update

According to an editorial in Nature (dated 10 Jan 2022), it is time for us to come to terms with the fact that COVID-19 is here to stay.

Rather than laying plans to return to the ‘normal’ life we knew before the pandemic, 2022 is the year the world must come to terms with the fact that SARS-CoV-2 is here to stay.

Given the amount of pandemic fatigue there is at the moment, many people have already come to terms with it. However, as Nature states, this doesn’t mean that we should stop taking precautions to reduce transmission. With Omicron emerging as a serious threat to moving on from the virus, experts are stressing the need to continue wearing masks and social distancing.

“Omicron is a real threat. Omicron is much more transmissible, and it’s capable of infecting people who have been vaccinated or previously infected. If you’re going to get together with relatives and loved ones, test before you come together. And wear masks in public. And try to social distance in other circumstances.”

It’s also worth noting that the virus will continue to mutate and we will see more variants, but thanks to the ongoing research, scientists will be better equipped to handle them.

“I slightly suspect that there will be future variants, but I think with all that we’ve learned now, we actually should be able to deal with them with much greater certainty.” Professor Peter Openshaw Professor of Experimental Medicine

So, it might be presumptuous to say that this (vaccines, wearing masks, jumping three feet into the air if someone coughs nearby) is our new normal, but it’s our normal right now.

References

COVID is here to stay: countries must decide how to adapt | https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00057-y
Omicron – latest research and expert views as PCR test rules change

I was looking for something to post when I came across this quote and it made me stop and think. Every so often, I get anxious about not writing enough or writing fast enough (see my previous post and the lack of part two!). That, in turn, makes me think that I shouldn’t bother anyway.

Lack of motivation is a huge problem area for me. When I’m motivated, I’m motivated, but it comes in bursts. Part of the issue is that my to-do list is often a mile long. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and waste time instead of using what little time I have to achieve my goals.

So, the goal for right now was to update this blog. I don’t have any interesting facts or information to provide, but I thought I’d share my concerns here. It’s also that time of the year where so many people struggle and I’m right there with them.

If anyone else is feeling down now that we’re hurtling towards winter – you’re not alone. My go-to right now is picking up writing projects and slowly reconnecting with some TV shows I’ve enjoyed in the past. I’m laying off social media. Most importantly, I’ve stopped watching Manchester United highlights (if you know, you know). I’m trying not to think about life and let it get to me.

Hard emphasis on try which is all we can do. I’m going to be looking at wellness journals and seeing how helpful they are.

Who knows?

I might just write a post about it!

~ps