We gave Covid 19 the keys to our house 220 days ago, how are things going?

It is 08.00 am on Friday 9 April 2021, two hundred and twenty days from the start of the 2020 – 2021 school year.

This issue was meant to be a continuation of our simple stock take of life under the SARS-CoV2 cosh. Last week we wrote ‘Now to the bad news elements of our stock take. After more than a year of fighting, and still with no let up in sight, the optimist in us would phrase it as ‘when will we return to having normal lives again?’, while the pessimist in us would say ‘will we ever return to having normal lives again?’ We then posed three key feeder questions to help inform the answers. This week, after considerable angst and deliberation, we provide the first deeply disturbing answers from our first foray into this dangerous territory. The experience has opened up a whole new can of nasty worms.

The three Qs and our As:

1. Q. How long can we rely on our new immunity from the vaccination?
2. It is nonsense to think that vaccination will confer long term immunity
3. Q. How long is the blanket embargo on life and family planning going to continue?
4. It looks like the planning embargo is about to become a permanent feature of family life. We will always have to take SARS-CoV2 and its variants into account when it comes to planning
5. And the new variants – are they about to survive and prosper untouched by vaccination?
6. Yes, all the evidence to date is that the new variants will become a permanent feature of all our lives; vaccination will become a recurring permanent feature as big pharma tries and fails to keep up with the latest mutants; if we want to continue to stay safe, we need to accept that our anti-Covid procedures will also become a permanent feature.

The simple act of putting pen to paper to answer these questions resulted in the instant mutation (we seem to learning far too much from this damned virus!) of our simple stock take of where we had all arrived at in our respective Covid 19 driven journeys into a fast-spinning, out-of-control, mental ‘not-so-merry-go-round’. We have been forced to think the unthinkable – the undeniable pointers as to why co-existence with SARS-CoV2 is about to become the new norm. They are listed below, in plain English, so that the message we give ourselves, and to anyone else who cares to read our blog, is crystal clear, the first step towards making sure we stay Covid free, stay positive, prosper in the midst of this adversity and yes, continue, not just to cope, but to fully enjoy life in the new norm.

It is our view that:

• vaccination is good for us but cannot be relied upon to protect us from catching one of the new variants that we can transmit to others, that can make us ill, that can put us in hospital, that can give us long Covid, and that can even kill us
• the new variants are here to stay; they are nastier than the first strain of SARS-CoV2; they are already spreading far and wide courtesy of the ‘desperate-for-business’ international airlines
• the new variants have already made sure that there will be no herd immunity against SARS-CoV2; herd immunity, the central tenet of the current vaccination programme, is fast becoming a myth
• we must immediately declare our anti-Covid programme as a permanent, integral feature of our lives, one that is flexed to meet our evolving family life, imperatives and objectives

In conclusion

Our future awaits: “it is time to adjust how we think, what we do and how to live well in the new norm.”

By John Saunders

---

World Health Communication Associates (WHCA) & INSPIRIT Creatives UG NGO,
MediaWise and MediaFocusUK

Strengthening connections
while keeping distance

News You Can Use

We are all vulnerable to this virus. This is a unique time for our communities all over the world as we work to combat this massive global threat. This blog aims to collect and share your stories and reflections that can help others to cope, thrive and build resilience…

Our communities are at different stages of response in different parts of the world. We can learn a lot from each other. Building on World Health Organization and other evidence-based guidance, this blog will gather and disseminate stories that inform, inspire and hopefully strengthen social connectiveness while we all practice physical distancing.

We invite you to contribute. At present we are looking for stories in the following areas:

May the force be with all of us.

Sabrina, Mike, Steve, Tuuli and Franklin for the Connecting Communities team

BLOG: https://www.inspiritcreatives.com/coronavirus-connecting-communities
Email: cccov19@gmail.com
See: https://www.whcaonline.org | https://www.inspiritcreatives.com/humanity
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12385075/ | Twitter: @connecting_comm
News: https://cccovid19.org/corona_virus/

Disclaimer – We try to include stories that respect World Health Organisation COVID19 guidance. Links take you to full published stories. Our Connecting Communities team screens and selects stories but can not guarantee accuracy of reporting and mentions of any products does not indicate endorsement.

While we grieve for the tremendous loss of lives in so many countries, we can see and feel that the need to connect communities and share learning grows everyday. Please attach your comments and stories to this blog or send them to cccov19@gmail.com or attach them to this blog. We welcome stories in all languages and from all countries. Here are some first examples of stories and links. Send us yours and make this blog useful.