A Streak of Sorts

I have two photos and a few COVID tidbits this morning.

I did return for more blue hour photos with a longer lens. The sky is not what I wanted, but I made a few attempts anyway. What I want is large, looming clouds over town hall. That is not what I got. There was a bit of a streak of sorts to the left, which messed with my composition a bit because I had to shift the camera to the left to get it in the frame. On top of that it only showed up very so-so in the photo.

I then decided to forget about town hall and shift my composition even farther to the left so that the old mill was now centered. While the mill is of historical significance and worthy of photos, I do miss the clock tower. But it's not bad.

I like the photos, just not as much as the previous ones. I do plan to return from time to time to see if I can get that one particular photo that I have in mind.

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Onto COVID snippets and links.

On Friday, much of Ontario will be permitted to enter Phase 3 of the pandemic response. This is good news because it reveals that much progress has been made as testing goes up and new cases go down. However, there is the worry that it is too much too soon. For sure, it's a balancing act between moving forward and staying safe. I think we must continue to move forward but cautiously . . . keep on our toes with our fingers crossed as it were.

Among a few other things, phase 3 means the following.

• Indoor gathering limits will increase to a maximum of 50 people;
• Outdoor gathering limits will increase to a maximum of 100 people;
• Gathering limits are subject to physical distancing requirements.

One of the main joys for many people will be the re-opening of restaurants, within the above guidelines, of course.

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There is some good news in the USA but too much bad news.

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An Italian study indicates that the aftereffects from COVID (assuming that one survives, which most do, thank goodness) are very real and for some time afterward.

I am satisfied just to read the summary, but here is the link for those who would like to delve deeper.

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And here is a link specifically about echocardiograms in COVID patients which reports that one study "found heart problems in 55%, with one in seven exhibiting signs of severe abnormalities." Of course, the tests were given to patients who were already exhibiting signs of heart problems, so the normal percentage wouldn't be that high. It's still a concern, however.

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In other news, there is some thinking that the virus may have already been with us but hadn't activated for some reason. Here's that link, but don't take it for gospel, it's just something else to chew on.