I think many of us thought we’d ‘beaten’ Covid. We did everything by the book, took every precaution and respected all the mandates. When the vaccines and boosters rolled out, we breathed a sigh of (healthy) breath that we’d been spared from that frightening + sign. And then that d*ck omicron showed up and was all, “Who’s you Daddy?” It seems Omi can get to anyone, like Dr. Fauci, and now Buffy. Sarah Michelle Gellar posted that she, too, caught Covid after successfully avoiding it for two and a half years. And it hasn’t been fun, either. Sarah is vaxxed and boosted, which has kept her out of the hospital, but Omi still kicked her butt.

Many of SMG’s friends jumped on her comments. Amanda Kloots, with whom SMG talked about the effects of the pandemic on kids last year, hoped she feels better soon. My heart still goes out to Amanda. Charisma Carpenter and Selma Blair both sent their love. And while I’m sure it was nice to receive love from Brenda Song, Reese Witherspoon and Dule Hill, my guess is SMG posted this not for sympathy but as a cautionary tale. As she pointed out, plenty of people are still writing this off as “just a bad cold” and there are no guarantees where Covid is concerned. I’m sure SMG did not expect to get the virus and she certainly didn’t expect for it to take her down. And like Dave Navarro said, just because a person gets a negative test, that doesn’t mean the effects of Covid go away.

I know we are preaching to the choir #OnHere, but I’ll reiterate everything that CB, Kaiser, Peridot, Dr. Fauci and now SMG have said – please don’t take this variant for granted. Age, preexisting conditions, the strain you contract – it all affects how sick you get. And “pre-existing” doesn’t have to mean COPD or some huge medical issue. Asthma, allergies, dormant bronchitis, acid reflux, etc. can be triggered. My son (17) brought Covid home from school. He was sick for three days. He tested negative on the seventh day but is still coughing. My daughter (15) got it after my son and I did. She has asthma and acid reflux but was asymptomatic. She tested negative on the fifth day, never once suffering (except that she got her period during and cramps laid her out). My experience is closer to SMG. I have been sick. At day eight I’m still very much positive and have symptoms, although they’ve lessened considerably. It’s painful, folks. There were moments it felt like an all-over flu-like ache, but others like a Shingles every-nerve-ending-has-been-triggered pain. There are cold symptoms but they are in addition to other issues. I’m tired all the time, like pregnancy tired. My bad symptoms come back at night but they vary. One night it’s a headache, one night it’s tingling, one night its non-stop sneezing or coughing, one-night strep throat like pain. There was half a day that I felt like I had a brick on my chest, and it scared the hell out of me. Like SMG, I’m not looking for sympathy (I call my mom daily for that), I’m trying to scare you. I’m vaxxed, boosted and wearing a mask everywhere but it still got me so please: Be safe and Stay alert.

And throw a pie at my stupid husband who is STILL testing negative.

Photo credit Avalon Red and Instagram