The Corona Diaries – Day 412

I’m doing a double take every time I write the title up. Is it really 412 days that we have been isolating? That is quite astounding. Anyway, it seems to work. Neither of us has had covid. I really thought at the beginning that we would be doing this a week or two, perhaps a couple of months, we’d see a lot of neighbours and friends going down with the virus. We might catch it ourselves. During that first lockdown we were incredibly cautious. We’re much more laxed now! Perhaps that’s the result of having had both our vaccines or perhaps it’s the fact that the levels have been low around here. Just another week and we are free!

Today was a real change in weather – a Southerly wind brought in sunshine and warmth. Yes warmth. We haven’t had that for ages! We’ve been smitten with a constant cold East or Northerly wind. The air has been cold cold cold – even if the sun was shining it’s been cold. Today must have been twenty degrees. It felt tropical and sultry!

I’ve been writing, listening to Roy Harper, out for a walk up my hill, watching football and doing a bit of reading.

The downside to warm and sunny is mowing!

Meanwhile, out in Coronaland the guilty still get pardoned. Boris Jonson kills 128,000 people and is still thought to have done a good job.

People are stupid.

Keir Starmer’s reaction to the election defeat is to kick out more socialists and replace them with red Tories. I can’t see how that is going to unite the party. They need to form a coalition, sort some policies out that they can all get behind and unite.

I thought it might be good to get a picture of what is going on regarding covid – here’s a snapshot.

Country	Number of new cases	Number of new deaths
USA	3,379	607
Brazil	63,430	2,202
India	403,405	4,077
UK	2,047	5
Vietnam	108	0
New Zealand	8	0
Australia	17	0

As you can see the countries that prepared, took it seriously and immediately shut their borders do extremely well.

Those that were unprepared, complacent, in denial and failed to shut borders have lots of deaths and damage.

In the UK Johnson was useless. He ignored the Cygnus report saying we were unprepared. He ignored what was going on in China. He ignored what was going on in Italy and Spain. He left the borders open. He did not have enough PPE. He did not have enough testing chemicals. He was completely complacent. He did silly things like shaking hands with Covid patients. He blew billions giving contracts to cronies on things that didn’t work – from apps, PPE to T&T. He cheerlead instead of led. He went missing. He chucked out patients from hospitals into care homes. The only thing he got right was the vaccine (which he handed to the professionals in the NHS). By which time128,000 had died and the economy was shattered!! And still many imbeciles think he did a good job!!

Incredible.

I shall never understand the mentality of stupid people.

A good job is taking it seriously at the start, preparing and strict border controls to keep it out followed by strict isolation, testing, tracking and following up. All the things we failed on.

So far in the world we have had 3.28 million deaths from Covid-19. I reckon that’s a gross underestimate. As we can see from India, the Middle East and Africa – cases are greatly underreported.

Here in the UK it continues to go well. two thirds of adults are now vaccinated. The death-rate has subsequently dived and new cases have come right down.

We are getting back to normal. From the end of next week we can have people back indoors, venues will open and we can hug!!

Perhaps then I can say I am out of isolation and put an end to this diary?

Until then – STAY SAFE!!!