https://special.usps.com/testkits free tests via usps... not a bad idea to submit for them to have on hand... they are free after all
So, the current numbers world wide, just by speculating from ourworldindata.org: official confirmed cases about 350 M let's say the undercounted total is about 1 B fully vaccinated about 4 B {whichever vaccine, boosted or not} let's say the vaccinated that can still spread it is about a quarter of that, so about 1 B recall vaccines only meant to prevent serious disease, not stop the spread as such not all places globally are stringent or vigilant enough to catch outbreaks early {testing and non-medical prevention} So the flu like endemic variant is the end game, but most western countries are already reducing testing efforts. With all that, there is still plenty of kindle for this fire, as about half of humanity have not yet met this virus.
Got my Pfizer booster a few days ago. Side effects were stronger than the first 2 vaxes (no reaction at all), stayed in bed for 4 days, very achy and sleepy with sore throat. Returned back to earth today, hoping it will stave off Omie. Lots of people testing positive locally. Went to a small birthday dinner with close friends. Two out of five came down with symptoms and tested positive. Including a person I shared a cocktail with! Sat next to him, but I tested negative, go figure! Happened just before the booster too! No more dinner parties
This week, I am being optimistic and going to my first live show in about 2 years. Mask mandate still in affect for another week. Missed this band a couple of months back in a tiny club, but I was too paranoid to attend. And next week, it's Nick Cave/ Warren Ellis. I hope this proves to be a successful return to live music and I can plug that hole in my soul.
I have (in chrono order of the gigs) Sleaford Mods, Mike Watt, Guerilla Toss, Dry Cleaning and OSEES all on my 2022 show calendar, so far. I broke the seal last October with Robyn Hitchcock, my first concert-going since October 2019, but haven't been to anything else since. We'll see how many of these planned ones I actually end up making.
^ a return to live music has been great for me mentally, especially with the venues i've been to doing their best to make everyone feel like reasonable precautions have been taken (masks, proof of vaccination). got to see foo fighters (meh, but rock-n-roll!) re-open 930 club here in d.c., dinosaur jr, jeff parker/steve gunn, bill nace/pissed jeans/kurt vile, courtney barnett. 2022 will be busy, as ~2 years of no shows made me realize how good they are for me.
Got the shots, had the disease. Pretty much anywhere I want to go, I already can. Except Area 51. The bouncers turn away everybody.
On the day that all UK restrictions were lifted, the 24/7 Covid news instantly swapped to 24/7 Ukraine Invasion news and it hasn't been mentioned since. Like it never happened!
I don't know if it proper to complain here. The covid-19 (our anti covid-19 policy to be exact) continues to affect my collecting and of course my life in China. The international shipping became slower and slower, it took only 1 day to ship to China from Japan in the past, now it would take 15-20 days. And EMS just claimed they will increase the shipping fees by 17% in May due to flight shortage. Not to mention, I bought some vinyls from a collector in Shanghai, who cannot send them to me cause the whole city (the second biggest city in China) is totally shut down right now, could you imagine that? I just contact the seller and said I fully understood the situation and wished he and his family could be all right, but I really don't know when this would stop and when I could finally get my toys. I know this is not a big issue compared with suffering of many of our people, I just talk about the difficulty in collecting cause I don't want to talk too many other things on this forum. Sorry for the rants, I just saw too many negative news and horrible things recently.
The lockdowns that China has been imposing in response to coronavirus outbreaks definitely seem severe. I have heard that the shutdowns in Shenzhen have been affecting toy production.
Thanks for concern, Roger, yeah it have been affecting the global supply chain for sure, and the policy would not cease. Also I have some friends collecting sofubi in Shanghai who have been segregated for nearly a month (most sofubi collectors are from Shanghai and Beijing in China),I am pretty worried about their life.
I just went to my first concert on Thursday night and then went again last night. I saw Jawbreaker two nights in a row and it was phenomenal. The last time I saw them was 30 years ago in a basement in NYC with about 30 people.. Last night they played one of my favorite songs, Chesterfield King..
So, while I had heard that, after two very long years, Japan was finally lifting some of the strictest Covid-19 policies for international travellers and allowing visitors to once again enter the country - albeit strictly as part of a specifically organised larger tour group - details now coming out about what these new restrictions are for foreign visitors as of today. In addition to requiring they be part of a package tour, travellers must also buy medical insurance and wear masks in all public places, including outside. Perhaps striking though, at least to me, is that under the rules, tourists will also have to avoid the so-called "three Cs": closed spaces, crowded places and close contact settings. Which, for anyone who has been to Japan probably understands, is essentially a feat unto itself; leastways if your intent is to enjoy the country. But, in a roundabout way, this opening is itself still good news, and a step forward.
wife got it and took 3 at home tests and they were negative. Went to DR and positive. So a lot more people have had it and thought it was a cold like me. I had something 2 months ago felt like a minor cold but lost taste for a week. tested neg at home. antibody test 2 weeks ago said i had covid antibodies