Dealing with the news

Hi everyone

In my last blog I focussed on how to keep yourself safe at home – focussing on the ‘incoming’ enemy.  A further word or two on this. Pets. There is currently no evidence of infection in cats and dogs and it is thought extremely unlikely that they can carry and transmit the disease.  So that’s a relief for my relationship with Bramble our labrador.  Secondly newspapers.  One correspondent was wiping his paper down with antibacterial disinfectant……there are three options.  First go electronic to ditch the hard copy, secondly put the paper to one side and read it a day late (there’s no sport, you can watch the news to be up to date, and the games section can wait) or put it in the oven.  However if you choose the latter don’t forget about it.  Another eminent member of the community put her post in the aga for eight hours before she remembered! All was well at the low temperature. What I cannot recommend is what I did. In my enthusiasm to do the right thing, I put a letter for Sandy in the oven at 150 degrees (without looking to be honest - it was warming up before supper) and here is the result. 

Between you and me not the best way to save on household spending!

A further question was about the use of microwaves.  The waves are not of themselves toxic to the virus.  It is the heat generated that is effective.  Otherwise remember you need alcohol 65% minimum (vodka no use at 40%) or soap to destroy the virus and bactericidal solutions no advantage as Coronavirus is not a bacteria.

And one more practical idea – make sure on your contacts you have an up to date ICE contact – In Case of Emergency – with a phone number. May be useful for others.

We are all settling into some kind of routine – perhaps sharing shopping through local whatsapp groups, getting some exercise, doing long awaited DIY and clear outs, gardening…. one idea is to plan your next two weeks of meals to organise your shopping well in advance as the slots are becoming more distant. I make a point of contacting two friends every day and using a video link when possible.

And then there is the issue of the news. This next section I write with a heavy heart for it reminds me of delivering bad news to a patient – moving someone from uncertainty to clarity.  There is a relief in knowing but accompanied by that a profound sense of loss.  We have a stream in our property and we know that when it rains it becomes a river and when it rains very heavily it floods.  There is a delay of about 12 hours from the storm to the river rising.  It is inevitable, predictable.  Coronavirus has been raining unchecked in the UK until lock down last Tuesday.  The nature of the disease means that like the river there is a delay between being infected and the illness becoming apparent (about 5 days) and for the few a delay between being infected and death - of about 23 days.  So it is inevitable, predictable that the numbers of deaths will continue to rise until about 17th April.  Thereafter the daily total should begin to fall. (We should see the daily numbers begin to fall in Italy from about the 4th April).  This is grim news.  And the media will not underplay it.  It is more helpful to accept this reality than each day to become shocked with the figures.  Just as you sow seeds in the garden and have to wait two to three weeks to see the green shoots, so with this situation we have to wait before the tide turns – which it will.  So when you hear of so many ‘new’ cases each day perhaps say to yourself that ‘new’ simply refers to the ‘inevitable, predictable.’  It is less alarming.

And there is good news – that as each day goes by since lockdown the chances of you or your household contracting the disease reduces as there is less of it about. And we know that there are large numbers of people who have had the disease with minimal or no symptoms so the survival rate is almost certainly better than the 97% figure. I am aware that in one hospital many of the senior staff have been ill and fully recovered. 

So the question we all face is how are we going to deal with this inevitability?  With fear or courage, being strong or weak?……..more of that next time.

On a lighter note the results of last week’s quiz which I hope you enjoyed:

Q1: ⚫ 💀                   Black Death
Q2: 🦶👄                    Foot and Mouth
Q3: ☕ 🐝                   TeaBee - Tuberculosis
Q4: 🐷🦅                    Swine Flu
Q5: 🟨🥵                    Yellow Fever
Q6: 💊 🎳 🅰️               Ebola
Q7: 🐓 🅿️ 🐃             Chickenpox
Q8: 🍺 🦠                   Coronavirus
Q9: 🇹🇭 🍜 🆔 🥵         Typhoid Fever
Q10: 🦘 🔔 🅰️              Rubella
Bonus: S🍑                  Sars or Syphilis (there is a plant called yphilis)

And something to uplift you - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eXT60rbBVk&feature=youtu.be

Meanwhile get out when you can in the understanding that the waters will rise and then they will fall…….

With love

Derek