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Caitlin is masked and riding the T Profile picture
@walshcaitlin
Aug 30, 2021 • 351 tweets • >60 min read • Read on X
Every Monday I wonder if the DPH will return to reporting on the weekend. I thought with the steady and growing increase in cases they would.
#WearAMask
Speaking of cons, I know I would not be comfortable at Fan Expo this weekend, so I never bothered getting a ticket. But I'm really bummed that Christopher Eccleston will be there. No idea when I'll get a chance to meet *my* Doctor besides this con.
But I'm not wiling to buy a ticket and force myself to go for the sake of seeing him and paying for a photo op.
Check the list of meds the CDC gives.
cdc.gov/vaccines/covid… Humira is grouped with steroids at the bottom for instance.
Open access article link and the Graphic in the quote tweet is an anatomical body with 50 Long Covid symptoms displayed around it.

#WearAMask
Fell down a hole, landed in a hole right between the apocalypse and having to go to work.
Was just thinking about at the start of covid I watched DS9 and now I'm nearing the end of Voyager. I suppose if covid doesn't have a definitive end point (and it most likely won't) I should start a TNG rewatch... Or Enterprise? #StarTrek
Went to the dentist today for a filling they found previously. The last time I went was December so both visits were during a surge. Least I'm vaccinated this time around.
I spent so long just focusing on MA, using the Globe and the DPH report and basically that's it... I'm missing out. nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Would you like High, Very High or Extremely High risk? A map of Massachusetts with...
And there's a con this weekend in Boston which is *checks map* very high risk. I know that's supposed to be for unvaccinated people but I can't get the thought out of my head that I'd be the unlucky one with a breakthrough case if I do something risky.
Should I be worried that I didn't have a response to the 3rd shot? Barely had anything for shot 2, just arm pain and fatigue. I keep seeing the moderna = more antibodies longer headlines (and I don't click the articles) Got 3 Pfziers.
An antibody test could come in handy now. 🙄
Weird, the NY Times has different vaccine % for MA than the Boston Globe. (Theirs is higher) I think NYT pulls from the CDC and the Globe relies on MA DPH but I don't know why they'd be so off. At least one dose is almost 4% off. But fully vaxxed is only 0.5% off.
I bet Brady had a really mild case too, shrugged it off thinking everyone could handle this little bug... but he's spent years crafting an image with strict diets and workouts. (I bet even in Tampa Bay his TB12 company is going strong.)
Went remote March 17, 2020. Back in office this week. Not quite 18 months but close. Vaccine and mask mandate at work. Caitlin is standing on offi...
I think work is realizing this as we go along. Plans are fluid at least.
My last con was Arisia 2020. I know eventually I'll be back at a con like that or Star Trek Las Vegas or Gally. But today I went to LadiesCon and it was great to see actual vendors in person! We were all masked and very covid conscious. 1 in person panel the rest on zoom/recorded
I'm really glad @ComicaziLadies modified their event. Covid still sucks, and it's a bummer fanfiction theater won't be in person but this felt like a great breath of fresh air. 👏
When you work on the 9th floor and the elevator cars are *tiny* A two toned flyer with a st...
Media using boosters and 3rd shot in the same story. Not to conflate anything right?
All I know is I got a 3rd shot last month so my *booster* would be in February 🙄
Part of me is frustrated I got Pfzier but another part of me thinks I should be grateful I got shots this spring.
Really have to tread carefully, should keep my mindset in check. I don't want to come off as complaining/whining/ungrateful. I get frustrated by the media. it does what it's going to do w/ any major subject. Hype + race along, oversaturate w/ a lot of repetition + talking heads.
Taking bets when the hard line no remote option is back pedaled to let kids opt into hybrid (at the very least!) 👆🧵
Last month we were at 64.4% fully vaxxed. Now we've hit 2/3. (No I'm not going to relax) Screencap of the Boston Glo...
Now that I'm heading into work regularly I'm back at the point of struggling with risk. Not planning on doing anything additional right now but I admit I'm also trying to calculate risk in my head. Paying attention when someone says x that I do no problem makes them uncomfortable
In November I'm off to a regular writing retreat that we skipped last year. I know these people, trust that they're vaxxed. But if it were held today I'd be more comfortable if we had a test done before we arrive. (especially since it's a shared space for 3 days - assuming 😷)
Registered for a storytelling workshop this weekend. It's on zoom so a lot easier logistics wise and perhaps not as out of my comfort zone, as it would be.
So glad I went back for thirds 😉
We have a vaccine mandate at work but I'm still weary of spending extended time in small offices with people. 😷 And my former office is too small to share during covid time.
Mom bought masks for her ✈️ trip to Germany. Maybe it's time I switch. I don't think my 1 unvalved vogmask cuts it.
Have a scope scheduled for Monday. Included was instructions to get a covid test, regardless of vaccination. Within 72 hours of Monday. I'm so glad they dropped that requirement. My only experience of getting a test was after my birthday, first time I was out of my bubble.
I was worried about exposure from a stranger even outdoors but because there was no medical reason for the test MGH billed me directly. I've avoided tests since.
Oh and not to mention the one time I was potentially exposed at a party (friend's roommate came back positive after) there were hardly any non drive thrus that came up search results. Thanks @rikibeth for reminding me of community health centers!
wore my green vog mask to work because it matched my shirt. But it's really hard to talk on the phone with it on...
it's one of my more heavy duty masks, probably good for the T but not running.
Not going to take it as a sign that I don't need to be masked at the front desk. I'm still more comfortable with it on at work, and I'm sitting in an open area at the front door.
I was talking to a coworker at work who's still not taking the T. They are in office part time and driving in, paying for parking. I said I trust the air circulation system but buses are hard because you can feel trapped. Maybe they'll try the T before it snows to test it out.
Coming home I was on the most crowded I've been but someone opened the window right near me. It felt crowded but pre pandemic it would have been normal. There was still a little standing room.
A lot to take in
My new normal has morphed into a certain level of fear and risk that I'm willing to (or forced to) accept.
Related 🧵
A lot easier to get the flu shot this year. MGH is running a clinic at Charles River Plaza. massgeneral.org/news/flu/preve…
🙈
And proof of vaccination for school, camps too.
I've got a pdf of my vax card on my phone. Only got scanned upside down. 🙃
October screencap for the thread. Fully vaxxed last month was 66.6% now we're at 68.2%
*Twiddles thumbs* Screencap of Boston Globe's...
My 3rd shot was back in August. Good to know there's an option down the road in... February.
Given there's a risk I can't explicitly calculate give me the "artificial" immunity please! I'll keep showing up for boosters too as long as it's recommended 😷
Ran out of time to get a covid test at a community health center 🙄 but luckily abbott made a how to video for their 15 minutes test
(I'm negative thankfully)
Long Covid related to CVS trying to strip disability protections
"Fully vaccinated Colin Powell died from COVID-19. What does this tell us about COVID-19 vaccines?"
David Johnson:
That if everyone was vaccinated, an immunocompromised 84 year old man w/ cancer probably wouldn't have been exposed to it in the first place.
Being vaccinated allowed me to go on a writing retreat this weekend with friends. Seeing friends schedule and get their 6 month out shot keeps me hopeful. So yes still happy I'm vaxxed.
I'm assuming I'll be able to get a 6 month shot in February but timing may change by then... maybe.
Wondering when I'll be ok in a movie theater again. Ghostbusters is "exclusive" and kind of looked interesting. For me it's just too long to sit in a room without any ventilation, I don't think I'd be comfortable. 🎥
😷 the more people willing to still take covid seriously the more I can... try to relax and actually enjoy doing things. (within reason)
Speaking of enjoying things... When I tried this shirt on I joked with my mom people better get vaccinated so I can wear this out. Guess I need a fashion mask now. A black blouse hanging of a...
ID: A screencap of a headline from the Economist that has been edited.
"Covid-19 is likely to fade away in 2022" except to fade away has been crossed out.
"Due to persistent
failures in public health" with words also crossed out.
By Edward Carr.
Take it from Mr. T
😷+💉
Ghostbusters and Spiderman so far. I'm sure the list of movies skipped due to covid will get longer. I just hope they drop on streaming sooner
When you're still tracking stats and the math checks out 😟
Did you get your 6 month booster yet?
As of November 18th
5% jump in 1 dose hoping next month there will be a big jump in fully vaxxed. Screencap of the Boston Glo...
So @BostonGlobe hasn't updated their graphic for Friday or Monday's Covid in MA data. Wonder when/if they're going to catch up.

I'm still tracking from the MA site. mass.gov/info-details/c…
“There will be a time when someone really won’t be justified to say ‘I’m not going to come into work because I’m afraid of the risk’” said Pekosz, noting that immunocompromised people + those who don't respond well to vaccines still must exercise caution. bostonglobe.com/2021/11/23/bus…
Instead of a "yes and" vibe with something that is included to build upon the current idea, I'm getting a "yeah, but" vibe where people who continue to be high risk are held at arms length. We're something that needs to be discounted and excluded before people can get on with it.
My aunt is visiting over the weekend and is a cardiologist. She knows a bit more about omicron. She also lives in Germany and has tested negative regularly the whole trip. 😷
Covid is turning me into a homebody. Ironically the one trip I'd have any interest in is a train trip to NYC to do transit stuff and probably museum stuff if mom comes along.
😷🙋🏽
I am considering the surgical/fabric double mask on the T
*adds denial*
It's not real. When Delta came a big party at Provincetown was cancelled and we had to make it virtual again... Delta felt real. Like it was all the media talked about.

I'm sure that will change soon.
Same sentiment across the pond 🧵
“Without full global vaccination, we're creating a crucible for the development and spread of new variants. We're in this for the long haul, so we're probably looking at five years or more of dealing with COVID onslaughts, sadly.” saltwire.com/atlantic-canad…
I can't fully comprehend 5 years of this. But I couldn't comprehend 5 months back at the start of this in 2020 so - 🙃
Well this happened.
I knew today would be a large covid data day because Mondays count for 3 now... But just over 11k does seem excessive. Averages to ~3700.

Feels like we've been doing this over and over and just gearing up for another wave. 😷
MA has been red, included on the high list for a week now.
Single day for Tuesday: 3720
It would be cool if I could get February's booster at City Hall... 🤔
Love how I never did anything to address foggy glasses last year... Same glasses same masks.
I was naive thinking it'd be resolved a year from then. 🥲
💪🚂
Office day so I've been wearing my mask since 8am. Didn't take it off outdoors - too cold. And I am feeling it in my ears. One side keeps slipping off.
Last night we broke 900k total cases since March 2020. Mind boggling.
Friday's numbers added. 901,430 total. I'm still tracking even though I can barely comprehend. Boston Globe's coronavirus ...
Covid: 900k total cases in MA, 5k a day past few people travelling for an extended period of time, variants, hospitals restricting "non essential" procedures again *and* a staff shortage
Baker: nope no need for a mask mandate
In two weeks we'll be a boosted household. Mom's got enough side effects to call out of work. Now if only Dad could get an appointment. 💉
Boston Globe Editorial
"...while it’s certainly true that masks won’t bring an end to the public health crisis on their own, requiring people to wear masks in indoor spaces is a sure way to reduce coronavirus transmission and, consequently, death."
bostonglobe.com/2021/12/14/opi…
"That’s why more and more experts are calling on the state to reinstate an indoor mask mandate ... it’s why Baker should move quickly to do just that."

"...requiring people to wear masks in indoor spaces that are open to the public ...is the least the state can do."
😷
Right now the gym has a mask mandate regardless of vaccination status. If I'm the only one in there I'll wear a chin mask in case someone comes in. Today was the first time I've seen two people come in without a mask. The gym is small, no room to spread out.
Picked up a couple boxes of quickvue to have on hand. The cvs didn't have binax, so it's hard to rely on the website. Cashier told me to just call.
I am grateful I live within walking distance of a cvs. It's 1.3 miles according to google, but it's walkable just a long trip.
*robust* at home covid testing program when? 🙃🇺🇲 Spent $100 on 8 tests.
Here's a good collection of tweets that echo my mood. Thanks @BeingCharisBlog for curating them.
*rolls up sleeve* and it's a lot easier to keep track of doses on my electronic health record. Which has a phone app and a downloadable pdf with a qr card.
We've had mandates before with schools and camps and sports. We have passports, if you need to scan a qr code for me I'll just bring up mychart. (Or epic. Or whatever their dba name is.)
Much *sigh* tired.
Finally. Really hope the city can scale up quickly. We needed access to tests beyond yesterday
Especially if they're already running out as seen in the replies 👀 I went to cvs over the weekend and spent $100 to stock up on 4 boxes.
December 20th
fully vaxxed (2 doses/JnJ) broke 70% Screencap of Boston Globe's...
Interesting article is by same reporter that I tweeted a month ago and quotes same expert who is pro returning to the office without delay. bostonglobe.com/2021/12/19/bus…
To return to the office all we *really* need to do is require vaccinations and boosters, ensure buildings have proper air filtrations systems, use contact tracing, masking, testing, and social distancing...it all depends on employee risk tolerance!
Mental Health Matters.
Ordered another vogmask because I feel like they're better than the fabric ones. I'll keep those for the gym. Gonna experiment with higher grade masks so I can feel less guilty going out.
I enjoyed watching Matrix at home. Yeah maybe the special effects would have looked cooler on a bigger screen with better sound but I know I'd be too uncomfortable sitting in a theater for ~3 hours to enjoy it. I'm going to miss streaming at home.
Grocery store trip: most of the folks in Brockton were masked. A couple I spotted where not and it's a bit unsettling. I get we don't have a state wide mandate anymore but with *checks notes* 9k cases added yesterday I really hope we get another mask mandate.
10k added today.
Last Christmas: dad visited for short visit, we were masked and the windows were open.
This Christmas: dad took a rapid test and we were able to sit down for a nice dinner and dessert.
ID: Golden Lab wearing goggles stands in front of a home science kit. Holding a beaker above a coffee mug.
Today since March 2020
One Million, Two Thousand, Two Hundred and Sixty Six. an excel graph of total cov...
We've since added 36k in two days with another holiday weekend approaching so I'm thinking there's some backlog? It's two weeks til Arisa and I'm trying to figure out how actually attend without feeling anxious the whole time. The numbers won't calm down and people won't either.
I've made a solo hotel reservation, there's a vaccine mandate, I'll be masking all day and test before/after maybe during... eating would be a challenge unless I go to my room.
The con made the in person decision a while ago after being fully online last January.
feels like it...
Telling myself to relax and actually relaxing are two different things. 🥴
Already too wound up and I don't see myself being able to relax during Arisia with the way the (omicron) numbers are so I'm canceling my hotel reservation.
I had reserved a room for myself in September. Was delta coming down by then? I can't remember.
Relieved @arisia is cancelling this year's con. It is the right decision, as painful as it was to pull the plug.
Something I *just* remembered was 6 months ago when I was so uncomfortable with the idea of an *outdoor* party in Provincetown. Delta had arrived in P-Town maybe a week before? They ended up cancelling the event, last minute too.
I'm surprised I forgot about my reaction to an outdoors event. But 6 months, or anything before omicron set in, feels like a distant memory.

There was a cluster reported in Provincetown.
*nods*
When Covid invades jackbox game night - lots of tee-ko shirts. A Tshirt image with a drawn...
To rethink how we live with Covid is to make sure we have enough people with comorbidities tied up for that trolley...
I knew my dad had missed out on a booster last month because the line was too long. (perhaps he didn't show up early) then he got a cold which thankfully wasn't covid. Found out Friday he got is booster at Fenway Park. In the snow. slightly jealous. More relieved.
We're probably going to stick to take out for a while instead of eating inside. I'm glad he asked what I was comfortable with. I think daily case numbers are going to stay scary high for a while.
Have to figure out how to get a 4th Pfzier. My last shot was August 20th and I know that immunity is running out, if it hasn't already. 🤷🏽
I would not be surprised if some are hearing her statement and considering it permission to write those with just *one* comorbidity off. 🥴 #HighRiskCovid19
I am a whole person. I have hobbies I like, a job I enjoy. I have favorite music, books, tv shows. I want to continue that beyond this. I need to continue beyond this. I don't want to be a statistic just cuz I'm #HighRiskCovid19 that they handwave away.
This is the new mask I'd intended to break out for Arisia next weekend. I used it for grocery shopping yesterday. I have two vogmasks and some '95s I found through Project 95 are in transit. #HighRiskCovid19 Selfie of Caitlin standing ...
I know fabric masks aren't cutting it on the T anymore. I see far less of what looks like homemade ones on the Orange Line these days. #mbta (then again I'm not purposely getting close to people to find out 😏)
22 years of Crohn's today. I know I've taken steroids humira, 6mp for a majority of that time. I am #HighRiskCovid19
The kn95s I found on @projectn95 arrived. No more riding the #mbta wearing a fabric mask.
I am masked and riding the T #mbta Selfie of Caitlin sitting i...
I should be packed for Arisia right now... *packing* but the last time we had a below 10k day was in December.

Don't regret not going/the con being cancelled but still bummed we're missing it again.
I'm not exactly numb. I still catch myself having that "this is so bizarre and unreal" thought occasionally. Most often it's when I'm wearing a mask. For some reason I'm resisting the urge to round up to 2 years just because we've past 1.75. But we're certainly getting there.
#NEISvoid is it true 6 months got shorted to 5 for the early booster crowd? I just showed up to CVS in August for the 3rd as soon as they authorized it. Could I do that again for Pfzier number 4?
Booked my 4th dose at a cool place. An angled selfie of Caitlin...
There's still a ton of confusion about getting doses faster because you're immunocompromised in some way. Both techs for my 3rd and 4th shot were surprised I had a filled out card. I don't think the CDC protocol was explained widely. But at least I have my 4th dose.
I don't think I would have gone to a free Me2 concert at Symphony Hall yesterday if I hadn't seen all of their improvements for Covid. I think the last time I was there Leonard Nimoy was hosting a sci-fi music Pops concert. bso.org/symphony-hall/…
7 day average graph for MA from the start to now...
Yeah I'm *still* going to be careful out there. 😷
Mom goes into work 1 day a week, shares a small office with her boss (like always) On Wednesday there was a company wide meeting with no mask mandate. Her boss wasn't masked but mom is. Friday her boss tested positive but thankfully mom is still negative. Nerve-wracking.
Not to be fatalistic but if one of us brings it home there's no way to avoid the other getting it... Unless one of us leaves the house.
It really has been two years. (trying to get my mind around that) It's just for the first month and a half I was so, so oblivious. Such a wake up call mid March.
It felt (good?) to be asked by the bartender to show my vax card yesterday (all four doses lol) I had a momentary panic that my dad en route didn't have his on hand, but he did. Wasn't asked by the server though.
Partners has inaccurate first dose date so I found my MIIS data and uploaded to the city of Boston's wallet app. Probably easier to display than Partners and still finger locked.
(NY Times gonna NY Times)
I can tell people are tired by the number of maskless folks at the grocery store. No mandate so they can get away with it. At least there's a(n unenforceable) mandate on the T. And at least the numbers are on a downward trend again.
Everyone's tired an wants to get on with things because 2 years is *obviously* too long - they're burying the lede.
Sounds about right here in MA
our response in graph form:
sometimes I'm envious of those who are vaxxed and feel comfortable going out without masks. They don't have to keep up with the risk calculations, or continue to draw the line on what they can't or won't do. Must be fun without all that mental math to do...
😐 I don't know when I'll even feel comfortable enough to stop masking but it won't be now!
this thread is 1 year - and thankfully 4 covid shots - old.
according to the stats the Globe keeps on its homepage, we are at 76.2% for fully vaccinated. We are also at 1,522,532 cases since two years ago.
It's kind of inevitable right? 😷
There's still a guidance for people like me to keep wearing masks so at least there's that...
bostonglobe.com/2022/02/15/nat…
I knew it was just plain rotten timing, tail end of the surge that meant Arisia was canceled. I was bummed but grateful they were playing it safe... what a difference a month makes! Smaller con with a hybrid track is on for this weekend at the same hotel.
And because I'm so convention starved, a bunch of my friends are going/paneling, and perhaps more importantly reboosted, I decided to check out Boskone first the first time.
It felt good to be at a con again. Small enough to feel comfortable. Everyone at the con was masked and had to show proof of vax. Panel rooms were big enough to spread out.

There were plenty of non con goers who weren't always masked. There was still a sign at the hotel entrance
I am adjusting to the fact that I have 1 foot in both worlds. It's almost as exhausting as being firmly in the high risk covid world and nearly as terrifying... It's people's denial that's pushing me into the "real post covid pandemic" world. No one will be accommodating.
Legit resigned to this going forward
My high risk activities are for my job and my mental health. I can't work from home every day of the week. I need to keep running. I feel safer on the T still, until they scrap that mask mandate at least. At the gym I am resigned to people working out without masks.
When you think “No one is safe until everyone is safe.” but then do things that show the exact opposite.
cdc.gov/coronavirus/20…

The burden of protection is fully on me now. Wonder if I'll start getting hassled when I'm the only one masking.

The CDC is pandering to those who are "tired" of covid, and want it wished away.

*right now*
Read this
and
Keep masking.
I've caught on. (Metaphorically) pulled my hair out. 😷 So 😷 Frustrating 😷
How is my powecom kn95 I found thru Project n95 still not as good as the masks mgh gives out at every entrance? Sure I get when we had bandanas, t-shirts and scrambled to make home made ones with tight enough fabric. But now? After everyone is shamed into using at least a kn95?
Everyone needs to start with a sterile mask... okay fair. But it seems that something else needs to be offered, a better type then.
If you're worried about looking lame masked in photos check out Zini! Rocking it 😷
Hi 👋
So this is very frustrating. Posting mask mandate info on pictures only is not helpful at all. Not accessible until you include the alt text with the url. Why is the @CityOfBoston posting inaccessible media on their social media accounts? @MayorWu @wutrain
I want to qt the entire article
This is my mindset
Care to sign?
Accurate 😷
"We're only protected when everyone is protected."

Can't stop thinking of all that graphic design work that went into those graphics + posters walking us through 😷 effectiveness WHEN BOTH PARTIES ARE WEARING THEM
I'm still going to mask on the T beyond the mandate. We have another few weeks at least. But I have a feeling they'll drop it soon, at least partially. Keep the planes but remove transit... (But which tin can has better air circulation?) apnews.com/article/covid-… Partial screen cap of an As...
2 years
This was the last transit photo I took for a while. Added to the zoom background pile.
👀
So much of this thread scares me. But this is the scariest.
This time last year I was impatiently waiting for my vaccine set. Since then I've gotten two boosters.

I thought eventually we'd have a yearly dose just like the flu jab.
Feeling retrospective
2 years in we've had 1,550,186 total cases. Thankful for 4 jabs of pfzier.
This!!! 😷
This graph! This thread! This line!
"No Brad I will not [be fine]"
Thank you @Tinu
When I yell into the void about our collective inaction on covid, that dictates our public health response and dismantles mandates...

I'm really yelling at Brad. Brad is tired and wants to be done with covid...
Went grocery shopping with mom at our usual place 1st time since the "mandates" lifted. So more people without masks and Market Basket completely removed any signage.
Funny I overheard a convo between 2 shoppers, 1 was still masking based on the premise they hadn't caught it yet
Since I knew ahead of time there'd be less maskers I was more comfortable than the earlier trips where I was surprised by the minority who were unmasked.

Grocery shopping is like riding the T - I'll be masking for a long time, if not forever. 🫤
If I'm double masking, I must be at the doctor's office. At least I had the option of layering instead of replacing. Selfie of Caitlin. Her blac...
Going to keep an eye out next time I'm at MGH.
2 years and 4 vaccine jabs later. Still masking, feeling uncomfortable around crowds when they're not masking.

My walking obsession turned into a running obsession. If you told pre pandemic Caitlin that she'd turn into a runner, she'd look at you funny. A selfie of Caitlin wearing...
Covid is not over. I get annoyed when people declare it and then complain they're tired of masking. Marking the "official" 2 year anniversary seemed to blend into the shock that came with mandates dropping left and right simply because the politics willed them gone.
This was not how I imagined the endemic "just learn to live with it" stage of Covid would play out.
Pretty sure the last movie I saw in theaters was Birds of Prey. Don't know when I'll be comfortable enough to sit in a dark room with no ventilation and no masks. I really wanted to see Free Guy, had to wait until I could rent it. I think HBO and Disney have it now.
I really hope the transit mandate goes into the summer. But the cynic in me is thinking they extended it one last time and we only have a few weeks left. I've already seen bolder maskless people on the orange line. #mbta
It ain't gone
It's weird today is one year since I got my first shot scheduled for that weekend.

And yes I was naive! I thought things would start getting back to normal after everyone getting their initial set.
I couldn't comprehend this drawn out slog. I had no concept of surges and boosters.

See? Naive.
Really hope people's complacency is reversible and I see more 😷
The shot heard round the -
Well you get the idea
I did get back to work in person about 5 months after my first dose (Sept) and I did get to both the MFA and Gardner a few months ago. But life isn't exactly what I'd imaged post vaccine set. Hence this massive thread to document it.
😷 bare minimum 😷
At least for now there's a 😷 mandate on septa trains/trolleys/buses. Wonder how enforceable it is in other transit systems? Probably goes just as well as on the T. And I'm assuming that federal mandate will get lifted shortly.
*shakes head*
A little bit of the good old days except some people aren't masking. 😷 #mbta
My hair is so overgrown, and frizzy almost all the time. If I hadn't (stupidly) gotten it cut in 2020 it'd probably be a whole lot worse. It's unhealthy so can't wait until it's donate length. I'm pretty sure it's safer to go now than early days. Part of me regrets going before.
A visualization of several BA sub variants seen over the last 15 days
👂👀 watch this. Then watch it again.
My version of living my life over the virus is keeping my mask around my neck for taking the T and whenever I'm indoors/with crowds like at the Hynes yesterday.
Speaking of taking the T 😷
I thought I'd have a bit longer ...
I'll still be masking when I'm waiting for the 🚇 🚋 and I'll mask up before the 🚍 arrives. #mbta #MasksSavesLives
site hasn't been updated yet "All riders including those who are fully vaccinated are required to wear face coverings while on MBTA vehicles + at all indoor stations, facilities, bus stops, and platforms for the Commuter Rail, subway, and trolley systems"
But the pessimist in me suspects the mbta won't hold out for long and will "fall in line" dropping the mandate.

nothing changes for me except a big increase in anxiety - worried how many people were masking just for the sake of the mandate and not for communal protection
🙃 i knew it

thanks @MBTA - I hate it

Work is hybrid where we are primarily remote but some of us have office days. Not everyone lives close to the T, but I still made an announcement during staff meeting about the #mbta dropping the mask mandate. Hopefully people keep masking but that's even less of a guarantee now.
It's not going well. Either I've been stopped and asked to cover my kn95, or there's no minder at all. It literally depends on the building and entrance.
Had an appointment in Yawkey on Monday so I used the entrance I'd always used. Turned out it was for staff, only open for the morning so no one was there but they had a mask dispenser. At least no one asked about my (naked) kn95 after.
We are not at 90% low community levels. More like 15% low *transmission* levels.
meanwhile I still haven't seen spiderman and I'll have to miss out on doctor strange and thor in theaters too. I used to see marvel releases day/week of. I know I can catch up at home when they're released to streaming but for marvel especially it's not the same.
I couldn't eat the popcorn but I still enjoyed movies in theaters. Can remember how loud everyone was for Shazam and marvel movies. Getting shushed by a stranger. Sold out shows with high energy, anticipation. (this is why movies should have captions!)
Year anniversary of the "full set"
I was pretty optimistic bordering on naive back then 😥 it did feel like we would round the corner.
Old sign at Boston Common. A sign from Boston Public H...
Because I haven't felt safe. Haven't been able to let my guard down.
Tone deaf tweet is tone deaf.
That feel when you live in a hotspot that's so bad *both* CDC models agree to label it as high covid levels. 💩
Frustrated. How do I plan a vacation out of state when it feels like there could be a real surge anytime? (as in they actually acknowledge it's a surge instead of keeping their heads in the sand and moving the goal posts)
I want to treat myself to an Acela trip to NYC. Check out the transit museum, Grand Central, Moynihan train hall. When I was at Hofstra I sadly was not a transit nerd, missed out on a lot.
I've stayed in Gloucester with dad for a weekend. I've gone up to Maine last November for a writing retreat with friends who I knew were taking covid seriously.
It just feels like we're at the futile stage and I don't like it. 🥴 Heads in sand because a plurality (majority?) want to move on and damn the consequences that will come.

I mask in the grocery store. Saw a family that was expecting who also masked.

We masked for each other.
2020 Caitlin from a fb post
"You're either herding cats or you're playing chess. Sometimes you're doing both at the same time."

At that time we thought work would return in person sometime in June - I was wondering if being reception would make me essential.
Phones were on voicemail for 18 months. I'd call in and pick up messages from home.
Definitely
Def-i-nite-ly
I can't comfortably ask my friends to come eat inside a restaurant with me. I wouldn't feel safe and I know I wouldn't be the only one.
exactly! 😷gonna keep masking and hope you do to
Sharing because of the header image from Getty. Kid going to the Red Sox game unmasked during rush hour on the green line. This is what "masks encouraged" looks like on the #mbta

newrepublic.com/article/166573…
I wish the mandate came back. I've left the house forgetting my mask. Yesterday I had to grocery shop with my favorite kind of blue surgical mask. 😐
A friend got covid for the first time and is still testing positive day 14+ Mildish symptoms that cleared up with paxlovid. thankfully they isolated longer than the "CDC special" 5 days.

But the fact that there's still a double line on a rapid test is unsettling.
initially the positive line gotten very faint to the point cell phone pics couldn't really show it at all, but now it's come back clearer.
Almost left the house without my mask this morning. Sad that I'd be able to take the T no problem if that happened. I still need it for work.
Even in the new scale that vastly under represents covid we still need to mask in the Boston area. Wish more folks wore one on the #mbta 😷
"masks encouraged" is all the they can say.
Bombastic tweet is bombastic 😑
One thing that has changed since Jan 2021 are vaccines that resulted in a false sense of security and reduced or eliminated public health mandates.

You know, the measures that continue to protect us as vaccine doses wear off.
Is there a head in sand emoji? That's the vibe I'm getting from CDC and the government (at nearly every level)
You can add Thor to the list of movies I wish I could see in theaters. Still waiting for streaming Everything Everywhere.

I just don't feel comfortable in a large room with little to no masking and ventilation 😷
I'm still tracking numbers on my rudimentary spreadsheet. My last 100 days graph is past that day in Jan where we had a 60k weekend so it looks almost normal?
I realized with the #mbta's massive cut in service there will be roughly half the trains for weekdays. And people will likely continue to ride unmasked - I don't see many resuming masking as a response for the increased crowds.
Sometimes I ride with maskers. But it's completely out of my control so best to assume the majority will be unmasked...
I have to believe I'm safe riding the T
#mbta even without the mask mandate. I have to believe because the doors open often enough. I have to believe because it's the only way I get around now. I haven't taken a lyft since early 2020.
The *one* good thing about this 👇is that there's alt text included.
I'm masking and wishing our public health comms encouraged us to like Ireland. But that hasn't really been a thing for a long time.
I requested an in person appointment with a provider to off set all the phone ones. I know I'll have to cover my kn95 at the clinic. Thanks MGH, I hate it.

It's very cumbersome, I don't think I have big enough ears to double mask especially since I need glasses.
I've been wearing a kn95 using a strap from vogmask. So my selfies have this weird necklace. Wonder if next Pride we (I) will still have 😷 at hand? I hope not but I'm a realist so...

Fooling around for the last day of Pride. 🏳️‍🌈 At least the Boston sign is rainbow year round. A selfie of Caitlin standin...A different angle of the Bo...
Added a second day in office. More people are in office consistently. Gonna mask all day even though that's not required. I don't think the office has much ventilation. 😷 Old building problems.
Remember when MGH asks you to use one of their blue masks. Make sure you're wearing something stronger underneath 🙄
I'm close to 6 months from my 4th jab, which was bumped up because of the omicron spike. Gotta figure out a 5th jab.
Really wished I had my act together and managed to snag one 2+ weeks out from the wedding I went to that didn't have any covid protocols. I wasn't the only family member at higher risk. We were inside for the reception in a *small* venue.
Speaking of alt text there's also folks not using is in their covid graphics and maps. Especially now that the CDC/media use the wrong kind of map. Sometimes but not always it's self explanatory. tl;dr there's an accessibility gap across twitter. 😒
Thursday was the first "weekly" report of MA Covid Data from the DPH and I'm not happy. I totally disagree with reducing reporting, weekday was a good compromise... plus this ruins my graph. First batch average was ~1183 for 6 days.
Went ahead and scheduled my next jab 6 months since my Fenway Park trip. Hoping because I waited (?) I won't need to explain for a 3rd time that I'm on the booster track and need a new card of shot number 5. I think before I was just extra early so the messaging hadn't caught up.
Maybe registration websites are more clear now about primary vs booster. Back to CVS this time.
I haven't been on vacation (besides a writing retreat by car with friends) since before the pandemic. I haven't flown since 2016. I still don't feel comfortable going anywhere, but maybe it's safer to take a train instead of flying.
We're at this point again.

We were always at this point 😷
Second batch of the weekly covid data drop - the daily average is just over 1464 cases. Not a fan of this set up DPH
I could accept the "once a year" attitude for a cold, maybe a flu. But not covid. Not with the roll of a dice that comes with it. 😠
Yesterday I had to show my vaccination card for an outdoor event. I hadn't needed to show it in months, forgot where I'd saved it. They were supposed to hold the event last year, but Delta had started to spread so they switched back to online.
New vaccine card who this? Selfie of Caitlin downtown....
So I was masked but the pharmacist wasn't... Just feels weird. At least I didn't get hassled for getting a shot too early. I think they finally have their registration form coded correctly.
Still glad! 5/5💉
Still using that BTogether app the City of Boston put together when they briefly had a mandate for my MIIS vax card. Easier than using gateway.
This is a really good point.
But I'm still really more jaded/cynical/resigned. I did manage to train myself out of anger.
This quote is so good I included alt text. (Link in the thread)
A screencap from politico. ...
I've forgotten to update my covid spreadsheet now that they switched to weekly on Thursdays. I'm not that great of a statistician (never took the class) so my graph is all messed up. I don't know if that's a sign to just give it up. Really don't want to.
By my count there were nearly 850 days before the switch to weekly.
Something I'm very worried about as I see less and less masks on the train. I'm pretty sure the coach shuttles don't have windows that can open either 😬
They took the coach shuttles out for a test drive.
I know I've used these types of shuttles during a weekend disruption before. I'm still uneasy with having these long term for covid. (Among other issues)
*ahem* may the odds be ever in our -
😬
Thread! (Also I'm one of the 70% 💉)
This. T. H. I. S.
I don't feel like I got a chance to go back to normal.
Very nearly two and a half years later I broke my no lyft streak.

...For a long time it was because of covid and then it was covid adjacent as I was doing less in person social things that I couldn't get a ride to take the T.
It may be a security theater type thing but I (still) trust in the air circulation on a subway car and a bus when the doors open at every stop.
It's been 6 years since I last flew. A lot of my Trek friends are returning to large Trek cons, like the one in Las Vegas. I don't know if I'll ever be comfortable flying or at a con like that. 🤷🏽
Local friends still using discord playing the (now traditional) game of who hasn't gotten sick yet. I'm in a gray area. I had upper respiratory symptoms, called my doctor cuz I'm on Humira, but tests weren't available unless you were sick enough in March 2020. I'll never know.
Thanks fb memories. A year ago I was struggling with returning to the office. Not just with covid protocols but also the practical matter that in 18 months of working from home I ended up donating clothes that no longer fit me and had to scramble to replace them.
I hate trying on clothes. Shopping was more of a challenge during the height of covid. Probably still difficult now.
If I don't take a blue mask at the clinic reception will yell at me. But I don't take off the mask I have that's better. I don't get it.
I don't regret getting my 5th 💉 I *think* I'll be okay waiting another month plus. (7/28)
I feel like my level of caution wouldn't necessarily change even if I had vaccine 2.0 the omicron version. Hard to predict my future comfort level even after *checks calendar* nearly 2.5 years. (not that I'm still tracking of course)
And then I see stuff like this I think... the narrative of "it's only a temporary setback" was preselected, numbers were fudged, details were obscured and lies were inserted to make it "fit."
Looks like I'm not throwing caution to the wind anytime soon. 😷
The "You Do You" part really rubs it in. I'm still masking on the T but less and less people around me are as well. I didn't even realize/remember MTA still had a mandate. But they're abandoning it like every other 🚂✈️
I knew I was taking the T home from my race. Glad the start/finish was close enough to Jackson. Brought my mask with me. I have been lucky to mostly avoid the shuttles. I realized I feel the most vulnerable on them because of air circulation and the lack of masks.
Pretty sure the T is on pace to finish end of this week, and next week I'll be back on a subway car that has more air circulation with each stop. I have no idea if the CRRC cars are better at air filtration/circulation than the 40+ year old Hawker cars.
According to my fb memories it's been 2.5 years. I basically gave up tracking cases thanks to the DPH only releasing data once a week.

But if not for covid I wouldn't know the Boston Nature Center. If not for covid I wouldn't be a runner. 🫣
Masking on the "T" in NYC and Boston.
Certainly doesn't feel like Covid is over. Not when I need a mask to ride the #mbta because of how quickly the air quality turns poor.
Certainly doesn't feel like Covid is over. Not when Disabled Orgs have to take to twitter to remind us...

The Pandemic is Not Over
The pandemic is not over.
Even when reporting agencies stop releasing numbers daily and try to hide behind weekly drops.
I'm not sure why I'm still tracking the data DPH releases - I had forgotten and just added 3 weeks worth.
I am so angry about this decision. Wishing away the pandemic, digging deeper holes in the sand to stick their heads in.
I scheduled an upgraded bivalent booster and flu shot combo on Saturday the 22nd. A zoom friend with Crohn's had just gotten knocked off their feet from covid. I'll probably be paying for it that Sunday but it's the right time.
Thinking of the lack of a mask mandate on the T every morning when there's a significant gap between trains. Feels like two trains worth of people waiting at Forest Hills. #MBTA
Saw my GI today. I wish I'd take notes, asked him about how exactly humira compromises my immune system. Not severe at least. He still doesn't consider me for high risk for covid but I've tried to take precautions as if I *was*
Extremely frustrating to hear him say "yeah covid is here to stay" I'm getting sick of masking in doctors' offices.
speaking of masking... This wasn't enforced at all. Wore my white kn95 and was never asked to cover. This was up the street from MGH main campus so that might make a difference. Screencap of a Covid Prescr...
Glad I got the bivalent upgrade this time!
That's 2 💉 at Reggie Lewis Center, 3 at a CVS and 1 at Fenway Park.
I did forget my CDC card though 🤦🏽 I keep the card from MA's immunization information system on my phone thankfully. Now I have two CDC cards with just 1 "booster" on them.
Here's to the upgrade! 🦾 Caitlin stands in front of ...
My own GI, who prescribes my Humira just kinda shrugged and said covid is here to stay when I saw him Friday. We were masked at least.
Managed to get through to my GI on the patient portal. Humira is only a mildly suppressive medication. I was literally forgetting the degree. Helps to get it in writing. (I'm still not at higher risk according to him since I don't have other comorbidities)
😬 nothing is mandatory.
The fact that kids who are immuno suppressed and/or high risk for covid had to navigate this is such a gut punch.
Twitter was kind of a big deal to me when it came to covid. Grateful for the space to thread my thoughts over the last 18+ months. To be able to follow the high risk/disabled/chronic illness communities. Not sure what the future holds for this space/this thread. 🫡
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More from @walshcaitlin

Caitlin is masked and riding the T Profile picture
Apr 3, 2020
Today my mom humored me as I tried to list the #mbta current rolling stock in chronological order w/o using my phone. Massive 🤓 alert. I'm tweeting first before I'll look it up to see how close I was
Not counting the Green Type 9s, the Orange 1400s and the Red 1900s. So that leaves:
1) 🚇 Blue Line Siemens order 2000s
2) 🚋 Green Line Type 8 Breda cars. 2000s (derailing issue)
3) 🚇 Red Line Bombardier 1800s early 90s 93/95
4) 🚇 Red Line UTDC 1700s late 80s 87/89
5) 🚋 Green Line Type 7 mid 80s originally 🇯🇵 then rehabbed 🇫🇷
6) 🚇 Orange Line 1400s Hawker Siddeley 1979/80
7) 🚇 Red Line Pullmans 1969/70 15/1600s
And 8) 🚋 Mattapan Trolley Pullman post war estimated 75 years old. (that's the easiest!)
Read 7 tweets

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