Shake It Off

G and I went for a lovely walk around Pensthorpe this morning. There were not many people around at all, but the birds were extremely noisy - that time of year. An Oystercatcher (see extras) was being particularly noisy. My photo is of a Pintail duck 'shaking it off'. I did have photos that were sharp, but this one made me smile. (I seem to have developed an annoying habit of knocking my aperture from f9 to f32, very annoying).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWlot6h_JM

Day 717 / Day 8 of no Legal Covid Requirements in England (for my record only)
Another drug has been identified by UK experts that cuts the risk of death by about a fifth for those in hospital with severe Covid. Baricitinib is an anti-inflammatory normally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. It's benefit 'is additional to that from other drug treatments that dampen down the overactive immune response, such as demamethasone and tocilixumab' according to the joint chief investigator of the Recovery Trial, so we could use combinations of anti-inflammatory drugs on the sickest patients. Experts have identified a phenomenon they are calling 'pandemic brain' where people who've not had Covid have also been found to suffer from increased tiredness, impaired decision-making and a lack of focus due to the pandemic (sounds familiar!). More research is needed, but it's thought to be linked to the long term disruption to our routines ('nothing about life is normal'), exacerbated by the regular lockdown rule changes, virus worries, travel restrictions, and social isolation.