I have always been absent-minded. I ‘cover line’ by saying it is a sign of a genius!
But ever since ‘meeting’ the coronavirus three weeks ago, I am more forgetful.
This past week, I have twice left home without my laptop – once even driving out of the apartment – while the second time, I remembered before I drove off.
That, too, was an awkward moment as the house and car keys are on the same key ring. After opening and closing the house doors, I frantically looked for the car key!
I could not find it, so I grabbed the spare.
As I was about to start the car, I realised I had the original key with me, as that was how I got out of the house!
The home minister, too, has been forgetting stuff – like filing reports – since recovering from Covid-19.
On Wednesday, she left a plastic container of food on the roof of her car and drove to work.
We joked that we’re not quite sure if it’s age catching up with us, or if it is a result of Covid-19.
On the bright side, her sense of smell has returned, although both of us still suffer from bad coughs and sore throats.
According to a Zoe Health study published in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet, people with Omicron often report sore throat and a hoarse voice. That was not as prevalent in Delta cases.
The study also revealed that the new Omicron subvariant labelled BA.4 and BA.5 appear to be causing a loss of sense of smell or taste once again.
The study also found that other symptoms that used to be prevalent – like fever, headaches, brain fog and eye soreness – happened less in Omicron cases.
However, they still occurred. I can attest to that as I have been getting frequent headaches and migraines.
Meanwhile, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that workforce expert Katie Bach, a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, testified at a House subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, July 19, that about 28 million working-age adults in the United States, and likely more to date, have developed long Covid after testing positive for the virus.
“Long Covid is leading millions of Americans to reduce their work schedules or stop working,” Bach wrote in her testimony ahead of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing.
Long Covid is something this website has addressed previously.
So, please have follow-up check-ups three to six months after you recover from Covid-19.
DOUBLE-DIGIT DEATHS IN ONE DAY FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE APRIL 26
Malaysia recorded 10 Covid-19 related deaths on Thursday, July 21, the first time since April 26 that the country had had double-digit deaths in a single day.
On that day, there were 13 fatalities. In the past week, Malaysia recorded 58 deaths, bringing the total to 35,902.
There were 30,117 cases in the past seven days, the highest since April 16-22, when we had 48,746 new infections.
Total cases stand at 4,644,115.
On the recovery front, 22,599 patients were cured of the coronavirus in the past week, making it 4,559,545 people who have beaten the virus.
Worldwide, there are 573,873,112 cases, and 6,401,183 fatalities.
UNNEIGHBOURLY
After speaking to some friends, we concluded that there is always one neighbour who is unneighbourly.
In my case, one family frequently parks their cars near the entrance to the lift in the basement. That makes it difficult to manoeuvre my car out of the parking lot, especially if the next-door neighbour’s car is there.
And they will leave the car there for hours.
These same neighbours stand inside the lift, hold the doors open and continue chatting for 10-15 minutes, not caring if others need to use it.
I noticed them in the lift when I walked down to get something from the in-house mini-market; and they were still holding the doors when I got back.
I got upset when I saw an elderly gentleman struggling to walk down the stairs.
I walked up, told the family off and asked them to be considerate as others needed to use the lift.
The reply was: “Oh, but this is an urgent conversation.” Luckily, the mother then closed the door.
Recently, another neighbour caught this family opening his water filter tanks in the basement to take water for their plants.
When he told them off, they replied: “We are helping you flush out the water!”
He has since bought new locks to ensure they cannot steal his water.
DAIRY-FREE LASAGNE
For the health conscious, here is a dairy-free lasagne with vegan ragu from Mark Bittman to try.
I FORGOT TO REMEMBER TO FORGET
To end this week’s Diary, we have John Prine and Mac Wiseman with ‘I Forgot to Remember to Forget’ from their 2007 album, ‘Standard Songs for Average People’. It goes with the main article of the Diary.
It is a cover of Elvis Presley’s first charting hit and first No. 1 record nationally.
The King of Rock and Roll recorded his version on July 11, 1955.
Other big names to cover the song include The Beatles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Bob Dylan.
Until next week, stay safe.