December 14. A historic day in the USA. The Pfizer vaccine has been rolled out. Today front line health care workers will start getting inoculated. Back in the spring when I fantasized about this day I imagined we'd be uncorking champagne and dancing in the streets. But the daunting logistics and practicalities of vaccinating an entire population - a process requiring many months - takes the magic out of this miracle that promises to rescue us. Can't deny that it is most uplifting to know that each day will bring more bright news. More countries beginning their vaccination programs. More vaccines getting FDA clearance. Our individual turns to become inoculated drawing closer. The dismaying daily case numbers and deaths on Worldometers conjure up Dickens' famous lines. It was the worst of times. It was the best of times.
Covid numbers continue to skyrocket in California as well as in the USA. Worldwide, with some exceptions, the situation is also gloomy. Germany isn't succeeding in curtailing its numbers with "lockdown light" so from Wednesday the country will observe its strictest lockdown since the start of the pandemic. Christmas celebrations will have to be small and intimate. I know that things will soon turn around. When will that be? A month from now?
There's another reason that today is an important day in America. Members of the electoral college are casting their votes - a final procedure to confirm the president-elect before inauguration day. The Trump rascals will undoubtedly continue making mischief. We're 5 weeks away from inauguration.
Winter solstice is a week away. Had to don an additional layer on my morning 3 mile run due to the chill. Pandemic restrictions in the winter are so much harder to endure. With so many hours of darkness, a total absence of entertainment outside our home, and unable to entertain or be entertained by friends indoors, we are forced to confront solitude. Daryl and I have each other. We're able to keep sane. It must be hell for people who live alone. Thank goodness 21st century technology provides boundless opportunities for individual entertainment. And it's true that there is no reason at all for boredom. But we are social creatures, gregarious by nature. We thrive on interacting with our species even if its superficial. Now, more than at any previous time during the pandemic, I crave normal life with a manic desperation. Just a few more months. I can do it. And life for me will return to its technicolor splendor. Many in the world can't say the same for themselves. For many the aftermath will be awful -unpaid bills, job loss, grieving for lost ones, living compromised lives due to permanent effects of the disease, PTSD, and a host of other problems that don't even register in my life.
This year has taught me the importance of seeking out mood boosting activities. Bingeing on unhealthy food, though tempting, leaves me depressed! But splurging on fine wine and gourmet cuisine works. Nature immersion and brisk hikes are essential. Sunsets, the hooting of our resident Great horned owl, watching hawks in flight, the crashing of waves on a deserted beach, the sight of dolphins - balm for my soul.
December 17
Every morning this month we've been awakening to dispiriting Covid news. Record breaking numbers nationwide, statewide and countywide in new cases, hospitalizations and deaths. California recorded a staggering 61,000 cases yesterday - almost double the previous day's new cases. There were more than 248,000 new infections in the USA with 3,600 deaths. We had 407 deaths in California yesterday. Germany recorded 29,000 new cases and 749 new deaths yesterday. Even South Africa is experiencing a frightening surge. After dropping to 18th place on Worldometers for holding steady at a low infection rate, they recorded over 10,000 new cases yesterday with 166 deaths.
Thankfully, another vaccine, Moderna's candidate is about to get FDA approval for emergency use. We know that things will get better. Other vaccines are expected to become available in early 2021. The tide will turn. But it looks like we're going to have to hunker down in our homes for a while.
Back in the spring when we watched how China was handling the impact of the virus we felt hopeful. They were able to get back on their feet and maintain an essentially Covid free existence. I imagined we'd get there too - though not as efficiently. While Australia, New Zealand and a handful of other countries had success, much of the world fell prey to the microscopic organism that aggressively latched onto hosts in order to create countless copies of itself. Interestingly, some countries escaped serious illness and fatalities. I gather the virus burned through Mexico. The government has been testing for antibodies and so far are finding 1 out of 4 to have been infected. Though many became mildly sick, the country endured a concerning number of Covid deaths.
Earlier in the week there were reports of a mutation of the virus in southern England where large clusters of infections were found. Questions of its transmissibility and change in the spike protein arose and so far not much is known. A mutation is unnerving. Will it respond to our current vaccines? This is why we have to eradicate the virus. Only possible with herd immunity conferred by effective vaccines. But it's necessary for everyone on this planet to understand this.
December 21
The new UK variant of the virus hogged the news in the last 24 hours. London and the regions south of the metropolis are under lockdown. EU countries are closing their borders tot he UK. There's palpable concern about the exponential rise in cases in England, dominated by the new mutation.
A new variant in South Africa, identified a week ago, has triggered concern too due to its numerous genetic changes, including a change on one of the spikes. Though it spread rapidly within the country this new variant hasn't appeared anywhere else.
Roll out of the newly authorized Moderna vaccine has been overshadowed by the new worrisome Covid developments. I think we'll always remember this period as a time of simultaneous hopeful and distressing news. We are witnessing the beginning of the end to the pandemic, but that doesn't translate to a less restricted, more relaxed existence.
It's the start of the 3rd week of lockdown in the Southern California region. Covid numbers here are still explosive. LA county is about to run out of ICU beds. New daily case numbers this week are now between 32,00 and 45,000 - a drop from last week, but still frighteningly high. Santa Barbara County's hospitals aren't overwhelmed yet, but our trend lines are the worst since the start of the pandemic.
It's the winter solstice. Today is spookily warm - a high of 80 degrees. It's been mild much of December. Dry too - with no sign of rain. Most dispiriting. But our weekend beach strolls were pretty uplifting.
Heavy surf, crashing waves, flocks of pelicans, a lone Great Blue Heron, blue sky, and a deserted beach - a great way to start our weekend.
Getting onto More Mesa Beach requires effort - an interminable flight of steps to negotiate from the bluff - but so worth it.
On Sunday morning we headed to a different beach - the stretch between Campus Point and Coal Oil Point. It too was surprisingly deserted. Students have probably left Isla Vista for the holidays.
Winter solstice ended with 2 noteworthy events. Congress finally - after months of deliberations - passed a Covid relief bill. $900 billion to enhance unemployment benefits, expedite vaccine distribution, and provide $600 stimulus checks for individuals.
The other big event was a rare astronomical phenomenon. The two biggest planets - Jupiter and Saturn - aligned together with the shortest distance between them and appeared in our sky as a big, bright star - the "Star of Bethlehem"!
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