No news is a good news

I have not been posting anything since I am doing great and my family is doing great. It seem that State of Connecticut is doing great as well since they are not in any hurry to even contact me about the benefits I qualify for. I guess what they say is really true: "my money is really their money, they just let me keep some of it, if they feel like it."

A good day

Today is a good day. I feel good. I thought that I am getting sick but it has passed.

Unfortunately, I still have not got any word from the State about my unemployment check or my appeal.

I wonder how many people are in the same boat facing financial disaster because the State of Connecticut is failing many of us. Out of three programs passes by the Congress I should qualify for at least one or even two. Where is my money?

Update, last week of April

Yesterday when I woke up I did not feel in my best condition but it was OK. After my morning Yoga routine I felt much better and felt energetic. I took my dog, Lucky, for a long walk. It was more than an hour walk. It was a cold morning so maybe I should not have done that. After that I went to do some shopping for my son, Greg. It was fine until I had to stand in line in front of Trader's Joe waiting to get in. I have to complain about this practice. That's how people could get sick from the cold.

After I came back from my 6-hour trip I did not feel that good so after, just-in-case, taking a Day Quil I went to bed early. For me, going to bed at 8:20pm is really early, but apparently it was a good idea because it was a difficult night for me. I sure did sweat a lot. I had to change my T-shirt. 

I woke up around 6am and up around 6:30 to do some yoga, which brought Lucky to my room. It looks like he was sleeping in the stairway. Doing morning yoga usually removes usual "kinks" in my muscles, but not this time. I came downstairs with some pain in my shoulders (hopefully not my lungs). 

Today's walk with Lucky was a short walk, about 15-20 minutes. I took a handful of vitamins. Hopefully it will help some.

Sneezing, running nose

The news reports make all of us paranoid. Every time someone sneezes we look at each other and ask him/her if there is any high fever. Since it is an allergy season we have to take allergy medication as a precaution, something I have never done before. The same goes for taking a vitamins on a daily bases.

My wife, Halina, didn't feel well yesterday. Not good.

I saw online that states and individuals plan to sue China. My take, if China is not punished for their behavior next time they will actually do it on purpose. Just because they could.

April 19th, Sunday

Common sight on every highway

Today is my first post in this Journal. Last night I was doing some research about pandemics. What did strike me was that apparently people in America, people like you and me know very little about it. One of the explanations is that it was such a traumatic experience that people tried to forget about as soon as they could.

I am pretty sure that now, in the Facebook era, everybody blogs and tweets about. So I'm not the first person to start blogging about it.

My idea for this Journal was to document - for myself, my family, and hopefully some of you - what is/was going on during this pandemic. When someone opens the pages of this journal in 10 or 20 years from now, hopefully myself as well, will get the idea what we went through.

Since I am starting late in this post I will attempt to give you a brief look at what did happen until today. That may be a really long post, so just be patient. Please.




Here’s a timeline of the outbreak so far.

DEC. 31
On Dec. 31, the government in Wuhan, China, confirmed that health authorities were treating dozens of cases. Days later, researchers in China identified a new virus that had infected dozens of people in Asia.

JAN. 11
China reported its first death.

JAN. 20
The first confirmed cases outside mainland China occurred in Japan, South Korea and Thailand,

JAN. 21
The first confirmed case in the United States in Washington State, where a man in his 30s developed symptoms after returning from a trip to Wuhan.

JAN. 23
The Chinese authorities closed off Wuhan by canceling planes and trains leaving the city, and suspending buses, subways and ferries within it.

JAN. 30
The W.H.O. declared a global health emergency.
The U.S. State Department warned travelers to avoid China.

JAN. 31
The Trump administration  suspended entry into the United States by any foreign nationals who had traveled to China, excluding the immediate family members of American citizens or permanent residents. By this date, 213 people had died and nearly 9,800 had been infected worldwide.

FEB. 2
The first coronavirus death was reported outside China, a 44-year-old man in the Philippines.

FEB. 5
After a two-week trip to Southeast Asia, more than 3,600 passengers began a quarantine aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan.

FEB. 7
A Chinese doctor, Dr. Li Wenliang, who tried to raise the alarm died.
In early January, the authorities reprimanded him, and he was forced to sign a statement denouncing his warning as an unfounded and illegal rumor.

FEB. 11
The World Health Organization on Feb. 11 proposed an official name for the disease the virus coronavirus causes: Covid-19.

FEB. 14
France announces the first coronavirus death in Europe, an 80-year-old Chinese tourist.

FEB. 19
Iran announced two coronavirus cases in the country, then hours later said that both patients had died.

FEB. 21
A secretive church is linked to the outbreak in South Korea. The number of confirmed cases in the country rose above 200.

FEB. 23
Italy sees major surge, from fewer than five to more than 150, in coronavirus cases. In the Lombardy region, officials locked down 10 towns.

FEB. 24
The Trump administration asks Congress for $1.25 billion for coronavirus response.

FEB. 26
Brazilian health officials said that a 61-year-old São Paulo man, who had returned recently from a business trip to Italy, tested positive for the coronavirus. It was the first known case in Latin America.

FEB. 28
The number of infections in Europe spikes. Italy, where 800 people had been infected by Feb. 28, remained an area of concern. Cases in 14 other countries, including Northern Ireland and Wales, could be traced back to Italy.

FEB. 29
The United States records its first coronavirus death and announces travel restrictions.
A patient near Seattle became the first coronavirus patient to die in the United States on Feb. 28. As the number of global cases rose to nearly 87,000, the Trump administration issued its highest-level warning, known as a “do not travel” warning, for areas in Italy and South Korea most affected by the virus. The government also banned all travel to Iran and barred entry to any foreign citizen who had visited Iran in the previous 14 days.

MARCH 3

U.S. officials approve widespread coronavirus testing.
The C.D.C. lifted all federal restrictions on testing for the coronavirus on March 3, according to Vice President Mike Pence. The news came after the C.D.C.’s first attempt to produce a diagnostic test kit fell flat. By this point, the coronavirus had infected more than 90,000 around the globe and killed about 3,000, according to the W.H.O.

MARCH 11

President Trump blocks most visitors from continental Europe.
In a prime-time address from the Oval Office, Mr. Trump said he would halt travelers from European countries other than Britain for 30 days, as the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic and stock markets plunged further.

MARCH 13

President Trump declares a national emergency.
Mr. Trump officially declared a national emergency, and said he was making $50 billion in federal funds available to states and territories to combat the coronavirus. He also said he would give hospitals and doctors more flexibility to respond to the virus, including making it easier to treat people remotely.

MARCH 15

The C.D.C. recommends no gatherings of 50 or more people in the U.S.
On March 15, the C.D.C. advised no gatherings of 50 or more people in the United States over the next eight weeks. The recommendation included weddings, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events and conferences. The following day, Mr. Trump advised citizens to avoid groups of more than 10. New York City’s public schools system, the nation’s largest with 1.1 million students, also announced that it would close.

MARCH 16

Latin America begins to feel the affects of the virus.
Several countries across Latin America imposed restrictions on their citizens to slow the spread of the virus. Venezuela announced a nationwide quarantine that began on March 17. Ecuador and Peru implemented countrywide lockdowns, while Colombia and Costa Rica closed their borders. However, Jair Bolsonaro, the president of Brazil, encouraged mass demonstrations by his supporters against his opponents in congress.

MARCH 17

France imposes a nationwide lockdown.
On March 17, France imposed a nationwide lockdown, prohibiting gatherings of any size and postponing the second round its municipal elections. The lockdown was one of Europe’s most stringent. While residents were told to stay home, officials allowed people to go out for fresh air but warned that meeting a friend on the street or in a park would be punishable with a fine. By this time, France had more than 6,500 infections with more than 140 deaths, according to the W.H.O.

MARCH 17

The E.U. bars most travelers from outside the bloc for 30 days.
European leaders voted to close off at least 26 countries to nearly all visitors from the rest of the world for at least 30 days. The ban on nonessential travel from outside the bloc was the first coordinated response to the epidemic by the European Union.


MARCH 19

For the first time, China reports zero local infections.
China on March 19 reported no new local infections for the previous day, a milestone in the ongoing fight against the pandemic. The news signaled that an end to China’s epidemic could be in sight.

However, experts said the country would need to see at least 14 consecutive days without new infections for the outbreak to be considered over. And the announcement did not mean that China recorded no new coronavirus cases. Officials said that 34 new cases had been confirmed among people who had arrived in China from elsewhere.

MARCH 21

Companies move to produce medical supplies.
On March 21, the White House said that American companies were increasing efforts to restock hospitals with important supplies. Hanes and General Motors agreed to make masks and ventilators. Christian Siriano, a fashion designer, Dov Charney, the founder of Los Angeles Apparel, and Karla Colletto, a swimwear company, all agreed to repurpose their operations to create masks and hospital garments.

MARCH 21
Hawaii’s governor orders a mandatory 14-day quarantine to arriving visitors and residents.
Gov. David Ige of Hawaii ordered a mandatory 14-day quarantine for everyone arriving in Hawaii, including tourists and returning residents. Mr. Ige called his order the first of its kind in the nation.

MARCH 23

Prime Minister Boris Johnson locks Britain down.
The lockdown closed all nonessential shops, barred meetings of more than two people, and required all people to stay in their homes except for trips for food or medicine. Those who disobey risked being fined by the police.

MARCH 24

The Tokyo Olympics delayed until 2021.
Officials announced that the Summer Olympics in Tokyo would be postponed for one year.  Only three previous Games had been canceled, all because of war: The 1916 Summer Olympics were canceled because of World War I, and the Summer and Winter Games were canceled in 1940 and 1944 because of World War II.

ndia, a country of 1.3 billion, announces a 21-day lockdown.
One day after the authorities halted all domestic flights, Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, declared a 21-day lockdown. While the number of reported cases in India was about 500, the prime minister pledged to spend about $2 billion on medical supplies, isolation rooms, ventilators and training for medical professionals.

MARCH 26

The United States leads the world in confirmed coronavirus cases.
The United States officially became the country hardest hit by the pandemic, with at least 81,321 confirmed infections and more than 1,000 deaths. This was more reported cases than in China, Italy or any other country.

MARCH 27

Trump signs coronavirus stimulus bill into law.
Mr. Trump signed a $2 trillion measure to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Lawmakers said the bill, which passed with overwhelming support, was imperfect but essential to address the national public health and economic crisis.

MARCH 28

The C.D.C. issues a travel advisory for the New York region.
The C.D.C. urged residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to “refrain from nonessential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately.” The advisory did not apply to workers in “critical infrastructure industries,” including trucking, public health, financial services and food supply.

MARCH 30

More states issue stay-at-home directives.
Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., issued orders requiring their residents to stay home. Similar orders went into effect for Kansas and North Carolina. Other states had previously put strict measures in place. The new orders meant that least 265 million Americans were being urged to stay home.

APRIL 2

Global cases top 1 million, and millions loser their jobs.
By April 2, the pandemic had sickened more than 1 million people in 171 countries across six continents, killing at least 51,000.

In just a few weeks, the pandemic put nearly 10 million Americans out of work, including a staggering 6.6 million people who applied for unemployment benefits in the last week of March. The speed and scale of the job losses was without precedent: Until March, the worst week for unemployment filings was 695,000 in 1982.

APRIL 3

The debate wages over who should wear masks.
The C.D.C. urged all Americans to wear a mask when they leave their homes. However, the advice was undercut by Mr. Trump, who repeatedly called the recommendation voluntary and said that he would not wear one himself. “With the masks, it’s going to be a voluntary thing,” the president said. “You an do it. You don’t have to do it. I am choosing not to do it. It may be good. It’s only a recommendation, voluntary.”

APRIL 6

Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved into intensive care.
Ten days after going public with his coronavirus diagnosis, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain was moved into intensive care. The decision was a precaution, according to the British government, who also said he had been in good spirits. Mr. Johnson had also asked the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, to deputize for him “where necessary.”

APRIL 8

Companies plan and start vaccine trials.
At least two dozen companies have announced vaccine programs aimed at ending the pandemic, including Novavax, a Maryland-based biotech firm that said it would begin human trials in Australia in mid-May. Johnson & Johnson plans to start clinical trials in September, Moderna began a clinical trial for its vaccine in March, and Inovio Pharmaceuticals injected its trial vaccine into the first volunteers in April.

APRIL 10

Global coronavirus deaths surpass 101,000.
By April 10, the coronavirus had killed more than 101,000 people around the globe and infected at least 1.6 million. With more than 18,000 fatalities related to the virus and nearly 500,000 cases, the United States’ toll surpassed that of Spain.

APRIL 10

Coronavirus cases surge in Russia.
The number of people hospitalized in Moscow with Covid-19 doubled from the previous week, with two-thirds of the country’s 12,000 reported cases in Moscow. The increase in cases pushed Moscow’s health care system to its limit, well before an expected peak.

APRIL 12

Boris Johnson is released from the hospital.
Mr. Johnson, Britain’s prime minister, was released from the hospital on April 12 after a stay in the intensive care unit battling Covid-19. In a video posted on Twitter, he credited the National Health Service with saving his life, calling it “the beating heart of this country.”

APRIL 13

Some European nations begin easing restrictions.
Austria began loosening its nationwide lockdown on April 14, with a plan to slowly let hardware and home improvement stores reopen. Spain prepared to allow construction workers and some factory workers to resume work, and Italy planned to let some shops reopen.