Sometimes people confuse good luck with not having to worry about something. I live on the Missouri border and know personally two nice people from our church that died from not with Covid. A very good 60 year old friend in generally good health had chills and a sore throat one day. Two days later with a fever of 105 he was in the hospital. The following day he was put on a ventilator a day later and stayed on it for 3 weeks? The staff prepared his wife that it was not looking good. He rallied and they were able to extubate him. He was hospitalized for another couple weeks. He has undergone weeks of physical therapy and he is no where close to the mentally sharp, vibrant, active man I knew. Another good friend that lives near us on Lake Taneycomo is early 50s, healthy as a horse. We thought he had gone away over the holidays because we saw someone pick up his dog we would see him walking. No he was in his house fighting it for 3 weeks with two trips to the er. A local pulmonologist also younger than my friend caught it helping those cases of Covid when our area was relatively free of the disease last April or May. He was on a ventilator for many weeks, he was in the hospital over three months. He still has not been able to return to his practice.

Indeed it doesn’t impact every older person in a life threatening manner. Most will not have to be hospitalized. It is very fickle though in choosing its victims. My wife’s aunt in her 80s with all sorts of health problems, got it. They gave her Remdesivir early on, was out and back to normal in a week or so. It has taken more around many of us than anything we have dealt with in such a short time.

I was very glad when we were able to get the first vaccine and hoping the snow in forecast doesn’t cancel our 2nd scheduled for next Tuesday.

I am anxious to travel again, especially to our place on VG, but I really don’t care much about traveling until things are open and I don’t have to do anything other than show proof of vaccination or take a test prior. Will be content harassing the trout at the lake where we have spent much of the time holed up until things open up.

Without the vaccine I would never have considered travel.

I hope all on Ttol have mild symptoms if they are unfortunate to have this #### bug.