BEYOND LIMITS

SEEMA KUMAR, FOUNDER

Getting Back Into Gear

Just when you are beginning to relax and get complacent, life smacks you with a wake up call. Such was the case for many of us this summer, just when the world was opening up and appeared to be returning to normalcy. We were back to celebrating graduations and weddings long postponed, were back on schedule.

The joy of being together and celebrating in person was back in vogue. And oh what fun it was to be out and about again! And get dressed to the nines and hug people you hadn’t seen in two years! The pandemic seemed like a bad dream. And now that we were vaccinated and boosted, we were feeling confident. With no more federal mandates, the masks came off and we let down our guard.

By June, COVID cases in the US were surging thanks to the rising rate of omicron sub-variants in the U.S. And in fact new cases rose to levels three times higher than the summer of 2021. Thankfully, hospitalizations remained low and for the most part people didn’t suffer serious illness if they were vaccinated and boosted.

Our own family had dodged the coronavirus for a long time, thanks to vaccinations and boosters and careful prevention strategies. But COVID finally got me! It was bound to happen. Being back in circulation at weddings and gatherings, where Omicron also was also circulating, would eventually catch up with us.

The good news was that thanks to vaccines and boosters, my illness was very mild, milder even than my mildest case of a common cold. But my friend, who also fell ill after the same gathering, experienced symptoms that were worse, showing once again how this virus affects different people differently. Although my symptoms were mild, preventing it from spreading meant isolating myself for two weeks until I tested negative. It was a huge disruption in life for two weeks but it was the right thing to do.

PHOTO CREDIT: SHRAVYA KAG

This summer surge was less severe because many people have some form of immunity to COVID now — either from vaccination or from a COVID infection, Dr. Dan Barouch of Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center told CNBC.

While new boosters or vaccines specifically targeted against Omicron are in development, and could potentially be available this fall, the data are still pending on their value compared to the general COVID vaccines, says Barouch. So stay up to date with your boosters and when in doubt, don a mask — there are some fashionable and fun ones out there. Guess what, I often wear them in the city and in bathrooms because in addition to protecting me, they protect me from the assault of fetid odor.

As we get back to school and kids get back to in person learning in the classroom, it is important to give kids and schools the tools they need to prevent or minimize the spread of COVID.

As school year starts, the Biden administration two weeks ago, issued a statement laying out guidance for protecting students, teachers and schools, including vaccine and boosters, access to testing to detect infection early, and improving indoor air quality in school buildings.

But the most important guidance of all is how we can protect each other by staying home if we feel sick and test before showing up in school and spreading the virus to others and when in doubt wear a mask. And of course, get vaccinated and boosted if you haven’t already.

Before you head back to school or work, take some time to read the great stories we’ve got for you in this issue. Our cover star is Emily Shah. She is half Scottish and half Indian, and making a name for herself in both Hollywood and Bollywood! She is down-to-earth, real and also blends her own brand of Ayurvedic gin! We get ready to go back to school, pay homage to Fashion Week with Ash Gupta’s fabulous fashion photography, celebrate South Asian women in lead roles in action movies and Marvel comics, and so much more! Enjoy September! And stay healthy and stay safe!