Well, I have to comment even if it is late. First of all, and most importantly, as a nurse who not only works in an acute care hospital, but has been the Charge Nurse of our hospital's designated Covid Unit since March of 2020, I'm here to tell you Covid is real. I have no reason, no incentive, I gain nothing by exaggerating or flat out lying. I have never, in my 30+ years in healthcare, seen anything remotely like this. My condolences to those of you who lost loved ones to this. Secondly, I am not going to preach about vaccination, but I will tell you that we are currently experiencing a second surge, (the first big one being in December-January), and, at least in my community hospital, about 85-90% are unvaccinated folks. Of those who are vaccinated, all but 2 have been discharged home. Again, I have no reason to make this up. Helps me not at all. You can decide what to do with this information.

That out of the way, I want to say that I am signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon that is, as of today, still taking place on 10/31. I do not think that this is a mistake for multiple reasons. The closing down of our society last year had as one of its primary goals to help hospitals prepare themselves for what was coming and not overwhelm them. Although that goal certainly fell short of the mark this past winter, I believe that with vaccinations, more protective equipment, medical knowledge, and treatment options, we should fair much better now. I also agree that outdoor activities are much safer, especially if proper protocols are in place. Traveling has its own problems, but again, following proper safety measures, such as masking, vaccinations and/or proof of Covid negative tests, should minimize these risks. Though I never want to go through what we went through this past winter, I also don't want to go back to a closed society. If death rates start to go up again, though, I will understand if they cancel, and though disappointed, will run the event virtually as I did last year, and try again for 2022. Sorry for the long post. Stay healthy and keep running (walking, swimming, biking, hiking, etc.)!