by Thanksgiving in November is over in New York, and the city has all changed into a Christmas outfit. The annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is also lit, giving it a Christmas mood.
Since November, foreigners have been allowed to enter the country on condition of vaccination, and tourists from all over the world have returned to the tourist city of New York.
All indoor restaurants and tourist destinations are required to show a vaccination certificate. From 27th, employees of private companies will also be obliged to inoculate, but from today (14th), children aged 5 to 11 will also be required to show an immunity passport when using those spots. In this way, the wave of “national vaccine” is rushing into children’s areas.
Since this spring, when vaccines have begun to spread in the United States, events and gatherings like before have gradually revived, and life coexisting with Corona has begun. Perhaps people are only aware of Corona during indoor activities such as subways and public places where masks are obligatory.
At this year’s Thanksgiving, I had my friends invite me for the first time in two years, and I enjoyed the “time that was commonplace in front of Corona” while having a delicious meal with my friends and family and a dozen of them. No one at this gathering brought up the topic of the new Corona.
Only a few days later. In the news, you’ve heard of a new variant of the coronavirus, the Omicron strain, which has begun to rampage around the world.
Two weeks have passed since then. News related to the Omicron mutant strain is reported daily, such as “the first death of the Omicron strain in the United Kingdom” and “the first confirmation in mainland China.” In my hometown, Fukuoka, it seems that there will be a lot of noise when the “close contact” of Omicron stock is confirmed for the first time.
This Omicron stock turmoil is similar in the United States. Every day, the media is overwhelmed by the topic of this new mutant strain. Even newscasters are not unified with accents placed on O and M because new words suddenly appeared, and there are variations. (By the way, in American English, it sounds like Omicron =’Omocron’)
The first confirmation in the US is December 1st
It was December 1st that the Omicron strain was first confirmed in the United States a few days later than the rest of the world. The next day, the second case in Japan was also reported. The second infected man was a Minnesota-based man who visited New York before the onset. One of the places I visited during my stay was a significant anime event held here from 19th to 21st last month.
The author was covering this anime event. Anyway, I was surprised at the news that came in when two weeks had passed since the event. According to the operator’s announcement, the number of visitors for the three days this year was 53,000, the highest number at the event, and the venue was full of Japanese anime and pop culture lovers. Many Japanese companies exhibited, and I saw many Japanese people. I interviewed more than a dozen cosplayers for two days.
And I thought again. The number of visitors was enough to fill the large exhibition hall, so it would be no wonder that new mutant strains expanded there.
But to be honest, at first, I might have taken it as if I were listening to a story that happened in a distant world. After all, everyone had to check the vaccination certificate at the entrance and wear a mask at the venue, provided that they had completed the vaccination of the new Corona to participate in this event. Therefore, they also led to a sense of security on this site. Above all, the author himself had no symptoms like illness, so “it is difficult for one of the visitors to be infected with the Omicron strain,” he said.
After the evening of the second report day, the other person’s affairs changed to “my affairs.” I received a mass email from the anime event organizer. The subject line says “important.” To summarize the content of the email, “One of the event participants had mild symptoms of the new Corona on the 22nd (the day after the last day of the event), and after that, he was tested and confirmed to be infected with the Omicron strain. I strongly recommend that. ” After that, as the number of Omicron shares is expected to expand in the city, Mayor De Blasio’s statement was announced that morning, saying that all participants in the anime event should be “immediately inspected.” I learned from the press.
In other words, it meant that all 53,000 people who were there were “candidates for close contact.” The author is one of them.
Feelings when becoming a close contact candidate
The anime event was already two weeks ago, so it was watery news for me.
First of all, I was interested in the Thanksgiving dinner five days after the event. If I’m infected with a new coronavirus, including the Omicron strain, I must first inform my friends and family, who are the hosts of the dinner party. And I thought that I had to tell the dozens of guests who were there.
On the afternoon of the day (2nd), when I was notified to undergo an examination (before the notification email), I also visited the home of a person (couple) in his early 70s. Of course, I have to tell the couple.
In addition, the weekend was full of events. One is a friend’s birthday party, and the other is a kimono exhibition event. The organizer has been planning for half a year and is looking forward to this day. Unfortunately, it’s all canceled. The following week, he refrained from doing a face-to-face interview with a boutique hotel chain CEO. I have to ask Zoom to cover this person … How should we communicate previously scheduled events and work changes? When I was thinking about such things in my head, I felt a slight chill (I felt). Anyway, at that time, I was worried because I wanted to blame myself for being infected with a mutant strain at an event and causing trouble to the people around me.
Next day to inspect the new Corona
Even if I thought about it, it wouldn’t start, so I immediately went to bed that day and decided to go to the inspection site for the new Corona the following day.
Due to the corona sickness in New York and the usual medical institutions, temporary examination sites have been set up throughout the city. Health insurance covers the cost of the test, so you can easily take the test without running out of your stomach. I started seeing it in my neighborhood from around spring, and after a few months, I had only one place, but a few months later, I have another place, and now there are inspection tents.
Anyway, I wanted to inspect immediately, so I went to a temporary inspection site in my neighborhood. There were already a few people in line, but while I was waiting, my cell phone told me to enter information such as name, contact information, and health insurance online, and as soon as I was doing that, it was my turn. Became.
What I received here was a nasopharyngeal swab test and a saliva test in which a cotton swab was placed in the back of the nose, and the mucous membrane was rubbed. I was thrilled because I had a painful experience with the PCR test, but it didn’t hurt at all.
The test results arrived by email within 30 minutes. I opened the email with excitement …
The word “Negative” immediately jumped into my eyes. With joy and relief, the gloomy mood that had been up to that point was blown away at once!
I contacted the person who was interviewing at the anime event, but it seems that he felt the same as “I was amazed.” The person was also immediately tested and confirmed to be negative.
It is encouraged to stay home without going out if something like a symptom appears here, but through this experience, you can feel free to take the test, get the test results immediately, and do them. The harvest that I found led to a sense of security for myself and those around me. There is no way not to be actively inspected in the future.
Finally, about the current situation and perception of Omicron strains in the United States. According to the CDC’s announcement, 43 people are currently confirmed in more than 30 states. Most infected people are mild, and no deaths have been confirmed. Also, most infected people had been vaccinated, 14 of whom had been vaccinated with boosters, like the second man in the anime event.
Various infectious disease experts have expressed their views in each media. However, since the Omicron strain has only been confirmed domestically for two weeks, all experts still have vaccine boosters and indoor masks. It seems to be a wait-and-see for a while recommending wearing it.
