Coronavirus

[AvastMH]

Oh gosh - Gordon the Needle display looks quite astounding! I guess I can set the alarm and get up to watch it on New Year's Day morning

Anyone else getting a new-look NY display? We are going to get the neighbours out for midnight for a five minute celebration and some extra long sparklers. As long as it's not raining of course. Or snowing. Or blowing too hard. Or icy......

[Randi]

Good idea!

[AvastMH]

Astrazeneca vaccine has been UK approved.
Oh Happy Day!!!
Tears of joy!

[jil]

[studentforever]

Absolutely

[Randi]

Unsurprisingly...
"Colorado and California reported cases of the more contagious variant of the coronavirus first seen in Britain." NYTimes

[Michael]

I saw an article that some seemingly important person in England who was calling Covid-19 the Chinese Virus was taking offense at people calling the new variety the English Strain, or the English Variant or whatever the noun was.

[AvastMH]

I saw an article that some seemingly important person in England who was calling Covid-19 the Chinese Virus was taking offense at people calling the new variety the English Strain, or the English Variant or whatever the noun was.

Perhaps it did start somewhere else, but we've certainly propagated it with gusto and sent it round the planet. Could we be less responsible?

[Randi]

Experts search for answers in limited information about mystery pneumonia outbreak in China

Note that the above article was written in January 2020. I just found a reference to it in an article I read today.

Sorry for the alarm/confusion

[AvastMH]

On the news about 2 days ago the health correspondent on the BBC re-read his diary from exactly one year before and noted that he'd spotted a small story about scientists being sent to China over a strange pneumonia. If we could have known then...

So we are in complete lockdown again. I hope that folks follow this rule but I don't feel very confident about that

[Randi]

I DO NOT like twitter, but here is a sure cure for covid blues...

https://twitter.com/MissElise84/status/ ... 48303&te=1

[studentforever]

In Scotland we are only supposed to meet outside in groups of 2 from a maximum of 2 households. I try to go for a walk most days. My neighbours of similar age also go for a walk most days but they are a couple. On those occasions where we meet we usually stop for a minute or two and chat - this equals 3 people from 2 households. If this is now illegal I shall be very upset and I will probably ignore it for short chats if my neighbours are willing. Most people just exchange greetings as they pass and maybe comment on the weather, traffic, state of the footpaths etc but having a brief chat helps to reduce the isolation. Mostly that is with other single walkers but it would feel very strange to walk past neighbours of over 30 years standing with just a nod.

[jil]

I DO NOT like twitter, but here is a sure cure for covid blues...
https://twitter.com/MissElise84/status/ ... 48303&te=1

Brilliant!

I don't know if this is correct but I've always assumed the meeting up outdoors numbers apply to doing the full walk with others or sitting in the park (not that it's warm enough for that at the moment!) and a few minutes socially distanced chat was OK. I think NHS Test and Trace count contacts as people you've been less than 1m from or 2m for more than 15 mins.

[Matteo]

I DO NOT like twitter, but here is a sure cure for covid blues...

https://twitter.com/MissElise84/status/ ... 48303&te=1

Fantastic!

[Caro]

One of the most bizarre accounts (and there are many) on Twitter is @giantmilitarycats.


Royal Navy Admiralty Board
(pre-Covid presumably!)

[Randi]

The guy on the left seems to think it is an improvement!

[AvastMH]

Love the cats. Oscar approves of covid - he can't get it and I'm available at his beck and call all day long

Hi Studentforever, I'm a bit uncertain about the rules for yourselves North of the Border:
'Up to 2 people from 2 separate households can meet outdoors for sport, exercise or social interaction.'
If it meant 1 person from each house it would be strange because there's an inference that one person from one household could meet. Odd. Worth investigating more I feel

Just read the First Ministers speech and I see that she said:
'As of now, up to six people from two households are able to meet outdoors. Given the greater transmissibility of this new variant, we consider it necessary to restrict that further.
From tomorrow, a maximum of two people from up to two households will be able to meet outdoors.'
It does look like it's 2 people from one household with 2 people from another household. I have to say that this was a rather lax method of description and someone should have picked this up before it was presented. Let's hope it gets clarified soon so that you don't have to feel worried.

[Morgan]

So, I retired a year and a half ago. Two of the things I took up were OW and playing my French Horn in the local hospital atrium. I started in January 2020 and really only got in about a dozen concerts until we volunteers were sent home in March; blowing hot air around in a hospital was not a good idea in a pandemic. Well, out of the blue I got an email yesterday that said- Volunteers are next in line. Signed up and today I got my first vaccine. Short line- got it before my appointment time. Next on Feb 2. I expected to be last in line, fairly healthy, younger end of seniors, no real excuse not to stay home (in fact if I were home more I would get more transcribing done.) I count myself lucky.

[Michael]

Good for you, getting the vaccine! I heard a discussion about wind players. They DON'T spread the virus when they're playing their instruments. In reality, very little air escapes through the instrument. It's the same with professional singers.

I think I'll have to wait another month until I get mine...

[ggordon]

Looks like I may not get the vaccine for a very long time, although the situation seems to change almost daily. The State of Washington just announced that all people over 70 will begin receiving the vaccine next month. I'm 69. Those who are under age 70 and don't have any serious health issues won't get the vaccine until some future phase, with those later phases not starting until at least May.