Now that Thanksgiving 2020 COVID style is in the books, we can turn our attention to the Hanukkah and Christmas seasons.

For the most part, everyone in my circle of friends and family did follow health and safety guidelines at Thanksgiving by not have hordes of people for dinner. Even with guidelines in place, I still over indulged as usual. Granted, it wasn’t as much fun as past Thanksgivings, but the people you were surrounded by was the core of your life.

I took a drive to grab some fresh air about 9 p.m., and there were not many vehicles on the street. It was even a bit eerie to see.

So we heard this past week that vaccines for COVID-19 are really right around the corner, and it’s possible we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

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Vaccines will not help us celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah as we have in the past, but instead, I’m sure they will have the same requested guidelines as we had for Thanksgiving. Really, I’m okay with that. If it’s what it takes to keep coronavirus numbers from spiking, I’m all for it.

To see nearly 250 cases in Luzerne County was a bit disturbing to me. The virus has infiltrated Greater Pittston, and I’m seeing people that I know and care for having been infected. I’m happy to say the majority of those cases have been mild.

Most, if not all the cases I’ve heard did lose their sense of taste and smell and not much more than that. Having been victim of the Swine Flu in 2009, I would have been thrilled with losing my sense of smell and taste for a day or two. Swine put me flat on my back for nearly three weeks. It was horrible.

We’ve heard in the news that when the vaccines will eventually be distributed, it would go out to front line workers, EMS, police, firefighters, etc. That makes perfect sense, but I’m not sure when the general public will get their chance.

I’m hearing by next summer, most of the world will be vaccinated. It’s daunting task and I’m sure we will still have to wear masks until the WHO and CDC gives us the go ahead to toss them.

It’s crazy to think there are still detractors that don’t believe a mask is needed. That defies logic and if you don’t believe me, just think back to late spring/early summer when everything was shut down and our daily cases in Luzerne County were reduced to no more than 10 per day.

Unfortunately, shutting down and mask wearing and hand-washing and abstaining from being in large crowds was very affective, but it didn’t do much for the economy or our pocketbooks.

The least we can do, the very least, is wear a mask. Yes, at first it was a bit weird, but like anything else you do for the first time, after a few weeks, it became normal.

I keep masks everywhere, in my car, in my pocket, in my jackets. How many times did you get out of your car, especially early on, and walk away only to return because you forgot your mask?

Being outside in colder weather plays havoc with those wearing glasses. Mine always fog up and when I’m out shooting photos, my viewfinder gets fogged up as well. I just grin and bear it, what else can I do?

So many people got down on Dr. Fauci, one of the world’s leading experts in infectious diseases, on protocol. Honestly, I could never understand why people would doubt such an expert. That defies logic as well. After all, he must be good at what he does; he’s only been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984.

The man is 79-years-old, doesn’t look it, and he has no interest in stepping down. This field has been his life for decades and he’s dedicated himself to keeping us safe. Why was he ever doubted?

With pharmaceutical companies are ready to pass on vaccine, will you be relieved to finally get the inoculation or will you turn it down? Will the vaccine be mandatory? I’ve not heard any protocol regarding the vaccine as of yet.

As children we receive vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, measles, mumps and rubella as well as chicken pox, so why would anyone not want a vaccine to halt COVID-19?

We’ve heard over and over, “Trust the science.” If it wasn’t for science, I may not be here after my cancer diagnosis in 2006. I do trust science and skeptics should too.

New leadership will be arriving in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, and the new administration has a great deal more faith in science than the last administration so we will have to see what new philosophies will come about in 2021.

We all want to get back to a normal state, whatever that was in your life, and we will just have to wait a bit longer to see how this will all play out.

If this pandemic taught me anything over the last eight-months is, instead of being a unified country, we’ve become a bunch of whiners and complainers and that is very sad.

I think of Americans as strong, unified, and proud and I’ve seen none of that in 2020.

It’s time to have faith, unite, and be proud again … help is on the way.

Quote of the week

“Never let your emotions overpower your intelligence.” – Drake

Thought of the week

“Have enough courage to start and enough heart to finish.” – Jessica N. S. Yourko

Bumper sticker

“Change the world by being yourself.” – Amy Poehler