Reflections and Hope

As the sun shines today, it reminds me spring is just around the corner. In the UK we have experienced snow, rain, storms and sun this February. A typical British weather experience, I hear you say. Coincidentally, the extremes of weather we have had in February also reflects what the pandemic has brought so far this year .

We have passed a year since we had the first Covid 19 case in the UK; January 29th 2020. The first death reported in the papers was on the 6th March 2020. At that time there were 116 confirmed positive cases of coronavirus.

At the moment the UK has had 4.1 million people with at least one Covid positive test. (https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/deaths)

There is at least 135, 600 deaths with Covid 19 as a cause of death on death certificates. What the media reports daily are deaths of people who tested positive in the last 28 days and this figure is currently 122,700 deaths.

Since the beginning of this year, we have seen the highest numbers of deaths and infections since this pandemic started. The UK had it’s highest recorded daily deaths on the 19th of January 2021 at 1360 deaths. The numbers of patients in hospital with Covid 19 also peaked this year.

Long covid numbers are rising and we are becoming more aware of this condition. The list of long covid symptoms is long. There are several clinics around the country set up to manage long covid symptoms. We have a NICE guidance for long covid 19 management.https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng188

This month we heard that people with learning disabilities are more likely to die from Covid 19 compared to the general population. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/people-with-learning-disabilities-had-higher-death-rate-from-covid-19

The evolving nature of the virus has caused developments of new strains that can transmit more easily.

There are people who were not asked to shield last year but now see themselves being added to the extremely vulnerable list and advised to shield.

There are also serious issues around the economy, mental health, poverty, education, untreated/postponed medical treatments and much more. What an eventful year we have seen just 2 months into 2021.

As we move into the month of March, we will experience easing of this lockdown. The developments of effective vaccines and the increasing confidence in the vaccines, gives us hope for a positive spring at least.

We have seen the vaccination programme moving on fast with many getting their second vaccines already. My husband and I will be receiving our second dose next month.

The recent media coverage of Jo Whiley, BBC Radio 2 DJ, being offered the vaccination before her sister with a learning disability, and input from organisations like MENCAP has made it possible for all adults with a learning disability to be prioritised to receive the Covid 19 vaccine.

My youngest daughter is excited about going back to school. She has been getting daily lessons on zoom at home during normal school hours but she feels it’s now time to be back at school. She has kept up with homework and tests, however after doing it for almost a year the novelty is fading and it is getting tiring.

March is a month of birthdays in our family. My husband and I have birthdays just a week apart from each other. My brother in law and my sister also celebrate their birthdays this month. I thank God for giving me another birthday with my family.

I started writing my second book at the start of January and I aim to finish my first draft by the end of March.

Hope is in the air for the month of March. Let’s hope it spills into April too. It’s not always possible to ‘Live in the moment’ but sometimes it is necessary to keep us refreshed and recharged to keep going.

I want to thank everyone who has followed my blog and social media sites. I also thank everyone who has bought my book ‘Our Family’s Journey Through Disability and Cancer’ which was published in October 2020. I have donated money to Clic Sargent Cancer Charity and Down Syndrome Association from sales of this book.

Wishing you a safe and healthy spring. Hope the sun keeps shining for all of us in March.

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Details on how to buy ‘Our Family’s Journey Through Disability and Cancer’ are on this link.

https://listentomythoughts.com/book/

Glad to have contributed to this article about vaccinations.

https://www.thestar.co.uk/health/sheffield-steps-up-efforts-to-encourage-more-black-asian-and-minority-ethnic-groups-to-have-their-covid-19-vaccinations-3144307?fbclid=IwAR3MYvqoEgzJPw7IqZYgZss7s4YyvPeywYzSA5YWOd_iFaiHPAcgGJNpFVU

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