Days have turned into weeks, and weeks have turned into months.
With a new round of restrictions, there's concern that "covid fatigue" could sabotage recovery, with the numbers at their worst. It's a challenge for public health officials.
For 10 months, talk about flattening the curve, staying at home and social distancing has become part of our day-to-day. And for many, it’s exhausting.
"We do have COVID-fatigue -- it was our breakfast conversation,” said a retired woman, Suzanne Carlson, referring to a discussion earlier on Monday she had with her husband.
Dr. Georgine Nanos, the founder and CEO of Kind Health Group, told NBC 7 that the experience is totally normal. She feels COVID-19 fatigue, too, just like so many of her patients, but she's concerned with what she's seeing.
"The amount of anxiety and depression and suicidality I have seen is just through the roof," Nanos said. "It is absolutely unprecedented levels across all kinds of people."
That stress and anxiety have health professionals concerned that the new stay-at-home order, which is meant to keep our hospitals and health care systems operating and open for waves of expected patients, will be an especially difficult challenge.
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“Focus our care on those who need the care and don't disrupt and overmanage everybody else,” Carlson said.
Another woman NBC 7 spoke to, Brenda Jackson, said she was not feeling fatigued, just determined to do her part following the health guidelines.
“I’m listening to what needs to be done," Jackson said. "I’m gonna do it. It is what it is. I’m 70 years old. I’ve lasted long enough to know that things will work out."
Dealing with the pandemic in some aspect of your life is unavoidable.
“I’m definitely feeling stressed about it for sure," said Maddyson Berstein, who was visiting San Diego from Boston. "I’m just finishing a grad program. And it delayed my program, and it’s been delaying me getting a job."
Nanos said she hopes people will focus on the coming vaccines as positive news and will follow health guidelines.
"I just want to say that I understand how frustrating this is," Nanos said. "I know it feels like we haven't made any progress. We have made progress. We have a vaccine in sight. Hopefully that's gonna come soon."
