As we can see from case numbers today and most likely in days to come, this is going to become an increasingly more common experience.
Even though it’s a new thing to do, and it’s never easy to tell someone you may have an infectious disease and that you may have been a situation where others could have been exposed, despite your best efforts and intentions.
It’s important to know that Omicron is incredibly infectious.
More and more people around you are going to get it
You might have fear that you may get blamed, or that it might somehow shift the dynamic of your friendship of relationship. And maybe you don’t want the focus to be on you and your status, but you want to let people know because it’s the responsible thing to do. Maybe they’re about to see someone who might be especially vulnerable to the worst effects of Covid-19. So, even though it might be difficult, it’s the right thing to do.
Some people who have been through this experience have reflected that they needed a little time alone to figure out what the point of not sharing it with those who may have been exposed might be. Once they decided it wasn’t wise for them to keep it secret, they first shared the news with people they knew would be supportive, answering their questions, informing them, and sharing compassion with them.
Perhaps you feel a need to let people know you didn’t get it through being reckless or irresponsible, and that you’re also doing your part to help protect them and others that they care about, as well as wider society.
So yes, you might experience feelings of shame to start with
– but as the numbers rise, that will fall away. Shame won’t have any place to help people move forward in this pandemic. So, figure out who it’s safest to share with first, take heart from those responses, and then go through your list, sharing to help protect them and others.
