Tuesday 27 October:

I’m aware that my thoughts and experiences relating to Covid are likely to change over the coming months (in my head, I’m just trying to focus on ‘getting through to March’ – on the basis that this represents a year of living in this ‘lockdown world’). So, here are some very brief, random thoughts as we approach the long dark winter days:
1. When M+I first self-isolated (18 March), the number of recorded cases that day was 676 (43 deaths). 20 April saw the highest number of daily deaths: 1,172 (compared with 23 October: 224). 21 October saw the highest number of new daily cases 26,678 (compared with 6 May: 6,111).
2. The number of weekly deaths has been steadily rising since the beginning of September (between 30-86% per week); the number of weekly deaths is currently the highest since the end of the first week in June (1,066 23 October).
3. The government were focussed on minimising the adverse effect on the economy. There’s a general perception/criticism that the government has been giving out ‘mixed messages’…“It’ll be over by Christmas” (17 July)(and if it wasn’t, it’ll all be ‘our’ fault); “Back to Business” (28 August); etc.  
4. Local lockdowns were introduced (eg. Leicester, Luton, Aberdeen at the end of July).
5. Despite government assertions to the contrary, Test+Trace measures condemned as ‘shambolic’ by health experts (9 September).
6. By the end of September, at least 45 UK universities had had confirmed cases of COVID-19 (and more than 865 cases have been identified among students and staff since universities reopened). The total number of people self-isolating has risen above 3,540.
7. By the end of September, more than 2,000 UK schools affected (with pupils/staff being sent home to self-isolate.
8. 12 October: government introduced 3-tier system of dealing with Covid; Labour had called for 2-3 week ‘firebreak’ as more effective option (transpired that government’s health experts ‘Sage’ had advised ‘firebreak’ 3 weeks earlier).
9. 23 October: Wales introduces 17-day ‘lockdown’.
10. This from the Guardian (27 October) seemed to sum up the thoughts of many: “Managing a second wave of Covid-19 in winter was always going to be a tougher proposition than imposing a blanket lockdown in March. There is mounting evidence of fatigue, confusion and resentment over localised restrictions. Frustration has been compounded by the sense that the government pays only lip service to the notion that ‘we are all in this together’”.