Hello 2021! Now over a year with COVID-19 and almost a year since it was formally classified as a pandemic. Strange times, so many things that have almost normalized them self. A few things lost, some gained but overall 2020 was more good than bad, for me personally. The world, not sure about that.
Vaccinations
Vaccinations have started, that's good. The health agency hope to have more or less of everyone vaccinated to midsummer. I'm not sure I believe that but even if they hit 60-70% of the goal it would be huge! With a great majority of people vaccinated the virus would have a really hard time to spread! Globally it will take longer, much longer. In the sort term I wait for my mother to be vaccinated, she should be given the chance in maybe a month or so, I hope.
The vaccination plan it based on four stages. It has been a little modified and some regions do it a little differently but overall the recommendations are:
- People who are living with some form of eldercare, and the elder keepers
- People over 70 years
- People who is considered a risk group
- All the rest
I'm number four there so I do not expect to be given the chance until early summer, we will see!
Travel
I really looking forward to travel again, it do not need to be something fancy, just the feeling to leave the country a little again would be nice. If all goes well both me and my girlfriend will be vaccinated to the summer, so so will most of the EU, a little summer vacation someplace nice should be possible!
The non-existing lock down
We never locked down here in Sweden (not legal to restricts the movement of people, since then they have added a few temporary laws to make that somewhat flexible). We have used recommendations and we are generally trusting of our leaders here so it have somewhat worked ... not great but ... could be worse.
After the first wave it looked good, it really looked like it worked. But we where hit hard the second wave during the winter and we are now in the middle of the second wave.
Human contact
My mother is a risk group and is old, she do need my help from time to time so I have really limited my contact with people. I'm so glad that I have my girlfriend and we both have been careful and stayed healthy. We did go in to a deep quarantine 14 days before yule do be able to celebrate with our families.
I have not physically seen a friend for 11 months now, I really miss physical interaction. Friends, family, work, even that coffee shop where I bought my morning coffee every morning. I wounder if they are still in business? I also realize that I have had a hard time to keep contact with plenty of friends, I'm sad about that.
The good parts
I guess I really know how it is to work from home now. I actually like it, but to some extent. I think I would prefer one or two days a week in the office, or something. Time will tell if things will really change after this pandemic, or if work will just snap back to "normal" again. Actually, I have heard plenty of people to refer to "the new normal".
But the largest and biggest good thing for me in 2020 is my girlfriend, we met almost exactly a year ago. The 17th January for a drink, just before the pandemic hit Sweden, and I'm so glad for that!