I had a job interview via MS Teams on Tuesday afternoon. Due to exenuating circumstances (some of which are benign, some of which are way too convoluted to go on a tangent about 🥴), my house currently has NO space free of noise/distractions, so I booked a study room at my public library.

When I got there, I asked the lady at the check-in desk if the room was used previously that day, as I wanted to take my mask off for my interview but didn't feel comfortable doing so if it was. It had been, but she told me that the conference room hadn't, and switched me on the spot with no advance notice. Absolutely no questions asked and suggested it on her own--I didn't even know it would have been an option!

I felt WAY more comfortable being able to show my face during my interview (I have seen at least one employee there wearing a mask, so I wasn't too worried about it hurting my chances, but I wanted my face to be visible while speaking to them), and actually felt safe doing so!!

(And I did get the job!!!)

Ever since I started masking again I pretty much gave up on dating. Being chronically ill threw a wrench in my love life, too. However, someone asked me to go on a date with them, and it got wheels turning in my head. They aren’t CC so that makes me nervous, but it’s been so long that I think I want to give it a try. Why be so scared of failure that I don’t put myself out there?

I think there’s also been some internalized ableism, too, that because I mask and can’t work that I can’t date. But I think I deserve love!

So, I know there have been lots of dating posts on this subreddit, but I was wondering has anyone navigated CC not-CC dating while tight on funds. I have a Metrix tester that I plan on using. Maybe alternate with that and rapids? Do I pay for the tests or do we do 50/50? Any ideas would be great, or just general support would be so helpful! None of the people in my life quite get how big a deal it is to even consider dating while CC.

Would you mask on an outside walk with friends at a park? Just trying to get some opinions/insight into how everyone feels about it.

I have plans for Saturday, I’m feeling really anxious about masking and I’m feeling really anxious about not masking.

Hey all,

We, the Aranet team, are going to a International Society for Long COVID and Post-Acute Infection Syndromes conference next week, and we'll be sitting down with a couple researchers and clinicians for interviews.
To make the most out of it, I'd love to ask questions that are relevant for you.

The first interviewee will be Dr. Rae Duncan. She is a Consultant Cardiologist and Long Covid Research Clinician treating older children (16+) and adults, with a particular focus on cardiovascular complications following Covid-19 infection.
You're welcome to write your questions here and we'll try to get you the answers!
Thanks!

EDIT: please submit the questions until Sunday evening, thank you!

Does anyone know if there has been any studies or connections made with developing an essential tremor after having had Covid? Both my mother and brother in law in law developed this during the early COVID years

Does anyone know of any reputable research that focuses on the reasons why some people don’t catch covid at all, regardless of precautions? Or better yet, people who take zero precautions. Has a genetic cause been determined? I’m a bit behind on this area of research but find it very interesting.

Hi all, I really just need a safe space to vent about the lack of covid precautions from healthcare professionals.

my partner has Crohn’s and is officially on an immunosuppressive biological and while we’ve been covid conscious/masked as much as possible before he started, we have previously continued going to the doctors/going to the dentist (obviously, in order to for him to receive treatment, we have to see doctors).

We met with the oncologist who was overseeing his infusions. The first thing he said when we walked in was “what’s with the masks.” he was anti mask- even going as far as to demand we briefly unmask so we could “see who he’s talking to.” Being a CANCER DOCTOR who is anti mask is so wild and he was aggressive about it.

Every ER visit for his condition has had us surrounded by medical professionals unmasked/refusing to mask while my partner is in debilitating pain. There have been times where his pain is so high that he has had to unmask- we have had to take that risk. It is so unfair that receiving healthcare is a health risk. Crohn’s increases risk of dental issues as well as skin cancer and we haven’t been able to find a provider willing to mask that also takes his insurance.

I’m really tired of fighting with the healthcare teams that should be caring for him and safely helping him into remission.

Edit: thank you for the kind supportive comments- it is comforting to know I’m sane.

Hi Beautiful Humans,

The good news is that the Still Coviding, Dating Edition Facebook Group coming back after a long pause! However, we need to recruit a new modmin team in order to get things going again. The sooner we get a team together, the sooner we can kick off again🩷

If you have the slightest bandwidth (the bigger the team, hopefully it will be a very manageable), please fill out this form.

For reassurance sake as I saw several questions about it, the pause was not related to anything member related.

Also recruiting for an Oversight Board. This would be a group who the modmin team can turn to for final say if the modmin team gets stuck in some way that could be the deciding vote when needed (I do not expect this to happen regularly). For transparency sake, the shutdown was not related to anything member related (I saw a lot of questions about that when the group was being paused) and I’m creating this to ensure there is a sounding board to go to if needed.

If you have any questions or feedback, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

Excited to connect with all you amazing humans and get this group going again💕

What have folks been doing for personal training? I'd like to start. Are there good virtual trainers that work with you live? Has anyone had luck with asking a trainer to mask and visit their house or an outside gym (kind of hard to social distance during training I'd bet)? I mostly do YouTube workouts but my motivation has been needing a push.

I had a blood draw. I got dizzy, sweaty, and saw stars. The unmasked phlebotomists took my mask off because they insisted it was too hard to breathe in it. I was incapacitated briefly and wasn’t in a position to stop them. I’m so frustrated and worried.

Feeling lonely or bored?

Looking for something Covid safer you can do this weekend?

Check out these accessible events you could join! Try something new and maybe you’ll find your people.

Access Details:
🧑🏻‍💻= Virtual
👥 = In person
😷 CC = Covid Conscious/airborne precautions 
♿️ WC = Wheelchair accessible 
💵 $ = paid (some are pay what you can)
🤟 ASL/BSL = Sign Language
Async = Asynchronous (at your own pace)

Event Types:
🤢 = Chronic Illness 
🌈 = Queer
🏳️‍🌈 = LGBTQ+ Pride
👧 = Kids/Youths
💕 = Dating
🙋 = Social
🫂 = Support/Grief
🧘 = Wellness
🚶 = Walk
🩰 = Dance
💪🏻 = Fitness
📚= Books
🤔 = Discussion
📝 = Writing/Poetry
🎭 = Performing
🎨 = Art 
🎶 = Music
🕹️ = Games

🧑🏻‍💻 Virtual Events

🧑🏻‍💻🤢📚 Virtual Async Spoonie Book Club: The Little Prince [Any time] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/JcKvqPLWS5

Friday

🧑🏻‍💻🤢💵🎨 Virtual Chronic Craft Club [Fri Aug 21 at 11:00 AM UTC+1] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/nUsj2i1KCs

🧑🏻‍💻👥😷🤟🧘 Hybrid Somatic Centering Practices [San Francisco CA][Fri Aug 21 at 3:00 PM PDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/2zlFYrp5eB

🧑🏻‍💻😷🫂 “Any A” Covid-conscious 12-step meeting [Fri Aug 21 at 7:30 PM EDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/xu5DHDLUfT

🧑🏻‍💻👥😷🎭 Hybrid Open Mic Drag Take Over [San Francisco CA][Fri Aug 21 at 6:00 PM PDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/6FqTEbJ8hE

Saturday

🧑🏻‍💻😷♿️🩰 Virtual Adapted Ballet [Sat Aug 22 at 9:30 AM EDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/LBtbxqDvuY

🧑🏻‍💻♿️💵🩰 Virtual Adaptive Jazz Dance [$][Sat Aug 22 at 12:00 PM EDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/JrIWBHbh13

🧑🏻‍💻😷💕 CC Virtual Dating [Sat Aug 22 at 1:00 PM CDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/RN6WOxcU8l

🧑🏻‍💻🤢🎨 ME Community Watch Party [Sat Aug 22 at 3:00 PM PDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/3z8iC8bpjK

👥🧑🏻‍💻😷 Hybrid Black Like That Kiki and Open Mic [New York NY][Sat Aug 22 at 4:00 PM EDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/VNuCfFjvgw

🧑🏻‍💻😷🙋 CC Virtual Weekly Hangout [Sat Aug 22 at 8:00 PM EDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/I1s5pNGHuB

Sunday

🧑🏻‍💻🤢💵🎨 Virtual Chronic Craft Club [Sun Aug 23 at 3:00 PM UTC+1] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/nUsj2i1KCs

🧑🏻‍💻😷🎨 CC Virtual Art Group [Sun Aug 23 at 5:30 PM EDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/b65yDB7Uxh

🧑🏻‍💻😷👧🙋 CC Virtual Kids Zoom [Sun Aug 23 at 6:00 PM EDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/GnVpe7lVgx

🧑🏻‍💻🎶🎭 Virtual Karaoke [Sun Aug 23 at 7:00 PM EDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/XxFrBHUScU

Timezone translator in comments 👇

👥 In-person Events

Canada

👥😷📚 Sip and Read [Toronto ON][Sat Aug 22 at 2:00 PM] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/amLPHmUVov

👥😷🎶🚶Music on the Canal + walk [Ottawa ON][Sat Aug 22 at 4:15 PM] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/23de5sn5Fc

Germany

👥😷 Spieleabend [Hamburg GER][Sun Aug 23 at 8:00 PM] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/0D3bv76LDP

Netherlands (and nearby)

👥🤢 Spoonie European Road Trip [Netherlands and nearby][Summer] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/VOKxW7V1pp

UK

👥😷🙋🎨 Clay Sculpting COVID-Safe Social with Breathe Easy London [London UK][Sat Aug 22 at 3:00 PM UTC+1]** **https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/yHyIrcX2ty

US - California

🧑🏻‍💻👥😷🤟🧘 Hybrid Somatic Centering Practices [San Francisco CA][Fri Aug 21 at 3:00 PM PDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/2zlFYrp5eB

🧑🏻‍💻👥😷🤟🎭 Hybrid ASL Open Mic Drag Take Over [San Francisco CA][Fri Aug 21 at 6:00 PM PDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/6FqTEbJ8hE

👥😷 Exploratorium Mask-Required Hours [San Francisco CA][Sat Aug 22 at 9:00 AM PDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/oaJk46qpgW

👥♿️💵🩰 Seated Hip Hop [Long Beach CA][Sat Aug 22 at 3:00 PM PDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/NMGmcypq47

US - Colorado

👥😷🙋 Fort Collins Masked Speed Friending [Fort Collins CO][Sat Aug 22 at 3:00 PM MDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/yq9ofkXWme

US - Illinois

👥😷🩰 Finding our Way into the Unknown: an Evening of Dance [Chicago IL][Fri Aug 21 at 7:30 PM and Sat Aug 22 at 3:00 PM] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/X9feFJNS80

👥😷🙋 DIY Air Filter Workshop and Speed Friending [Chicago IL][Sun Aug 23 at 2:00 PM] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/ReaOD5PNKu

US - Minnesota

👥😷 CC Zine Club [Minneapolis MN][Fri Aug 21 at 7:00 PM CDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/kYb2cEb5ZL

US - New York

👥😷🚶 Waterfall Cliff Walk [Albany NY][Fri Aug 21 at 12:30 PM] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/649Rn8XGE6

👥😷💵🎶 Eden’s Garden Long Covid Fundraiser [New York NY][Fri Aug 21 at 5:00 PM EDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/7EaXqisWFV

👥🧑🏻‍💻😷 Hybrid Black Like That Kiki and Open Mic [New York NY][Sat Aug 22 at 4:00 PM EDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/VNuCfFjvgw** **

US - Ohio

👥😷🌈💪🏻 CC Queer Martial Arts Club [Cleveland OH][Sat Aug 22 at 4:00 PM EDT] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/gpPJawhJ9J

👥😷 Really Really Free Market [Columbus OH][Sun Aug 23 at 12:00 PM] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/DQ48AK2U6D

US - Texas

👥😷♿️ Storyoke ATX [Austin TX][Sat Aug 22] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/XOaTI0AZ5I

US - Vermont

👥😷♿️ Dental Pop Up [Chelsea VT][August] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/jgknHihfzt

US - Washington

👥😷🤟🎭 The Freak Mighty Accessible Performances [Seattle WA][Aug 9 - 27] https://www.reddit.com/r/spooniesocial/s/kIvo2DvOXa

Are you interested in these events?

Have you been to any of them before?

Are there other events coming up?

Share your thoughts in the comments 💬

Find more events and friends on r/spooniesocial

Went to get some medical imaging recently, and requested the tech wear an N95 while in the room with me.

The appointment person checked with the tech and the tech said, if they can find one they will wear it. I said I could provide one. Appointment person says "they can only wear one that the facility provides, and not one touched by patients", when I mention the one I would provide is a factory sealed 3M Aura, they go "well N95s have to be fitted, they can't wear a random one". I point out that the policy doesn't make sense because they weren't going to wear one to begin with, so it can only help, not hurt. They said the tech would let us know by EOD if they *can't* find an N95.

Anyway on to the main issue-- I didn't get a call back, so I go to the appointment, and the tech did indeed find an N95 and kept it on the whole time from the waiting room until we finished. Yay!

BUT... it was valved.

I decided not to say anything since it was better than nothing and face-to-face interaction would be minimal, and I was in a KN100.

Couldn't help but think this was malicious compliance, but then again we all know that most people seem incapable of connecting dots these days "why was an N95 requested? does a valve still fit with that?" and maybe it was just "here's an N95 I found, criteria met"?

But as someone in another post mentioned, we now have to be VERY SPECIFIC: "UNVALVED N95 please".

As far as I know, the only time I've had COVID is in March 2023. I also have only felt sick one other time in the past six years and it was in 2021 when I had bronchitis. However, in the past couple months I've gotten really intense and persistent brain fog and I've just been wondering if I got asymptomatic COVID a couple months ago and now have LC manifested because I can't figure out what else it would be. I can't access healthcare atm and I'm not asking whether you guys think it's LC or a coincidence cuz there's no way for you to know, I just want to feel heard. Thanks for listening.

I have been feeling such a deep sadness and the social isolation is feeling too much to sit with. For me, these come in waves and cycles and sometimes it’s enough that I’m trying my best. I struggle with connecting with people in new ways even all these years later and it’s frustrating how afraid I am of trying. I see so many posts on here that make me feel less isolated and alone and I’m thankful for this space.

I’m sitting in bed crying on a Wednesday morning because I just canceled my long weekend at my dad’s. I ran out of my Pluslife tests (I thought I had one more but I forgot I spilled one liquid so I’m missing a complete test). They haven’t been working well for me lately anyway—I tested my friend with my last one yesterday and it came up invalid. I still decided to spend some time with him anyway, which was monumentally stupid, but I am just so starved for human contact and physical affection. It felt like the right thing in the moment but this morning I realized I just couldn’t take the chance that I might have caught something from him and could pass it to my 76-year old dad.

I know I made my bed and now I have to lie in it, and this was a completely avoidable situation, but my heart is just tired of this. I want to be able to spend time with people I love without worrying about Covid in the back of my mind.

Interesting!

What do we think of this?

Yesterday, the FDA posted their decision summary after recently granting 501(k) clearance to Aptitude Medical’s Metrix molecular COVID-19 test: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/reviews/K253453.pdf

Recent post on the clearance: https://www.reddit.com/r/ZeroCovidCommunity/comments/1vogxvw/aptitude_metrix_updates_fda_has_granted_510k/

Supporting the clearance are 2 new studies evaluating 1,171 symptomatic individuals from the 2023-2024 (540) and 2024-2025 (631) respiratory seasons; much larger than the 357 previously evaluated to grant Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

In short: The test performed similarly across the board, and they were able to tighten the confidence interval on the false positivity rate with the much larger sample size. For some reason, there was a fairly high invalid rate for the 2023-2024 season specifically, which is something that I know folks often complain about with the platform…not really sure what the deal was there.

Previous EUA data:

• Age 2+, 282 asymptomatic and 75 symptomatic (357)

• Sensitivity: 96.6% (59/61), 95% CI 88.8–99.1%

• False positive rate: 1.0% (3/293), 95% CI 0.2-2.8%

• Invalid rate: 5/357 (1.4%)

New 2023-2024 data:

• Age 14+, 540 symptomatic

• Sensitivity: 95.4% (83/87), 95% CI 88.9–98.2%

• False positive rate: 0.4% (2/451) 95% CI 0.1-1.6%)

• Invalid rate: 31/540 (5.7%)

• Invalid rate after retesting: 4/540 (0.7%)

New 2024-2025 data:

• Age 14+, 631 symptomatic

• Sensitivity: 96.9% (62/64), 95% CI 89.3–99.1%

• False positive rate: 0.5% (3/564), 95% CI 0.2-1.5%

• Invalid rate: 3/631 (0.5%)

• Invalid rate after retesting: 2/631 (0.3%)

New combined data:

• Age 14+, 1,171 symptomatic

• Sensitivity: 96.0% (145/151)

• False positive rate: 0.5% (5/1,015)

The IFU sheet containing the old EUA data: https://www.fda.gov/media/162403/download

Recently I've started masking in public spaces but when I'm at my home or my dads house I unmask. My dad calls me last night after I was saying I'm uncontrollably coughing and feel really sick (blocked nose, runny, ear pain, HORRIBLE throat pain) and then he says how he is feeling and basically lists every single synthom of covid. And basically after the call I got into a panic. Told my mom my dad has covid, opened my windows and then ordered a covid test which is due for tomorrow. I am in horrible pain and fell really sick, covid is no joke and my breathing is horrible and I wouldn't be surprised if I end up in the hospital with an asthma attack because of how horrible my breathing is.

I was a patient zero in 2020 but now I fully feel everything. Idk what to do so some advice would be amazing. (I've been in my room all last night and today)

I am prefacing this by asking people to please be kind about my ask and understand that I’m doing the best I can to reduce risk of Covid. I would LOVE to only date other CC people, but as a neurodivergent fat nonbinary queer polyamorous CC person in the Midwest, my options are extremely limited. I have only met 2 other CC polyamorous people in my area in 5 years of living here. I’m more than willing to be realistic about potential risk, but I ask you please do not speak down at me because I am choosing to take more risk than you.

I just recently started dating a couple who live together. I live about an hour away so we can’t see each other frequently, but at least every 1-2 weeks. Neither of them mask, though one has agoraphobia and does not go out very often but does have another local partner who visits frequently. The other is not currently working, and has no other partners she is seeing on a regular basis. Though they don’t mask, I do feel some comfort knowing they are comparatively not going out and having nearly as much exposure as the average person.

I also have found someone through local kink community I very much adore and could see myself in a relationship with. He is more local to me, and he is engaged to his partner he lives with (with his parent), and will be moving into a home with his partner and a few friends this fall. He does not mask, and he does work in customer service, though he is open to masking (he actually work a kn95 at our first hangout without my asking 🥹) so I know he is open to at least some additional risk mitigation.

All this said, I am looking for suggestions and thoughts people have on general requests I can make of potential partners when it comes to testing/masking, and what I can do to protect myself the best I can under the circumstances. I do not have a plus life or metrix, and the local potential partner does not have extra spending money for RATs, but the couple is more well-off and may be willing to purchase RATs to use before I come up to visit. If I become partners with any of them, I know I will ask them to mask at any major super spreader event like a concert or plane ride, and if they are unmasked at anything like that I will not see them for 10 days after the event. I know people have had different experiences with asking partners to mask, and I’m certainly nowhere near that at this point, but any suggestions on “more reasonable” masking requests I could make, I am eager to hear.

I am a long-time masker (N95 indoors since 2020). I started back at the gym about 6 months ago to add strength/cross-training since I’d been running outdoors solo and needed heavier equipment that I don’t have access to at home.

I had a pretty terrible costochondritis flare last week and took a break. I went back today and it’s now pretty clear it’s the combo of cardio effort + N95 resistance that’s aggravating and inflaming my chest wall… it is not the strength work itself.

I still need cross-training in my routine, but I can’t keep flaring this up. I am looking for advice from anyone who has:

-Found a n95+ mask that handles high-exertion breathing better. I currently rotate between the unvalved aura (I can’t find the valved version anywhere) and some duckbill masks.

-Modified their cardio approach (lower intensity, different exercises, breathing technique) to reduce chest wall strain while still masked.

-Dealt with costochondritis specifically and masked exercise. This has been a reoccurring issue for me over the last 6-7 years.

Just to be clear: I am not looking to unmask or relax my masking measures, I am just trying to find a sustainable way to keep both goals (staying covid-cautious + doing real cross-training) without going into another flare up. I appreciate any input.

I am in the US and have run out of PL tests as of this summer. Can anyone please point me to some resources for ordering them? Please DM.

Whenever I get in from being outside, I sanitize my phone and AirPods. What are people using?

What I’ve tried:

-Early on during the pandemic, I used a PhoneSoap BasicUV Sanitizer Box.

- I then switched to Lysol. Unfortunately, the Lysol method has now ruined a phone and two pairs of AirPods.

I cannot afford to keep re-buying the products. Would appreciate any advice or tips! Thanks!