I've promised my family I won't work weekends, and while we are having to move we don't really have the time, so the #TBCSmiles have been relegated to today. That doesn't mean they are less important, in fact if anything they are more important - especially this month. 

We just had Mental Health Awareness Week, and it's no coincidence that it's placed here in the year. This month we've had the least smiles that we've had in 5 years, and while I'd love to be surprised by that, I'm not. It's been a lot harder for us to make smiles, and it's required more effort for just about everyone. 

Spring in the UK is often cold, disappointingly not-so-sunny, and everyone is tired. Really we need to work less hours through Winter and sleep more, and then we'd be ready to face the world. Instead we are all a bit gloomy and really waiting for Summer to kick in and brighten everything up. On top this year we have the war in Ukraine, the ongoing COVID infections which really haven't gone away, the residual tiredness that most of us feel after catching COVID, the fuel bills flying through the roof and food prices going up. The comfort we've felt for the past 30 years is slipping away, and it's only now we realise just what we had to lose.

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 13th May 2022

UK COVID Statistics - we are missing updated figures for Northern Ireland, as they are delayed:
Cases last 7 days: 76,867 (average 10,981 per day - UP slightly on 10,829 a week earlier)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the last 7 days: 6,020
In hospital yesterday: 9,619 (down from 10,763 a week earlier)
Using a ventilator yesterday: 203 (down from 253 a week earlier)
Losses of life last 7 days: 1,389 (average 198 a day - UP from 186 a week earlier)
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test: 176,708
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause: 193,713
Tests last 7 days: 1,821,189 (average 260,169 per day)
Vaccinations 1st dose: 53,264,512
Vaccinations 2nd dose: 49,780,389
Boosters / 3rd doses / Spring Boosters: 39,345,313

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,535,451 (+524) cases and 7,203 (+27) losses of life.

World: 519,990,677 reported cases and 6,285,251 losses of life.

"A fever whose cause couldn't be identified explosively spread nationwide from late April and more than 350 000 people got fever in a short span of time, and at least 162 200 out of them were healed completely. On May 12 alone, some 18 000 persons with fever occurred nationwide and as of now up to 187 800 people are being isolated and treated. Six persons died (one of them tested positive for the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron.)"
North Korean official media KCNA.
I don't know about you, but by crikey I just want to give them a hug. 

I was recently sent the Let Bricks Medieval Church set MOC-82591 for review. This has been designed by Peter Keith, and I was sent a hand-picked set - so I do have some errors which are unlikely to appear in the final store product. 

This is a 516 piece set, which is a nice build and creates a really attractive little chapel... 

As it's only a 516 piece set it doesn't need to have numbered bags, and the instructions are on a USB key, so although you don't have a paper copy, you can access them on any device - and enlarge them at will.  

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update May 10th 2022

UK COVID Statistics (most data, such as 'cases last 7 days' is now only updated by the UK on Mondays and Thursdays):
Cases last 7 days: 102,089 (average 14,584 per day)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the last 7 days: Has not been updated since May 3rd
In hospital yesterday: 9,619 (well down from 12,475 a week earlier)
Using a ventilator yesterday: 214 (well down from 304 a week earlier)
Losses of life last 7 days: 1,512 (average 216 per day)
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test: 176,424
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause: 193,713
Tests last 7 days: 1,788,178 (average 255,454 per day)
Vaccinations 1st dose: 53,264,512 (92.6% of UK aged 12+)
Vaccinations 2nd dose: 49,780,389 (86.6%)
Boosted / 3rd dose / Spring Boosters: 39,345,313 (68.4%. Every time I type this I consider the fact that some people have had a 3rd jab and a booster and a Spring jab, so this percentage is meaningless now.)

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,524,555 cases and 7,163 losses of life (not yet reported today).

World: 518,032,714 reported cases and 6,278,793 losses of life.

"I'm starting to see signs that many people (scientists included) are getting convinced that going forward, we no longer need to vaccinate against COVID-19. Why? Because infections will do the trick. That thought is as delusional today as it was in 2020. Let's not go there."
Kristian G. Andersen, Infectious diseases & genomics Professor and Immunologist at the Anderson Lab at Scripps Research Institute. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 4th / 5th / 6th May 2022

UK COVID Statistics:Cases last 7 days: 75,809 (average 10,829 per day)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the last 7 days: 7,126
In hospital yesterday: 10,763 (well down from 13,027 a week earlier)
Using a ventilator yesterday: 253 (well down from 302 a week earlier)
Losses of life last 7 days: 1,300 (average 186 per day)
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test: 176,212
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause: 192,464
Tests last 7 days: 1,808,795 (average 258,399 per day)
Vaccinations 1st dose: 53,189,550 (92.5% of UK age 12+)
Vaccinations 2nd dose: 49,730,039 (86.5%)
Boosted / 3rd dose / Spring Boosters: 39,254,038 (68.3%)

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,522,363 (+889) cases and 7,131 (+23) losses of life.

From 09 May 2022, the Public Health Scotland COVID-19 dashboard will be updated on Mondays and Thursdays, before moving to weekly updates, on a Wednesday, from June.
(Handily I report on a Friday and Tuesday, so I should still have current data.)

Wales and UK headline vaccination data will now be updated weekly - data up to Thursday will be reported the following Monday.

Home: My Life In The Universe is written by Mark Ballabon, with illustrations by Grant Macdonald. It is suitable for teenage and young adult readers aged around 12+, and is a book which really does make you think about what home is, and where it is...?

The story focusses on Leah, a teenage girl who is growing into the adult she'll become. It is a coming-of-age tale, with the climate crisis and our place in the universe right at its heart. 

Leah is an 'ordinary' teenager, and she's unique, just like every teenager. She feels she is weird and different, yet really plain, and she's okay with individuality to a point, but she wants to fit in, and she wants to be liked, but she doesn’t enjoy the feeling of being plain. She also wants to try new experiences and push herself out of her comfort zone, which she does when, together with her younger brother, she goes away to spend 3 weeks at an international camp over Summer. It's there that she meets people who test her patience and her mood, and others who encourage her to understand that we all have a backstory - reasons why we act as we do. 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update April 30th May 1st /2nd /3rd 2022

UK COVID Statistics:
Cases last 7 days: 79,310 (average 11,330 per day)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the last 7 days: 8,840
In hospital yesterday: 12,475 (down from 14,929 a week earlier)
Using a ventilator yesterday: 304 (321 a week earlier)
Losses of life last 7 days: 1,175
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test: 175,319
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause: 191,277
Tests last 7 days: 1,889,966 (average 269,995 per day)
Vaccination Data is delayed, so we'll leave it for today as it's still the same as Friday. 

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,519,296 (+491) cases and 7,092 (+5) losses of life.

World: 514,254,906 reported cases and 6,264,024 losses of life.

Scottish guidance on isolation has changed. If you've tested positive you should stay at home for 3 days if you're 18 years and under, or for 5 days if you're over 18 years. Day 1 is the day after you took your test.
"Stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you have symptoms of a respiratory infection such as coronavirus and have a high temperature or do not feel well enough to go to work or carry out normal activities."
(Probably someone should tell them COVID isn't necessarily a respiratory infection.)

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 27th/ 28th/ 29th April 2022

UK COVID Official Statistics:
Cases last 7 days: 105,331 (average 15,047 per day)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the last 7 days: 9,493 (significantly down from  13,752 a week earlier)
In hospital yesterday: 13,027 (down from 16,447 a week earlier)
Using a ventilator yesterday: 302 (down from 339 a week earlier)
Losses of life last 7 days: 1,560 (average 223 per day, significantly down on 1,956 a week earlier)
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test: 174,912
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause: 191,277
Tests last 7 days: 2,158,217 (average 308,316 per day)
Vaccinations 1st dose: 53,184,869
Vaccinations 2nd dose: 49,727,305
Boosted / 3rd dose / Spring Boosters: 39,248,005

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,516,153 cases and 7,076 losses of life.

World: 512,394,235 reported cases and 6,257,163 losses of life.

"For fans of important things quietly collapsing - it's worth taking a glance at the NHS England ambulance time data.
The headline Category 1s  - "immediate life-threatening": times are rising above standards but don't look utterly terrifying.
Category 2s. These are still critically important; "needing rapid assessment and transport": includes intense chest pain and strokes. So a *mean* [most common average] pushing past an hour is ... terrifying. And in the South West: *mean* was 1hr 53 minutes with 90th %ile waits at 4hr 31 (not a typo). [10% of category 2 people waited 4hr31m or longer.]
Category 3s & 4s are similarly horrific, with SW again the worst (a Cat 3 "urgent problem requiring treatment in an acute setting" having a *mean* of over 6 hours).
All numbers are by some way the worst since the categories were introduced in 2017. "Collapse" seems fair."
Paul Mainwood, Head Of Strategy And Planning at Innocent Drinks, Philosophical Physicist Oxford Uni.
That's the bad news, now the better news... 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 23rd - 26th April 2022

UK COVID Statistics:
Cases last 7 days: 131,054 (average 18,722 per day)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the last 7 days: 10,386 (bear in mind many people are only in hospital overnight or for a couple of days)
In hospital yesterday: 14,929
Using a ventilator yesterday: 321
Losses of life last 7 days: 2,266 (this includes some backlog reported last week from Easter weekend - average 323 per day)
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test: 174,144
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause: 190,124
Tests last 7 days: 2,310,897 (average 330,128 per day)
Vaccinations 1st dose: 53,157,460
Vaccinations 2nd dose: 49,703,318
Boosted / 3rd dose / Spring Boosters: 39,185,170

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,512,812 cases and 7,016 losses of life (not yet reported today).

World: 510,269,578 reported cases and 6,246,343 losses of life.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
J.R.R.Tolkein, The Fellowship Of The Ring

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News Update 20/21/22 April 2022

UK COVID Statistics:
Cases last 7 days: 185,625 (average 26,517 per day lollity lol - see ONS figures below)
Admitted to hospital with COVID in the last 7 days: 13,752 (I've added this measurement because it seems more useful now than case numbers, bearing in mind many people are only in hospital overnight or for a couple of days)
In hospital yesterday: 16,447 (down significantly from 19,028 eight days earlier)
Using a ventilator yesterday: 339 (down slightly on 355 eight days earlier)
Losses of life last 7 days: 1,956
Total losses of life within 28 days of a positive test: 173,352
Total losses of life with COVID listed as a cause on the death certificate: 190,124
Tests last 7 days: 2,237,478 (average 319,639 per day)
Vaccinations 1st dose: 53,087,904
Vaccinations 2nd dose: 49,661,362
Boosted / 3rd dose / Spring Boosters: 39,125,015

Rep. Of Ireland: 1,509,536 (+1,163) cases and 6,996 (+3) losses of life.

World: 508,147,148 reported cases and 6,237,847 losses of life.

"In the longer term we should expect millions of people to catch covid each year with the consequence that we have a population that is generally less healthy both from the burden of covid infection itself and the long-term consequences of long covid."
Kit Yates, member of UK indieSAGE advisory group, spelling out "Living With COVID" in plain English.