Thursday, February 25th, 2021
In addition to my thirty minutes pool time I got in a walk around the Hood with my work friend M and her dog. While later than I had hoped, it was absolutely lovely outside and we strolled around our streets for the better part of an hour, making me feel healthy and active. We of course also caught up on latest developments and people at work.
Sadly, the current spring weather is not going to last beyond tomorrow. The outlook for the weekend is rainy, which is sad as EM has no plans to see the BF and I feel this could be an opportunity for us to venture somewhere; the question is just where. With the forecast rain a hike is not an option. Museums are closed and indoor dining is not for us. What to do?
The Y seems to have had a policy change, while lanes can still only be booked for a half hour the lifeguards allow swimmers in before the clock strikes the actual start time. As a result, I mostly get forty minutes of pool time, so I no longer feel the urge to fight for those rare forty-five-minute slots. Also, as schoolwork is becoming less intense, EM is looking for jobs, which is great. Turns out the Y is hiring lifeguards and she has reached out to the aquatics team again to see if she can secure a position.
Otherwise today was just another of those days in the life of Corona, which means nothing much is going on in our lives.
The US reported 60k new infections, bringing the total 29 million. New infections today are a little less than yesterday so maybe the Super Bowl fall out is not that big.
Stories emerge from Germany that only about half of the people with appointments for their COVID-19 shot show up as they do not like the vaccine on offer that day. Seems people only want the best, whatever that may be. Given how vaccines were tested in trials Moderna, BioNTech and Oxford are almost incomparable. Generally, scientists agree the best shot is the one you can get. Any shot is better than no shot. Not showing up for an appointment is simply outrageous as it delays the rollout significantly. People should only be told what vaccine they are getting upon arrival and those declining should then automatically be moved to the back of the line only becoming eligible again once everyone else has received a shot.
Reading about Corona and the vaccines I cannot be but amazed at what science can do. Moderna has just submitted an amended vaccine to the National Institue for Health to review. This adjustment is to address effectiveness against the South African strain. Likewise BioNTech/ Pfizer are testing a third booster shot as well as an amended version of their vaccine to increase effectiveness against the variants, not only the South African, but also the New York and California variants, in parallel. Maybe it is not so bad to be later in the line for a shot if it means getting a version that is more effective against the variants. How I would love to be able to travel to my South African home again!
Latest research indicates that people with antibodies from infection are 90% protected from reinfection. Maybe we have a chance to get this thing under control and return to life how we knew and lived it. Strange how much more appreciative one becomes of ones life only after one has lost it.