OHSU to change virus study after complaints of bias

125198276_web1_Jose-Crespo-Mendez-pic

Nanticoke man sentenced for fatal DUI crash

By MICHELLE A. MONROE 
 PHOENIX (AP) — Working from home is a blissful reprieve from the many sounds of the office. The gum-smacking, the open-mouth chewing, the drink-slurping, the hand-sneezers that haunt my nightmares. I live by a tire shop, so now I deal with incessant beeping that I drown out with noise-canceling headphones. 
 At home, it’s just me and the dog. She’s not a big talker. The most noise my dog makes is a dramatic sigh at 6 p.m. when she wants to be walked. I can’t always hear it because of the headphones, but I can feel that sigh in my soul. She stands at the door and stares at me. I have an hour left in my shift. 
 But working from home amid the pandemic has its drawbacks. A coworker posted in Slack that he needed a 10-minute break because he found out an old colleague had died from coronavirus. 
 Less than 10 minutes later, he was back and working. “I’m sorry for your loss,” I wrote via IM. 
 “Thanks,” he replied. 
 And that was it. I couldn’t see him. I didn’t know if he wanted to talk or to grieve alone. I couldn’t see his face. I could only stare at a white box with a blinking cursor and wonder. I had trouble sleeping that night.
 No one I know has died. All day I edit stories about sickness and death. I double check the daily numbers from each state. I calculate the percent change from one day to the next. No one I know is included in those statistics. I edit obituaries and read about the lives ended by this new virus. I feel relieved to be untouched so far. I feel guilty about feeling relieved. I also feel dread. No one I know has died. (My inner voice adds: Not yet. Not yet. It’s coming.)
 I walk my dog a lot more during this pandemic. I see more people walking their dogs, too. We humans wave more. We’re all desperate for community. Our dogs — desperate for playtime with a friend — stretch to the limit of their 6-foot leashes. Who knew a dog leash would be the perfect length to measure recommended distance during a pandemic? More people are outside gardening or talking while I walk my dog. I met a neighbor. I met a few. Everyone is going stir crazy. Everyone wants a chat. I learn the neighborhood gossip. I live for this gossip. 
 I go grocery shopping with a mask. I bring my own wipes to wipe down the cart. I feel guilty for not having my act together enough to order food online. I walk through the alcohol section on my way to the freezer section. I say a silent thanks that I don’t drink anymore. Five years sober and proud.
 But as I walk down the wine aisle, I take a moment to think about the sheer amount of alcohol I would have purchased if this pandemic had hit while I was drinking. I would have posted a photo of all the booze. Everyone would laugh. It wouldn’t be funny. 
 Thank God that’s behind me, I think as I load four different Ben and Jerry’s pints into my cart. We all have a vice; now mine is ice cream. My consumption of it has skyrocketed under lockdown. If ice cream protected you from COVID-19, I’d be the safest woman in the world. 
 As I leave, I promise myself I’ll order online next time, fully aware that I will not.
 ____
 
 an occasional feature, showcases the coronavirus pandemic through the eyes of Associated Press journalists around the world. Follow AP West Desk editor Michelle A. Monroe on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mmonroe_ap

VIRUS DIARY: Jumbled scenes from an isolated life, captured