Canada - Coronavirus COVID-19 #3

[otto]

This sounds like a clear message that Canadians should be cautious with covid around the 6-8 months mark post-vaccine. Israel is described as the canary in the mine, warning other countries with high population vaccination levels that immunity wears off after a few months.

"Israel has become the Covid capital of the world despite leading the charge on vaccines, in a clear warning sign that Britain, the US and other highly-immunised nations are still vulnerable to another wave.

Stats compiled by Oxford University-backed research team Our World in Data shows there were a record 1,892 Covid cases per million people in Israel on Wednesday — nearly 0.2 per cent of the entire population in a single day.
...

But the country has consistently reported some of the highest infection rates in the world since mid-August amid an unprecedented third wave, despite being one of the most vaccinated nations in the world.​

Israel is now the world's Covid hotspot with almost 0.2% of population catching it yesterday | Daily Mail Online

 

[tarabull]

Effective September 22:
Ontario Newsroom

 

[JDG]

Britain is giving booster shots to health care workers, vulnerable people and the elderly starting next week.

Age groups for ‘elderly’ have not yet been sorted.

source: Daily Mail.

Boris Johnson gives go-ahead for



ETA: could someone please make a working link for me? Thank you.

 

[tarabull]

Ontario sees COVID-19 vaccine appointments double after announcing passport program

 

[otto]

Britain is giving booster shots to health care workers, vulnerable people and the elderly starting next week.

Age groups for ‘elderly’ have not yet been sorted.

source: Daily Mail.

Boris Johnson gives go-ahead for



ETA: could someone please make a working link for me? Thank you.

This?

Boris Johnson confirms elderly and vulnerable patients will get third dose of Covid vaccine in weeks | Daily Mail Online

 

[JDG]

Yes, thank you very much. That’s the one.

I guess with Israel and Britain taking these steps, it won’t be long until we need boosters as well.

I noticed that in Britain, people will be getting the flu shot at the same time. Don’t think I’d want that….

 

[otto]

There's a CBC article about BC being ready to administer boosters, but my opinion is that a better vaccine is needed.

 

[KALI]

Next door neighbor here in San Diego told me tonight that after sending her boys, 6 and 8 years old to school for the first time this week, they are now in quarantine with positive Covid.
My chef (hugely important to our ability to keep our restaurant open), went home for second time this week, feeling ill. Her son is in the same school as our neighbors kids.
*** when my neighbor with her sick boys, Asked the school nurse if Covid was going around the school? The nurse replied "I am not allowed to tell you".
Who mandates schools to not disclose Covid?
If my child was at this school I'd certainly want to know if Covid was a problem.
**** Thankfully my neighbor's children are up and about and feeling fine.
My neighbor and her husband, vaccinated in March, tested not to be infected.

 

[Sundog]

Yes, thank you very much. That’s the one.

I guess with Israel and Britain taking these steps, it won’t be long until we need boosters as well.

I noticed that in Britain, people will be getting the flu shot at the same time. Don’t think I’d want that….

When I spoke with our pharmacist a few weeks ago about the booster shot for DH who is eligible now, she said he could come in at any time and just fill out the paperwork there. I also asked her about the flu shot, how much time between each vaccines (flu and Pfizer) should we plan for. She said the CDC has advised pharmacists to give the flu shot and the Covid vaccine shot at the same time.

 

[JDG]

Well, that’s fine for those who want it but I want my shots a week apart.

If you have both the same day, then have a reaction, you won’t know which one was the cause.

Our physicians/pharmacists get paid per service, so it’s better for them to give you two appointments anyway, financially.

I think the dual vaccines are because of the sheer numbers and to expedite the programs.

Not for me, thanks.

 

[Sundog]

Well, that’s fine for those who want it but I want my shots a week apart.

If you have both the same day, then have a reaction, you won’t know which one was the cause.

Our physicians/pharmacists get paid per service, so it’s better for them to give you two appointments anyway, financially.

I think the dual vaccines are because of the sheer numbers and to expedite the programs.

Not for me, thanks.

I think that the reason for the dual shots is to try to get more people vaccinated for the flu shot - especially for the many people who don't routinely get the flu shot. When they show up for the booster, they will try to give them both, and vice versa.

I plan to get my flu shot and booster shot (if I decide to get it) about two weeks apart.

 

[otto]

If you trust the Canadian federal government, and believe that vaccinations means you are fully protected from covid variants, I suppose it's time to resume life as it was before covid. If not, wide open borders to international travellers might mean being far more careful with masking, hand washing, avoiding public / crowded places and making personal decisions about covid avoidance.

"On Sept. 7, Canada plans to open its borders to fully vaccinated travellers from across the globe, and let them skip the country's 14-day quarantine requirement.

The rule change is significant, as most non-essential foreign travellers have been barred from entering Canada since the start of the pandemic.

The federal government started to relax the rules last month, when it began allowing fully vaccinated Americans to enter and skip quarantine.

But some are questioning if Canada will actually go ahead with its current plans, because on multiple websites, the government continues to call Sept. 7 the "intended" or "tentative" start date for welcoming foreign travellers from outside the U.S."
​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/canada-travel-foreigners-vaccinated-1.6162956

 

[otto]

I suspect that Trudeau's decision to open the borders is tied to the early election that he called. He wants Canadians with family abroad to be happy that they can be united again. It also means increased tourism, and increased income for Canadian businesses. He wants all those Canadians to vote for him.

Realistically, opening the borders and eliminating quarantine is opening the door to global variants. Once they take hold in Canada, the decision cannot be undone by closing the borders again.

My opinion is that Trudeau has made this decision for personal reasons, and not based on any science that supports elimination of covid caution.

 

[JDG]

Anything to improve the poll numbers, eh. IMO, MOO

If many thousands die from variants brought in, oh well. Just vote before dying, eh?

Between the kiddies heading back to school and opening the borders, I may be having groceries delivered for the next couple of years & maintaining my hermit lifestyle for the foreseeable future.

 

[otto]

Anything to improve the poll numbers, eh. IMO, MOO

If many thousands die from variants brought in, oh well. Just vote before dying, eh?

Between the kiddies heading back to school and opening the borders, I may be having groceries delivered for the next couple of years & maintaining my hermit lifestyle for the foreseeable future.

I agree that foreign students arriving for post-secondary studies, k-12 children returning to school, wide open borders and new variants is a recipe for disaster in Canada. Universities are taking more precautions than the government - out of necessity.

I've relied on 100% online shopping in the last 6 months. I order groceries online and pick them up in the parking lot. Some grocery stores are better than others at checking expiry dates - that's one thing to watch carefully.

 

[otto]

Sounding the alarm across Canada about out of control numbers if precautions are not taken.

"Reported daily COVID-19 caseloads in Canada could reach unprecedented highs later this month if current levels of virus transmission are not reduced, new federal modelling data shows.

The modelling data, released Friday by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), also suggests that if public health measures are able to reduce the level of transmission across the country by 25 per cent, the fourth wave of the pandemic could soon plateau at a lower daily infection rate than the peaks of the second and third waves."
​

New federal modelling warns of 'ongoing rapid acceleration' of COVID-19 in Canada

 

[deugirtni]

I agree that foreign students arriving for post-secondary studies, k-12 children returning to school, wide open borders and new variants is a recipe for disaster in Canada. Universities are taking more precautions than the government - out of necessity.

I've relied on 100% online shopping in the last 6 months. I order groceries online and pick them up in the parking lot. Some grocery stores are better than others at checking expiry dates - that's one thing to watch carefully.

Just out of curiosity, how do you handle receiving products with limited time left before expiry? Must you accept those products since their expiry date is still valid, even though if you were shopping for yourself, you wouldn't have chosen it? Obviously retailers are getting the best options by picking and packing groceries on behalf of their customers since they can pick the earliest expiry dates, the produce which is perhaps just starting to wilt, or whatever, instead of allowing customers to rifle through the shelves to find the longest expiry dates and choose the best looking produce. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, since I completely understand the predicament of grocery stores in dealing with this sort of thing and trying to remain profitable. The thing I am noticing more and more just generally (I have never ordered groceries online yet.), is that expiry dates seem to be becoming sooner and sooner. ie I swear my mother had things on her shelves for YEARS and they were still edible, but buy something nowadays, and you maybe have a year, if you're lucky. I am usually very good about checking dates and have taught my boys to CHECK THE DAMN DATES if they pick something up at the grocery store, but the other day, I bought a shaker of something at Costco, just as kind of a humorous gift for someone as I had never seen it before.. and I was so peeved when I got home and noticed the expiry date is one month from now. The shaker stuff will last likely for a year at least as far as being used up. Costco, of all places, where they've got product coming in and going out so fast apparently??!! Do you pay extra for having the retailer do the picing/packing for you, or are groceries the same price as if you had shopped yourself?

 

[Sundog]

Just out of curiosity, how do you handle receiving products with limited time left before expiry? Must you accept those products since their expiry date is still valid, even though if you were shopping for yourself, you wouldn't have chosen it? Obviously retailers are getting the best options by picking and packing groceries on behalf of their customers since they can pick the earliest expiry dates, the produce which is perhaps just starting to wilt, or whatever, instead of allowing customers to rifle through the shelves to find the longest expiry dates and choose the best looking produce. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, since I completely understand the predicament of grocery stores in dealing with this sort of thing and trying to remain profitable. The thing I am noticing more and more just generally (I have never ordered groceries online yet.), is that expiry dates seem to be becoming sooner and sooner. ie I swear my mother had things on her shelves for YEARS and they were still edible, but buy something nowadays, and you maybe have a year, if you're lucky. I am usually very good about checking dates and have taught my boys to CHECK THE DAMN DATES if they pick something up at the grocery store, but the other day, I bought a shaker of something at Costco, just as kind of a humorous gift for someone as I had never seen it before.. and I was so peeved when I got home and noticed the expiry date is one month from now. The shaker stuff will last likely for a year at least as far as being used up. Costco, of all places, where they've got product coming in and going out so fast apparently??!! Do you pay extra for having the retailer do the picing/packing for you, or are groceries the same price as if you had shopped yourself?

I'm in Ohio, and we had been ordering online with our grocery store, Kroger, for over a year, until we got the vaccine. The employees at our store who put the order together at the store are mostly university students and this is their part time job. If something you order isn't available, they will text you and ask if you accept the substitute. If you don't respond, they leave the item off your order. They are college students, so they don't always look at the produce items closely or the expiry date on some of the products. So after you get home from picking up the groceries in the parking lot, or when your delivery arrives if you prefer to have them delivered, you can check the expiry dates and the produce freshness, etc. If you're not satisfied, you call a Kroger service center (it is not local) and tell them what product you are not satisfied with, and they will give you a refund, no questions asked. No need to return it to the grocery store. You can keep it or throw it out, it's up to you. It's a very generous policy, established so that you don't have to go back into the store to do returns.

The students try to get it right, they are very well trained and very conscientious employees at the store I go to, so it was easy to do. With the Delta variant surging in our communities, I am probably going to go back to pick up for groceries. I have been wearing my N95 masks so far to go inside the store and get out quickly, and but think that I will pause that for a few months, at least until after the booster shot.

 

[otto]

Just out of curiosity, how do you handle receiving products with limited time left before expiry? Must you accept those products since their expiry date is still valid, even though if you were shopping for yourself, you wouldn't have chosen it? Obviously retailers are getting the best options by picking and packing groceries on behalf of their customers since they can pick the earliest expiry dates, the produce which is perhaps just starting to wilt, or whatever, instead of allowing customers to rifle through the shelves to find the longest expiry dates and choose the best looking produce. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, since I completely understand the predicament of grocery stores in dealing with this sort of thing and trying to remain profitable. The thing I am noticing more and more just generally (I have never ordered groceries online yet.), is that expiry dates seem to be becoming sooner and sooner. ie I swear my mother had things on her shelves for YEARS and they were still edible, but buy something nowadays, and you maybe have a year, if you're lucky. I am usually very good about checking dates and have taught my boys to CHECK THE DAMN DATES if they pick something up at the grocery store, but the other day, I bought a shaker of something at Costco, just as kind of a humorous gift for someone as I had never seen it before.. and I was so peeved when I got home and noticed the expiry date is one month from now. The shaker stuff will last likely for a year at least as far as being used up. Costco, of all places, where they've got product coming in and going out so fast apparently??!! Do you pay extra for having the retailer do the picing/packing for you, or are groceries the same price as if you had shopped yourself?

The one grocery store that repeatedly provided nearly expired food and dinged-up fruit provided a full refund for those products. That was achieved in a phone call. It's unfortunate when the food is rotten because you plan meals and need everything that is ordered. After a few incidents like this, I switched grocery stores. I haven't had the same experience at the newly chosen shop.

There's no extra cost for online shopping and store pick-up. It is important to review the receipt for price errors. I was charged nearly $5 for 500 ml Ginger Ale bottle. It was a bizarre experience talking to customer service about the over-charge. The cost is $1.29. I pointed out that they charged triple the true cost, and the young woman at customer service kept insisting that I'd saved $0.60 in bottle deposit. It made no sense. It's as though she didn't understand numbers. She kept insisting that I'd saved 0.60 and ignored that I'd overpaid. Eventually she gave me a credit for the $5, but what an odd conversation. Shopping in person means we can avoid knowing that some employees speak nonsense.

 

[Sundog]

The one grocery store that repeatedly provided nearly expired food and dinged-up fruit provided a full refund for those products. That was achieved in a phone call. It's unfortunate when the food is rotten because you plan meals and need everything that is ordered. After a few incidents like this, I switched grocery stores. I haven't had the same experience at the newly chosen shop.

There's no extra cost for online shopping and store pick-up. It is important to review the receipt for price errors. I was charged nearly $5 for 500 ml Ginger Ale bottle. It was a bizarre experience talking to customer service about the over-charge. The cost is $1.29. I pointed out that they charged triple the true cost, and the young woman at customer service kept insisting that I'd saved $0.60 in bottle deposit. It made no sense. It's as though she didn't understand numbers. She kept insisting that I'd saved 0.60 and ignored that I'd overpaid. Eventually she gave me a credit for the $5, but what an odd conversation. Shopping in person means we can avoid knowing that some employees speak nonsense.

Our grocery pick up has to be for a minimum of $35, otherwise there is a charge for pick up. Also, I think delivery has a charge, regardless of the cost of the order. I haven't used delivery yet, so not sure what the cost is.