Infection city

 

Image: Centres for Disease Control and Prevention

We are doing well. We have infected so many more people between yesterday and today. We are winning. Best number of infections we have ever had. Mr. Malinauskas is thankfully keeping our vaccination clinics open. Who wanted to shut them when we are trying to get everyone sick and vaccines will help keep them less sick, alive even? We have nothing to offer the under 5s except sending them home from kindy in shame if they cough or have a runny nose. We are totally divorced from Adelaide being in hayfever month from November to May. Some of us can look forward to having flu and covid in winter.  Brighton Secondary School has shifted its students and staff online and other schools have done that with some students as well. Was that wise? Shouldn't we just keep infecting everyone? We need to get the masks off at Easter, though. Best thing, eh? We enjoyed having Christmas disrupted so we were isolating or staying away from family over the festive season. This time we have put a real effort into getting those numbers up so people can be infected for Easter. Whole families can be sick together and eat Easter eggs. We are mad. We need to use some decent  mitigations but that means we forgo moaning and complaining about health protocols which work. We have vaccines. We don't have to shut everything. Masks work. Distancing works. Why on earth we are aiming to keep infecting others is well and truly beyond me. It is not one of my aims in life to ensure I can infect other people with dreadful diseases. So well done schools for keeping your communities safer. Professor Spurrier says we might be reaching the infection peak. It is peak bonkers, that is for sure. Can't wait for us to reach peak long covid which hasn't entered people's minds yet because they don't want to wear masks . Honestly, they are so inconvenient. If this is normal, send help, please. 

Stop the spread

Image : publicdomainpictures
 Our case numbers continue to increase. Why wouldn't they ? We have taken away some helpful restrictions and seem to be following so many places in the world and allowing coronavirus to spread unchecked. What is the matter with us? There are things we know work - sanitising, handwashing, clean air, masks, social distancing, vaccines. Why are we not using common sense? It is becoming muddled now. Schools are down on teachers and students and some are closing and going online again. People are getting sicker and so workplaces everywhere are down on staff. The reinfection rate can be as little as two months. Why would we not try and create an environment where we can live and thrive? Today's awful news was a healthy two month old died in NSW. Children get deadly childhood diseases. I donated significantly to the Childhood Leukemia Research Foundation so they could build a new facility . No child should die of leukemia. No child should die of a preventable disease either. The little ones have no vaccine as yet. Researchers are doing their best to get us one but these things take time. Meanwhile we have things we can do. 

We can all get vaccinated . Some don't want to and some don't want mandates and NZ can no longer mandate vaccines because of a successful court case. Our SA police don't have mandated vaccines either. We are talking about coronavirus and a way of protecting ourselves and others. Vaccines do make a difference. Omicron can remain lethal in the older and unvaccinated people. Unvaccinated people are a greater risk to themselves and others. The risk factors are spelled out clearly and well on our government health site. As a country, we haven't done badly with vaccinations but we need to do better. We need to keep up the momentum so that there are fewer and fewer unvaccinated people and we are protecting ourselves and the vulnerable. You do not stay infectious as long if you are vaccinated. That is a bonus. Governments and medical people are giving us information. We need to listen and act. The bit which is currently missing is no one is pushing us along very much. We were guided and helped initially. We now need to lift our game and take action on behalf of ourselves and others. We won't get successful outcomes from negative behaviours, so paying attention and doing what works is the key.