Jesus Christ. Covid is rife right now. Everyone and his wife seems to have it. I've never seen anything like it.
On November 24, 2021, a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, B.1.1.529, was reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). This new variant was first detected in specimens collected on November 11, 2021 in Botswana and on November 14, 2021 in South Africa.
It's now spreading like wildfire. Boris got in a panic and caused chaos when he urged everyone to get boosted. The following day the vaccination booking website in England crashed, LFTs (lateral flow tests) were sold out everywhere and people queued for up to 7 hours at walk-in vaccination centres.
Fortunately I had my booster on Saturday and picked up some LFTs from Boots on the same day. Last week my boss has started asking us all to do a test before we come in to work on Monday morning. At last, 18 months into the pandemic!
I had an emotional time at the vaccination centre as the woman at the check-in desk asked if Edward was still my next of kin, so I had to say no, then got upset. I had the Moderna jab and for the first time they asked us to wait for 15 minutes so I had to sit there with snot bubbles behind my mask.
My arm was ridiculously sore 24 hours later. My armpit and lymph gland swelled up and Sunday was pretty much a write off. I couldn't even bounce on my trampette! The pain is easing now but it's still tender.
The office Xmas party is still going ahead apparently. Even though there were 59,610 new cases reported in the last 24 hours (a 30% increase on last week!). God knows what the R number is, nobody seems to report on that any more.
I've told the boss that I'm not going to the party, they did try to cancel it but the venue refused. So some of them are still willing to go. I'll make sure I avoid those people next week!
My friend Liz has been in tears all afternoon as her daughters were both due back from Uni today but have both tested positive. So will now have to self-isolate until Christmas Eve. One of them is on her own in her halls of residence and is petrified, bless her. Alex's friend in work has been ill for 9 days now and is really struggling. He says that breathing is just such an effort and all food tastes like cardboard as he's lost his sense of smell and taste. Imagine losing your taste just in time for Christmas?
I'm so glad to be living in Wales where masks have remained compulsory throughout. I still find it incredible to think that you were no longer required to wear masks in England. It's just bonkers. Good old fuckface Boris going for the old herd immunity still!
The NHS is at serious risk of becoming overwhelmed. NHS staff are already on their knees and have just been treated appallingly by this government. However I was shocked to hear that 9% of NHS staff (94,000 people) still haven't been vaccinated. The government is now considering making it compulsory for frontline staff to be vaccinated.
Apparently they've already done this in Western Australia. My friends Nat and Matt have been there a few months now and have just been enjoying living a normal life with no masks and no social distancing. The whole state is Covid free and has closed it's border to the rest of Australia in an attempt to keep it that way. However, in the news today it's been discovered that 3 truck drivers who spent two days in WA have returned to SA and since tested positive. So that could all be about to change.
Do you want some stats? Since the pandemic began there have been 146,627 within 28 days of testing positive and 168,226 within 60 days. Currently although the case rate is rising dramatically the death rate is still going down, which I guess shows that the vaccine is working. One of my friend's Dad's friends died of Covid a couple of weeks ago, but he was an anti-vaxxer and anti-masker, so what can you do?
Everyone is panicking about Christmas and wondering if the government will enforce further restrictions or bring back bubbles. I doubt they'll attempt to enforce a lockdown as they will have very few people taking notice of that now that it has come to light that they hade numerous parties last December when the whole country was in lockdown. Little fuckers. God I hate them.
There is no way any of their restrictions are going to stop me from being with my Mum this Christmas. The only thing that will stop me is if one of us gets Covid. Ten days to go. Fingers crossed. Wish me luck.