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The Covid Safety Handbook: Staying Safe In An Unsafe World
Covid is "over," right? If only that were true.
Thousands of studies now show in the clearest of terms that Covid's initial infection is just the tip of the iceberg. Yet confusion, misinformation, disinformation, and resistance toward prevention clouds nearly every aspect of this preventable disease.
Even if your situation feels impossible there are ways to safely, easily, and even discreetly reduce your risk—and you are far from alone.
This inclusive book is a guide to making changes that produce results, whether it's finding a low-key prevention tool that works, getting a loved one to take less risks, or balancing Covid safety and mental wellness. In clear examples, learn to set and keep prevention boundaries, navigate Long Covid relationships, make meetups and travel safer, counter conspiracies, make a Covid emergency kit, unpack Covid personality changes, solve mismatched risk levels in a relationship, find out what to say in tricky situations, quickly identify and crush gaslighting, find like-minded Covid-safe nerds worldwide, become an ally for disabled and immunocompromised friends, and much more.
The results are Long Covid affects over 400 million people, there's no cure, and it doesn't care how healthy you are now—but the only prevention is to not get Covid in the first place. So why aren't we doing that?
Brimming with expertise and evidence-based advice, The Covid Safety Handbook lays out practical strategies for staying safe, being prepared, and feeling strong in an ongoing pandemic.
Thousands of studies now show in the clearest of terms that Covid's initial infection is just the tip of the iceberg. Yet confusion, misinformation, disinformation, and resistance toward prevention clouds nearly every aspect of this preventable disease.
Even if your situation feels impossible there are ways to safely, easily, and even discreetly reduce your risk—and you are far from alone.
This inclusive book is a guide to making changes that produce results, whether it's finding a low-key prevention tool that works, getting a loved one to take less risks, or balancing Covid safety and mental wellness. In clear examples, learn to set and keep prevention boundaries, navigate Long Covid relationships, make meetups and travel safer, counter conspiracies, make a Covid emergency kit, unpack Covid personality changes, solve mismatched risk levels in a relationship, find out what to say in tricky situations, quickly identify and crush gaslighting, find like-minded Covid-safe nerds worldwide, become an ally for disabled and immunocompromised friends, and much more.
The results are Long Covid affects over 400 million people, there's no cure, and it doesn't care how healthy you are now—but the only prevention is to not get Covid in the first place. So why aren't we doing that?
Brimming with expertise and evidence-based advice, The Covid Safety Handbook lays out practical strategies for staying safe, being prepared, and feeling strong in an ongoing pandemic.
- GenresNonfictionDisability
232 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 26, 2024
3 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Violet Blue
110 books268 followersViolet Blue has authored and edited over 40 books, including five (Bronze, Silver and Gold) IPPY award-winners, some of which are now in eight translations. Violet was a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show, when Ms. Winfrey featured Violet's book on women and pornography (11/17/09). That book is also excerpted and featured on Oprah Winfrey's website, as well as in O, The Oprah Magazine.
Violet owns and operates Digita Publications (digitapub.com), an indie digital publisher of e-books and audio books. Rather than a royalty system, Digita books share all sales with the authors fairly and transparently, featuring books in both DRM-free versions and for Kindle on Amazon.
Her online sexuality blog, Tiny Nibbles, is one of the Internet's longest-running sex blogs, and has won many accolades and awards. For her day job, Ms. Blue is a journalist on hacking, crime, cybersecurity, privacy, and at-risk populations for outlets ranging from Engadget to CNET, and occasionally outlets like CBS News, CNN and O the Oprah Magazine.
Violet owns and operates Digita Publications (digitapub.com), an indie digital publisher of e-books and audio books. Rather than a royalty system, Digita books share all sales with the authors fairly and transparently, featuring books in both DRM-free versions and for Kindle on Amazon.
Her online sexuality blog, Tiny Nibbles, is one of the Internet's longest-running sex blogs, and has won many accolades and awards. For her day job, Ms. Blue is a journalist on hacking, crime, cybersecurity, privacy, and at-risk populations for outlets ranging from Engadget to CNET, and occasionally outlets like CBS News, CNN and O the Oprah Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 24, 2025
This book made me all twisted up inside, in a very complicated sort of way.
When the Covid-19 pandemic started, I was first skeptical, then terrified of what was happening around the world. I can distinctly remember a number of early news articles, as it first began spreading and there were whispers about. And I remember a lot of the ways that I felt at that time.
The first shutdowns began right as my DND group was meant to meet, and amid confusion and lack of understanding of the scope of what was happening, we plowed ahead; things weren't *really* closed yet, but it was the eve before, and we all just really wanted to play some DND.
I am a bit taken aback thinking about that now, and yet still grateful that there weren't any ill-fated infections from that day, and grateful that we had it together.
I remember an early news report about a quarantined apartment building in Wuhan, China, and seeing pictures and reports from inside, of people entertaining themselves; I have a vivid memory of a picture of a guy playing ping-pong. I remember thinking "Oh, that's extreme." And I couldn't imagine it feeling justified. But I look back now and I understand, and even if it was extreme for what we were used to, it was a desperate attempt to keep people safe, I think.
I remember the final day, when everything was officially shutting down, and I made one last trip to see a couple friends before they went away, fearful that we wouldn't get to see each other in person again. It was a beautiful day. I took one of my favorite pictures, of a rainbow, and I held onto that.
When Covid first hit, I buried my head, and I buried it hard. I blocked tags related to Covid-19, I didn't want to stay up-to-date, it would give me panic attacks just reading about someone's exposure, reading about the latest stats. I threw myself into online DND, playing games with friends, Among Us, new spaces, new hobbies, old TV shows, anything that made me feel good. I grew closer with some people, drifted from others.
I don't remember exactly when I started to unbury my head, started to realize that, well, it wasn't going to go away, even if I kept isolating. Maybe it was that first set of Covid vaccines that came out; they came out with such a triumph, such fanfare, everyone was excited, and there was this wave of joy; "Oh, we're done now! We can go back to normal!" I think it was December of 2020 or January of 2021, or thereabouts. I waited a little longer to emerge from my cocoon, but eventually went and got mine as well, and also tried to look forward to a future free of all the turmoil we'd had in the last year. But I kept waiting.
Sometime in 2022/2023, I began to emerge from a cocoon of despair and depression that seized me in that interlude. I got my head screwed on a little tighter, and I realized that the virus wasn't gone, and that people were increasingly taking fewer and fewer precautions, with no change to the number of infections still going around, and more and more evidence growing that continued infections could be devastating.
And so I began researching in earnest, trying to keep up with the latest news, understand the guidelines and precautions and what had changed week-to-week, rather than relying on whatever would filter down to me in my bubble.
It was...scary. And frustrating. And overwhelming. And I almost certainly overdid as I first set out to make myself covid-safer. Heck, even today I find myself needing to sometimes tone down how much I'm staying "tuned in," so I don't drive myself up the wall.
It was in trying to find this covid-safer state that I found Violet Blue's patreon, with a weekly Covid-roundup of news from around the world, and a slew of resources collected together. I remember finding that list of resources for the first time, and feeling myself light up. Someone else was trying to take precautions, too, many someones, in fact. And look at all these resources...
This has been a long preamble to saying that this book gives me that same feeling. It is to be expected, as it is created by the same author.
The tone of the book is serious, but conversational. No punches are pulled, and this book is definitely written for someone who is already taking the ongoing pandemic seriously, and wants to know more, or wants to feel a little less alone. And, as I said earlier that I have to slow myself down sometimes, I had to take a break while reading this book, to give myself a chance to breathe and digest the information, and not send myself swirling. But I am so glad that I not only did that, but came back and managed to finish the book, and feel so validated.
This book does an amazing job of making you feel validated. It doesn't minimize your feelings of fear, anger, grief, pain, anxiety, or whatever else may be going on, and it doesn't downplay how serious encounters with Covid can be. But it reaffirms that you aren't unreasonable to feel those things, either, and it really made me feel that I was not alone. I adored that about this book, how much I felt more grounded for having my boundaries, that I didn't need to question myself about the way I wear my mask, or the decisions I make to keep myself safe.
It also did a great job of breaking down concepts that, even having read the resources from the original Covid resource list, hadn't fully solidified in my brain. I still had this lingering picture of "droplets" that made Covid airborne, when that isn't what "Covid is airborne" meant! And it just felt like putting on a pair of glasses that sharpened the images around these concepts, things I already "knew, " but could now articulate and talk about in a more understanding way.
Genuinely, this book is a goldmine of resources and validation, with quotes, articles, and references that kept making me pick up the book and show someone, "See? See, this here, this explains it so well!"
I remarked to someone as I first began this book, that it would one day be studied, because it perfectly encapsulated the feelings of being lodged in that miasma of the early days of the pandemic, while explaining concisely what was actually going on. I do think it will be a valuable tool for helping those in the future understand what went on.
If this book sparks an interest for you, I'd definitely recommend checking out the author's online resources first, as they'll give you a good idea of some of the things you'll find here, but there was nothing but a physical copy of the book that made me feel more connected to all that information.
I'll say the book's shortcomings may be that it is not written for a newcomer to being covid-safer, and all the information could be intense and overwhelming, unless one is prepared to really dive in and understand. And there were occasional typos in the book, mostly very minor things, nothing profound or altering to the content.
But still, for filling a space that I haven't seen others fill, this book is outstanding, and I couldn't rate it less than five stars.
When the Covid-19 pandemic started, I was first skeptical, then terrified of what was happening around the world. I can distinctly remember a number of early news articles, as it first began spreading and there were whispers about. And I remember a lot of the ways that I felt at that time.
The first shutdowns began right as my DND group was meant to meet, and amid confusion and lack of understanding of the scope of what was happening, we plowed ahead; things weren't *really* closed yet, but it was the eve before, and we all just really wanted to play some DND.
I am a bit taken aback thinking about that now, and yet still grateful that there weren't any ill-fated infections from that day, and grateful that we had it together.
I remember an early news report about a quarantined apartment building in Wuhan, China, and seeing pictures and reports from inside, of people entertaining themselves; I have a vivid memory of a picture of a guy playing ping-pong. I remember thinking "Oh, that's extreme." And I couldn't imagine it feeling justified. But I look back now and I understand, and even if it was extreme for what we were used to, it was a desperate attempt to keep people safe, I think.
I remember the final day, when everything was officially shutting down, and I made one last trip to see a couple friends before they went away, fearful that we wouldn't get to see each other in person again. It was a beautiful day. I took one of my favorite pictures, of a rainbow, and I held onto that.
When Covid first hit, I buried my head, and I buried it hard. I blocked tags related to Covid-19, I didn't want to stay up-to-date, it would give me panic attacks just reading about someone's exposure, reading about the latest stats. I threw myself into online DND, playing games with friends, Among Us, new spaces, new hobbies, old TV shows, anything that made me feel good. I grew closer with some people, drifted from others.
I don't remember exactly when I started to unbury my head, started to realize that, well, it wasn't going to go away, even if I kept isolating. Maybe it was that first set of Covid vaccines that came out; they came out with such a triumph, such fanfare, everyone was excited, and there was this wave of joy; "Oh, we're done now! We can go back to normal!" I think it was December of 2020 or January of 2021, or thereabouts. I waited a little longer to emerge from my cocoon, but eventually went and got mine as well, and also tried to look forward to a future free of all the turmoil we'd had in the last year. But I kept waiting.
Sometime in 2022/2023, I began to emerge from a cocoon of despair and depression that seized me in that interlude. I got my head screwed on a little tighter, and I realized that the virus wasn't gone, and that people were increasingly taking fewer and fewer precautions, with no change to the number of infections still going around, and more and more evidence growing that continued infections could be devastating.
And so I began researching in earnest, trying to keep up with the latest news, understand the guidelines and precautions and what had changed week-to-week, rather than relying on whatever would filter down to me in my bubble.
It was...scary. And frustrating. And overwhelming. And I almost certainly overdid as I first set out to make myself covid-safer. Heck, even today I find myself needing to sometimes tone down how much I'm staying "tuned in," so I don't drive myself up the wall.
It was in trying to find this covid-safer state that I found Violet Blue's patreon, with a weekly Covid-roundup of news from around the world, and a slew of resources collected together. I remember finding that list of resources for the first time, and feeling myself light up. Someone else was trying to take precautions, too, many someones, in fact. And look at all these resources...
This has been a long preamble to saying that this book gives me that same feeling. It is to be expected, as it is created by the same author.
The tone of the book is serious, but conversational. No punches are pulled, and this book is definitely written for someone who is already taking the ongoing pandemic seriously, and wants to know more, or wants to feel a little less alone. And, as I said earlier that I have to slow myself down sometimes, I had to take a break while reading this book, to give myself a chance to breathe and digest the information, and not send myself swirling. But I am so glad that I not only did that, but came back and managed to finish the book, and feel so validated.
This book does an amazing job of making you feel validated. It doesn't minimize your feelings of fear, anger, grief, pain, anxiety, or whatever else may be going on, and it doesn't downplay how serious encounters with Covid can be. But it reaffirms that you aren't unreasonable to feel those things, either, and it really made me feel that I was not alone. I adored that about this book, how much I felt more grounded for having my boundaries, that I didn't need to question myself about the way I wear my mask, or the decisions I make to keep myself safe.
It also did a great job of breaking down concepts that, even having read the resources from the original Covid resource list, hadn't fully solidified in my brain. I still had this lingering picture of "droplets" that made Covid airborne, when that isn't what "Covid is airborne" meant! And it just felt like putting on a pair of glasses that sharpened the images around these concepts, things I already "knew, " but could now articulate and talk about in a more understanding way.
Genuinely, this book is a goldmine of resources and validation, with quotes, articles, and references that kept making me pick up the book and show someone, "See? See, this here, this explains it so well!"
I remarked to someone as I first began this book, that it would one day be studied, because it perfectly encapsulated the feelings of being lodged in that miasma of the early days of the pandemic, while explaining concisely what was actually going on. I do think it will be a valuable tool for helping those in the future understand what went on.
If this book sparks an interest for you, I'd definitely recommend checking out the author's online resources first, as they'll give you a good idea of some of the things you'll find here, but there was nothing but a physical copy of the book that made me feel more connected to all that information.
I'll say the book's shortcomings may be that it is not written for a newcomer to being covid-safer, and all the information could be intense and overwhelming, unless one is prepared to really dive in and understand. And there were occasional typos in the book, mostly very minor things, nothing profound or altering to the content.
But still, for filling a space that I haven't seen others fill, this book is outstanding, and I couldn't rate it less than five stars.
January 27, 2025
All quotes refer to page numbers in the digital PDF version that I read.
The writing is very casual. At times, the word choice sounded like conversational banter.
This book was written by and for the covid-cautious community; if you're a member of this group, you will absolutely feel validated and reassured.
If you're not already sympathetic to the concerns of this group, then much of the content will seem over-the-top. Before reading this book, I had hoped it could serve as a tool for helping to convince non-covid-cautious readers to take covid more seriously. The tone, however, is not one of detached science, nor of persuasive argument; rather, the need to take covid precautions is treated as a given. The book opens with a brief rundown of the many known covid-related health risks (there's a more in-depth discussion of long covid later in the book), but ultimately, The Covid Safety Handbook is geared towards people who are already covid-aware, who want to learn more about ways to better mitigate covid risks, and who welcome suggestions on how to maintain personal boundaries and navigate situations in which their covid-cautiousness conflicts with a society that minimizes or ignores covid.
The Covid Safety Handbook is chock-full of solid information about mitigation measures and ideas for how to manage risk assessment and implement precautions in various scenarios. I consider myself well-informed on covid-related matters, and still I learned new things. I appreciate that the book conveys a sense of gradation; covid-caution is not "all or nothing", and some protection is better than none. I'll also mention that, despite being the most covid-cautious person among my own social circles, I have applied only a portion of the strategies described in this book.
The text is peppered with footnotes; if inclined, readers can jump to the extensive References and Resources section and go directly to a respected source and learn more. (My digital copy even included hyperlinks for one-click access to articles.) That said, occasionally I wished for even more references; for example, there was no footnote when covid was referred to as a "neurotropic vasculitis with a minimum 10% chance of making you bed-bound potentially for life" (p. 41), which sounds exaggerated. Similarly, quotes from everyday covid-cautious people were encouraging to read, yet when attributed only to "A" or "LD" and "LC" (p. 27, 70, respectively, etc.), it made me wonder, Who are these people? If these quotes came from an online forum or social media post, a reference to the forum, or a screen shot of the comment, perhaps with a date stamp, would have added credibility.
Though thorough in its scope, the book often felt "mile wide, inch deep", which is understandably consistent with its "handbook" designation; I suspect the author made a conscious decision to not delve too deeply into explanations of why or how things work in order to keep the content more high-level and accessible for the average reader. (Plus, as mentioned, further details are available by following reference links.) At times, though, I wished at least for more accurate wording, for example, I would have liked to see the words "rapid antigen test" to differentiate at-home tests from PCR lab tests in the bullet point, "You’re contagious if your test is still positive." (p. 29) I also noticed a number of editing mistakes.
Maybe if half-stars were possible, I'd give this book 3.5 stars, due to the grievances mentioned. I rounded up to 4 stars because reading this book was overall a positive, helpful experience for me; I especially appreciated the many valuable, up-to-date resources, and the latter chapters that addressed the emotional and psychological toll of being covid-cautious in a covid-minimizing world.
The writing is very casual. At times, the word choice sounded like conversational banter.
This book was written by and for the covid-cautious community; if you're a member of this group, you will absolutely feel validated and reassured.
If you're not already sympathetic to the concerns of this group, then much of the content will seem over-the-top. Before reading this book, I had hoped it could serve as a tool for helping to convince non-covid-cautious readers to take covid more seriously. The tone, however, is not one of detached science, nor of persuasive argument; rather, the need to take covid precautions is treated as a given. The book opens with a brief rundown of the many known covid-related health risks (there's a more in-depth discussion of long covid later in the book), but ultimately, The Covid Safety Handbook is geared towards people who are already covid-aware, who want to learn more about ways to better mitigate covid risks, and who welcome suggestions on how to maintain personal boundaries and navigate situations in which their covid-cautiousness conflicts with a society that minimizes or ignores covid.
The Covid Safety Handbook is chock-full of solid information about mitigation measures and ideas for how to manage risk assessment and implement precautions in various scenarios. I consider myself well-informed on covid-related matters, and still I learned new things. I appreciate that the book conveys a sense of gradation; covid-caution is not "all or nothing", and some protection is better than none. I'll also mention that, despite being the most covid-cautious person among my own social circles, I have applied only a portion of the strategies described in this book.
The text is peppered with footnotes; if inclined, readers can jump to the extensive References and Resources section and go directly to a respected source and learn more. (My digital copy even included hyperlinks for one-click access to articles.) That said, occasionally I wished for even more references; for example, there was no footnote when covid was referred to as a "neurotropic vasculitis with a minimum 10% chance of making you bed-bound potentially for life" (p. 41), which sounds exaggerated. Similarly, quotes from everyday covid-cautious people were encouraging to read, yet when attributed only to "A" or "LD" and "LC" (p. 27, 70, respectively, etc.), it made me wonder, Who are these people? If these quotes came from an online forum or social media post, a reference to the forum, or a screen shot of the comment, perhaps with a date stamp, would have added credibility.
Though thorough in its scope, the book often felt "mile wide, inch deep", which is understandably consistent with its "handbook" designation; I suspect the author made a conscious decision to not delve too deeply into explanations of why or how things work in order to keep the content more high-level and accessible for the average reader. (Plus, as mentioned, further details are available by following reference links.) At times, though, I wished at least for more accurate wording, for example, I would have liked to see the words "rapid antigen test" to differentiate at-home tests from PCR lab tests in the bullet point, "You’re contagious if your test is still positive." (p. 29) I also noticed a number of editing mistakes.
Maybe if half-stars were possible, I'd give this book 3.5 stars, due to the grievances mentioned. I rounded up to 4 stars because reading this book was overall a positive, helpful experience for me; I especially appreciated the many valuable, up-to-date resources, and the latter chapters that addressed the emotional and psychological toll of being covid-cautious in a covid-minimizing world.
November 23, 2024
The Covid-19 pandemic is not over. This is the premise behind The Covid Safety Handbook by Violet Blue: it informs all the research and all the citations and all the anecdotal evidence buttressing this admirable volume. The book drives home many important points:
- Covid-19 is an airborne scourge that can remain in the air of poorly ventilated spaces for several hours, potentially infecting nearly every organ in the body with unpredictable consequences.
- Regardless of the severity of the initial infection, Covid-19's long term effects cannot be predicted or (at present) cured, and prior good health does not confer protection against long term problems.
- There is no Covid-19 "herd immunity", and vaccination does not prevent infection.
- Immunity from Covid-19 infection can wane in as little as a month, and multiple infections damage the immune system's ability to fight off other infections.
- Covid-19 is global, no country can unilaterally declare it over, and no amount of official misinformation or gaslighting can truthfully deny Covid-19's facts.
In keeping with it's subtitle ("Staying Safe in An Unsafe World"), The Covid Safety Handbook offers practical advice on what people need to know about the virus, the myths surrounding it, what people can do to give themselves the best possible chance at avoiding Covid-19, how to talk friends and loved ones about it, how to recognize Covid-19 gaslighting by governments and the media to keep it from distorting one's behavior towards the virus, and much more.
The book quotes Dr. John Zeigler: "The pathway from evidence to sound policy often relies on the public understanding of science, and the mass media is the main messenger." Keep that assertion in mind as you read The Covid Safety Handbook: it is the antidote to Covid-19 misinformation and the prescription for being as safe as possible from the virus and the havoc it brings.
(I read this book early as part of it's Kickstarter campaign.)
- Covid-19 is an airborne scourge that can remain in the air of poorly ventilated spaces for several hours, potentially infecting nearly every organ in the body with unpredictable consequences.
- Regardless of the severity of the initial infection, Covid-19's long term effects cannot be predicted or (at present) cured, and prior good health does not confer protection against long term problems.
- There is no Covid-19 "herd immunity", and vaccination does not prevent infection.
- Immunity from Covid-19 infection can wane in as little as a month, and multiple infections damage the immune system's ability to fight off other infections.
- Covid-19 is global, no country can unilaterally declare it over, and no amount of official misinformation or gaslighting can truthfully deny Covid-19's facts.
In keeping with it's subtitle ("Staying Safe in An Unsafe World"), The Covid Safety Handbook offers practical advice on what people need to know about the virus, the myths surrounding it, what people can do to give themselves the best possible chance at avoiding Covid-19, how to talk friends and loved ones about it, how to recognize Covid-19 gaslighting by governments and the media to keep it from distorting one's behavior towards the virus, and much more.
The book quotes Dr. John Zeigler: "The pathway from evidence to sound policy often relies on the public understanding of science, and the mass media is the main messenger." Keep that assertion in mind as you read The Covid Safety Handbook: it is the antidote to Covid-19 misinformation and the prescription for being as safe as possible from the virus and the havoc it brings.
(I read this book early as part of it's Kickstarter campaign.)
November 18, 2024
No, the Covid pandemic is not over, contrary to beliefs widely held. Violet Blue is an award winning investigative journalist on cybersecurity, digital rights and privacy. She has been published in Popular Science, in Oprah Winfrey’s magazine “O”, and has appeared on Oprah’s show. Her other books include “Smart Girl’s Guide to Privacy” and a memoir called “A Fish has No Word for Water” about her time as homeless in San Francisco.
This is a frank discussion of Covid and one that expands her Patreon Weekly Pandemic Roundup. The introduction gives her background in San Francisco during the AIDS pandemic, so she is familiar with the dynamic of a disease that has included misinformation. Facts are documented with footnotes, and the extensive bibliography at the end shows that she did not write this solo. The bullet points at the start of the book list the basics about “here’s what we wish our friends, family, co-workers, and everyone knew about Covid-19.”
Advice is given on masking, air quality, talking about Covid, and how to set boundaries when at risk for infection. Long Covid is discussed as a long term health effect of even a mild case. Personality changes can occur in a person who has had Covid, deciding that it’s no big deal and ignoring safety concerns. Violet says use your anger to fight isolation and find like-minded people on social media or safe meetings.
This is a useful handbook for dealing with your safety, tips on staying informed with reliable sources, and preventing Covid infection. Highly recommended. I received this early as a part of a Kickstarter campaign.
This is a frank discussion of Covid and one that expands her Patreon Weekly Pandemic Roundup. The introduction gives her background in San Francisco during the AIDS pandemic, so she is familiar with the dynamic of a disease that has included misinformation. Facts are documented with footnotes, and the extensive bibliography at the end shows that she did not write this solo. The bullet points at the start of the book list the basics about “here’s what we wish our friends, family, co-workers, and everyone knew about Covid-19.”
Advice is given on masking, air quality, talking about Covid, and how to set boundaries when at risk for infection. Long Covid is discussed as a long term health effect of even a mild case. Personality changes can occur in a person who has had Covid, deciding that it’s no big deal and ignoring safety concerns. Violet says use your anger to fight isolation and find like-minded people on social media or safe meetings.
This is a useful handbook for dealing with your safety, tips on staying informed with reliable sources, and preventing Covid infection. Highly recommended. I received this early as a part of a Kickstarter campaign.
January 31, 2025
The COVID Safety Handbook is an easy-to-understand guide to navigating the world safely from COVID in an era in which most people think the pandemic is over (spoiler alert: it isn't).
The author, Violet Blue, makes COVID information and precautions clear to laypeople and gives guidance without chiding. While a good portion of the book centers on understanding COVID and preventative strategies, it also spends time on the social side of COVID: both dealing with gaslighting and COVID denial as well as navigating interpersonal relationships (for good and bad) in the time of COVID. The author intersperses guidance with quotes from the community about COVID and ends the book with quotes from Kickstarter backers of the book helping the reader feel less alone in dealing with COVID. In short, it balances scientific information with social guidance as both are necessary in navigating COVID infections and personal COVID boundaries.
The COVID safety handbook is rational, helpful guidance in a world of ignoring the full harms of COVID and is a refreshing resource useful for anyone who wants to stop the spread of this deadly and disabling disease.
The author, Violet Blue, makes COVID information and precautions clear to laypeople and gives guidance without chiding. While a good portion of the book centers on understanding COVID and preventative strategies, it also spends time on the social side of COVID: both dealing with gaslighting and COVID denial as well as navigating interpersonal relationships (for good and bad) in the time of COVID. The author intersperses guidance with quotes from the community about COVID and ends the book with quotes from Kickstarter backers of the book helping the reader feel less alone in dealing with COVID. In short, it balances scientific information with social guidance as both are necessary in navigating COVID infections and personal COVID boundaries.
The COVID safety handbook is rational, helpful guidance in a world of ignoring the full harms of COVID and is a refreshing resource useful for anyone who wants to stop the spread of this deadly and disabling disease.
November 23, 2024
I just can’t properly state how I feel about this, it is amazing. This is truly a book for everyone from people who ceased masking several years ago to people who have researched Covid extensively. All readers will get something important out of this and I’m wishing for the continued success for this book. It needs to be in the hands of every person on this planet. I truly believe that. Even if you’re under the impression that Covid is not a big deal anymore, you should read this because it might just help you with whatever may be going on with your psyche. We haven’t had the time to mourn or grieve over what Covid has caused, that’s what’s stated in this book among hundreds of other pieces of information and I wholeheartedly agree.
December 2, 2024
As someone who suffers from long-COVID and various issues triggered by the viral infection, it's critical to know what I can do to mitigate further infections. Violet's book is a great look at what's been done, what we've learned, and all the work we still need to do to protect ourselves and others from this deadly virus.
November 26, 2024
Beautifully written, comprehensive and super informative. A fantastic and much-needed resource for anyone who understands that Covid isn't over and wants to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.
September 18, 2025
I wish everyone would read this book
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