In mid-December I took a chance and decided to go to a company holiday party and see how people freed from the Zoom cage looked in real life.

COVID-19's mental health crisis: Our kids' mental health is suffering.

I loved the party.

Friday night my wife and I ate indoors in a packed restaurant.

I told my firm, and they sent out an email to the party attendees saying that someone tested positive shortly after the party (me).

I left my wife and daughter and began my quarantine.

In total, it was 12 days of sore throat, coughs, rashes, crazy soaking night sweats, loss of smell and chest heaviness. And we all thought this was over.

A week after my monoclonal antibodies treatment, the symptoms were easing but I still tested positive.

My daughter said she had a friend who after her asymptomatic COVID-19 infection, tested positive for 30 days.

I kept Googling “what if you keep testing positive after the symptoms are gone?" and the answer seemed to be: Stay isolated.

Finally, on the 14th day without symptoms, I tested negative.

My mother-in-law told my wife that I only have myself to blame for not being careful.

The next day, she was coughing and tired but told my wife she had a cold.

It has an immense mental health toll, immense; with omicron in particular, there’s been a spike in disheartened feelings, feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.”