VACCINES?

      I'm happy that I got my Covid vaccine shot last Saturday. However, unlike many others, I do not have a sense of great relief and safety.

     Here in Alberta, Canada there is a staggering amount of disorganization when it comes to distributing the vaccine. I got my shot when they opened it up for anybody over 75. Now I was disturbed, to say the least , to find out that in many senior residences and care centers, the residents have not received a shot. I feel badly for these people as many of them are not in good health. Why leave them in a very vulnerable condition and no vaccination?   Most of these people are well over 75. My friend's 90 year old mother, who resides in a senior residence, got covid about a week ago. 

     I was maybe too hopeful and naive to think that the vaccine would prevent us from contracting covid! All kinds of statistics have been bantered around. We hear numbers such as 90% , 95% ! We don't really listen and understand what those numbers mean. I can't put numbers to things , but I now know that the vaccine may not necessarily prevent us from getting Covid-19 but may prevent a more serious illness from Covid. It may prevent us from death. It is compared to the flu vaccine we get every year. 

    Some people have expressed great relief when they get the first shot. I hope that sometime later , they are not disappointed. I don't share that great emotion. I know I'm better off having the covid shot. I'm just not sure how much better off I am with the vaccine.

     One thing for sure is that we must still practice all the good habits to keep from getting and spreading the disease. So keep on wearing a mask, washing your hands and keeping your distance. 

    Having said all this I'm glad that I got the shot. I'm far better off with a shot than without a shot. I urge everybody to get the shot  as soon as possible.  

THE COVID VIRUS MAKES LIFE COMPLICATED

     I found out the other day how complicated things have become because of covid 19. I organized my bird watching group and found out that there were many hoops to jump through.

     Ordinarily I make up a schedule and publicize it and away we go.   Bird watching is an activity  organized under the Red Deer River Naturalists (RDRN) . This is a registered society and we must have insurance. Check the website to see where we're going. I also have a contact list and they receive an email with all the information. It's also posted on our facebook page.

     So I'm on automatic pilot with this activity.

     So the other day I sent out the schedule. Very soon after someone asked , "Well  what are the regulations regarding covid 19 for an outside group?" I had intended to look. Before I had a chance to look one of my fellow birders had all the info for stage II and the virus.

     I was surprised to find out that there were 10 questions that had to be asked of each birder. Much of this had to be recorded in order to trace contacts in case someone had the virus. We decided that we had to have some way of asking for the information and recording it. Since I described the type of organization RDRN is we had to follow the rules.

    Now when you look around it doesn't look like many people are following rules. Very few people wear masks here. I went to restaurant and all staff were wearing masks. I visited the same restaurant a week later and none of them were wearing masks.

    So I have to wonder how serious we are in our stage II of opening up after covid?

    At my age I will not be birding with a group because of the virus . They will do fine without me. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

    Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Covid 19 isn't over yet and may never be over.

    But I can't help thinking about what people are going to say once this is over.

    They are still writing about the flu from 1919. Research is still being done on that epidemic. 

   After this catastrophe , if there is an after, what will people be saying?

   Will they ever come up with an answer as to where and why the virus started?Right now we are flooded with conspiracy theories that usually come with a fair amount of racism. Science will have its work cut out for many years and they may not come up with a precise answer. I hope they learn many other things as they're trying to chase down an answer.

   Commentators and writers will find work for themselves for a long, long time dealing with how the virus was handled.

    Was quarantine effective? Did quarantine start too late? Should there have been a much tighter shut down? Were masks effective? Was the two meter space effective? Did santitizers do any good? What simple routine did we miss that would have been very helpful? We will be reading books about this issue for a long time.

    How have our governments handled this as far as the economy is concerned? Was it the right thing to close down business?  Did the government propping up the economy help us to come out of the situation? Did economists get it right in forecasting the future? I'm sure comparisons will be made between the different approaches to support the economy. 

    Politics? Politicians? What will be said of their actions. 

   Blame? Who will be blamed for so many things.?

   So even though we're not there yet , I'm sure that some books are well under way and we will probably have some books to read before the end of the summer. Somebody will want to be the first with a book to come out. 

   Some of this will no doubt bring much benefit to the situation and other things will only muddy the waters. 

MORE OF WHAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT.

    The covid -19 virus has us pinned down because we don't know much about it. Covid - 19 isn't telling us much about itself. We know it can be deadly as the death rate tells us. We know that it spreads rapidly.

    There are many things that are not known. Why do cases go from  death, severe and then people who do not realize they had the virus?

   There is much debate over the use of masks. There has been change over whether masks should be used or not. 

   Does having covid - 19 give you immunity from being sick again?

    How long is the virus active when it's out of the body.? Is the virus killed by frost, heat or sunlight?

    Then there are those who have wild theories about treatment and cure. One famous suggestion is a few shots of antiseptic.!!!  Others think let the kids get the virus . It won't hurt them. Others say let the old people get the virus. They're a drain on the system anyway! Some strange concoctions have been suggested for treatment and cure. 

    I read yesterday that they are adding 6 more symptoms for covid 19.

   One thing the experts say is that we could have this monster for two years until a vaccine is developed. 

    One thing for sure, is that in the 5 months since the virus has been named not much has been learned about it. 

   In the meantime we do have things we can do to protect ourselves. I applaud those people who sew their own masks. We can stay in and wash often with soap. We can stay away from others. I have to admit that I sinned mightily this week when a person I hadn't seen for 10 years stopped by while I was in the yard. We were so happy to see each other that we shook hands! 

    Keep healthy. We'll make it through this.

KEEPING CHEERFUL IN LOCK DOWN.

   I'm sure that many people have been surprised to find that quarantine has bothered them. For me I didn't think I would be bothered and to be fair it's not really a big deal.

    However, we should be mindful and do things that keep up our morale.

   Some people are getting out and doing some great walks. Many of the trails are almost deserted. Mr Pudding from Yorkshire Pudding is going on great walks.

    Other people double down on crafts. Some people are going at house cleaning like there's no tomorrow. 

    I have recommended that you look for some music to listen to. I have two groups that I email once a week. 

     I'm sure that there are many different things people are doing while we are kept separate.

    I was fortunate yesterday to find a gold mine on FaceBook. One of my students from 82-83 put on photos from his yearbook. He put on all the home room photos. We had about 20 home rooms in the school. He got much reaction from the photos . Some of the people had lost contact with each other so were excited to meet some of their old friends. Much news was exchanged . A lot of laughing was involved. Willie just kept putting photos on all day. I was going to tell him to quit because it was my bedtime. However , I caught up with things today. Thanks Will for a  few pleasant  hours on Facebook.

    I can also take a few silly photos. Our neighbors gave us a plant for Easter so in the photo you not only get the plant but me as well. 

     The original wasn't much better than the one I played with.

    How are you doing in the "lock up"? What have you found to do that helps to make the time go by in a pleasant manner?