‘Frustration, anger, annoyance’: Readers share experiences with COVID-19 delta surge

Masks are back. Travel plans are up in the air. And hospitalizations in the Kansas City area through the roof — hospitals have asked patients to avoid emergency rooms. It feels, in many ways, like March 2020, not August 2021.

We asked readers to share their experiences as COVID-19 again surges across the U.S. with the emergence of the delta variant. The responses, from nearly 40 people across the Kansas City metro area, included individuals who say they are following CDC guidelines, living the same as they did in February 2020, and many who say they worry about their safety and what long term effects this experience will have on their health and future generations.

The Star compiled a snapshot of those reader responses They have been lightly edited for style and clarity.

Lauren Starkweather, Overland Park

I’m chronically ill and immunocompromised. I’ve always taken extra precautions in public places, but tenfold since February 2020. Now, with the spread of the delta variant and numbers spiking, hospital beds are filling up. That means people like me who spend a great deal of time in doctor’s offices and medical centers have fewer options and longer waits. In addition to concern over exposure to highly contagious variants, the healthcare system is in crisis mode and inundated with COVID cases. It’s like being in limbo, and the fact that most of this was avoidable is deeply depressing.

I’ve been trying to do one thing every day that positively impacts someone else. Even if it’s just sharing a fundraising link or a petition on social media, leaving a nice comment for a stranger, or donating food to an animal shelter.

If I let myself “go there,” I feel rage. Rage when I think about anti-vaxxers. Rage over misinformation. The selfishness and ignorance is astounding. Sometimes it hits me like a ton of bricks that the clock is ticking. It doesn’t have to be this way. I’m tired.

Eric Wyer, Prairie Village

I will be staying out of Kansas City until masks are no more, unless the store owners gain some courage and don’t enforce the mandate. I’m also terrified my 4-year-old will never participate in a normal school year. It’s all so insane to me.

I am unwilling to participate in this charade. I’m living normally. February of 2020 normal. I’m done with this nonsense.

Sara Robbins, Lenexa

I feel a sense of foreboding that is very similar to what a lot of my friends feel. I am watching friends and their school age kids prepare for the coming school year, wondering how they’re going to get through without everything falling apart. It makes me sad I can’t do more to help, but it also makes me feel grateful to work from home until at least January.

I had a month or two of feeling slightly less uncomfortable doing things like going to the grocery store. However, with the news of how contagious delta is, I’m opting out of more activities and choosing to limit what I do outside of my home.

I’m also a little nervous about upcoming events in the KC area. I have tickets to a concert in September of one of my favorite bands, and I’m concerned that they’ll have to cancel.

I’ve tried to just be realistic about the situation. There’s no reason to be all “good vibes only” or “stiff upper lip” about the pandemic. We all have to be open about our feelings and how we’re dealing or not dealing with isolation, lack of contact with friends or loved ones, and missed opportunities.

Gayla Hattaway, Kansas City

I never stopped masking in public, vaccinated in February and March. So now I’m frankly tired and angry with the large number of people who are so much more concerned with their perceived “liberty” that they are endangering us all and keeping us mired in this dangerous pandemic.

I’m tightening down on my practices: masking, hand washing, distancing, avoiding indoor public spaces when possible. I’m keeping my bubble small, extending my neighborhood walks, going back to curbside/carryout, engaging in small group activities that can happen outdoors (happy hours, hula hooping, yoga, and more), remembering that life is such grace!

I’m just so frustrated with those who are caught in the echo chamber of disinformation, making it so much harder for everyone than it should have to be. My patience is waning!

Melissa Harkin, Lawrence

I haven’t seen my parents since October 2019. They live in Brazil, so all travel plans have been canceled since the pandemic started. We are vaccinated and hoped to be able to fly there in December to finally see them again, but without a vaccine for kids and now, with the delta variant, we feel it’s impossible to make that trip safely.

My 6-year-old son has been homeschooled since the pandemic started and we have no plans to send him back before there is a vaccine for kids. We hired a teacher who comes to the house. We all wear masks during class hours. It’s a financial strain on us, but also a necessity for my child. The very fact that I can do this means that we are in a much more privileged position than a lot of people out there, which is something that breaks my heart.

While the pandemic separated us from our relatives in Missouri and in Brazil, the three of us, as a family, became much more close and deepened our bond and friendship with each other.

David Thurmaier, Kansas City

Frustration, anger, annoyance. I was excited at the progress we’d made, and how things were getting better.

Who doesn’t know by now that the vaccines are effective and it’s the smartest course of action to avoid COVID? I’m not conservative, but I do believe that we need to follow common sense and assume some risk and personal responsibility. COVID will not disappear, and vaccines have been shown to prevent serious illness and death; that’s a wonderful tool at our disposal for free. I get the flu vaccine every year; I may still get the flu, but my immune system is much better prepared for it.

I did everything I was supposed to do — wear masks, get vaccinated, lock down last year, and now I feel like those of us who did that are being punished for those irresponsible people who didn’t. It’s very frustrating.

Jim Breneman, Prairie Village

Right now I’m feeling frustrated, angry and apprehensive, all at the same time. I’m frustrated that we’re back to having to wear masks when we go out in public - the masks are a real pain. I’m angry at the idiots who disavow the seriousness of the virus and refuse to get vaccinated. I’m even angrier at those who spread false information about the vaccine. I’m of the opinion that if these people get the virus, it’s just a way to “cull the herd.”

And I’m even angrier at our idiot state legislators who are treating this entire pandemic as a political football. If I had my way I’d replace all the spineless “straight party line followers” with people who think for themselves and really care more about their constituents than about their party or themselves.

Finally, I’m apprehensive. Should we hug our grandson who is too young to get vaccinated? How is this going to affect all of our grandchildren as they go back to school?

This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 5:00 AM.