Steemit Engagement Challenge Season8 Week1: My learning during the pandemic

I found this contest interesting so decided to participate in it, to give my insights on this pandemic.

What do you consider to be the main lesson you learned from the pandemic?

I guess the main lesson humanity learned is that despite all medical advances, science was just not prepared for something of the magnitude of this pandemic. The amount of deaths and near deaths confirms this.

Did you have any loss of family or friends because of the pandemic? Can you tell us about it?
What was the most difficult moment during the pandemic?

Unfortunately yes, I lost several friends plus a number of people whom I would not call friends but where acquaintances. People I hadn't seen for a while when I asked for them they just told me COVID took them. Here I noticed a rather mysterious event, some guys younger than I who were always, as far as I knew in perfectly good health would succumb to the disease, while others who were of the type of people who is prone to get sick because an ant bit them caught the illness and it just put them down for a few days. And, I always go near the waterfront, there is a park there full of alcoholics and crack users, and not a single one of these guys got COVID. Amazing right?
As for the most difficult moment, for me, was when I actually got COVID, I did not check myself but my daughter did, she had it. So naturally my house had four cases, myself, my son, my daughter and a nephew. These are young guys in their twenties they were OK in a couple of days, Me, I was sick for five days, but it was nothing serious I did not have breathing problems, but food tasted like cardboard. This was two years ago, and I just got my taste buds back a couple of months ago.

After all that process, do you value your health more?

Actually I have never worried much about my health, if I am to get something I will just get it. I must admit I am a little of a hypocondriac, and every new illness I think I have it. I have had a number of mini strokes so my brain does have some damage and I guess my IQ must be lower that what it was before the strokes. But COVID, no I was not really alarmed by it, using a mask was no problem for me, it stopped people from spitting on me when talking real close, actually it stopped me from spitting on them too and the halitosis problem became a thing of the past. Yes, I did not go near people I heard coughing but overall I made no special activities to avoid COVID. Just what businesses I visited demanded me to do. I must say I took three vaccines, I am not afraid of vaccines, and I have had no second effects from them except a painful arm after the injection.

Did the pandemic impact your finances positively or negatively? How did you cope?

I am actually an unemployed 61 year old bum with room and board assured, I make some money online, sometimes I make a translation or I do some sales with a friend who sells seafood and he pays OK, this is just for pocket money, so personally I think the pandemic had no effect on me. It did hit a lot of people very hard though, remember I live in a third world country and government subsidies were the government gives people money are an unknown factor.

All of this being said, now we have more and more people saying the pandemic was a hoax and the vaccines a form to control and even kill people. Personally I am sure CoVID is real, and is fatal for a small percentage of people. As for the vaccine, well who knows, I knew some guys who had it and died and then again my brother and my sister did not have it because they are anti vax, my sister did get a mild case of COVID and my brother nothing. He says it is beacuse he eats three garlic teeth every morning, who knows he might be right.

I invite to participate: @betop, @mboma