For some reason, on the Johns Hopkins CoVID-19 dashboard, Canada, as a country, has disappeared. (If you switch to the province/state/dependency mode, the individual provinces with infections still show up.)
This is disturbing, for someone who lives there ...
We've been 'forced' to take time off; on a use it or lose it basis. Those that don't take 1/3 of their annual leave within the first half year forfeit it. I can't see how that helps the problem cases of those who won't take leave,but these decision are about the majority not facing burnout.
Of course it's also caused a rash of people all taking leave at the same time as the deadline approaches. Not good.
As I am finishing up the text and last edits of my book, there is great concern over the number of very large private parties that are going on, in contravention of everything we know about how to avoid infection. Maybe we don’t deserve to survive, as a species, if we can’t go a couple of years without mass concerts, alcohol, huge parties, and completely thoughtless behaviour. You want to get together with a whole bunch of random strangers? Too bad. I want to hug my grandchildren, and go to conferences, and go to restaurants and sit there and eat hot food without having to eat it cold after having to take it all the way home. Can’t. This is an emergency, and we have to behave appropriately.
(Have I mentioned the memes that, harkening back to the two world wars and similar events, say that those people had to risk their lives to save humanity, and all you have to do so save the world is to stay home and watch TV?)
You’re tired of all the rules? Well, we could probably reduce them to just one. We’ll probably survive if we give up alcohol for a couple of years. I mean, look at the facts. Bars have to be closed and restricted. Bars serve alcohol. Restaurants have to have new rules. Restaurants serve alcohol. Concerts are banned. Concerts involve alcohol (even when they aren’t supposed to.) We can’t go to sports arenas. Sports arenas serve alcohol. Parties are dangerous. Parties usually involve alcohol. (Let’s face it: every party except birthdays for ten-year-olds has alcohol, and even at birthday parties for ten-year-olds the parents are probably drinking.) Why aren’t the conspiracy theorists on to this? There is much more evidence that alcohol causes coronavirus than that 5G does, and people are out burning down cell towers. Well, maybe alcohol is OK to drink, as long as you add bleach to it.
(NOTE: I TAKE ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYONE DYING BY DRINKING BLEACH WITH THEIR BEER.)
Hmmm. During the pandemic, when Zoom stops, we are SERIOUSLY in trouble ...
My experience with testing (part one and part two) pointed out how important is is (and will be) to have a really solid plan in place now for the distribution of whatever vaccine we eventually come up with. The plan may have to undergo some modification as we come up with special issues. For example, the vaccine candidates from Pfizer and Moderna apparently have pretty stringent refrigeration requiremen... ...