switzerland

This week we have the pandemic Groundhog Day and this is the time when we will see if the Sisyphean life continues. Most of Europe is reopening, and although for those who have not read broadly about the pandemic rejoice, others do not. By deciding to reopen now, it is almost certain that next winter will be a pandemic one.

During the winter months we need to keep windows closed and we need to meet indoors because it is cold and, possibly, unpleasant outside. Being inside makes it easier for the virus to transmit from person to person so eradication is more of a challenge.

That is why it is a shame that European countries are deciding to reopen. By reopening now, when the virus is so virulent, they are condemning us to another winter of pandemic solitude. This is a deeply unpleasant thought.

There are discussions about doing away with Covid passes, about doing away with crowd number limits. It looks as though Denmark, Switzerland and other countries are deciding to just live as if the pandemic was over. I would rejoice, like others, if not for articles and snippets I have read. I have read that Long Covid affects the brain. I have read that Long Covid damages the lungs. I have read that Covid damages body’s ability to provide an immune response.

If we ignore the risk, then we can have a normal summer, yet again, but if we keep in mind that we are in a pandemic and that we could be disabled for life, from falling sick, is it worth the risk? At the moment I prefer solitude to being careless, but we will see how I feel by April when the summer sports begin.

These blog posts are for future generations, to understand the insanity of the current governments. We could have been out of this pandemic, if moral people had been in charge.

Today was a different to recent days because we spent it within the clouds, rather than beneath, or above them. It is hard to be above the clouds when you are near lake level. SRF has two nice time lapses of clouds flowing over a mountain as if it was water, or dry ice. Choose the one you prefer.

It is estimated that a tenth of the Swiss population could be sick with covid-19 at the moment. If a tenth of those people had long covid then Switzerland is faced with 87,000 people with long Covid.

“Environ une personne sur dix a contracté le Covid ces dernières semaines en Suisse, a dit Urs Karrer, vice-président de la task force scientifique de la Confédération devant la presse à Berne. Les nouvelles infections se concentrent actuellement surtout chez les enfants de moins de 10 ans.

source

One million one hundred thousand cases of Covid have been detected in Switzerland, out of a population of around eight point seven million. In theory that’s an eighth of Switzerland that has fallen sick, if we ignore second and third infections of the virus.

There are two challenges to face. The first of these is to see whether we can get through the current wave without being infected, and that’s unlikely for parents of children and people who are exposed to others. The second challenge, it to see how much longer this pandemic will last. At the moment, with the speed at which new variants arrive. Three, within a matter of weeks, it looks as though new variants will emerge faster than vaccines and as if we will have many more waves.

Some countries stand out by the way in which they are not trying to make things better.

And Finally

I am still studying and learning. I will continue to study for as long as the pandemic lasts, because it is the one thing that is guaranteed not to be taken away from me. It also provides me with a sense of accomplishment every day.