Healthy Indoors Magazine - USA Edition

4 | February 2021 Bob Krell Founder & Publisher F or nearly a year since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, I played it safe and took the necessary precautions to limit the possibility of exposures and protect both myself and my family. No dining out. No air travel. No group gather- ings. I was a purported expert as an indoor environmental consultant for the past 30+ years, publisher, and online show host, ex- perienced in personal protective measures and keeping abreast of the latest develop- ments with the pandemic. I limited my contact with the outside world to minimal trips to the grocery store, an infrequent Home Depot visit (only when absolutely necessary), and some consulting work for an ongoing DC-area project. I always wore an N95 respirator for these excursions outside my home, was careful to social distance, frequently washed or sanitized my hands, and was always con- scious about minimizing exposure risks. I was somewhat chided for my diligence by my friends and extended family for being "overly concerned." And then, both my wife Kristi and I were tested for COVID-19 earlier this month, when she thought she might be having some outlier symptoms. A young nurse came into the room we had been placed in at a local medical clinic to take some baseline vitals and ask a few ques- tions, prior to performing the tests. She was wearing scrubs, nitrile gloves and a surgical mask, which didn't seem all that imposing. It was my first experience hav- ing that long Q-Tip inserted into my nose far enough so that felt like it was swabbing my brain—not the most pleasant feeling. She said someone would be back in a bit with our results. I joked with Kristi about her dragging me into this medical clinic on a weekend over her paranoia just as there was a knock at the door. A young PA politely entered. She was clad in a full suit, N95, booties, face shield, and long gloves. Seeing her full PPE, my immediate response was, "Uh-oh, this isn't good," but I must confess I was really dreading the car ride home after having accused Kristi of being an alarmist. Both our rapid tests were positive, as the PCR results would confirm a few days later. Af- ter being so careful, for so long, we had not avoided the SARS Cov-2 virus, and had contracted the disease. I am not writing this to elicit anyone's pity. We were some of the lucky ones in this pandemic, having only experienced moder- ate adverse conditions for a relatively short time. We quarantined for 2-weeks, loaded up on fluids and vitamins, and were able to get plenty of rest—all of which undoubtedly contributed to our quick recoveries. To re- state: We were some of the lucky ones, with the ability to stay home, and the resourc- es to order in whatever we needed. Many people aren't so fortunate. They can't afford to miss work, get proper medical attention, and have items delivered to their door. The irony that those being the most affected are the often the ones with the least resources hasn't escaped me. It isn't fair. While Kristi & I ostensibly had a mild brush with this viral demon, earlier this month my cousin ended up in an ICU with COVID and had some scary complications before eventually being discharged from the hospital. Over a half-million others weren't so lucky in this country. My point for sharing this personal story is to stress that you really need to take this pandemic seriously. We are far from its end, and to dismiss the risks as something that can't happen to you or one of your loved ones is foolish—it can. And doing things right "most of the time" isn't good enough. Stay diligent. Bob Krell Bob Krell is president of IAQ Technologies, Inc., a Syracuse, NY-based indoor environmental firm he founded in 1990, offering consulting, mitigation and training services to a variety of clients throughout the country and abroad. He co-founded IAQNET, LLC in 2013, and serves as publisher of its Healthy Indoors Magazine. Bob is the Producer/Director for the online video series, The Healthy Indoors Show, along with numerous other industry video projects and online events, and is Training Director for live distance learning offerings through IAQschool.online. Contact him at: bob@healthyindoors.com Publisher's Rant Almost "Good Enough" Isn't

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