Blog Day 305 - Tuesday 26 January 2021 - Australia Day

For the benefit of future historians who in a hundred years or so will be reading this blog to get an accurate record of life during this one in a hundred years pandemic I find it necessary to report on the Australia Day versus Invasion Day debate.

I daresay in 100 years this debate may have been resolved and the people of the future will be wondering what all the fuss was about.  

As it stands certain Indigenous groups and their supporters don't like the idea of Australia Day being celebrated on 26 January and refer to this day as Invasion Day.  The 26 January date is used because on 26 January 1788, Governor Arthur Phillip planted himself and the British flag on the shore of what is now Sydney Harbour, so this date is recognised as the beginning of white (British) settlement of the Australian continent and Tasmania.

The Indigenous groups claim that as their land was invaded there is nothing there for them to celebrate and they want to change the name of the day to Invasion Day and move Australia Day to another less contentious date, however there is currently no consensus as to what that date may be.

I can see why this day as Australia Day maybe offensive to some groups of the population, however I also see that calling it Invasion Day will be offensive to other groups of the population and they would find efforts to change the name of the day or the date also offensive.

Those of my readers who know me well could probably work out which side of the argument I would be on but I will leave that for another time and place.

I reckon this about the most even handed comment I have made in this blog, I hope the researchers of the future appreciate my effort.

Having been influenced by the lamb ads on the telly I bought some lamb chops to throw on the barbie this evening for a traditional Australia day dinner.  The weather is overcast and only about 23 degrees (after 40 degrees yesterday) so not really barbie weather, not that we have let that stop us in the past.

Due to a community infection being reported in NZ (their first in many months) the Australia, New Zealand travel bubble has been suspended for 72 hours.  This will allow time for any further local infections to surface in NZ and for further decisions in regards to travel to be made.

The new infection numbers continue to remain low Australia wide with only three new infections being reported in the last 24 hours, one in Victoria and 2 in NSW, all ROTs.

Testing numbers are also down with 11,700 results received in Victoria in the last 24 hours, 7,800 in NSW and 6,600 in Qld.  The health authorities are concerned at the lower number of citizens presenting for testing.

Currently Victoria has 31 active cases, 30 of whom are ROTs, NSW 49 plus 52 ROTs and Qld 16 active cases all ROTs.

There has been reports that corona virus fragments have been found in sewage in various Qld regional areas including Cairns South and Cairns Marlin Coast.  These traces are probably from somebody shedding the virus and the authorities do not seem too concerned.  Still, to my many FNQ readers, be careful and wash your hands.

Although the worldwide figures are not showing any real improvement it would appear that there is some opportunity for optimism in the US and UK.  Both of these countries are starting to show a pattern of reduction in daily infection figures and daily death figures.  Nothing to start celebrating as yet but certainly promising.

Worldwide there were 525,000 new infections taking the worldwide total of infections for the pandemic to over 100 million.  There were 11,000 deaths reported in the last 24 hours to bring the total number of deaths to 2.149 million.

Corona Virus Daily Stats – Day 26 – New Year 2021 – Covid Normal (as much as possible)

Date	Aus Infected	Aus Increase	Vic Infected	Vic Increase	Aus Death	Vic Death	Aus Hospl	Vic Hospital	Aus ICU	Vic ICU
01/01	28,421	13	20,376	8	909	820	21	0	0	0
02/01	28,441	13	20,388	12	909	820	19	0	0	0
03/01	28,483	14	20,391	3	909	820	26	0	0	0
04/01	28,499	16	20,395	4	909	820	30	0	0	0
05/01	28,518	14	20,399	4	909	820	26	0	0	0
06/01	28,533	10	20,402	3	909	820	36	0	0	0
07/01	28,544	8	20,402	0	909	820	35	0	0	0
08/01	28,658	21	20,403	1	909	820	40	0	0	0
09/01	28,582	12	20,404	1	909	820	40	0	0	0
10/01	28,595	13	20,410	6	909	820	41	0	0	0
11/01	28,611	16	20,411	1	909	820	47	0	1	0
12/01	28,633	19	20,411	0	909	820	43	0	1	0
13/01	28,647	13	20,414	3	909	820	45	0	1	0
14/01	28,658	8	20,414	0	909	820	47	0	1	0
15/01	28,665	7	20,414	2	909	820	47	0	1	0
16/01	28,689	20	20,417	3	909	820	48	0	1	0
17/01	28,707	18	20,424	7	909	820	47	0	2	0
18/01	28,721	13	20,428	4	909	820	36	0	2	0
19/01	28,730	9	20,432	4	909	820	33	0	1	0
20/01	28,740	10	20,433	3	909	820	32	0	1	0
21/01	28,747	7	20,433	1	909	820	33	0	1	0
22/01	28,753	5	20,434	1	909	820	34	0	1	0
23/01	28,760	5	20,437	3	909	820	32	0	0	0
24/01	28,765	4	20,437	1	909	820	26	0	0	0
25/01	28,777	11	20,442	6	909	820	26	0	0	0
26/01	28,779	3	20,443	1	909	820	26	0	0	0

Date	World Infection	Daily Increase	World Deaths	Daily Increase
01/01	83,771,040	1,448,870	1,824,387	28,095
02/01	84,342,947	571,907	1,834,255	9,868
03/01	84,984,546	641,599	1,843,112	8,857
04/01	85,489,462	504,916	1,850,209	7,097
05/01	86,041,606	552,144	1,859,179	8,970
06/01	86,834,551	792,945	1,875,519	16,340
07/01	87,619,457	784,906	1,889,556	14,037
08/01	88,495,963	876,506	1,906,630	17,074
09/01	89,331,906	835,943	1,921,160	14,530
10/01	90,077,029	745,123	1,934,801	13,641
11/01	90,662,902	585,873	1,942,390	7,589
12/01	91,298,922	636,020	1,952,020	9,729
13/01	91,983,757	684,835	1,968,523	16,503
14/01	92,747,904	764,147	1,985,405	16,882
15/01	93,507,781	759,877	2,001,209	15,804
16/01	94,282,394	774,613	2,016,604	15,395
17/01	94,949,414	667,020	2,030,914	14,310
18/01	95,479,062	529,648	2,039,601	8,687
19/01	96,005,763	526,701	2,049,238	9,637
20/01	96,621,459	615,696	2,065,624	16,386
21/01	97,279,743	658,284	2,081,541	15,917
22/01	98,032,303	752,560	2,097,737	16,196
23/01	98,736,967	704,664	2,116,159	18,422
24/01	99,293,021	556,054	2,128,702	12,543
25/01	99,755,652	462,631	2,138,343	9,641
26/01	100,280,252	524,600	2,149,387	11,044

Covid Safe Summer Reminders;

Remember; stay safe and sober for the new year, I know I will be; no hugging and kissing strangers on new years eve!; don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things; as the captain of the Graf Spee said "you have to be bigger than anything faster and faster than anything bigger"; to wear your mask indoors (again); if you have a tickle in your throat, get tested (again); to add Brissie to your list of places to avoid; at a 1st birthday party be first in line for the fairy bread; try not to spend too much at Bunnings; bowls is the only game where the players are allowed to have a bias; if you see a big hole, take a photo; vote 1 Trump in four years time; brighten up your day by patting a puppy; don't start lining up for your jab yet; if it is 40 degrees where you are keep up your fluid intake, I know that I will be.