Like your wife, I have always carried antibacterial wipes too when flying and wipe my space down as far back as I can remember. I still have yet to fly anywhere since the covid-19 outbreak. But pre-covid19 I flew frequently. Sometimes monthly. I am planning to fly to Washington DC in February if I am recalling correctly. Like you, my thoughts on risk have also changed since the covid-19 outbreak. Overall, 2022 was probably the worst year ever for me since the covid-19 outbreak! Why was it the worst? One word, “work!” Non-medical management (educators) did not make it any easier dealing with covid-19. Because they were tired of “it” they decided it was over. No need for anyone to wear masks or receive any covid-19 education for that matter and crazily looked upon their school nurses as the “enemy!” NO joke!! Ugh... Way too many vested school nurses, one over 25 years of service to the district. She was also one of our practicing FNP’s. Several nurses quit! We even had a few brand new school nurses quit and went back to the hospital setting because they could not believe the complete madness of how the district not only treated their school nurses so poorly but how they played down covid-19. I for one am looking forward to 2023! I feel it will be a better year, even if we must still continue to fight for what’s right and continue to give covid-19 education!
I so feel for you! Not only were many school nurses ignored while overwhelmed and underpaid by the districts, our state superintendent of public schools completely left them out of planning/implementing in spite of repeated requests. The superintendent finally apologized and then still failed to include them. We’ve been pleading with our county health department to reinstate mask requirements (after pleading not to drop them), but they won’t do more than the state (we’ve asked them, too) which won’t do more than the CDC. We’re apparently “empowering” people to make choices rather than practicing public health. They’re worried about pushback rather than the health of our pediatric Public Health population and their communities. In the meantime, several districts were showing ~10% absences and, of course, kids continuing to come in sick, exposing everyone. Not only are we short staffed for school nurses, we can’t get agency LVNs or RNs because they’re so understaffed. It’s infuriating.
Thanks Joan! Absolutely! Let’s collaborate! I didn’t vote for our state superintendent due to his failure to help us. He won anyway, ugh! He is truly useless! Admin, principals, teachers and some parents still give me strange looks because I am so diligent about wearing my N95 mask. Even when I have to buy my own because the district mismanaged the covid-19 monies. No body cares. One would think all these school districts would be penalized for not using covid-19 monies appropriately. Ya know for all the education these educators have, they are not the brightest individuals. It’s exhausting! I am a public health nurse too. It’s rather embarrassing to know that public health has not handled the pandemic appropriately. My district has a lot more absences than 10%. All covid-19 related and lately more. So many of the children are catching all three, covid-19, RSV and the flu. Their parents will bring us their testing results and notes excusing them from school until they are well and can return. It’s really something to see them test positive for all three! Yes, their parents bring them to school when they are sick because they have to work, can’t stay home and don’t have a babysitter. It’s tough. We deal with this daily.
I also used to get sick after most flights, and unnecessarily lost the first couple days of vacation to sniffles and sinuses, sometimes worse.
I had actually decided to start wearing a surgical mask on the next flight I took, stubbornly, and with determination not to feel like a freak, and then the pandemic hit, normalizing it! Now I wouldn’t dream of travel without an n95. 
Like your wife, I have always carried antibacterial wipes too when flying and wipe my space down as far back as I can remember. I still have yet to fly anywhere since the covid-19 outbreak. But pre-covid19 I flew frequently. Sometimes monthly. I am planning to fly to Washington DC in February if I am recalling correctly. Like you, my thoughts on risk have also changed since the covid-19 outbreak. Overall, 2022 was probably the worst year ever for me since the covid-19 outbreak! Why was it the worst? One word, “work!” Non-medical management (educators) did not make it any easier dealing with covid-19. Because they were tired of “it” they decided it was over. No need for anyone to wear masks or receive any covid-19 education for that matter and crazily looked upon their school nurses as the “enemy!” NO joke!! Ugh... Way too many vested school nurses, one over 25 years of service to the district. She was also one of our practicing FNP’s. Several nurses quit! We even had a few brand new school nurses quit and went back to the hospital setting because they could not believe the complete madness of how the district not only treated their school nurses so poorly but how they played down covid-19. I for one am looking forward to 2023! I feel it will be a better year, even if we must still continue to fight for what’s right and continue to give covid-19 education!
You work so hard! I hope you get a vacation :)
Thanks so much! Means a lot!! On vacation now! For 3 weeks!! :)
I so feel for you! Not only were many school nurses ignored while overwhelmed and underpaid by the districts, our state superintendent of public schools completely left them out of planning/implementing in spite of repeated requests. The superintendent finally apologized and then still failed to include them. We’ve been pleading with our county health department to reinstate mask requirements (after pleading not to drop them), but they won’t do more than the state (we’ve asked them, too) which won’t do more than the CDC. We’re apparently “empowering” people to make choices rather than practicing public health. They’re worried about pushback rather than the health of our pediatric Public Health population and their communities. In the meantime, several districts were showing ~10% absences and, of course, kids continuing to come in sick, exposing everyone. Not only are we short staffed for school nurses, we can’t get agency LVNs or RNs because they’re so understaffed. It’s infuriating.
Thanks Joan! Absolutely! Let’s collaborate! I didn’t vote for our state superintendent due to his failure to help us. He won anyway, ugh! He is truly useless! Admin, principals, teachers and some parents still give me strange looks because I am so diligent about wearing my N95 mask. Even when I have to buy my own because the district mismanaged the covid-19 monies. No body cares. One would think all these school districts would be penalized for not using covid-19 monies appropriately. Ya know for all the education these educators have, they are not the brightest individuals. It’s exhausting! I am a public health nurse too. It’s rather embarrassing to know that public health has not handled the pandemic appropriately. My district has a lot more absences than 10%. All covid-19 related and lately more. So many of the children are catching all three, covid-19, RSV and the flu. Their parents will bring us their testing results and notes excusing them from school until they are well and can return. It’s really something to see them test positive for all three! Yes, their parents bring them to school when they are sick because they have to work, can’t stay home and don’t have a babysitter. It’s tough. We deal with this daily.
Jeanette Tupper-Shearer
OMG yes, let’s! We’re in the same state. Can you PM me? I’ll be at conference in Feb.
Not sure how to DM on here.
Can’t but FB? Don’t have your last name.
Happy holidays and safe travels :)
I also used to get sick after most flights, and unnecessarily lost the first couple days of vacation to sniffles and sinuses, sometimes worse.
I had actually decided to start wearing a surgical mask on the next flight I took, stubbornly, and with determination not to feel like a freak, and then the pandemic hit, normalizing it! Now I wouldn’t dream of travel without an n95. 
Kahneman and Tversky. Changed the paradigm for those who ponder risk.
https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-two-friends-who-changed-how-we-think-about-how-we-think
Not to mention Bayes!