short, efficient conversation. He gave me the name and number of a breast surgeon and told me not to wait too long. “So, if someone asks if I have cancer, the answer is yes,” I said. “Correct,” he responded. I hung up, took my in-law to the appointment and waited until I returned home before I called my husband to tell him the news.
All along, my single thought was: What will this do to my family?
Over the next few weeks, I was worried about my health. After all of the initial reassurances about catching the mass early and removing it with a successful surgery, clear margins and nothing in the lymph nodes, I got back the results from my genomic testing. Those results basically told me that my tumor, despite all of the promising initial signs, had an elevated risk of recurrence. My first doctor put chemotherapy on the table; several weeks and tests later, my second doctor took it off.
COVID, Jan. 6, Afghanistan: Top Biden Quotes From His First Year As President In 2021.
At first, I tried to inject some levity into the difficult road ahead. I would make jokes about the swanky, zippered, leather binder containing the treatment plan I’d received, along with a water bottle, tote and lots of other breast center swag.
However, the six-week daily routine of going to the hospital, stripping down, climbing on the table and getting zapped with radiation began to wear on me. The horrible burn that comes with the treatment stinks, too — way worse than the sunburn that every kid got in the 1970s. And I’ll forever have the dozen or so tiny tattoos that told the technicians the radiation beams were hitting me in the right place.
Having a cancer diagnosis and receiving treatment was, of course, hard.
But what was harder was thinking about what my cancer would mean for my kids.
They were younger then. My two little ones were just starting high school, and the
next oldest was a junior. My oldest was weeks away from applying to college.
My only meltdown — publicly, at least — over confronting the big “C” happened when
she and I were college touring and had to fly back home separately because the airline
had overbooked the flight from Chicago’s O’Hare back to New York’s LaGuardia.
In a vain attempt to persuade the ticket agent to let me travel with my daughter,
I yelled, “I have cancer!” (It didn’t work.)
I’m not sure what I thought my diagnosis would do to my kids.
Distract them from their schoolwork?
Leave them motherless at mealtimes?
Or maybe leave them motherless forever?
I certainly know what that kind of loss is like.
My father died from a massive heart attack when he was 47, and I was 12. He was playing his weekly Sunday tennis game with my mother when he collapsed. She tried to do CPR, but he was dead before the ambulance arrived. One day he was here, the next he wasn’t.
I wrote a note on a piece of yellow legal paper and stuck it in his inside suit pocket as he lay in the coffin.
He was leaving, and I wanted him to take something from me with him.
As painful as my heartache was (and is) for my father, I had survived his loss.
So, why was I so scared that my kids might not survive if I wasn’t around?
The answer: I was worried I couldn’t protect my kids from fears and heartaches of their own. It turns out they knew a lot, even more than me, thanks to endless streaming of
“Jane the Virgin.”
When there was a chance I needed chemo, they knew all about the cold cap.
Video: Thompson: There are ‘three circles of risk’ from Covid-19 (CNN)
My children are strong and self-possessed — three beautiful, very on-top-of-it girls
and one sweet, sweet boy. They’ve been through divorce and remarriage and the blending of two families into one. And yet I didn’t want to scare them or make them worry about
more than who they have a crush on or what outfit they should choose for the next day.
I wanted to protect them, not cause them grief. But life just doesn’t work that way.
Try as hard as you might, you cannot protect your kids from everything.
Now, I’m three years past my diagnosis and treatment. I go for all my scans and tests.
I take my medication. So far, so good. But, in 2020, along came Covid-19.
For almost two years, we’ve all worked to protect our children and keep them safe from this strange, strange illness. M y family left New York City on March 16, 2020, right as it became a hot spot for the pandemic. For a few days, we wore bandannas we got from the local Five & Dime in our temporary town, for a few weeks we washed fruit and groceries
(I still do).
We quickly learned more, we socially distanced, we wore masks, we stayed
away for nine months, and we did online school. We all hunkered down together.
They were safe. I protected them. We made it work, eventually seeing some friends outside, moving back home and gladly supporting the kids’ return to school. We got our vaccines and our boosters. And then I got Covid-19 — exactly what my family had feared.
My husband and I went to our friends’ apartment for dinner where everyone was triply vaccinated. It was our first or second dinner in years in someone else’s home, drinking wine, talking politics, and lingering. We all felt so good to be back together.
Five days later, just after I left the hospital for a biannual breast exam, I got the news
that my friends had tested positive. My heart sank. Four days later, I tested positive, too.
When I got the call with my Covid-19 results, it felt like getting diagnosed with cancer all over again. I knew it wasn’t the same, of course. But I feared that getting sick would cause my family grief. We are so lucky that my Covid-19 symptoms were not severe —
I felt like I had a mild cold, a few sniffles, a cough or two.
The worst part was being separated from my family. I was so looking forward to my older two girls coming home from college over the holiday break. But, instead, we are apart.
My husband, who somehow escaped the dinner party pathogens, took all four kids and left the city — again. They made a new family group chat, and I wasn’t in it. My “Covid-cation” is the first time I’ve been alone in two years. Since the pandemic started, we have had constant togetherness.
When the world is falling apart, all you want to do is protect your kids.
Because that’s what parents do. They don’t let the danger through the front door — if they can help it. Now it looks like the worst and the best is upon us. It seems pretty likely that my kids will contract Covid-19, if not from me, then from someone else, but unlikely that
it will be severe. And they are seeing that I’m OK. Thanks to science, we really can cure illness.
So, maybe, in some convoluted, exhausting, frustrating, terrifying and horrible way, the lesson is: we will survive. We cannot protect our kids from everything. That is always true, and we’ve all had a master class on that in the last two Covid-filled years.
But maybe we — I — need to realize that — that is OK.
I’ve survived the big “C” twice. Cancer and Covid-19. And my kids are OK.
Meg Jacobs teaches history at Princeton University. Follow Meg Jacobs on: Twitter @MegJacobs100. The opinions expressed in this commentary are hers.
Read more opinions on CNN.
Who should get a COVID test, how often and what type?
Meredith Cohn, Baltimore Sun – Search (bing.com)
Here’s what public health experts say.
Testing has become an integral part of a layered approach to keeping individuals and communities safe, in addition to vaccinations, boosters, masks and adequate ventilation. So, who needs a PCR or rapid test?
Public health experts have answers.
Tests are most critical for those who have been exposed to COVID-19 because they live, work or have gathered with someone who is positive. It’s also critical for people to be tested if they have symptoms, which include fever, cough, difficulty breathing or loss
of smell, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
PCR tests typically conducted at a testing site and processed in a lab are the best at detecting COVID-19, with results in a day or two.
At-home rapid tests that come in a box from a store or public distribution site are more convenient and can detect the latest omicron variant.
They are, however, considered a little less reliable, especially in people with no symptoms, said Matthew Frieman, a longtime coronavirus researcher and professor in the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s department of microbiology and immunology.
Public health experts suggest people exposed or with symptoms using a rapid test should use one swab test and then another a few days later if the first result is negative. (There are typically two tests in the at-home test kits.) That gives the virus enough time to spread in the body and be detected. People should stay home or wear masks while they await results.
Healthy people who work in person might want to have regular PCR or rapid tests performed. Those visiting assisted living facilities and other places where people are at high risk due to age or medical condition often are required to be tested within a day or two of visiting.
Public health officials say it still may be a good idea even if it’s not required or when seeing grandparents or other vulnerable individuals at home. Older people often have trouble gaining or sustaining immune system defenses.
Dr. Jinlene Chan, Maryland’s deputy health secretary for public health services, adds that people should be tested before and after travel. And she said children should be tested so they can return to school safely after the holidays and so they can stay in the classroom when others test positive for the virus. Many schools are participating in a state schools testing program for that.
Those who want to go to an event or holiday gathering might use a rapid test the day before, Frieman said. That way there is time to get a PCR test to confirm a positive result.
Frieman said all this assumes tests are available, which for now, they may not be.
If there are no tests, people with symptoms should avoid gatherings and healthy
people should rely on all the other layers of protection.
Russia and China Align Against U.S as They Issue Demands to Joe Biden (msn.com)
Panic At the Pump: The Energy Crisis and the Transformation of American Politics
in the 1970s Opinion: Four steps to prepare for the next pandemic – CNNMSN
AOC: Capitalism ‘is the absolute pursuit of profit’ at all costs (msn.com)
U.S. Covid cases climb to highest on record (msn.com)
Didn’t the Korean War end in 1953? The short answer is no (msn.com)
How Alcohol Affects Your COVID Booster Shot, Experts Say (msn.com)
Here’s How You Can Catch COVID Even If You’re Vaccinated (msn.com)
‘It Sucks’: Lisa Boothe, Who Bragged About Not Getting Vaccinated as
Middle Finger to Biden, Gets Covid (msn.com)
‘They seem to be stumbling badly on all fronts’: CDC slashes omicron new-case estimates
Majority of Canadians – including the vaccinated – oppose vaccine mandates | True North
Long-term symptoms caused by omicron variant ‘are life-destroying,’ says expert
Let Omicron Spell the End of the Pandemic—and the COVID Shaming | Opinion
Lockdowns Did Little Or Nothing To Stop Deaths From COVID-19, Study Shows
3 omicron variant symptoms you won’t get from the common cold
Look at those Evil Eyes — AOC: Facebook ‘sabotaged’ the global COVID response with disinformation. By Max Zahn with Andy Serwer
Finance Progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) told Yahoo.
In an exclusive interview, Facebook (FB) and other U.S. companies have “sabotaged”
the global response to COVID-19 by spreading disinformation about the virus.
The tech giant, which recently changed its name to Meta, should “be broken up” because it exploits its overlapping lines of business as a platform, vendor, and advertiser, Ocasio-Cortez added in the wide-ranging remarks.
“There are some things that the United States provides that are welcome,” she says.
“There are also things that we want the United States to stop exporting and one of those things is disinformation — disinformation through U.S.-founded companies like Facebook that have absolutely slowed and frankly sabotaged the global effort to fight against the coronavirus,” she adds. The comments from Ocasio-Cortez, who spoke to Yahoo Finance’s editor-in-chief, Andy Serwer, on Jan. 27, came nearly a month after Facebook suspended House Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) for 24 hours for spreading misinformation about COVID-19.
Facebook imposed the suspension a day after Twitter banned Greene permanently.
Facebook has drawn criticism throughout the pandemic for what some perceive as an inadequate effort to prevent the spread of false information about the virus.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. President Joe Biden set off a public back-and-forth with Facebook last July when he asserted that social media platforms are “killing people” through the spread of vaccine misinformation.
In response, Facebook VP Guy Rosen refuted the accusation, arguing in a blog post that vaccine acceptance among Facebook users had increased since the previous January and advocating instead for a “whole of society” approach to ending the pandemic.
In later comments on the subject, Biden softened his criticism by directing his ire toward the top influencers who spread vaccine misinformation on social media, rather than the platforms themselves.
But documents later disclosed by whistleblower Frances Haugen revealed:
The company had gathered deep information about the spread of coronavirus misinformation on its platform, which the company did not share publicly, the Washington Post reported in October.
Facebook spokesperson Aaron Simpson provided this statement to the Post: “There’s no silver bullet to fighting misinformation, which is why we take a comprehensive approach which includes removing more than 20 million pieces of content that break our covid misinformation policies … connecting more than 2 billion people to reliable information about covid-19 and vaccines and partnering with independent fact-checkers.
“Only 12 people are responsible for up to 73% of anti-vaccine misinformation on Facebook, according to a report released in March 2021 by advocacy group Center for Countering Digital Hate. Joseph Mercola, a top anti-vaccine influencer with 1.7 million followers on the platform, frequently posts messages skeptical of vaccines and uses his Facebook page to promote his anti-vaccine book “The Truth About COVID-19.”
The CCDH report on the Disinformation Dozen shows that these 12 people, collectively have 59 million followers, are responsible for 73% of the anti-vax content on Facebook and 65% of anti-vaccine messages on other major platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. This in turn means that if the social media platforms will simply shut down their accounts (and other sites that they control, such as the misleadingly named Children’s Health Defense and National Vaccine Information Center),
we will see a dramatic reduction in false vaccine information, virtually overnight.
So, who are the Disinformation Dozen? Here they are:
Joseph Mercola
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Ty and Charlene Bollinger
Sherri Tenpenny
Rizza Islam
Rashid Buttar
Erin Elizabeth
Sayer Ji
Kelly Brogan
Christiane Northrup
Ben Tapper
Kevin Jenkins
Read the original post
“Ocasio-Cortez rose to prominence in June 2018 with a surprise upset of incumbent
Rep. Joseph Crowley, then the No. 4 Democrat in the House and a potential successor
to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. When she took office the following year at the age of 29,
she became the youngest woman ever to serve in Congress.
She has amassed nearly 13 million Twitter followers, giving her one of the largest online platforms of a U.S. elected official. Speaking to Yahoo Finance, Ocasio-Cortez reiterated her longstanding call for antitrust action against Facebook.
Last month, a judge rejected Facebook’s request to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit brought
by the Federal Trade Commission that claims the company is operating a monopoly in
the social media sector. “Facebook should be broken up,” Ocasio-Cortez says.
“They’re an advertiser. They are acting as both platform and vendor.
They are a communication platform, which has historically been a well-established domain of antitrust.” “Because there are so many businesses and industries in one,”
she adds. “The case [is] right there in and of itself as to why they should be subject
to antitrust activity.”
H.R. 4310 section 1078 propaganda – Search (bing.com)
Obamacare Death Panels Are Real – Search (bing.com)
900,000 American COVID-19 deaths, less than two-thirds of US fully vaccinated.
As US surpasses 900,000 COVID deaths, the trajectory of the pandemic remains uncertain (msn.com)
AOC says capitalism is ‘not a redeemable system’ while Biden says he will work with Congress to make it better (msn.com)
Read more: What Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants in the next Supreme Court nominee
New Johns Hopkins Study Proves The So-Called Experts Got It All Wrong,
Undermined Democracy [VIDEO] (redvoicemedia.com)
Russia and China Align Against U.S as They Issue Demands to Joe Biden (msn.com)
AOC: Capitalism ‘is the absolute pursuit of profit’ at all costs (msn.com)
AOC: Corporate ‘price gouging’ is fueling inflation. – Bing
How Millennials are Smarter than Boomers – Bing
Absolute Proof: Mike Lindell Releases Long Promised Documentary of 2020 Voter Fraud.
MINDY ROBINSON – Route 91: Uncovering the Cover Up of The Vegas Mass Shooting.
Watch the 19-Part Sequel to the Fall of Cabal Series (greatawakeningreport.com)
Chinese Supersonic Subs to The United States – Search (bing.com)
What is the great reset Davos agenda 2021 – Search (bing.com)?
Crimes Against Humanity & Anthony Fauci – Search (bing.com)
The Wildfires: California High Speed Rail – Search (bing.com)
Bill Gates Depopulation Ted Talk – Search (bing.com)
Build Back Better Agenda 21 – Search (bing.com)
Bill Gates Believes in Depopulation – Bing video
Bonus: Snowboarder Jamie Anderson doesn’t sugarcoat journey to Beijing Olympics: ‘Absolute nightmare’.