freckles_and_doubt: (Default)
Freckles & Doubt ([personal profile] freckles_and_doubt) wrote2021-11-29 08:55 am

mutant enemy

oh gods we have a new COVID variant, and various apparently science-heavy sources, including this one seem to suggest that its jolly little spike proteins have mutated madly enough that current vaccines may not, in fact, slow it down any. Which is creating a horrible, leaden, despairing sense of déja vu: the advice quoted in that article is "go back to March 2020 precautions". I was enjoying the sense of comparative safety in being fully vaccinated: I had my hair cut, and had plans for importing a gardener and a plumber for necessary operations. This is horrible. And I am wincingly aware that it's putting SA in the news in an extremely negative sense.

I'm staggering around a little exhausted today because I was, weirdly enough, participating in a "women in fairy tales" panel as part of a UK-based online storytelling event until about 10.30 last night, which had me both stressed and buzzed enough that I didn't come down enough to actually sleep until nearly midnight. I have done absolutely no research or teaching for two years, since the exigencies of running faculty remote processes take up my time and energy to the exclusion of all else; it was lovely to dip my toe in the water again. The weird upsides of COVID and everything being online being what they are, the panel included speakers from the US and UK as well as me, and the audience was all over the world. Apparently the US was sunny, Cape Town has been unseasonably rainy for a few days, and the UK was locked in a snowstorm, so go global warming. But I found myself apologising, in the greenroom before we started, for SA's latest unhappy contribution to the current catastrophe. Could have done without that, really.
hlmauera: (Default)

[personal profile] hlmauera 2021-11-30 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
I agree with your general opinion of having a new variant, However, there is no specific evidence that it originated in SA; only that a particularly alert doctor in SA identified it. There are two cases in Canada and several elsewhere. Be proud of the doctor instead. The news I've heard is that the variant isn't particularly dangerous for most people. Not that we don't or shouldn't care about the ones for whom it is dangerous. I really don't want you to feel like you need to apologize for a country when it's not the country's fault.
Your panel sounds fascinating. It's nice to have something somewhat normal, isn't it? I had to go back to work in person but am able to limit it to three days a week instead of five. In some ways it's nice to have that bit of normal.
To add to the weather woes: In the Pacific North Wet (west) of the US and Canada, we have atmospheric rivers dumping a deluge of rain on us. After the terrible fire season that's particularly bad for major landslides.
I hope you will take this in the way it was intended- my tone should indicate compassion and empathy not anything haughty.

(Anonymous) 2021-12-03 06:19 am (UTC)(link)
What a lovely panel! How fun for you :)

I saw this cartoon by [profile] twisteddoodle the other day.
https://twitter.com/twisteddoodles/status/1466033248933486600/photo/1
which might amuse you. (wrt SA spotting this new variant)

-T