Wear a mask

 

Image:  Integris Health

Wear a mask. They work. Our numbers are up again today and we need to keep them down. We don't need thousands of sick people. It is not normal to let a disease spread. Some think it's like measles and mumps and we should just get it over with. It isn't . We haven't looked very much at the implications of long covid and so many people always being sick. Pretending it's not there is not an effective deterrent. Believing safe and health preserving practices are restrictions means the communication isn't right. Not knowing covid symptoms by now means the listening is not right. Sensible health measures need to be adopted and believed. They are not restrictive. Being sick certainly hampers your lifestyle. We can do better. Wear a mask in public setting. They work!

Keep calm and cope

Image : fineartamerica
 Living with covid is probably one of the most worrying experiences we have all had together. Add it to family issues, climate issues, acts of aggression and we are living in a high stress world. We are not the first to do this and we'd like to be the last but it won't happen. As far as coronavirus is concerned , we have to pool our knowledge and experience, deal with it in a calm and measured way and stop it from spreading. I heard today of people who had had their first vaccine but won't have a second. Why is that? The vaccine isn't perfect but it has been greatly helping. That information is everywhere and clear.  We need to establish why people don't get three vaccines and may not get the fourth. In South Australia we have been informed there are people who can access that fourth vaccine first once they are four months out from the third. Do people think vaccines don't help? We need to correct that view. Are they too lazy to get the next vaccine? Why? Did they suffer bad side effects which put them off? I had two Astra Zenica and one Moderna. With the Astra Zenica I spent the first month wondering if I would get blood clots because I come from a family with a history of blood clots. With the first dose I was really out of sorts for a week and then, after a month , I was fine. With the second one it was the same but milder. One of the bonuses for me was the Astra Zenica helped my osteo arthritis. It has been far less of a problem. With the Moderna I was off colour for a week , my arm really hurt but tea tree and honey manuka cream really helped that after the first day. I decided I preferred the Astra Zenica side effects. Moderna made me like a snail. Sooo slow. We need to sort out what puts people off vaccines by having decent conversations. One person I know who had had one vaccine dose got covid and then , as soon as he was recovered, he was in the line to get the rest of his vaccines. He had to get really sick to take action. 

We have voices of reason. SA Health is one of ours and today's presser was clear and helpful. We need to know what is being done and what we can do. Letting disease spread is stupid. Really stupid . It is not normal . We have to let the voices of reason hold the spotllight. Another one of our sane and comforting voices is Professor Esterman from the University of South Australia. His calm, measured voice has been with us throughout the pandemic. He neither gives us too much information nor panics. He gives us things to look at and do. His recent article about statisitics in the pandemic made sense and clarified the picture . He encourages us to look for the patterns. 

Professor Pagel in the UK looks at the myths we persist with during the pandemic so we do not help ourselves and get the case numbers down. If we keep letting people get sick it is not going to help at all. If we keep being sick and another variant comes along , we are in no position to defend and protect ourselves. She looks at it calmly. There are things we can do. Today's presser for South Australia was another example of giving us information but letting us know there are things being done and things we can do. 

Covid Bingo

 Image : Reddit

Doesn't seem to matter where you are in the world at the moment, we get up every morning and play Covid bingo and then it is a lottery as to whether you get it or not. The cognitive dissonance is strong. When have we ever let a lethal virus run riot? When have people just plain ignored health information because they want to be "normal". When was covid informed we have had enough and it's time just to get on with life?

Today, in South Australia, we hit over 30, 000 cases. When the borders opened November 23rd 2021 we had no cases and the odd breakout we controlled. If you look at the very extensive health information on our Australian government health site the 20s and 30s are driving the infections in Australia but the 60+ age group are sacrificing their lives. We are using young people to carry the virus to older people so they die. Nice. We are also using that age group to infect unvaccinated under 5s who are getting the virus. We keep schools open so the not properly vaccinated children can bring the virus home and so schools are like super spreader venues where teachers and families can get covid. Is that what we are doing?

Harsh. Yes. Very harsh. it is a really unpleasant, unbelievable set of circumstances. Every morning we get up and struggle with it. Where is the sense? The logic?  I understand we had all those freedom fighters protesting their rights and people were banging on about opening the borders and  having one Australia. I understand politicians were receiving vile threats to themselves and their families. I understand politicians  said one thing and people wanted another then they got the other and still the politicians were wrong. Open the borders, shut the borders, turn the borders over. Wear the masks , don't wear the masks. Stay at home, don't stay at home. Always you have to come back to what works : masking, ventilation, social distancing, sanitising and washing hands. SA Health puts good information up on Facebook and in Facebook stories every day. Instagram puts up Covid safe information all the time. 30, 000 plus cases tells me we are not listening. Supermarket shopping, yes. The shops are always busy.  Listening , no. We have a population of 1.7 million . Victoria has a population of around 6 million and has 56, 000 plus cases. We are getting it wrong. 

Some think it is all over because they can't do this bingo everyday. Have the kids got it? Do they go to school or not? Have I got it? Can I go to work? Is the RAT showing negative right or wrong? I don't want it, do I have to stay home again. What? They were vaccinated and are in ICU? The confusion and complexity is rife. People can't necessarily get in to see a doctor. They can't necessarily get an ambulance. The world is unsafe and we are on our own. The information is there but not percolating through the population and then there are those who are just plain making it worse. 

It is currently a bit of a free for all and the only way through is to keep a level head and consult solid information. You then end up hoping the health resources will be there. Are they? This is not managing a pandemic. Living with covid is horrible.