This non-controversial site has real detail about what Australia did wrong (and a bit about what it did right) to control Covid.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-25/covid-19-spread-through-australia-over-year/13078574?nw=0
I’m still on the farm in South Australia, where the impact on us has been very very low, thank heavens. We had a ‘light’ lockdown for about 3 weeks in March 2020, a 3-day lockdown two months ago, and virtually no community transmission – almost all have been OS or interstate returning travelers, who were put into quarantine immediately. We still have compulsory contract tracing requirements, signing in or producing the phone ap to register going into shops and other businesses, and there are limits to numbers for some of them eg pubs. We are so much luckier than NSW and Victoria, and have huge sympathy for the US, where there are so many cases that the contact tracing must be next to impossible.
I thought some of you might be interested in something detailed about what has gone wrong, in a country which is held up as being a poster case for doing it right. We now have a Hollywood 'invasion' because this is one of the few places in the world where it's still practical to shoot a movie!
I feel the same way that you do. It’s so unpredictable. It really is a ‘crap shoot’ as to who gets COVID-19.
I hope that you remain safe. I am wishing for the best for everyone in the world to stay safe. I truly hope everyone will get vaccinated unless there is a good reason not to. It has been announced that pregnant women should not be vaccinated.
Happy to hear that people are following protocols in your area.
We should all follow protocols and hope for the best!
Cara, it's great that your 93 year old neighbor had such a mild set of symptoms with Covid. It wasn't a 'secret' that led to her walking around the block, it was luck. People aren't dropping dead in their homes because they usually get transferred to hospital when things get too bad. Masks are better at stopping transmission of the virus than getting infected, although they help both ways. And yes, all the 'rules' have decreased the number of flu and cold infections dramatically, which is an interesting lesson. Perhaps we will all end up washing our hands more often and distancing from infectious people in the future. But perhaps the best 'secret' is keeping your fingers crossed!
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Let’s hope that at some point in time people will be able to discuss COVID-19 with accuracy and sensitivity.
So many deaths and others that are suffering for a long time.
Our numbers are going up in certain areas.
Hoping the vaccines will be delivered as quickly as possible.
We had hundreds of vaccines lost. They are supposed to be shipping out more as soon as possible.
In my province there is currently a nursing home outbreak that has made the news where there have so far been 40 deaths out of 127 infected, that's a 30% death rate. On the other hand at the little nursing home in my town although all but a handful of the people were infected the percentage that died was only 7%.
And recently a teen who was a cleaner at a nursing home became one of the youngest to die from covid in the province. His family says he was a healthy young man, no underlying conditions.
I don’t want to argue and I certainly appreciate your work in the medical field.
I didn’t say that you said it wasn’t real. I was emphasizing that it is real, not just an ordinary flu.
If it helped your grandmother to heal believing it was just like an ordinary flu, then I am happy for her.
People in the hospital have an entirely different perspective though.
I meant it when I said that I am thrilled that your grandmother survived.
I too know people who beat this horrible COVID-19, and I know some who have died and others who are still suffering now.
Not watching the news doesn’t change one iota about the situation. Only those who are in dire need are put on respirators.
I am politely asking you to read your message again with an open mind and see how it sounds.
Haven't you ever recognized where you could have worded something a bit differently?
I know that I have. All of us have said things that came out the wrong way sometimes.
So instead of wishing me luck, take a minute to think about what you wrote and how it comes across.
Then, maybe you will see why it rubbed me the wrong way.
Wishing you all the best. All of us need to stand together in this fight.
If I came on too strong with you, I certainly apologize.
I have family members fighting COVID-19.
Stanford & CDC have also revised their statements-you just need to look it up. Not really interested in debating this further with you. Good luck.
Your comment is insulting to all of those that have lost their lives to COVID-19 and to the families that are mourning their losses.
This is not, nor will it ever be an “ordinary” flu. It is COVID-19 and people are continuing to die from it.
It isn’t an imaginary thing. It’s real!
Just because your grandmother doesn’t watch the news, doesn’t make it less real.
Hospital workers don’t place respirators on people that don’t need help. These people are fighting for their lives!
I am thrilled that your grandmother recovered but please show some sympathy for those who lost their battle with COVID-19. Those people don’t have a chance to get back to their lives. They are dead!
I hate the thought of COVID-19 always being with us.
It has been devastating.
Ironically, we have learned quite a few lessons from this experience.
Our strengths have been pointed out as well as our weaknesses.
For the most part, in spite of the mayhem, many are resourceful and able to adapt and move forward.
Nevertheless, we live with the scars from this difficult and challenging time. All we can do, is press on. Often we are more resilient than we think we are.
I am looking forward to Covid coming to an end.
I think some changes will be permanent, and not all of them, for the worse.
For instance, my husband’s company and many other work places are considering continuing to work remotely. This is a benefit for some.
Brick and mortar has been on its way out for awhile now. This pushed it along a bit more.
Ghost kitchens have popped up to help the restaurant industry survive.
Many restaurants have used these outside sources to help with take out orders.
So, when we think that we are ordering from Chipotle or another restaurant, it’s really being cooked by ‘ghost kitchens.’
Ghost kitchens cook regular menu items, plus “specialty dishes” therefore, enlarging menus with more variety.
Many restaurants are saying they will continue to use this service after the pandemic, which will create more jobs in the food industry.
The one change that I think of often, is how moms and dads turned into teachers at home! I wonder if any will continue to home school.
So many changes, some will stay, some will fade away.
Interesting post, Margaret.