Pandemonium, here in Canada and across the world, when it comes to COVID-19.

Things were looking up last week till a few days ago, with more vaccines flowing into the country. Now, the European Union (EU) is fighting with the United Kingdom (UK) over vaccine distribution. Apparently, the EU sent vaccines to Britain, but the latter isn’t returning the favor. For now, it’s not supposed to affect the EU’s shipment of vaccines to Canada, but anything could happen, as they remain focused on getting Europe under control. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today he is "concerned" by the threat of export restrictions being imposed by the European Union, but insisted his government would work hard to ensure vaccine doses continue to flow into Canada.

India, which is also supposed to provide 1.5 million doses to Canada, is itself seeing an upsurge of cases, so now there’s worry some of that could be held up as well.

Although the party is still on with the United States lending doses of it’s AstraZeneca to Canada, they’re currently being held up due to an issue with quality control.

In a nutshell, the variants are becoming more deadly and easier spread (40% more transmissible), so that despite the number of vaccines coming into the country, the rollout isn’t keeping up with or overtaking the pandemic. According to Dr. Theresa Tam, overseeing things federally, there was a 30% increase of infections across the country since last month. Here in Ottawa, along with the UK Variant (B1117), the South African version (B1351) is now also something to worry about.

To make matters worse, there’s a lot of contradictory information out there as to how long is alright to wait for the second booster shot, with some sticking to the original 28 day period, while others are adamant that up to 4 weeks is OK.

Here in Ontario, the province is using a new computer system to register those who want to be vaccinated, but like any new software, there are bugs that are slowly being worked out. One can also register by phone, but there have been horror stories of people having to wait 3-4 hours on hold to get through. This doesn’t concern or affect me personally, at least at the moment, as those eligible are still in their 70s, but when sexagenarians (60s) can apply, it will be worrisome. Hopefully by then, all the bugs will be gone. Don’t think I could stand being put on hold for hours for anything, even something as critical as Corona inoculation.

In any case, if things continue the way they are, Ottawa is heading for grey zone designation (the highest), which could affect my eye exam in April. I won’t be going to any restaurants either until things improve.

Jason and I had our first fight since the pandemic began. As often is the case, it started over something stupid. We had the landlord in early last week to add weather stripping to the back door, which made it very difficult to close properly, at least not without slamming. I don’t have the strength he has, so I was the guilty party. With warm weather and snow in the back yard almost gone, Eartha has started her usual routine of going outside in the fenced in back. One thing led to another, with me finally telling him that if he didn’t like living here, to get his own place. Thankfully, things calmed down, and with a little wear and tear, putting body weight in the right place, the door has since gotten easier to close.

Despite the pandemic, there’s a housing boom here in Ottawa and elsewhere across the country, with prices skyrocketing due to bidding wars. As a result, homes are ridiculously overpriced. Just wondering how long it will take for the bubble to burst. Glad I’m only renting.


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03/26/2021

Posted on 03/26/2021
Copyright © 2024 Chris Sorrenti