Are you one of those who get so excited about the new year? I mean the change of the year, not just the NYE celebrations. I have heard a lot of people say the phrase "I just can not wait for the New Year!" or "Thank goodness 2020 is behind us!" or "I am so ready for 2021"
With what we all went through in 2020 it is no surprise that a lot of people are feeling very hopeful for the new year. Everything seems to shine a bright light from the heavens when the New Year makes a grand entrance. Do you know the feeling that everything will be better when the clock turns to midnight and 2021 starts?
But does it really do that miraculously? I do not think so...the truth is nothing will change overnight just because the calendar turned to 2021! But it is good to be hopeful as always.
What is new about this New Year? 2021 came and now upon us and things are still much the same. CoViD-19 still roams around and now it has even invited a close family member, a baby sister (a new CoViD variant) which has promised to be more potent, more easily transferable, in short more deadly (if we are not careful)! So that is the first thing that shocked us this year. When you thought it was over, when really it is just getting started.
What else is new? On the other side of the aisle is a hopeful new... the much-awaited NEW CoViD vaccine! And yes, we have two authorized and recommended vaccines by the CDC currently available here in the US. These are Pfizer-BioNTech CoViD-19 Vaccine and the other is Moderna's CoViD-19 Vaccine. A few more coming soon from some other pharmaceutical companies just awaiting to be approved. Here in the US we have started rolling out the vaccines and vaccination have started initially for our frontliners like doctors, nurses, first responders and then the elderly population next.
"Vaxxie" is another new thing this 2021. A NEW WORD during this pandemic. Do not be surprised anymore if we see it on the dictionary in a few years! "Vaxxie" is the term coined to the selfie while receiving your CoViD-19 vaccine. Vaccination selfie it is. Well, these "vaxxies" in my own opinion is good marketing for the vaccination program of the Health Department. Riding on the social media hype in order to get the message out for keeping healthy and considering vaccination against CoViD-19 is definitely a plus! I must confess, I said I am not doing this "vaxxie", but when I was asked a second time if I want a "shot" I thought I'll have it just in case I changed my mind...(sorry it won't be posted here LOL!).
It can not be denied that with every new piece of update about CoViD-19, we all react. Maybe that is good sometimes. Increased level of awareness as some would have it. On the brighter side of things, there are a lot of researchers, scientists, inventors and game changers that come up with different kind of solutions or treatments everyday. They may not all be approved for use, but the effort put into it is good enough to know that something is being done or being thought of.
If you are into keeping everyone healthy in the family and you are not in line yet for a vaccine, then maybe NEW WAYS of testing for CoViD-19 can be a good one your way. In the UC Davis campus, they now use a "quick, cost-free" testing that uses saliva with a machine invented by their own scientists. They call this "UC Davis Campus Ready" testing program.
Here in California we started using the CA Notify. It is a notification system that we can activate on our smart phones (both apple and android friendly) so that we can know if we have been exposed to someone who is positive from CoViD-19 or its new variant.
It is not an app for apple devices (but it is an App for android), but a notification system like those notification that pops up on your phone when someone message you or if a new email came in or when someone comments on your social media platform or when it is time to "take a breath". The system works with the Bluetooth on, once you have turned ON the "Exposure Notification" from your settings then it should be working. You will not be asked any other personal information. The way it works is, when you come in "close contact" (interpreted as being within less than 6 feet and for about 15 minutes or more) with someone who is CoViD positive (provided he has activated CA Notify) then an exposure notification should automatically pop up on your phone screen telling you have been exposed to someone with CoViD. The way bluetooth works is that it continuously shares information with other devices with bluetooth on and it "PINGS" to notify you of the exposure. Your smart phone then suggests what next steps you can take. And that is all you need to know so you can make your next best move, and that is to ISOLATE yourself.
This becomes another layer of protection for us by being informed. I know it might not sound like the best notification to receive but with how this virus works it helps to know that you have been exposed therefore you can protect yourself, the people you love and those around you. You can then make your best informed decision.
Soon enough, a new tiny machine that we can use at home to test ourselves for CoViD will be available for purchase from designated pharmacies. This machine just received its first authorization approval and is called "The LUCIRA CoViD-19 All-In-One Test Kit". This machine is only authorized for "prescription home use" by healthcare provider. It will be available to the public for the amount of $50/machine.
Almost forgot, the United States have a new president this year in President Joe Biden. I think that is all that's NEW so far in this "Life In Time Of CoViD" that we're living in.
So what else is NEW with your year? We can never get enough of everything NEW whether it is something positive or something not so positive, we will eventually learn to live with it and around it and after a few weeks it will be nothing but new!
Comments