'Going on holiday is illegal.'
Below is an extract for 10th February 2021 from:
Coronavirus - 2020 Vision.
The Road to Freedom Day.
The complete diary and events of the COVID-19 pandemic.
PART 3 – 3rd February 2021 to 19th July 2021.
By Keith Wright
Written during the time of the pandemic. Because people have short memories.
WEDNESDAY 10TH FEBRUARY 2021
Facts and figures.
13,494 new cases.
678 deaths.
The total number of deaths within 28 days of testing: 115,529.
Total coronavirus cases: 3,998,655.
At PMQ’s we learn from Prime Minister Johnson that usually, at this time of year, we have 250,000 people a day arriving in the UK, but the government have got this down to around 20,000.
Author’s note. Around 1,000 nationals are entering per day currently from those 33 countries requiring quarantine next week.
What container could hold every one single coronavirus in the world?
Bath University Maths expert, Kit Yates, has worked out that if you were to gather all of the SARS-CoV-2 in the world together and put it in a container. The container would only need to be the size of a can of Coke.
He worked out there is around two quintillion (which is two billion billion) SARS-CoV-2 particles in the world at any one time. The diameter of SARS-CoV-2 is 100 nanometres, or 100 billionths of a metre and he then figured out the volume of the spherical virus.
Even accounting for the projecting spike proteins, which will leave gaps, the total is still less than in a single 330 millilitre Coke can.
Author’s note. Fascinating stuff. The contents of that Coke can have so far killed 2.34 million people.
Daily news.
Holiday hell.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is doing the morning media round. He surprised everyone by stating that Britons might not be able to take a holiday in the UK and abroad. Mr Shapps said,
‘The truth is we just don’t know how the virus will respond…and therefore, exactly, when we’ll be able to unlock. I’m afraid I can’t give you a definitive “will there or will there not be” the opportunity to take holidays this next year, either at home or abroad.’
He was hopeful that the vaccination programme and restrictions would be successful,
‘But I don’t know what the situation will be by the middle of the summer. Nobody can tell from the point where we sit right now.’
‘Vaccination passports.’
Mr Shapps spoke about potential ‘vaccination passports.’ He said that Singapore and the US had been in talks with them to discuss a possible international system to demonstrate someone’s testing or vaccination status when crossing borders. Another possibility is the use of an app to address the issue and free up travel.
Number 10, who has denied planning any sort of vaccine passport, again said,
‘There are still no current plans to roll out vaccine passports. Going on holiday is currently illegal.’
Partial admission.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has admitted that the EU was late to authorise COVID-19 vaccines and acknowledged the difficulties they are facing because of it.
‘We’re still not where we want to be.’ She said.
When interviewed by the German website Suddeutsche Zeitung, she said that,
‘a country on its own can be a speedboat; the EU is more like a tanker. We were late to authorise. We were too optimistic when it came to massive production and perhaps too confident that what we ordered would actually be delivered on time.’
Terribly sorry about the act of hostility.
Ms von der Leyen said she ‘deeply regretted’ the EU threat to restrict vaccines' flow between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Mapping our future.
The PM said they would do everything they can to get children back to school on the 8th March, but he will be able to say more on Monday and in the week of 22nd February, set out a road map for lifting lockdown restrictions.
With regard to vaccinations, Mr Johnson said,
‘I think we’re going to have to get used to the idea of vaccinating and then revaccinating in the autumn, as we come to face these new variants.’
Thumbs up the Over 65’s.
The WHO has recommended the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for adults of all ages. This is another major body dispelling the assertion from some EU countries that over 65’s might not be sufficiently immunised.
Dr Alejandro Cravioto of the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts said,
‘The results of the efficacy estimate for persons up to 65 and older had a wide confidence interval, and therefore we feel that the response of this group cannot be any different to groups that are of a younger age…looking at the safety and immunogenicity data…we recommend for the vaccine to be used in people 18 years and above, without an upper age limit. That means people over 65 years of age should be given the vaccination.’
UK’s gap is best.
Dr Cravioto also supported the UK’s approach to gapping between the two doses saying that eight to 12 weeks between the first and second doses was best. It provided ‘a much better immune response.’
Duchy courage.
Prince Charles and Camilla have been given their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Prince is 72, and the Duchess of Cornwall is 73.
5 pm Press Briefing.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Professor Sir Patrick Valance:
Sliding down.
The good news is that we can see from the slides that infections, hospitalisations, and deaths are coming down. They are still frighteningly high and higher than at the first wave peak in April.
Long and hard.
The Prime Minister urged 2 million people who are not yet vaccinated from the first four categories of the most vulnerable to now come forward for the vaccine. He said it was nothing to do with reaching the government target for the 15th February but to,
‘save lives, prevent serious illness and so the whole country can take another step on the long and hard road back to normality.’
Cautious release.
Both the Prime Minister and Sir Patrick said they needed to take a cautious approach to release the lockdown. They would give no clues as to what that release might be.
It was quite a short briefing with the key points that one in four adults in England had so far had the vaccination.
90% of over 70s have had the jab.
There is a new variant – the Bristol variant- emanating from the South African variant, and which appears very similar.
And it is too early to think about summer holidays in the UK or abroad.
Beneficial to all.
There is no evidence to suggest that the vaccines are not beneficial to all variants, and
‘we should be getting ready for a world in which we do have booster jabs against new variants in the autumn.’
Family life.
Criminal shop gang on loose.
I had to go to the chemist and supermarket today. Jackie was thinking about coming along, but then we realised it would be against the law to shop together. Weird.
Jitters.
I do understand the reticence about vaccination. I sometimes get the jitters about having it.
I have to trawl the depths of the internet for this diary, and I see a lot of video footage of people allegedly having adverse reactions to it. They have seizures, die, and suffer all sorts of calamities.
It does not help that the government stopped the ONS from publishing the number of deaths after having the vaccine. I can see why some people would be convinced.
I will still have it, on balance, it makes sense, but it adds to the uncertainty.
Expensive good deed.
Family friend Lottie contacted me; she works at a Children’s home and stays overnight. They had suffered a flood and were asking if they could use our carpet cleaner. Lottie said they were desperate. The staff and kids were all self-isolating due to contact tracing, so I said I would take it over. On the way, I had a feeling that a mobile speed camera might have snapped me. It could be an expensive good deed.
Author’s retrospective note. It was. £90 for a speed awareness course.
Quote of the day.
‘It is not the size of a seed, but the size of what rises from it.’ – Matshona Dhiliwayo.
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