Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #109

[BetteDavisEyes]

After months of deliberation about whether or not we should take a cruise in January 2023, DH and I finalized our plans for the 10-night Caribbean sailing. We booked an evening flight to Fort Lauderdale and will spend one night at a hotel near the cruise port. At this time, there are no special restrictions or testing requirements for fully vaccinated passengers, and unvaccinated passengers are also welcome with proof of Covid test three days prior to sailing. Of course, a lot can happen between now and late January, so we will continue to check our booking for updates over the next four months. Airline tickets and cruise are fully insured, and hotel accommodations can be cancelled at any time without penalty.

Princess Cruises: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

From pre-cruise preparations to post-cruise disembarkation, get the answers you’re looking for from our cruise FAQ.

www.princess.com

 

[ilovewings]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/09/24/is-the-pandemic-over/

Is the Pandemic Over? judge for yourself

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Opinion | Biden said the pandemic is over. Is it?

His words made it unclear what the remaining public health problems are, including long Covid, and what exactly needs to be done about them.

www.nbcnews.com

During a CBS “60 Minutes” interview that aired on Sunday, President Joe Biden said the SARS CoV-2 pandemic was over. The most remarkable thing about his words might be that many people will believe, or worse, amplify, them in the most literal sense.

After all, our country was already in a place where there could be substantial disagreement on whether the nearly 65,000 preventable Covid-related deaths to date since April 30 — around when deaths from the massive BA1 omicron variant surge subsided — could constitute the pandemic being over.

If Biden was referring to the emergency phase of the pandemic being over, his statement is in some ways correct — at least for now. This is largely because the health care system is not currently overwhelmed by Covid patients, vaccines are widely available (including for children), there are substantial levels of hybrid immunity (for the moment) and we have very effective prophylactics and treatments for those who are vulnerable to a severe outcome...

 

[weepingangel]

‘Very Harmful’ Lack of Data Blunts U.S. Response to Outbreaks
Major data gaps, the result of decades of underinvestment in public health, have undercut the government response to the coronavirus and now to monkeypox.

‘Very Harmful’ Lack of Data Blunts U.S. Response to Outbreaks

Major data gaps, the result of decades of underinvestment in public health, have undercut the government response to the coronavirus and now to monkeypox.

web.archive.org

 

[weepingangel]

Well this certainly looks familiar. Autumn begins and cases are rising in the northeast.

Overall (nationwide) cases and hospitalizations are decreasing while deaths increase.

 

[jjenny]

Well this certainly looks familiar. Autumn begins and cases are rising in the northeast.

Overall (nationwide) cases and hospitalizations are decreasing while deaths increase.

Get your boosters, people!

 

[ilovewings]

Get your boosters, people!

I got my third booster in July- it has been only a little more than a couple months and I am not comfortable getting another booster so soon. I think I will wait until 4 or 5 months before i get the bivalent booster.

 

[Lilibet]

I got my third booster in July- it has been only a little more than a couple months and I am not comfortable getting another booster so soon. I think I will wait until 4 or 5 months before i get the bivalent booster.

Here’s info to consider…

What to know about getting updated Covid-19 booster, flu shot at the same time | CNN

Fall and winter are around the corner, which means not only is it time to get your flu shot, but US health officials are urging everyone who is eligible to get their updated Covid-19 booster, too.

www.cnn.com

Right now I’m 4 months out from my booster and I’m getting both booster and flu shot ASAP. I’d probably get the booster if I were only 2 months out simply because we’re heading into the “sick season.”

 

[weepingangel]

WHO warns ability to identify new Covid variants is diminishing as testing declines

Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO's Covid-19 technical lead, said the virus is spreading rapidly and continues to evolve even as deaths from the disease decline.

www.cnbc.com

 

[Sundog]

Get your omicron-specific Covid booster by Halloween, says Dr. Jha: 'You don't want to be that person who gives it to your grandma'

Dr. Ashish Jha has an easy-to-remember deadline for when you should get the new omicron-specific booster shot: Halloween. Here's why.

www.cnbc.com

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

I got my third booster in July- it has been only a little more than a couple months and I am not comfortable getting another booster so soon. I think I will wait until 4 or 5 months before i get the bivalent booster.

DH and I also got our second boosters in July. I agree that it seems too soon to get another. We will plan on getting the bivalent booster closer to our cruise at the end of January, unless there is a major uptick in cases. We will get our annual flu shots in mid-October.

 

[Sundog]

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla tests positive for COVID-19 for second time in less than 2 months

Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said on Saturday that the coronavirus "is still with us" after he tested positive for the second time in less than two months.

www.foxbusiness.com

 

[CSIDreamer]

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla tests positive for COVID-19 for second time in less than 2 months

Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla said on Saturday that the coronavirus "is still with us" after he tested positive for the second time in less than two months.

www.foxbusiness.com

I was just coming to post that. No one is exempt from Covid. JMO

 

[MimosaMornings]

My medical group sent out a notification via our patient portal to get the new boosters as soon as possible, wait time was two months since last booster.

Getting a booster every 3-5 months doesn’t bother me, getting Covid does. Long Covid especially.

I’m not a lucky person. Plus who takes of the caregiver when he/she is sick, been there done that.
JMO

 

[weepingangel]

Apologies if I already posted these

'The tools are getting picked off’: An ever-mutating mix of COVID variants means fewer and less effective treatments this fall

One up and coming variant renders society’s last universal COVID antibody drug powerless, experts say. Another variant isn’t far behind it.

fortune.com

New COVID variants may evade current treatments—or render them entirely ineffective, experts say

One rising variant, BA.2.75.2, is particularly concerning for its potential to thwart the last monoclonal antibody left in the COVID arsenal: Bebtelovimab.

fortune.com

https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/preliminary-data-point-challenges-new-covid-variants-present

Why Omicron Might Stick Around - The New York Times​

Sept. 22, 2022Updated 9:45 a.m. ET
Omicron, the 13th named variant of the coronavirus, seems to have a remarkable capacity to evolve new tricks.

archive.ph

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Canada is lifting all COVID-19 border and travel restrictions

Canada has been gradually lifting its COVID-related restrictions to fully reopen its economy, with travel measures being the rules in place.

www.detroitnews.com

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government will end its mandatory vaccination, testing and quarantine requirements for international travelers at the end of the month.

The removal of border restrictions puts Canada alongside dozens of countries in entering a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic by ending measures meant to slow the spread of the virus.

Starting Saturday, all travelers entering Canada will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination, undergo testing, quarantine or isolate, or submit public health information to the government’s app or website, officials said Monday morning in Ottawa...

 

[ilovewings]

DH and I also got our second boosters in July. I agree that it seems too soon to get another. We will plan on getting the bivalent booster closer to our cruise at the end of January, unless there is a major uptick in cases. We will get our annual flu shots in mid-October.

Makes good sense

 

[ilovewings]

Canada is lifting all COVID-19 border and travel restrictions

Canada has been gradually lifting its COVID-related restrictions to fully reopen its economy, with travel measures being the rules in place.

www.detroitnews.com

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government will end its mandatory vaccination, testing and quarantine requirements for international travelers at the end of the month.

The removal of border restrictions puts Canada alongside dozens of countries in entering a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic by ending measures meant to slow the spread of the virus.

Starting Saturday, all travelers entering Canada will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination, undergo testing, quarantine or isolate, or submit public health information to the government’s app or website, officials said Monday morning in Ottawa...

I heard today on the news that the 90% of Canadians are vaccinated- unlike here in the US where it might be 60+ something of people vaccinated. That is why they have changed their policy.

 

[ilovewings]

CDC no longer recommends universal masking in health facilities

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer recommends universal masking in health care settings, unless the facilities are in areas of high COVID-19 transmission. The agency quietly issued the updates as part of an overhaul to its infection control guidance for health workers...

www.yahoo.com

 

[ilovewings]

CDC no longer recommends universal masking in health facilities

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention no longer recommends universal masking in health care settings, unless the facilities are in areas of high COVID-19 transmission. The agency quietly issued the updates as part of an overhaul to its infection control guidance for health workers...

www.yahoo.com

I plan to continue to mask up in health care facilities or at a doctor's office. Yesterday I went to see my podiatrist- she told me she has several patients who have had Covid. She requires masking in her office. It is a small office with a small waiting room.