Easter Sunday, the 12th of April, 2020

Easter Sunday, the 12th of April, 2020

Today was Easter Sunday, and an Easter unlike any other I've other experienced, and likely unlike any I will ever experience again.  A very low-key day.  Church services were offered online, on YouTube.  We could've "attended" Mass virtually.  We should've "attended" Mass virtually.  Gregg and I made a "fancy" cake-meaning, a lot more labor intensive cake.  Sifted the flour twice for it, used quite a bit of vanilla paste and vanilla extract, 2 whole eggs, and 6 egg whites, etc.  And even more eggs and vanilla for the frosting, which involved warming the frosting to a certain temperature and then cooling it slightly and adding more ingredients.  The cake was very heavy.  I read the nutritional content of the cake while it was baking-1/16th of the cake was 400 calories-SANS FROSTING!!!  Yikes!!  But it was/is very good.  Heavy, and filling, but tasty.  The 5 of us went for a walk.  We also did a 5 way Zoom video call (similar to Skype) with Gregg's parents, his brother and partner, his sister, and his niece.  Gregg positioned our camera so that all 5 of us could be on camera simultaneously.  We chatted for about an hour and a half.  It was mentioned that we should go on another holiday together again. 

Now, for the Corona update.  First of all, Boris Johnson, our Prime Minister, has been released from the hospital, after spending 7 nights there, 3 of them in the ICU.  He was never intubated/on a ventilator, but he has said that he owes his life to the NHS staff, and that for 48 hours, things could've went either way for him.  He is at his Buckinghamshire country retreat, Chequers, recuperating, resting, and recovering.

Liverpool has plans for a 500 bed respite care centre to be used for both those recovering from the Covid, as well as non-Covid use.  This is being done to free up hospital beds for "sicker" patients.  I'm not sure if the facility will be used post-pandemic, or if its a short-term plan.

There is talk that the UK may one of the worst affected, if not THE worst affected European country.  Many attribute this to poor testing, as well as a delay in putting a lockdown in place  (it took a full 10 days before the lockdown was enacted).  Time, of course, will tell.  Matt Hancock today promised that testing for nursing homes and the care sector is coming......

In Cheshire, there has been 154 more cases of Covid-19 reported.  Yesterday's number of positive cases was 1,081, and today's number is 1,235.  Total number of deaths in the UK is now greater than 10,000.

There is a temporary Nightingale hospital in use in London, and there are 6 more being built across the country, including Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, and others.  There are a record number of former NHS staff returning to work-over 5,000 are back on the frontline, and another 36,000 have enlisted.  I have looked into working as a nurse, and overseas nurses need to register here in the UK, which is a 2 part process.  The first part is a computer-based exam, and the second part is a practical structured clinical exam.  You also need to pass an English language exam, if English is not your first language spoken.  Due to the situation at hand, the NHS is waiving some of the requirements for those returning to service, essentially for those who have left the field in the last 2-5 years.  I left the field 12 years ago......

No other news for today.  I am looking forward to the days when we do not have to be nervous about going out, or to meet people.