CORONABOBS ISOLATION DAY 64 – Diary of a Self-Isolator 18.5.2020
jeanniejeanniejeannie.co.uk BLOG 20th May 2020
CORONABOBS ISOLATION DAY 64 – Diary of a Self-Isolator Monday 18th May 2020
I guess I am not a true diarist in the full sense of the term.
As we live in a media world there is so much news and information, real and fake being thrown at us in every direction. Never before has the world had so much instant information.
When President Lincoln was assassinated it took seven days for the news to travel across America to every state. Today such information and all its embellishments, would travel to every part of the world within milliseconds of it happening.
Everyone has an opinion and airs it on every form of social media or any other type of media.
Stop! Stop! Stop! I plead. I only want important relevant information and statistics. What a lot of statistics there are on every aspect of Coronavirus and everything else. And it is all analysed in every direction and constantly saying what has gone wrong and what should have happened.
The way forward is being constantly changed too.
Here are at least 10 items I could have honed in on today:
DAILY BRIEFING Ten things you need to know today
- Trump says he is taking unproven drug to repel coronavirus
- Top scientist tells ministers to stop passing the buck
- Holiday hopes rise as minister announces ‘air bridges’ plan
- Temporary staff spread Covid-19 between care homes
- Trump threatens to pull all funding from the WHO
- First results from human vaccine tests offer ray of hope
- Study finds climate change is making storms stronger
- Disabled people being threatened if they don’t return to work
- M&S under fire for selling hand sanitiser for £11.50
- British youngsters have high rates of drunkenness and stress
Mostly there are amazing headlines and nothing comes of the story.
But would we be any better off for knowing about all those items?
So, I only relate in this diary the things that capture my imagination.
And that is why I’m probably not as efficient a diarist as Samuel Pepys.
Why vaccines are so slow
Early news about medical treatments — like yesterday’s announcement that a coronavirus vaccine has shown positive results in eight people — can feel both exciting and frustrating.
The frustrating part is the timing. Even if all continues to go well with the research into this vaccine, it won’t be available until late this year or early next year. Between now and then, the vaccine will have to endure two more research trials, one involving hundreds of people and the other involving thousands.
Given the virus’s terrible toll, that long process can seem strangely lacking in urgency. But scientists insist that it isn’t. Here are the key reasons they say that there are no easy or fast routes to a vaccine:
Early results don’t always stand. In 2015, the French drug company Sanofi began selling the first vaccine for dengue. The drug had made it through multiple research trials — although some researchers believed Sanofi had ignored worrisome signs. Sure enough, as children in the Philippines began using it, some contracted an even worse form of dengue. Today, use of the vaccine is highly restricted.
In recent testimony, Dr. Anthony Fauci, A US top infectious-disease expert, noted that a coronavirus vaccine could suffer from the same problem.
The larger point is that drugs that look good in small, initial studies often look less good when they’re tested in more people.
Side effects matter. A vaccine doesn’t merely need to work, as Katie Thomas, a New York Times reporter covering pharmaceuticals, explained to me. It needs not to have side effects that cause more damage than the virus itself.
This coronavirus seems to kill only a small percentage of people who get it. The side effects have the potential to do more damage, because any coronavirus vaccine will be given to billions of people, including many with underlying health problems.
Politics matter, too. Vaccines are the subject of frequent conspiracy theories and falsehoods. Given this scepticism, a coronavirus vaccine that did more harm than good could cause much broader damage.
It could lead people around the world to stop taking vaccines that actually work. That’s what happened in the Philippines after the dengue scandal.
All of which is a reminder that promising early results — like yesterday’s — often prove fleeting. Only about 10 percent of drugs that clear the first research phase ultimately make it to market.
Today was a far from happy day – my brother in law has to have lots of in-depth medical investigations and treatments.
On top of that and probably all part of it, Sunday Night and Monday Morning I had an appalling night’s sleep. This meant I woke up with very muffled ears and dizziness.
I get this a lot. At one time I had hospital treatment for it. Vertigo. It did clear up. But it comes back from time to time.
I think over the last few weeks I have suffered with hay fever. That in turn gives me sinus problems and the sinus problems lead to inner ear problems and muffled hearing and dizziness.
But what’s the answer. I know not!
So, today I spent most of the day putting Coronabobs Times together for my four grandchildren. It does take a great deal of work.
Another thing I did was some reading. I love to read but due to my stroke my reading capabilities have reduced enormously. The average adult reads at 200-300 words per minute. That is approximately 60 pages an hour. I read at 20 pages per hour. That is 60 words a minute.
Tedious isn’t it. And I find that tiring.
I’ve been trying to get back into it for weeks and I finally did two hours’ worth yesterday of “Around The World In 80 Trains” by Monisha Rajesh. It satisfies my urge to read, travel and have an adventure.
DON’T FORGET TO LAUGH EVERYDAY ESPECIALLY WHILST IN ISOLATION
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE FOR THE DAY
Reach for something new and exciting (and a little scary).
A goal should scare you a little and excite you a lot. — Joe Vitale
HAPPINESS IS…
Happiness is…reading “Around The World In 80 Trains” by Monisha Rajesh.
GRANDAD’S ONE LINER JOKE OF THE DAY
“The first time I met my wife, I knew she was a keeper. She was wearing massive gloves.” – Alun Cochrane
LOVE IS…
Love is…made from the finest ingredients, you and me
5 Things To Be Grateful For During Lockdown/Coronavirus
We are grateful Lockdown gives us a time…
- A time to read…a time to watch TV
- A time to read…a time to write
- A time to watch TV …a time to listen to the radio
- A time to relax…a time to have an adventure
- A time to shop online…a time to shop online because no shops on the High Street are open
TOTAL STAIRWAY TO EVERST CLIMB CHALLENGE
DAY 44 17 Times – 153 Feet Cumulative Total 6,606 Feet
HORRIBLE LITTLE NUMBERS
Country Confirmed cases Deaths
1 US 1,528,566 91,921
2 UK 250,138 35,422
3 Italy 226,699 32,169
4 France 178,552 27,979
5 Spain 232,037 27,778
6 Brazil 271,885 17,983
7 Belgium 55,791 9,108
8 Germany 177,778 8,081
9 Iran 124,603 7,119
10 Canada 80,498 6,028
UK deaths yesterday 546
Global cases Updated 20 May at 07:53 local
Confirmed 4,897,567 +92,137
Deaths 323,286 +4,732
Recovered 1,688,630
©2020 Phil M Robinson