Living with a pandemic 51

 During the past 15 months I have been writing a series of posts on my Mother Nature’s Tests blog about the Covid-19 pandemic and how we have adapted to and lived with it. They began on 13 March 2020 and continued through 8 April 2021. This is the 51^st and hopefully the last. 

Where we live – in Calgary – was the hotspot of North America with more than 800 new cases per 100,000 population per day just a few weeks ago (2,390 on April 30^th). So, our government locked down on businesses and other public gatherings once more.

The new restrictions had their effect, though, and as of the latest counts we were at 100 new daily cases (as of June 19). Total current cases number under 2,200, 214 of them in hospital with 53 in intensive care. We have had over 230,000 people infected and almost 2,300 deaths in the province. Thankfully, 227,000 have recovered. Across Canada over 1.4 million people caught the virus and over 26,000 died.

In Alberta, over 70% of our eligible population (12 years old and up) has had at least one vaccination. Over 28% had received two doses. That means that we can now enter Stage 3 of Alberta’s Open for Summer Plan. As of July 1^st (Canada Day):

·         All restrictions will be lifted, including ban on indoor social gatherings.

·         Isolation requirements for confirmed cases of COVID-19 and some protective measures in continuing care settings will remain.

·         The general indoor provincial mask mandate will be lifted, but masking may still be required in limited and specific settings.

Finally, it appears the light at the end of the tunnel is not only bright, but the end of the tunnel is clearly visible.

Not that the danger is over. New cases, especially of the Delta variant, are still appearing and, while in very low numbers here, there is still a risk of infection. Masks and social distancing are still a good idea in many places.

It has been a long siege, with much forward progress, along with intervals of setbacks, and many people doing their best to disrupt the situation by not adhering to rules. But we can look forward to a future now with vaccines that will help to control this virus.

The rest of the world, with a few exceptions, is slowly reaching a point where normal activities might return. We are hopeful that we will get to see our children and grandchildren before the end of the year.