In a time when covid restrictions are being lifted and it is thought the pandemic is in decline, I was slammed hard by the Delta variant. It came on like a bulldozer over-powering my three previous vaccinations. I became very sick, the sickest I have ever been. 

There had been an outbreak of the highly contagious variant among the Babine First Nation in northern British Columbia. I was with a group close by when an infected individual joined us. Six out of 18 people were infected and the camp ended early. I was hit the hardest. I am a senior, diabetic and disabled, all of which crippled my defenses. 

It started off like a cold. I experienced coughing, worsening congestion, a light fever and drowsiness. I became exhausted, dizzy and weak as the disease progressed. My body ached. I lost my hunger, hearing and felt sharp pain in my chest whenever I coughed. I spent as much time asleep as I did awake. I was spared the dreaded lung infection whereby I would be hospitalized in an intensive care isolation ward. Someone said if it wasn’t for my previous vaccinations I may have died. Covid at its worst can and does kill.

My ordeal lasted over a week. During this time, we returned to Saskatchewan from B.C. It meant staying in a hotel one night. We stopped in Hinton Alberta and checked in. I felt guilty not telling them I was sick. When we disclosed the next day, they didn’t seem all that worried. The room would be left for a few hours before they cleaned. I didn’t know the covid virus, an airborne disease, dies within six hours on surfaces and in the air.

I didn’t want to be the cause of an outbreak in Saskatoon, although in all likelihood it had already happened before we came home. The disease very gradually receded but I remained deaf in one ear and 90 per cent deaf in the other. I still have not fully recovered despite being prescribed antibiotics. I fortunately do not have the disease long term. 

Most people, including myself, were frustrated with the seemingly endless disruption to their lives. We wanted restrictions eased as the pandemic lifted. It was too early but bowing to public pressure, politicians, as politicians do, lifted most of the restrictions. The result was rising covid infections, only now with five Covid variants. Due to most people having three vaccinations, the outbreak was greatly decreased from what it could have been. I had my three injections but missed the fourth booster shot to my regret. 

The dominant culture values the individual far more than the collective. There are ego-centered people who speak out aggressively for their “freedom” while denying it to others. It is no exaggeration to say people died who would otherwise have been spared. This reality is lost to the deniers whose minds are locked and unrelenting despite credible information from credible sources. Given my experience and that of others, I have nothing but contempt for their ignorance.