A foggy day

It was frosty and foggy this morning, the perfect kind of bright winter's day when it is sunny and cold. I could have spent ages in the woods taking photos but I was quickly walking Xena before I had to get to the hairdresser, so did not have time to linger. I thought this would work in mono for the Wide Wednesday challenge.

After the hairdresser I got home in time for the plumber who is still trying to fix an intermittent minor problem with the boiler. Xena was happy to snooze the afternoon away while I edited my photos from this morning.

I am feeling optimistic about the new year with Covid no longer taking centre stage. It will be there but life continues around it. I was pleased to get a place on a photography workshop in Norfolk next month that was fully booked but now has a cancellation. I also have a trip to Harris and Lewis that was booked 18 months ago and cancelled last March due to Covid, but is now taking place in March this year. 

Someone sent me this, which probably is not from that source and just social media twaddle but it sounds realistic to me. It is good news that the weaker Omicron is replacing the more serious Delta variant, and most of England are seeing cases declining already.

“Notes from a call with Edward Ryan MD, Director of International Infectious Disease at Massachusetts General Hospital:

1       Close to 100% of the positive cases in MA are Omicron.  Delta is almost completely gone from New England.

2       This surge will peak sometime between 1/10 and 1/21 and then begin a quick downhill journey of two to four weeks.

3       We will end up with a 20-50% positivity rate.

4       February will be clean up mode, March will begin to return to "normal"

5       Omicron lives in your nose and upper respiratory area which is what makes it so contagious.  It isn't able to bond with your lungs like the other variants.

6       The increased hospitalizations should be taken with a grain of salt as most of them are secondary admissions (i.e. people coming in for surgery, broken bones, etc. who are tested for COVID)

7       We won't need a booster for omicron because they wouldn't be able to develop one before it's completely gone and we're all going to get it which will give us the immunity we need to get through it.

8       COVID will join the 4 other coronaviruses we deal with that cause the common cold, upper respiratory infections, RSV, etc.  It will become a paediatric disease mainly affecting young children with no immunity.

9       40% of those infected will be asymptomatic

10      Rapid tests are 50-80% sensitive to those with symptoms, only 30-60% sensitive to those without symptoms

11      Contact tracing is worthless because we're all going to get it and there's no way we could keep up with it.

12      We are fighting the last war with COVID and should be pivoting back to normal life, but society isn't quite ready for it yet.

13      There is no need to stay home from work or to be a hermit unless you're immunocompromised or 85 or older, but he does recommend staying away from large gatherings for the next six weeks.

14      Spring/Summer will be really nice!