That is so stupid.

Starfish, hearing that makes my stomach hurt.

Santa came to my daughter's daycare today, and visited the kids through the window. The kids talked to him on the phone, and sat on the windowsill one at a time to get their pictures taken. It worked very well - the kids who would have been shy to sit on his lap were OK with this much closeness.

Someone who works in the building came over to check out what was going on - "What are you doing, peering in the daycare windows!" - so Santa had to explain himself! The guy ended up getting his picture taken with Santa too.

How lovely to read that, agony. I bet the kids were thrilled. And such a lovely contrast to Sue's stories of what's happening in Jersey and Starfish's tale of what seems like utter stupidity in Tennessee.

Tomorrow, almost certainly we will hit 1,000 active cases. Today was our highest number of new cases since it all began. Deaths have started once more, at least six in a week, apparently. We had 32 people die with Covid in the first wave, not perhaps all dying of Covid, but with it.

Well, listened to the pediatrician's Facebook live and we had almost 2900 new cases the past week. During the summer, we were having 400-800. It's down slightly from last week, but geesh.

Our Health Department estimates state-wide, 8% of people have (have had?) COVID.

Pediatrician got his shot Wednesday.

I keep hearing February-April 'normal' people will be able to get them. They don't sound optimistic that kids can get them before school next year, however. The first trials with kids will start early next year and they need a while. So adults really need to make sure they get their vaccine to help protect the kids around them.

Here they went to the care homes and vaccinated there first, now it is the turn of healthcare workers. I am not sure when I will be done, probably Januaray.

Just to say my mother (Chorister here) had her birthday on the 19th, soon after her covid vaccination. She had a couple of days of tiredness etc a day or two after but now fully recovered, with the booster in two weeks. Her friends are also gradually getting it, and hopefully they will have some more freedom to meet up in future as they should be safe amongst each other. Many have been hiding away for months while others would rather make the most of their lives while they are still well enough as they are all 80 plus.

My son-in-law, a doctor in Manchester, gets his jab next week.

We are going back into full lockdown on Sunday for two weeks - and if the rate of new infections stays over 1,000 a day after those two weeks we will stay in lockdown for another two weeks.

1,000 a day? We are going 2,500 - 4,000 for days, and some days there have been 4,500 new cases reported. Today's figure of 4,480 [at 11.30pm] will no doubt be higher when all the figures are in.

I just want to be able to go out of my home, even if it is only to the little shop just 50m across the road. I have not been in there since February and I really would like to be able to choose the fruit and vegetables I want myself, instead of somebody else picking them for me.

My neighbour, a nurse practitioner, has had her first one already. She says she's now 50% protected but can't work out which 50% of her it is.

All non essential shops are now closed until the middle of January.

Hong Kong SAR cases
Updated Dec 26 at 3:24 PM local
Confirmed
8,482
+57
Deaths
136
+1
Recovered
7,217
+14
I suppose out of 8 million population it could be worse.
Getting our Care Home jabbed soon.
Locked in for almost a year now. We couldn't go out a year ago because of the demonstrations so its all a bit monotonous..... Hey, I forgot, we had visitors and trips to shops for about 4 days in June....Christmas seemed quite normal after the events or non events to date. I'm beginning to think of all this as everlasting.

We are not getting updates until after the weekend. As there are two days here with people being able to have gatherings of 10 we can expect a spike in cases in two weeks.

Israel as of midday 25 December.

Confirmed
394,391 [42,880 per million of the population, almost as many per million as the US
Deaths
3,186

Out of a population of just over 9 million those figures are terrifying. We are back in full lockdown tomorrow. And I will not be able to have the vaccine.

Since the beginning of March I have spoken to less than a dozen people in person which is usually just a quick Hello and Thank you when something is delivered, and not even that many on the telephone. I have no help, am finding it more and more difficult to shower and dress myself, and housework is impossible for me to manage. Many days I do not even have the energy to cook or the desire to eat, and I am not sure if I will be able to cope much longer.

If it was not for Tikva I honestly do not think I would bother to get up some days.

This awful. If we are in this sort of trouble we can telephone for assistance, many organisations to help. Is there nothing like this for you, how about your rabbi?

Sorry for the moan. I am just very angry with the selfish people who did not follow the restrictions during the first lockdown and who have put me in the situation in which I am now.

Sue - this is not like the UK or US where people join a Synagogue and have a specific Rabbi, plus I live on a small Mizrachi Moshav and it is not the custom for women to go to Synagogue generally.

In theory I have a social worker but there is a different one every few years. Maybe one turns up once, then never again. And nobody from the Welfare Department at the Local Authority has even telephoned me once since the pandemic started to ask if I am OK.

4,713 new cases yesterday and 3,624 so far today although the complete figures will not be in until maybe midday tomorrow, and tomorrow the entire country goes into full lockdown for the third time.

I honestly do not care any more.

After an almost solid year of lockdown I feel the same

Thank you so much for saying that - I was beginning to wonder if I was the only person who felt like this - almost as if I am living in a world that just consists of the inside of my small bungalow and the little that I can see from my doorway, and that the words I read and the pictures that I see on my monitor are in a different universe.

This morning I heard a man call into CSPAN to say No, he wasn't going to take the vaccination for Covid-19. His reason? He had watched the movie Z-Nation and the zombies became zombies because of a vaccine. They added Extra Super Stupid into his water supply.


What is CSPAN. CSPAN is actually several TV public service TV channels. One broadcasts the goings on of the Senate when it is in session. Another broadcasts the House of Representatives, considered the lower house of American Congress. It also broadcasts congressional hearings and panel discussions on public policy. Every morning from 7-8am. One of the CSPAN channels sets a topic for the public to call in and comment on.

His choice, there is stupid, then there is stupid. He is stupid.

His choice, yes. His stupidity, yes. But the more people who refuse the vaccine, the longer people like me who cannot have the vaccine, will be stuck in our homes, unable to go out.

True.

Well we are on day 6 of quarantine...again. Another exposure at my son's school. He tested negative today so now we wait for the PCR test results and... wait.

I was able to schedule a vaccination appointment for me because of work. But I'm on antibiotics for a sinus infection and the pharmacist said to hold off until I'm done. But now I'm seeing there's a new strain in South Africa which the vaccine may not work on...?

How is everyone else doing?

There is a new Brazilian strain too. The UK have refused anyone entry to the UK from Brazil, Portugal and some other countries.

They are on the over 80s here at present, then it will be 75+, then 70+ which is my group.

We had 32 deaths on the first wave and already 28 on this wave, this includes someone who was admitted to hospital with something else, was tested clear of covid, then caught it in hospital and died.

After just a few weeks of my neighbour shopping again for me and I am climbing the wall, frustrated at not being able to shop for myself.

An interesting situation has developed here in Jersey.

About ten percent of our population are Portuguese, either nationals or descent, mostly from Madeira. Some travel back there to visit family etc. Some are there now and the UK has banned travel from Portugal which means that we have people who cannot get home to Jersey.

I have little sympathy, sorry, with the current situation you don't travel, period.