About COVID-19 That Makes Me Afraid

COVID-19 is complicated. The ways in which it debilitates its victims become more varied. What was a respiratory infection became a disease of the immune system and then a hazard to your nervous system. COVID-19 can cause people to lose their sense of smell, suffer strokes, have their brain swell, and suffer long term neurological problems.

These things don’t happen in all cases. Nor do the myriad complications reported by patients months after supposedly recovering. Not every person will suffer long term disability. Not even most people. But ”not even most people” out of the 3 million infected Americans is a huge number.

I’m not completely healthy. I have autoimmune issues. I could have a serious case COVID-19 if infected. Also, I’m not a gambler. Yes, if infected I might have a mild reaction to the virus. I might not. Do I want to gamble with my life on the odds? I can’t afford to be sick. I can’t afford to suffer a long-term disability that prevents me from working. And I don’t want risk the health of my family members.

So yeah, I’m afraid of COVID-19. I’m not comfortable with the odds of a “mild case”. The cost of losing that bet is way too high. For as long as I’m able, I’ll sit this hand out.