A sudden COVID death...

“Manu’s brother-in-law just passed away from COVID.”

My flatmate just told me his partner’s brother-in-law just passed away. He was young. Healthy. No apparent symptoms at the beginning. But then…it started to infect his lungs—and eventually his whole body. He died yesterday.

It’s a stark reminder that we are still in the middle of a pandemic, especially when you know of someone—even indirectly—who died due to COVID. Although cases are still on the rise in the Netherlands, the terraces will open up soon in the Netherlands, and the curfew will be lifted…

It’s weird to see—the juxtaposition of people toasting glasses of champagne outside along the canals on a bright, sunny day while also knowing hundreds (even thousands) of people are dying by the minute due to COVID.

While I do worry about our mental health, I still worry about the fact that we are still in the middle of a pandemic…though it seems like it’s quite easy for many of us to forget that.