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I won't leave 2 (masked)
9”x12” — 2023
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been thinking (as always) about how as a society we have collectively abandoned each other in the face of COVID.
our administration has skillfully convinced us that COVID no longer poses a risk, that vaccines alone prevent transmission, and that it’s not a big deal if we each become infected 2, 3, 4, 10 times.
in reality, each COVID infection does irreparable damage to all bodily organs, including our hearts, our lungs, and our brains. with each infection our risk of long COVID increases exponentially. but they don’t tell us this — instead, they mail us rapid tests that no longer accurately detect the new mutated variants. they tell us to wash our hands, even though COVID is airborne and is rarely transmitted through surface contact. they defund free community PCR testing sites, leaving us with no way for us to know if we’re transmitting a deadly virus. they tell us we’re fine as long as we’re not having symptoms — when in reality, 50% or more of all COVID transmission is asymptomatic.
we’ve been told that only disabled, immunocompromised, and elderly people are at risk for severe outcomes from COVID — but the truth is, we are ALL at risk of dying or becoming (more) permanently disabled from this virus.
it is so easy to wear a mask, and wearing a well-fitting mask is one of the most effective ways to prevent COVID transmission. and yet, i’m almost always the only one masking at the grocery store, at the pharmacy, at the airport. i don’t blame people for not masking — it’s not our fault we’ve been lied to.
but when i do see someone else out in the world wearing a mask, i feel an instant connection with them — because despite the increasing public harassment of mask-wearers, despite the weird looks we get, despite the very real fact that masking can be a sensory nightmare, we both know that COVID isn’t over.
we’ve been abandoned by our government, but we don’t have to abandon each other. it is never too late to change your mind and adopt precautions like masking. we owe each other that.
description: a print featuring a simple line drawing of a person wearing a light blue KN95 mask. the text above the drawing reads “i won’t leave you behind”
9”x12” — 2023
——————————-
been thinking (as always) about how as a society we have collectively abandoned each other in the face of COVID.
our administration has skillfully convinced us that COVID no longer poses a risk, that vaccines alone prevent transmission, and that it’s not a big deal if we each become infected 2, 3, 4, 10 times.
in reality, each COVID infection does irreparable damage to all bodily organs, including our hearts, our lungs, and our brains. with each infection our risk of long COVID increases exponentially. but they don’t tell us this — instead, they mail us rapid tests that no longer accurately detect the new mutated variants. they tell us to wash our hands, even though COVID is airborne and is rarely transmitted through surface contact. they defund free community PCR testing sites, leaving us with no way for us to know if we’re transmitting a deadly virus. they tell us we’re fine as long as we’re not having symptoms — when in reality, 50% or more of all COVID transmission is asymptomatic.
we’ve been told that only disabled, immunocompromised, and elderly people are at risk for severe outcomes from COVID — but the truth is, we are ALL at risk of dying or becoming (more) permanently disabled from this virus.
it is so easy to wear a mask, and wearing a well-fitting mask is one of the most effective ways to prevent COVID transmission. and yet, i’m almost always the only one masking at the grocery store, at the pharmacy, at the airport. i don’t blame people for not masking — it’s not our fault we’ve been lied to.
but when i do see someone else out in the world wearing a mask, i feel an instant connection with them — because despite the increasing public harassment of mask-wearers, despite the weird looks we get, despite the very real fact that masking can be a sensory nightmare, we both know that COVID isn’t over.
we’ve been abandoned by our government, but we don’t have to abandon each other. it is never too late to change your mind and adopt precautions like masking. we owe each other that.
description: a print featuring a simple line drawing of a person wearing a light blue KN95 mask. the text above the drawing reads “i won’t leave you behind”