Pandemic Diaries
By Sunday Fall
12/2
Woke up early.
Traveled from The Bronx to Brooklyn.
Traveled from Brooklyn to lower Manhattan.
Florida becomes third state to top 1 million coronavirus cases.
Texas and California are the other two states to reach 1 million cases.
Through out the pandemic the Florida governor was opposed to a mask mandate and business shutdowns.
Florida was the first state to reopen businesses during the first wave.
12/5
Total COVID-19 cases at 14 million in the United States.
279 000 COVID-19 related deaths in the U.S.
67 people died today in NYS due to COVID-19 related illness.
The night comes sooner. The darkness creeps in at 5pm. The street lights turn on early. Even during a pandemic , I find myself never at home. I am wandering the quiet streets taking pictures on my phone. In some areas people are in the streets also. Some walking their dogs. In the subways, most people wear masks. Today it was raining. I was soaked. Dressed in all black and a light bomber jacket, I am not ready for the winter. I need a new coat to protect me from the cold.
12/9
Total COVID-19 cases in US now at 15 million.
Total COVID-19 related death at 286 338.
The United States is on the path to authorize a vaccine.
The first round of vaccines may exclude older people over the age sixty.
Vaccines will be administered within 96 hours of approval.
Joe Biden plans to federally mandate mask wearing for the first 100 days of his presidency.
Biden pledges to administer 100 million vaccines in 100 days.
12/11
Governor Cuomo announced this morning, NYC will be closing indoor dining on Monday to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Restaurant owners have expressed anger toward a second shut down.
The indoor policy will last up to two weeks.
The governor said the recent spike in infection can be attributed to indoor gatherings inside private homes.
Outdoor dining is permanent in the city.
12/12
A historic day.
The first vaccine will be given to Americans tomorrow morning.
Millions of vaccines are packaged and ready to go.
The vaccines were shipped from Belgium in sub arctic coolers.
The first batch contains 6.4 million doses.
Overnight the FDA authorized pfizer’s vaccine for emergency use.
Scientists worked quickly to come up with a vaccine.
President trump called it one of the greatest scientific accomplishments in medical history.
It took 25 years to develop a vaccine for polio.
It took 12 years to develop a vaccine for the flu.
The first COVID-19 vaccine took 11 months to develop.
12/13
Woke up early.
the weather is nice.
It feels like spring not winter.
There will come a time on the east coast when snow won’t even fall in December.
12/14
Today is day one of Covid-19 vaccinations.
Sixteen hospitals in NYC will receive COVID-19 vaccines by Wednesday.
The first American to receive the vaccine is a nurse at Long Island Jewish medical center in New York.
Sandra Lindsay, an ICU nurse received the first dose on camera at the Queens hospital.
The vaccine was developed by Pfizer and German company Biontech and was the first to be approved for use by the US government.
12/17
Woke up early to a blanket of snow covering the street.
East coast snowstorm threatened power and internet for people working at home and going to school.
I stayed home. Took the mayors advice. I stayed indoors. Made tea. Read for 45 minutes. I tried to write a poem. No words.
3656 reported dead in a single day due to COVID-19 related illness.
Today is the deadliest day of the entire eight month pandemic.
Total COVID-19 cases in the US reach 17 million.
Total COVID-19 related deaths reach 308 273.
Governor Cuomo said, “no one in NY state will have to pay a penny for the vaccine”.
The first phase of vaccination starts this week.
NY state has received 90 000 doses of Pfizer vaccine.
12/19
It’s the Saturday before Christmas.
Not as cold as it should be during this time.
Made a few ink drawings on paper.
The FDA approved Moderna’s vaccine, the second after Pfizer, for emergency use.
The vaccine proved to be 94% effective in preventing COVID-19.
Moderna will ship millions of doses across the country.
Vice president Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence ,
house speaker Nancy Pelosi and senate majority leader Mitch Mcconnell all have taken a shot of the vaccine.
12/20
US front line essential workers and people over 75 are recommended for COVID-19 vaccine, CDC says.
Vice president Mike Pence took the vaccine on live TV.
President Trump said he is open to receiving the shot.
12/22
In New York state, nursing homes, EMS workers, federal health center employees, funeral home workers, coroners, medical examiners will receive COVID-19 vaccine. So far more than 38000 does have been administered in the state.
Gov Cuomo announced the launch of a vaccine equity task force led by secretary of state Rosana Rosado, Attorney General Letitia James, National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial and health first president and CEO Pat Wang.
The committee will make sure the vaccine distribution will be done in a fair and right way getting the vaccine to minority communities, poor communities, black churches. There is also a campaign saying this is a safe vaccine.
Pandemic relief has passed. A 900 billion dollar package will give families $600, and extend unemployment of $300 a week for 11 weeks. There is money to help small businesses- 45 billion to fund city transit systems , 15 billion for cultural institutions like theaters, 63 billion for vaccine distribution testing and tracing, 5 billion to school funding.
12/23
Governor Cuomo is calling for doctors and hospitals to test for a new strain of coronavirus discovered in the UK.
The governor and airlines in NYC now require anyone traveling from the UK into the city to show a recent negative COVID-19 test result.
The governor said, “I believe the variant is here. If the variant is here I want to know, because that would problematic.”
Travelers coming in from the UK have to quarantine for two weeks .
The city plans to send sheriff deputies to the hotels and homes of anyone who traveled to NYC from the UK to make sure they are quarantined. Failing to comply will result in a $1000 fine, per day.
More than 50,000 New Yorkers have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
New York state received 630 000 doses and next week hopefully another 300 000.
I don’t plan on taking the vaccine. I still haven’t gotten tested for COVID-19. The choice to not vaccinate for me, as a Black American comes down to I am not convinced this vaccine is safe. It does feel like the vaccine was rushed. And I have read the vaccine was created with twenty plus years of research. Maybe if I spoke to a doctor, I’d feel better about the vaccine. Right now, I’m young, wear my mask daily, and wash my heads. That’s the most anyone can do.
12/24
Christmas eve.
There’s no holiday spirit in the air this year.
COVID-19 doesn’t make it any better.
The snow is melting away.
It’s an unnaturally warm day.
More than 320 000 Americans have died due to COVID-19 related illness.
Millions are traveling and airports are busy all week despite advice to stay home and not travel by health experts.
Pfizer will sell an additional 100 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the United States for 1.95 billion dollars.
Pfizer and moderna have received emergency authorization by the FDA to distribute vaccines.
12/25
Woke up early. Merry Christmas. It’s raining . Cloudy and gray outside. Playboi Carti, whole lotta red album on repeat. I am alone on this holiday.
I drink cheap champagne and give thanks for the possibility , opportunity to grow and become a better , stronger, giving man.
California becomes the first state to record two million cases of COVID-19;
More than 23000 californians have died so far.
Travelers flying in from the UK into New Jersey, Chicago, Washington DC, and San Francisco will be required to present proof of a negative COVID-19 test result.
There is international concern over a new strain of coronavirus first found in Britain.
In New York, there were 201 new hospitalizations and 2900 new cases
127 died due to COVID-19 related illness.
The city has escaped the worse of the second wave so far.
20 million Americans have been infected nationally and the total death toll for the entire country is 325 000.
12/29
The weather is clear and cold.
Two more days until the year is finally over. There are many who are happy and relieved that 2020 is coming to an end. I’ve heard some people and media say 2020 is the worst year in the history of the world. Really?
People want everything to go back to normal. What is normal? 2021 can be even worse than 2020.
I am ready to get on with life too, but nothing will ever be the same again. At this point with everything exposed, we should want to move in radical new directions to benefit mankind.
I am going to wear my mask for a long time. Even if i take a vaccine, how long until COVID-19 is completely wiped out? How would we know it’s done?
There’s a new strain now.
12/31
As the city encourages more New Yorker to get vaccinated, the city hit 25000 COVID-19 related deaths. The mayor called it shocking.
Total COVID-19 deaths in the US 336 000.
67 000 New Yorker have been vaccinated.
