Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #97

[LadyL]

It takes about one nano-second to check in. I think people here understand that it is part of what is keeping us as safe as possible.
All they get is your phone number, so they can reach you if you are at risk.

We are all pretty freaked out when we think of covid spreading throughout Australia, or that we have been in the same venue at the same time as a covid-positive person.
We have been watching what is happening and are trying our hardest to minimise the damage here.
No big inconvenience, or breach of privacy.

The QR code info drops off the state Health Dept's database after 28 days. It can't possibly hold all the QR code data for more than that, there is so much of it.

oh it sounded more invasive than that
still, they would riot here
I wish I lived in Aussieland

 

[LadyL]

Canada will vaccinate anyone with warm blood. One doesn't need to be a citizen or resident, neither is a health card necessary. You don't need any ID, although without ID I don't know how the vaccination is documented. You don't need to have had your first shot in Canada.

I know this because I've been working at the mass clinics since March.

The goal is to vaccinate everyone, and by doing so, we are all safer.

that's not true where I am
each venue we went to required health card before and after shot
I'm in the same province as you

ETA: I'm going to check with my family members to see if they all were required to show a health card

 

[SoCalDavidS]

-

US on a path "strikingly similar" to Delta outbreak in UK, Fauci says

“Since an acceleration of vaccines doesn't give a result until several weeks after, we are already on a trajectory that looks strikingly similar to the sharp incline that the UK saw,” Fauci said during a discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Fauci said this is what he “projects” will happen. “You never can guarantee it's going to be accurate, but I think this is what's going to happen,” he said.

“Remember, we went from an average of about 12 to 15,000 cases a day to 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 – we're up to 70 now. We are going to be between 100 and 200,000 cases before this thing starts to turn around.”
Fauci said this acceleration further enforces the importance of vaccines now.

“In order to make sure that by the time we get into the fall we don't continue to accelerate but turn around and start coming down acutely, we've got to get those 93 million people who are eligible to be vaccinated, who are not getting vaccinated."

Did the UK have Murderous Governors who give half hearted endorsements of vaccines, and actively encouraged people NOT to wear masks, to the point of forbidding any kind of mask wearing requirements?

We've done so spectacular so far, I wouldn't be surprised if we sail past Dr. Fauci's 200,000 prediction by September.

 

[musicaljoke]

that's not true where I am
each venue we went to required health card before and after shot
I'm in the same province as you

ETA: I'm going to check with my family members to see if they all were required to show a health card

Everyone is asked to show a health card, but if they don't have a health card, or if they've lost it, they can still be vaccinated.

You don't need Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) coverage to get a vaccine in Ontario. The Ontario government announced that people without a health card are eligible for the vaccine.

This includes people with temporary status, such as refugee claimants with Interim Federal Health coverage and international students who don't have OHIP. It also includes people with no status.

The City of Toronto and its community partners continue to support the vaccination of residents without OHIP cards

Residents without OHIP cards can now book vaccine appointments at city-run clinics

 

[KALI]

I don't know how they'll ever catch up. So many people caught in purgatory while they wait.

Rise in COVID cases cause Travis County (Texas) to halt jury trials again

A few weeks after Travis County reopened its courts to jury trials to address a substantial backlog of cases, county officials on Monday closed courthouses to the public once again as the Austin area found itself in the grip of another surge of coronavirus cases.

Late last week, officials announced that only about 16 beds were available in intensive care units across 11 Central Texas counties as COVID-19 cases continued to climb.

 

[weepingangel]

US Covid-19: Utah will give KN95 masks to children as the Delta variant fuels hospitalizations nationwide - CNN

 

[Cubby]

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Did the UK have Murderous Governors who give half hearted endorsements of vaccines, and actively encouraged people NOT to wear masks, to the point of forbidding any kind of mask wearing requirements?

We've done so spectacular so far, I wouldn't be surprised if we sail past Dr. Fauci's 200,000 prediction by September.

And it was this kind of behavior which led me to start talking about mask and vaccine refusal equating to suicide by covid. Just slower than suicide by cop.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Here, in Australia, before we receive the vaccine, they ask to see your Medicare card.
Or you can fill your details in online and put your medicare card and other details.

I did mine online and didn't realise you were supposed to do it again for your second shot so I ended up having to fill out the paper form.

how can they lie? do they not have to show i.d.? here in Canada we show our health card - I know you don't have that there but is it not regulated somehow??

 

[TootsieFootsie]

When I received my second shot, the nurse said I didn't look anywhere near my age. Which is always nice to hear lol.

Later on I thought I should have asked her how could she tell, with my face covered up ?

Especially seeing my mask covers most of my face

I think the ones I have are too big for my face.

 

[KALI]

How are your small businesses surviving?

They are modelling and remodelling and remodelling the vaccination rates required here, at the moment.

I was reading yesterday that if Australia opens up at a 70% vaccined rated, we can expect 1,900 covid deaths - which would be MASSIVE for Australia and quite unacceptable to our society.

So we can expect low level restrictions to stay in place, even when we reach a 70% vaccined rate.
With low level restrictions, they think we would reduce the deaths to perhaps 16 covid deaths.

Although phases B, C and D bring gradually looser COVID rules, the Doherty Institute said that keeping even those “low-level restrictions and optimal TTIQ” would reduce those numbers by 100-fold; down to 16 deaths and 2700 infections.
The COVID rules Australia will have to learn to live with

(TTIQ = test, trace, isolate and quarantine)

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I have to say that I have been pretty wary of installing the app. I had the wrong idea that your every move would be tracked, but it's not like that. And not compulsory anyway. It really is to help keep us all safe.

I held out for ages but finally decided to install it.

And it doesn't follow you everywhere. It's up to you if you want to use it and they just get your phone number so you can be contacted if the venue you've been in has a positive case.
I've only been using it for a week. No more lining up to write your details down or having to use a public screen which heaps have been touching.
I set it it up to remember my details and it now takes seconds to check in.

I feel a lot less scared and feel much safer since I started using it.

It takes about one nano-second to check in. I think people here understand that it is part of what is keeping us as safe as possible.
All they get is your phone number, so they can reach you if you are at risk.

We are all pretty freaked out when we think of covid spreading throughout Australia, or that we have been in the same venue at the same time as a covid-positive person.
We have been watching what is happening and are trying our hardest to minimise the damage here.
No big inconvenience, or breach of privacy.

The QR code info drops off the state Health Dept's database after 28 days. It can't possibly hold all the QR code data for more than that, there is so much of it.

 

[SouthAussie]

How are your small businesses surviving?

They seem to be doing okay. None of them have permanently closed their doors.

They had govt support during the worst of it. Even for the week we were locked down (a couple of weeks ago) small-medium businesses were given $3,000 to assist them.
And all employees who had no leave entitlements were given $600 for the lockdown week. (I applied on Wednesday, and received my $600 the next day, straight into my bank account - and I am a subcontractor, not even an employee.)

And many of us patronise them for take away meals - when they can't open - to keep them in business.
I am going to dinner on Sunday. 50% capacity will be allowed by then (25% capacity allowed right now), masks on until you eat, and this particular Thai restaurant has a thriving take-away-meals business also.
They are doing two seatings a night, to control the numbers. One at 5pm and one at 7:30pm.

The thing about us all having to check in with QR codes, is that it gives the Health authorities confidence that they can track down contacts when they need to. So that allows businesses to stay open - with fluctuating capacity numbers, depending where we are at covid-wise.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Haha thanks, I love the Santa pic

A contact tracing tool. We check in on an app every time we enter a venue. Then each state can find out who else was there, if an infected person was there.
Every venue has its own QR code.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

What a wonderful country Canada is.

I wish every country thought like that.

Canada will vaccinate anyone with warm blood. One doesn't need to be a citizen or resident, neither is a health card necessary. You don't need any ID, although without ID I don't know how the vaccination is documented. You don't need to have had your first shot in Canada.

I know this because I've been working at the mass clinics since March.

The goal is to vaccinate everyone, and by doing so, we are all safer.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

We've had some businesses close down, some last year after the first time when everything closed.
Some were chains that closed and not all of them reopened again.

Our Target store closed in October 2020, but I think that was going to happen anyway.

And one small business said they were closing due to retirement, not sure if Covid brought it on or was anything at all to do with them closing.

 

[SouthAussie]

We've had some businesses close down, some last year after the first time when everything closed.
Some were chains that closed and not all of them reopened again.

Our Target store closed in October 2020, but I think that was going to happen anyway.

And one small business said they were closing due to retirement, not sure if Covid brought it on or was anything at all to do with them closing.

I think businesses in country towns are often teetering on the brink of closure. The population isn't always large enough to adequately sustain their business. We see that in SA country towns, even pre-covid.

I haven't yet seen this, in the city. But we have been using QR codes for a long time now, their use is extremely natural here. We are very used to it. I think that this has helped keep businesses open, tremendously.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Oh yes the QR codes have been here for ages also.

The NSW Service Covid Login ones rolled out all at the same time all over New South Wales, pretty quickly last year.

It was just me being wary, and holding out and I didn't need to because it was not some way to keep track of us.

QR codes have actually been around for many years, in catalogues, shop windows, real estate mags.etc, plugging one thing or another.
I have used those over the years.

I wonder if they call them by a different name in other countries ?

I haven't yet seen this, in the city. But we have been using QR codes for a long time now, their use is extremely natural here. I think that this has helped keep businesses open, tremendously.

 

[musicaljoke]

Oh yes the QR codes have been here for ages also.

The NSW Service Covid Login ones rolled out all at the same time all over New South Wales, pretty quickly last year.

It was just me being wary, and holding out and I didn't need to because it was not some way to keep track of us.

QR codes have actually been around for many years, in catalogues, shop windows, real estate mags.etc, plugging one thing or another.
I have used those over the years.

I wonder if they call them by a different name in other countries ?

Our local stores, churches and other gathering places are doing hand written contact tracing sheets (!) and screening at the door. We are rather in the dark ages about this.

 

[musicaljoke]

F.D.A. Aims to Give Final Approval to Pfizer Vaccine by Early Next Month

WASHINGTON — With a new surge of Covid-19 infections ripping through much of the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has accelerated its timetable to fully approve Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine, aiming to complete the process by the start of next month, people involved in the effort said.
...
A number of universities and hospitals, the Defense Department and at least one major city, San Francisco, are expected to mandate inoculation once a vaccine is fully approved. Final approval could also help mute misinformation about the safety of vaccines and clarify legal issues about mandates.

 

[WichitaFalls]

F.D.A. Aims to Give Final Approval to Pfizer Vaccine by Early Next Month

WASHINGTON — With a new surge of Covid-19 infections ripping through much of the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has accelerated its timetable to fully approve Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine, aiming to complete the process by the start of next month, people involved in the effort said.
...
A number of universities and hospitals, the Defense Department and at least one major city, San Francisco, are expected to mandate inoculation once a vaccine is fully approved. Final approval could also help mute misinformation about the safety of vaccines and clarify legal issues about mandates.

There are several reasons to hope things might actually get better later this year and FDA approval for Pfizer is a big one. The private sector is stepping up to the plate as far as vaccine requirements along with NYC (San Fran to follow) and the rate of vaccinations is going up in some of the hardest hit areas of America. I know we have some dark days ahead but I'm so hopeful that positive steps being taken now will lead to better days later this year? I'm wishing for the chance to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with family after last year all on my own.