There are some unusual things we ourselves learned, and taught our children during the Covid-19 pandemic. These were to physically distance, stay away from people, and avoid socializing. We also learned that sharing (germs) is not caring. We were extra careful to cover up and protect ourselves as well as others from speech- or sneeze-induced droplets by using masks. Our hands were constantly cleaned and sterilized with hand sanitizers, and we wiped all surfaces, including even grocery bags, with anti-microbial products. Some of us went as far as to sterilize our homes to get rid of all germs, believing all of them to be as harmful as the Covid-19 virus.

Several stores that we didn’t even know existed, were quick to offer free home delivery. We found new resources and ordered everything online, including not-so-fresh fruits and vegetables that were available, often repeating the limited options we had. We stocked up on long shelf-life groceries and frozen foods to avoid venturing out too much. All dry goods were incubated for three days to let any accidental traces of the virus die, and err dry off. Our homes doubled as our children’s classrooms, our office, our gym, our recreation centers as well as our restaurants. We learned to cook more creative one-pot meals than we ever did before. We flooded our social media with pictures of our newfound “love” of cooking.

We distanced ourselves from others and stayed glued to our smart devices. “WFH” clothes became the new fashion rage. Multitasking for house chores, our workplace and our children’s school became the new norm. Learning became digital, modular, on-demand, and was suddenly open to all age groups anywhere in the world. Children made new friends on social media, their real friends’ homes a stone’s throw away… Online was the new meeting place, Zoom, the new party venue…

With vaccines, masking, distancing, and sanitization, where do we stand in terms of really protecting ourselves against pathogenic germs? Have we succeeded in keeping ourselves safe from Covid-19 and other infections? Have the limited types of foods we ate, impacted our physical health? What about the impact of all our actions on our mental health during this period? Have all of our actions to protect ourselves from one type of germ actually reduced our overall immunity? Have our children experienced increased risks of infections and allergies? Has all of this made us susceptible to everything else?

At Microbiome Superhero, our focus is to improve our overall immunity and long-term health by providing awareness about our choices that seem right for the moment but are damaging in the long run. Join us in the movement towards better health.

-Team Microbiome Superhero