“The simple truth is that the so-called wall of defence we’ve built up with vaccination is now crumbling” (Jonathan Ashworth)
Crumbling Walls
Wobbly and dizzy Monday, I resigned myself to bedrest. Phil took charge of chores, cooking and fetch me the laptop. Posting blogs took most of my day.
Vaccine take-up in schools was as low as 5% in parts of England, possibly because high infection rates led to absence. 50% in Scotland where kids could use walk-in centres, speculation mounted that would soon happen south of the border. Former US secretary of state Colin Powell died of Covid complications, even though he had 2 jabs. In a packed house of commons to pay tribute to David Amess, Boris announced city status for Southend.
Very dark Tuesday morning, I thought it was the middle of the night. I dropped off again until I heard Phil moving, half-heartedly called out then dozed some more. He offered to open the ‘budgie’ curtains but I managed it by crawling across the bed. I drafted the journal and used the USB lead for some phone housekeeping, inevitably entailing another Xperia update.
UK covid rates the second highest globally, 223 deaths were recorded. New delta mutant AY4-2 was being monitored. Prof Ferguson urged speeding up boosters. Amanda Pritchard told MPs invites were going out as soon as people were eligible but take-up was slower than previous jab drives. Prof. Hayward wanted other measures. Besieged by anti-vaxxers, Glove-Puppet was escorted safely into ‘a building’ by police. The French reported Valneva showed better results than AstraZeneca but gave no data. Adolf Von De Leyen said 1bn vaccine doses were exported from the EU to 150 countries since December. Largely sent to wealthier nations, there were plans to send 500m to poorer countries. Poland declared national laws took precedence over EU law. Most Poles wanted to stay in the EU but some sought ‘Polexit’ – they needed a catchier name. The Bumbler announced the UK would be carbon-neutral by 2050 thanks to the Breakthrough Energy Catalyst partnership with Bill Gates, nuclear power plants, grants for electric cars and heat pumps. The Home Energy Scheme to start April 2022 for 3 years, entailed only enough money to replace 900,000 of 25 million domestic gas boilers. Initiatives criticised as too little too late, lacking detail on how they’d be delivered, not benefitting everyone and not properly costed, Red Ed Miliband called it “a meagre, unambitious and wholly inadequate response.” Amidst cost of living pressures: “people can’t warm their homes with yet more of Boris Johnson’s hot air, but that is all that is on offer.”
Rousing shockingly late again Wednesday, I did a few stretches to prevent seizing up, but realised I wouldn’t be going anywhere. I did succeed in getting morning coffee, puffed and panted back upstairs, then collapsed back on the bed with backache and fatigue. I got a text for a new appointment the following week. at an even earlier time than the one I missed last Friday, there was no way I’d make it. I rang to be told they couldn’t offer me anything else but I stood my ground and eventually got offered an afternoon slot, 2 days’ prior to the original.
I worked on writing and watched shenanigans from Westminster. Daily Politics asked: is it time for Plan B plus? Siobhan McDonagh exclaimed “Plan A isn’t even working!” (i.e., boosters and schoolkid jabs). Disgusted Sage only met monthly, she called for a return of the daily briefings. Please no! Witless and Kwarteng had advised sticking to existing advice and respecting others. Goblin Saj and Witless later held the first evening press conference in 2 months, announcing ½ million doses of Maersk Molnpiravar and Pfizer PF-073 had been bought, even though the covid treatments didn’t have regulatory approval. Warning infections could reach 100,000 a day, The Goblin urged everyone to get vaccinated, stay vigilant and employ measures to fight the virus ( e.g., wear masks in crowds). Saying Plan B wouldn’t be activated unless there was unsustainable pressure on the NHS, sounded like a veiled threat: if restrictions were imposed it was our fault – again! Jon Ashworth observed the wall of defence was crumbling and Prof Pagel screamed: “Just effing make them (masks) government policy then!” Matthew Taylor of the NHS Confederation said we risked a ‘perfect storm’ and ‘stumbling into a winter crisis’ if Plan B wasn’t implemented immediately.
Following several reports of students unable to remember the night before, Patel ordered police to investigate women being spiked in nightclubs. PMQs not held for months, the first question was on Women’s safety and confidence in police. Boris replied convictions needed to be ensured. Keir used all his questions to interrogate action on violent extremism and getting things done. Boris said the Online Safety Bill was an important tool to crack down on dangerous content and guaranteed it’d pass into law before Christmas. Keir retorted Telegram was the ‘app of choice’ for extremists, allowing access to footage of murders of MPs, Jews and LGBTQ. Tough sanctions were all very well but directors of platforms wouldn’t face criminal action, a big problem of the government strategy. He said they could stop harmful material if the whole house worked together to strengthen the legislation.
Due to rising cases, Morocco banned flights to and from the UK, Holland and Germany effective from 11.59 p.m. In Brazil, a 6-month hearing into Bonzo concluded he was guilty of crimes against humanity, fake news and misuse of public funds. The senate would vote next week.
A combination of a bright full moon, painful wind and whirring mind made for a difficult night. I used the meditation soundtrack for some fitful sleep.
Big Mess
As was often the case, I thought I might be better by Thursday, but I was exhausted after the rough night. Depressed at missing another sunny day, I worked on writing while Phil went to the market for fish. The cut looking small, I decided on fish pie. Initially annoyed because I thought it would take ages, it was actually pretty quick thanks to a few cheats and very tasty.
52,009 daily covid cases (most in the under 20’s), was the highest since mid-July. Chris Smith said as 50% were asymptomatic, it was probably already 100,000. Prof Finn spluttered 200 deaths a day ‘was not okay’. Keir predicted it’d be March by the time the booster programme was complete. Anti-vaxxers went to Colchester Hospital, told staff they broke the law and the Nuremberg code, and the pope was the head of global business. Back to that Opus Dei conspiracy rot again!
On Newsnight, Brian Cox (not Count Arthur’s arch-enemy but fellow actor) called government handling of rising infections “a mess.” 10 year old tory Andy Bowie said MPs should wear masks in parliament to set an example. Kate Forbes retorted that wearing masks was basic, and infections were falling in Scotland where they stayed mandatory. After being corrected that cases were plateauing, Anas Sawar told her Scottish deaths were too high, they weren’t getting testing right, and there were spikes in schools with teachers and pupils still unvaccinated. Lamenting a larger Glasgow audience than the group she was allowed to teach, Prof Heather McGregor wished for fewer restrictions, not more and bafflingly, ‘to work with the virus’.
On Newscast, The C**t said infection rates and slow jab take-up among schoolkids was most worrying. WHO Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, advised masks, social distancing, crowd-avoidance and working from home were simple measures. Recognising the challenge of exponential growth, she called for a moratorium on boosters until people in poor countries had at least 1 dose as only protecting our own population led to a false sense of security. Global social mobility allowed mutants to emerge and prolonged the pandemic, now projected to last until at least the end of 2022. She praised UK scientists for outstanding work, especially on variants. The C**t replied her advice was all very well but the NHS frontline was under pressure, cases WERE translating into hospitalisations (1,000 admissions on one day), we could see a ‘really bad situation’ over winter and government should act now to ‘turbo-charge teen vaccinations’. Fergus Walsh reminded us 5 million adults also hadn’t had a jab and accounted for 2/3 hospital cases.
Noisy traffic on a wet road woke me early Friday. Feeling slightly less ill, I did 10 minutes exercise then lay down again. As rain turned to sunshine, I turned to writing. I attempted to draft the guest blog and an article for the next issue of Valley Life magazine. Phil went to the co-op, after suggesting I should go with him to get out of the house. Vexed he seemed heedless of my debilitation, I retorted: “What a stupid thing to say! I would I if could!”
Over 8,000 in hospital and 180 deaths reported, sage bods said it wouldn’t be as bad as January but urged government to do the policy work now and be ready for rapid deployment of Plan B, to prevent the need for tougher measures. Boris maintained they weren’t yet ready to put the plan into action but it was under constant review and repeated we should all get the jab. Adam Finn of JCVI said something had to be done to prevent getting into a bad mess again. Ahead of COP26, Greenpeace Unearthed revealed lobbying by a number of countries to dilute climate change pledges; Australia and Saudi Arabia sought weaker targets for eliminating fossil fuels, Argentina and Brazil didn’t want people to stop eating meat.
On the set of Rust near Albuquerque, Alec Baldwin shot 2 crew members with a prop gun. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died and director Joel Souza was in a critical condition. A distraught Baldwin said no words could convey his shock and sadness. Shannon Lee, sister of Brandon (shot dead on the set of The Crow), said it should never happen. It later transpired it was only Hannah Gutierrez’s second film as armourer, there’d previously been near-misses, and crew members may have used the gun for target practice then failed to check for live rounds.
Smashing Pumpkins
Still tired and irritated by lack of sleep Saturday, I rose on wobbly legs to get tea then dossed on the bed. Phil making no moves either, I asked if he was hungry. “No, but I’ll do brekkie.” I spent the day editing the journal and Valley Life article and started to design a Christmas card. All the cutting out on Photoshop gave me head fug so I had to stop.
The town’s pumpkin festival all over telly Friday, the BBC Breakfast weatherman came to stand on the marina and a local reporter descended at teatime. The festivals’ climate change theme gave the friends’ son who’d walked to London a high profile with a pumpkin carved in his image and a chance to talk about the petition he handed in to Number 10, to be debated in The House 30th November.
Feeling less fatigued Sunday, I made a big effort to go to town. Predictably rammed after the media coverage, I dodged my way to the market for 2 bagsful of knobbly veg including pumpkin, and weaved among punters in the packed square to watch the carving of a cheetah. A volunteer with trail maps tried to give one to a visitor, asking where he was from. “Darlington” “That’s some way. Did you see it on telly?” “Yes.” “People have come from everywhere this weekend.” I butted in to request a map and couldn’t resist adding: “I live here. Do you know we’ve got one of the highest covid rates in the country?” The volunteer nonchalantly replied he did.*
Fuming that no one gave a shit anymore, I went down the pedestrian street, over to the memorial gardens, past the cinema with appropriate coffee-cup pumpkins and onto the marina. A buzzing pocket indicated missed calls from Phil, who was in the square. Aching from carrying heavy shopping, I rested on a bench until he joined me for further perusal of the sculptures. In the park, small children gleefully vandalised an installation, nicking a top hat and bashing the defenceless fruits. Retreating via the canal, autumn detritus floated artily on the water and mushrooms sprouted from a makeshift compost heap. Looking edible, I wasn’t willing to risk it. Phil nipped in the co-op while I struggled home with the bags and cleaned the filthy produce. Phil offered to help when he got back so I asked him to dispose of a pile of recycling I’d created. Knackered, I slumped on the sofa. “Never mind, he said, “at least you got out.” “True. And the colours are very nice now.” So nice, it was hard to choose a photo for a haiga. I eventually settled on bright red leavesI.
Peter Openshaw of NERVTAG fretted about another lockdown if we didn’t all get jabs and boosters. Budget & Spending Review leaks reported £7bn for city region transport, on top of £3bn for buses (although this later transpired to not be new money). A decision on the northern leg of HS2 still not made, some expected Rishi Rich to announce that too. Labour called the predicted re-invention of Sure Start a ‘sticking plaster’. Rishi came on Marr to say he was always ‘humble’ in the face of the virus. Refusing to commit help with the cost of living, he said he didn’t have a magic wand and we had to transition to normality after all the extra support such as furlough and school dinners – but would he give into Rashford’s repeated demands? Rachel Reeves wanted a VAT cut for utility bills. Politics North reminded us it was 7 years since the invention of the Northern Powerhouse. Politicians complained of no real plans for ‘levelling up’ and a tory MP said he was elected on a pledge to get Brexit done, but now what?
*Official figures indicated a spike in the area, particularly among younger people. Local media alarmingly labelled the town ‘anti-vax’ capital.
Reference:
i. My haigas: https://wordpress.com/posts/mondaymorninghaiga.wordpress.com
The Corvus Diaries 