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Delta Variant - Weary and Worried

Laurie Taylor


Just when we thought we were done with COVID, the Delta variant marched its way into our lives. We are still recovering from the first round of the pandemic and had just begun to feel a renewed sense of safety and security. The long-awaited vaccine had finally arrived and we began to see the number of COVID hospitalizations and deaths decline. We could breathe again literally and figuratively. We were beginning to live life almost normally again. And then it all changed.

 We are not just tired of COVID and the restrictions it brings. We are just plain weary. We have spent the past 18 months in uncertainty following everchanging guidelines as scientists learned more about the virus. We became accustomed to wearing masks and staying at least six feet away from others. Many of us quarantined in our homes for months seldom venturing out. And then freedom came . . . and then it went.

Worry and anxiety have reentered our lives. The initial uncertainty about the Delta variant is being replaced with facts that are unsettling. According to scientists, it’s more contagious and the impact of those who suffer from it is more devastating. It seems to be COVID on steroids. And we are left wondering if we’ll need to quarantine again. Will we need to eventually wear masks and distance as before? Will there be sufficient vaccines for boosters?

Add the serious illness or death of a loved one to this time of uncertainty and it becomes overwhelming for many people. Whether we realize it or not, we were already grieving the loss of everyday freedoms, of connection with family and others, and the once “safe” world in which we lived. And now we are grieving the possibility of reliving what we thought was behind us. 

The number of clients who have lost a loved one to COVID is increasing. Last week alone, we enrolled five children from two separate families in our SAM’s program because they recently lost a parent to COVID. This makes COVID and the Delta variant very real to us. We see their faces and hear their tearful stories. We see the broken hearts of the children left behind.

We don’t know what the future holds. We hope for the best but are prepared for the worst. Please reach out to us if you are grieving the death of a loved one from COVID or any other cause of death. No one should have to grieve alone. We are here for you.