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I am tired of COVID. I want to talk about something else, but every time I try, there’s some new bad news to discuss.

Dr. Carter’s blogs on this site were so popular with all of you (even award-winning reporters called me about them), she started her own blog (and good for her!) So, now I am posting links to her blog! One of her recent posts is pretty depressing.

As everyone knows, there are two new COVID strains: The 501Y.V2 strain which emerged in South Africa, and the B.1.1.7 strain identified in the United Kingdom and rapidly spreading around the world.

In her post, Dr. Carter discusses B.1.1.7 and its implications for the USA, including its impact on the effectiveness of the vaccine(s). She describes the strain’s specific mutations, but I confess that it’s been too long since I took biochemistry. Even though I was good at biochemistry once upon a time, I feel her explanation does not help me. However, you don’t have to be a doctor to understand that the B.1.1.7 strain is more infectious and more deadly.

Many months ago, I said I was worried that we might look back at our situation NOW and think, “Wow, we didn’t know how good we had it then.” I am very worried that I might be right about that perspective. So, I am trying to focus on the positives right now. We are not in a total lockdown, and there’s a general willingness to get the vaccine — at least among the people I’ve talked to.

I can’t deny that I’m tired. I miss human connection, and am not sure how long I can keep doing this. But I also keep telling myself that we always have more courage and resilience than we give ourselves credit for, and that you don’t know what you are capable of doing until you are tested. No one likes being tested. But, this is the test.

We Should Be Very Concerned About the New SARS-Cov2 B.1.1.7 Strain

–Caroline


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