Expect society will learn nothing when COVID-19 pandemic ends

Could the oxygen complex next to Merlis Belsher Place be used?

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic could be gone in record time, but it remains to be seen if that development would be truly appreciated.

Of course, the world has been in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic for some time with the pandemic’s reality taking hold in North America on March 11 and 12. It was on those days almost nine months ago the first restrictions and stoppages started to take hold in North America to combat COVID-19.

Near the end of the November, news broke over mainstream media outlets that there are three vaccine candidates that can be rolled out in 2021.

Over this past week, stories broke that vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna could begin arriving in Canada early in 2021. Two other vaccines produced by AstraZeneca and Janssen could be in Canada during the second quarter of 2021.

The first cases of COVID-19 were reported in late December of 2019, and the fact there is talk about four credible vaccines that can combat this virus within a 365 day time period is incredible.

At the moment, the world record for fastest effective vaccine was set in 1967, when Merck licensed an inoculation for mumps in just four years.

Downtown Saskatoon back on March 22.

It is safe to say medical science has come a long way since the 1960s, which is why we are already talking about COVID-19 vaccines in a time span within a year. There has also been a big push throughout the world to create a COVID-19 vaccine.

As the mainstream media reports about the potential rollout for vaccines for COVID-19, you actually start to let yourself get optimistic that everything in the world could potentially return to normal in September of 2021.

If the world does return to normal by September of 2021 due to COVID-19 vaccines, I believe the bulk of human society in general won’t truly appreciate what happened. I believe humanity as a collective will just brush off the COVID-19 pandemic as a blip on the radar, if vaccines allow the world to return to normal in September of 2021.

While that scenario would shatter the world record for fastest vaccine, I believe it would enable society in general to act like the spoiled little kid who gets everything he or she wants.

It would be like, “That wasn’t a big deal, and now I am going to go back to living my life like I did before the pandemic.”

Will facemasks remain a necessity for a while yet?

While the vaccine stories have been big ones, they have run alongside continuing stories over the past two weeks of seemingly constant new case records for COVID-19 in Canada and the United States. In some spots there are new fatality records due to COVID-19.

The United States is starting to see days of experiencing over 2,800 deaths per day due to COVID-19 over this past week.

There has been talk of establishing field hospitals in Alberta. In Saskatchewan, there has been talk of trying to make adjustments to avoid using field hospitals that have been set up at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon and Evraz Place in Regina for as long as possible.

Both field hospitals are sitting ready but haven’t seen any patients to date.

Despite all the surging COVID-19 cases and a new round of various restrictions across Canada that have come with them, there are still way too many people that act like the COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t exist.

To be fair, there are a lot of people in society that take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, and they will cherish things more in everyday life that are taken for granted when the pandemic does end.  

With that said, there is a sizable minority that is too big that doesn’t take it seriously, which brings everything down.

You can see those examples as well in the sports world, which will reflect society to a certain extent.

Lots try to emulate “T.O.” in the pandemic.

A return to normal by September of next year would help the sports world in Canada. Even if that plays out, many sports bodies and teams would still have to deal with the reality of significant financial losses that were sustained in the pandemic in attempting to play during it.

In the current world, humanity in general seems content to live trying to be their best respective versions of former NFL diva receiver Terrell Owens.

At the moment, the world’s best option to get out of the COVID-19 pandemic is if the vaccines that have been created deliver results, because society in general can’t get on the same page.

It would be a great development, if the world returned to normal by September of next year.

If the world does return to normal under that scenario, you can unfortunately expect society as a collective will quickly forget about the COVID-19 pandemic and basically learn nothing from that whole experience.

Bedard back training in Canada, other notes

Connor Bedard is back into his off-season routine.

The skilled centre from North Vancouver, B.C., was selected first overall in April’s WHL Bantam Draft by the Regina Pats having already been granted exceptional player status to play full-time as a 15-year-old rookie on the major junior circuit. He is the first player to be granted exceptional player status to play in the WHL.

As a 14-year-old with West Vancouver Academy’s under-18 team playing in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League in 2019-20, Bedard piled up 43 goals and 41 assists for 84 points in 36 games. He was named the MVP of the CSSHL’s under-18 division.

With the start of the WHL season being pushed back currently to January 8, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bedard went overseas to play games in Sweden to prepare for the 2020-21 WHL campaign. The hockey season in Sweden was halted due to rising COVID-19 cases in that country.

As a result, Bedard returned to Canada. Having quarantined for 14 days, Bedard hits the ice for six to seven times a week and works out doing dryland training five to six times a week.

On Thursday, he spoke with the media during an online media conference.

“I’ve kind of been treating it like it was the summer,” said Bedard about being home again. “I go workout and train.

“Obviously, I wish I could be in Regina playing right now, but that is not the case. You kind of just have to adapt and try to figure out the best way to improve your game.”

Greg Harder of the Regina Leader-Post caught up with Bedard for a story in late November. In that piece, Bedard said he got back home on November 13.

In Sweden, Bedard played four games with HV71, which his based in Jonkoping, in that country’s under-20 league collecting two goals and two assists. He played one game with HV71 in Sweden’s under-18 league netting one goal and one assist.

During the media conference on Thursday, Bedard said his stay in Sweden was originally supposed to last longer.

“I was going to come back the third of December, and I was going to play like maybe 10 to 15 more games or somewhere around there,” said Bedard, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 165 pounds. “Their season got stuck until the new year, so I decided to come back.

“I am just training trying to get ready for our year.”

Still, he said the time he spent in Sweden was beneficial.

“I think being in a schedule made it a lot more normal,” said Bedard. “I am kind of at the rink all day.”

He found he improved his puck control skills on the bigger sized ice surfaces that are used in Europe.

“That (puck control) is something they focus on a lot and kind of being able to protect the puck,” said Bedard. “Coming back now when I am on the ice, I feel like that has gotten better.”

As for life away from the rink, Bedard said he found it different seeing people in Sweden getting around riding skis that were on wheels, which allowed them to ski on the streets.

When it came to communicating with family and friends back home online, he found he was often going to bed, while they were waking up. Bedard did all his schooling online.

Now back home, Bedard is focused on being ready for when the Pats get going.

He was asked about potentially returning to Sweden, if the start of the WHL campaign got pushed back again.

“It is a thought,” said Bedard. “I am kind of just hoping that we can get going here.”

Bedard said he was aware that the number of new COVID-19 cases had been surging in Canada, while he was away. Now when he works out during dryland sessions, he wears a facemask.

When asked about how worried he was about the WHL season coming up due to how the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench into things, Bedard said he just tries to focus on his training.

 “Honestly, I try not to think about it,” said Bedard. “I’m not in the meetings.

“I’m not one of the ones trying to schedule it. I honestly have no clue what is going on. Obviously, we are still planning for that start.

“Anything can happen. I’m just trying to train for that start. Hopefully, it goes, but if it doesn’t, I kind of just keep training and see what happens.”

• On Wednesday, CurlSask caused a bit of a panic using the word “cancellation” in a tweet regarding the upcoming women’s and men’s Saskatchewan provincial curling championships, which were slated to run Jan. 29 to Feb. 7, 2021 in Estevan at Affinity Place. A clarification was sent out that the women’s and men’s championships wouldn’t be hosted in Estevan. A release said CurlSask has four scenarios to declare Saskatchewan’s representatives at the Scotties and the Brier, which are the respective women’s and men’s Canadian curling championships. CurlSask did not expand on those scenarios.
• As of Friday night, the 50/50 jackpot for the Hockey Harvest Lottery sat at $240,130. The lottery is being used to raise money for the player scholarship funds of Saskatchewan’s five WHL teams in the Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince Albert Raiders, Regina Pats, Saskatoon Blades and the Swift Current Broncos. Tickets can be purchased by clicking right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy tickets.
• As of Friday night, the December jackpot for the Saskatchewan Amateur Football Mega 50/50 lottery sat at $4,420. The funds from this 50/50 lottery will go to support the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder and the WWCFL’s Saskatoon Valkyries and Regina Riot. One prize will be drawn per month, and the draw dates are December 31, 2020, January 31, 2021, February 28, 2021, March 31, 2021, April 30, 2021 and May 31, 2021. Tickets can be purchased by clicking right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy tickets.
• On Friday, the University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team announced their NCAA regular season road games on Friday and Saturday night against the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers in Minneapolis, Minn., had been postponed. The decision was made by University of Wisconsin medical officials after positive COVID-19 tests were found within the Badgers women’s hockey program. The Wisconsin State Journal reported on Friday that at least two Badgers players had tested positive for COVID-19. The Badgers roster contains Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA hockey team alums and sisters Sophie and Grace Shirley. Sophie recorded her 50^th career goal and 100^th career point when the Badgers split their first two games of the 2020-21 campaign on the road against the Ohio State University Buckeyes.
• On Friday, the Boston University Terriers women’s hockey team opened their 2020-21 NCAA campaign slipping past the University of New Hampshire Wildcats 2-1 in Durham, New Hampshire. Saskatoon Stars female under-18 AAA hockey alumna Mackenna Parker had an assist on the Terriers first goal. Stars alumna Nara Elia is the Terriers captain this season.
• The WHL’s Saskatoon Blades have a fantastic new store in Midtown Plaza in Saskatoon. It is a definite stop for Christmas gift ideas.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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