February 1, 2021
Pandemic Super Sunday
Wow, it is February already. Tomorrow is Groundhog Day. The Seattle Times suggests that we all watch the movie Groundhog Day for some pandemic lessons, during this time when every day is the same for so many of us. Winter is here now which increases our indoor time. But big furry coats can help move you outdoors, especially if you get snow. Which of you have not yet seen the Giant Pandas sliding and playing in the snow? Please watch- it will make your day. I can’t stop watching. I want to put my snow parka on and go rolling in the snow. But alas all we have is rain here in the Northwest.
For those of you who watch football or commercials, the first pandemic Super Bowl is coming next weekend. No big watch parties where shared snacks are king. The challenge is how to have a successful and safe watch party during the pandemic. Have it with your household bubble advises The Seattle Times. A virtual watch party, group texting, or use a big screen outdoors, if it is warm and dry enough, so a few people can sit socially distanced. Unlikely to be nice enough in Seattle since we are in a deluge of rain. The same for the East Coast, where the remnants of the big snow falling now will keep things chilly. I suppose you could get some of these lights with proximity sensors that flash to warn when you are getting too close to others. Some factories are using them to keep employees safe. The NBA used them during their season to decrease exposures and it worked successfully.
The vaccine rollout continues to evolve with more data coming, including data about the vaccine’s response in people who have already had COVID-19. In a small study, people who had been previously ill with COVID-19 had a strong immune response to the first dose of vaccine. They developed more side effects with similar symptoms to their illness, albeit short lived, and an increase in “robust”antibodies to the spike protein, compared to people who had not been infected prior. Due to this data, they conjecture people who had COVID already may need only one dose of vaccine, although it is too soon to know since the study has not yet been peer reviewed and more data may be needed to confirm. However, this info is good to know if you have had COVID-19 already.
In the meantime, remember there is no bad weather, only bad clothes. Although I will admit the rain tonight is making me question that Norwegian philosophy.
Wash your hands, cover your nose, keep safe six, look for your shadow tomorrow.
And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available, and not related to the organization I work for. Thanks for reading.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/watch-super-bowl-with-your-household-cdc-advises-party-make-it-outdoors/
https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/how-the-movie-groundhog-day-can-help-us-move-forward-during-the-pandemic/
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/on-factory-floors-a-chime-and-flashing-light-to-maintain-distance/
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/01/health/have-you-had-covid-19-coronavirus.html
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.29.21250653v1