Corona Chronicles ~ 8

I’ve been back at work 3 weeks now, the first two weeks I did full time hours to clear the backlog of people wanting wax removal. When I returned for my first day my clinic room had been completely revamped!

New flooring, new furniture, everything very minimal and easy to clean. Over the past 3 weeks I’ve de-waxed 146 people. We provide them masks and hand sanitiser before they come in to see me and I am gloved aproned and masked!

The Creature from the Black Lagoon!

The goggles are magnifying loupes with a head light, but I am getting a fancy-pants new one on a headband soon as this one is past it’s sell-by date! So far it all seems to be working well, but I am booked solid every day now so knackered by the end of the shift. I was quite worried when I first went back and didn’t sleep too well wondering if I was going to be infected with the damned plague, but I seem to be OK (so far) and I’m all ‘que sera sera’ now. Have done my best to minimise risk for me and the patient, and that’s all I can do.

In total, 1,415 people who had tested positive for coronavirus have died across the North East’s hospital trusts according to data released by NHS England today. According to the latest figures released by Public Health England yesterday there are 10,535 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the North East – a rise of 7 from Monday, June 22. Still sneaking up.

Our bonkers Prime Minister has loosened the lockdown yet again so people can go to pubs and the hairdressers, which is good for all the people in danger of losing their jobs, but not so good for those that will catch the plague from enjoying this new freedom.The North East where I live is very pub-centric, yes you get a few wine bars in Newcastle but the towns and villages have proper pubs, and Mackem men in particular are known for spending Sunday afternoons down the pub while wifey cooks a Sunday roast so I imagine it won’t be long until the 2nd wave kicks off up here. I can’t see them wearing masks whilst having a beer with their buddies!

Anyway I’m taking no notice of BoJo, will keep at 2 meters or more from everyone and I didn’t go to pubs anyway so they are not on my radar. Not done much photography of late though I keep up with my weekly challenge shots , HERE.

Our wildlife are still entertaining us, Halfmags is still hopping around our front and back gardens, but getting a picture of him now is difficult as he runs like the wind if he gets a sniff of the camera. Hedgehogs are still coming most nights and we’ve 2 trail cameras on the go now for the front and back gardens. They tailed off after the rains started, so presume they were finding bugs and the like more easily with the ground being so wet, but we still get a visitor or two most nights. Sparrows, Blackbirds and Bluetits have all had chicks, and I caught this one having a rest in our empty bird food jar.

He stayed there quite a while having a little snooze 🙂

Phil’s hospital has resumed doing routine operations on non-covid people so there’s a let up for Phil, he doesn’t have to wear the full astronaut gear when he’s doing those, so saying he sent me a text at work today he was doing a covid patient not only dressed up in full gear but also having to wear a heavy lead apron throughout as X-rays were done all through the operation. I can vouch that even wearing aprons, gloves and a mask makes you hot & sweaty so he must have been melting under all that.

The weather is hot here today, and likely to be again for tomorrow, but only for two days with more rain predicted for the weekend, saves me watering the plants I suppose! So that’s all from Fraggle Towers.

26 thoughts on “Corona Chronicles ~ 8

  1. If I had known you were going to post that photo of you in PPE and goggles, I woud have used it as the header for my new serial!
    30+ here earlier, and a scorcher. But with all the windos open I get a nice cross-draught that blows papers around! Poor Phil, I understand some of that. I remember being in the backs of ambulances on long transfer runs, with it reaching 40 C in the back. And I didn’t have to wear a lead x-ray apron!
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I think if I were having my ears waxed, I’d take one look at you and run. The stuff of nightmares. Talking of which, I dreamt that I went back to my local last night. I don’t know why, as I have no intention of going there. It’s a micro pub and keeping 2m away from anyone else there would be impossible. The government might have relaxed the 2m rule, but I won’t be.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. I mean, it’s not only an entertaining selfie but a wonderful souvenir of this crazy time. Glad you’re taking every precaution. I do feel for Phil, that’s not a fun getup to be wearing.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. I can sympathize with Phil in the OR – I used to go there to take the x-rays or run the C-arm. Lead everywhere, and sterile clothing changes. Before digital, we used to go in, but changed into booties, caps, sterile scrubs, and then take it. And then leave to process in another part o f the hospital, and then trot back up. And again change. And so on. On the day I had the surgery route, along with portable x-ray, I often changed clothes 15-25 times a day. And then the isolation cases. That is when I realized I didn’t like hospital work at all – I really don’t like changing my clothes!! But, when working, I had work clothes and play clothes. At work, though, so many changes are too much!

    Meanwhile, nice that things are designed to be easier to clean. Here, in the US, people are going broke with the Covid-19. Unemployed. No health insurance. Says a lot for the “greatest country in the world” – I don’t think your fearless leader is as bad as our careless leader.

    Liked by 1 person

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