A look back to my photo archives for this same day in 2020, life then was simple and uncomplicated. That was a time of innocence before the USA had any real concerns about a novel coronavirus out of China. As everyone now knows, that obscure virus went on to become a World Pandemic known as COVID-19. However last January 3rd, I was out & about & living my life to the fullest. I absolutely was not stuck at home – to avoid contact with strangers. Sadly, I've since been reduced to photographing the TV screen. This is as close as I'm now willing to come to a group of strangers.

While flipping channels today, I noticed the scroll bar below this political headline story. That’s why I shot the image. Sadly, COVID vaccine rollout in the USA has not been going well so far. The vaccine is now available, but vulnerable people (desperate to get it to protect themselves against the virus) are having problems with getting vaccinated. Some experts have said that at the current rate, it will take 5 years to vaccine everyone in the USA against coronavirus who wants to be vaccinated.

Meanwhile the virus has already mutated into a strain that is much more contagious. Thus without vaccinations, more people will become victim to COVID more easily. And more people will become hospitalized and even die.

“Around the US, hospitals are racing to keep up with surges of Covid-19 patients at numbers they have not seen at any other time in the pandemic. On Sunday, the country reported 125,544 current Covid-19 hospitalizations, setting a new record, according to the Covid Tracking Project. The number has exceeded 100,000 for more than a month. Health experts worry what will happen to those numbers if infections continue to spread.” CNN

So in a way, the first part of 2020 was definitely better for the USA than 2021 has been. Last January, we all still were living a normal life without fear. That now seems like so long ago and so far away. After 10 months of social isolation, I almost forget what “normal” once felt like. But at least I do have last year’s photos to prove that a good normal really did once exist. January 2020's photos were "normal" photos of a very normal life. Active with everyday things (including being with crowds as our hometown football team celebrated winning in the playoffs & soon were headed to the Super Bowl), I was also happily getting ready for my own several week trip to Australia and New Zealand that was supposed to be in February 2020. Life was good. 2020 had a great start for us personally.

But that was then & this is now. The rest of 2020 happened and just won't quit. Instead, it is worsening in 2021.