By Cassiopeia_Arts on pixabay.com
I've already mentioned that I have applied at a covid19 testing lab. On Sunday, I had an interview with them, and today I got the call: "Can you start tomorrow?"
So Wednesday, 25th of March, 9 am, it's time for me to leave the peace of self-isolation and put my skills to use.
And while the tasks are all well within my skillset (data entry, virus inactivation, sample preparation, PCR), I realise that the stakes have never been this high for anything I've done before.
If I messed up in the past, worst case it'd cost my lab money.
If I mess up now?
Don't want to think about it, really.
A part of me wants to just stay at home, play videogames, bitch about my assignments, and sit this whole thing out. I don't have to do anything, I don't have to do testing full-time for weeks, possibly even months.
But could I live with that?
I'm writing this mostly because I'm already exhausted from all the anxiety, all the second-hand anxiety, and everything that's going on. This pandemic feels surreal.
But more and more countries go into progressively stricter lockdown, more and more people die, and more and more people get scared absolutely shitless.
Some try to see the positive side, some are already fantasising about the "positive" impacts this might have - on health care, working from home, and better support for disabled people.
Others watch the economy crash and worry.
I don't do either, I just want to get through. And I'll help it along as well as I can.
I might post a little bit about my experience in the testing lab, in case people are interested - or just to leave some record of what it was like, for when everything has blown over.
Another quest item for someone playing in our postapocalyptic world.
It'd be nice to hear from some people.
How are you folx holding up?
Signature by @atopy
Love your spirit @suese, wish I can render any volunteer work over here too. And please be safe, may the Universe Back you up and keep you safer!
The best volunteer work (as someone not in healthcare or with lab skills) is to stay at home and minimise exposure :)
Thanks for your good wishes, I'll take care of myself and be careful.
Haha,well I'm doing my volunteer job really well, safely locked up inside my apartment.
Scary times for you, but you know what you are doing, it is in your skill set, and I am sure you will be fine.
For myself and immediate family we take flu season pretty serious these last few years since my lung surgery, we try to limit our contact during Jan, Feb, and March, (the worst 3 months for where I live). We have taken the extra measure this year of only shopping, going into stores, to once a week. making sure we wipe our hands with rubbing alcohol every time we get back in the car, and wiping everything we touched, (steering wheel, wallet, phone).
it's a pain, but I really do not want to get pneumonia. We still get out of the house, go look at things, go places, stop and take pictures, but we are avoiding people and place that people could leave the virus behind. We just try not to touch things, even out in the middle of nowhere when taking pictures, or just enjoying the sites.
This will pass, and life will continue. Things change, for myself I am looking forward to being able to see comet Atlas soon. Our night time temperatures are finely above the minus and single digits Fahrenheit, so I am able to be out in the evening a bit more, now just need the sky to cooperate,
Glad you're staying safe, I'd say several people could learn something from you.
When's the comet due?
It is visible now with telescopes, a few pictures are out of it, it is going to be spectacular. Brightening real fast according to spaceweather.com:
Ohhh I gotta keep an eye out!
take care and be safe.
I will :)
Good luck and best wishes in the fight against this beastie.
Thank you!
Please keep writing about your experiences. Good luck, and stay safe.
Good for you to kick yourself and do something immensely useful in these otherwise kind of paralizing times <3 Hope to get a few notes on your adventures through your blog <3 Cheers love!
You had made the posts about laboratory bees.
Can we see some photos of laboratory Covid19?
"Here's a group of Covid19-virus I'm trying to feed"
"Oh they are so cute when Covid19 lands on my hand"
etc.
Uh
No
No? :(
xD
Best of luck for the new job👍 Take care and be safe.
Thank you for the services you will be providing to us during such challenging times...!!!
My country, India have started complete lockdown effective tomorrow which will last for 21 days.
I have complete gratitude towards the medical community and police personale who are risking their life everyday by staying in the front lines of war against #COVID-19 .
Will do my part by following the social distancing protocol.