Covid 19 - Updates from your zones

[Róisín]

The doctor wants me to have the third (booster) shot because I am immunocompromised from chemo.

[JoB]

The doctor wants me to have the third (booster) shot because I am immunocompromised from chemo.

So far, German regulations give the nod to booster shots (usually at the six-months-past mark) for immunocompromised people, those aged 70+, and a couple other conditions (that I don't remember offhand). However, the federal minister of health has now brought up a suggestion to effectively hand out boosters to every (willing) adult.

Relevant (IMHO) background info: It seems that the government is willing to donate the upcoming national surplus of vaccines to the Covax initiative, but the contracts say that in that case, the manufacturers effectively have veto rights - and, of course, a commercial interest to sell more doses than strictly necessary, even at a markdown ...

[Róisín]

Latest update here in South Australia today is no new cases, one case still active in the whole state, no deaths. May this continue! One can only hope. I think a large part of this is that most people here are actually doing the mask/distancing/hand washing thing, and that the authorities are being a bit more careful about hotel ‘quarantine’ than they had been - our last few bad outbreaks have been infections that spread out from the quarantine hotels (which are in the middle of the city) via staff who were infected by patients, lousy air conditioning that spread the virus from infected patients to uninfected people in quarantine, guards or staff who happened to be in the hotel corridors when doors were opened and when they did not have adequate PPE, or some people who just decided that they had had enough and found ways to get out - we have one of those loose at present. But the overall trend seems to be fewer infections.

[Yastreb]

In Victoria there were more than 1,200 cases and twelve deaths reported yesterday, while at the same time meanwhile COVID-19 restrictions are being eased.
Demonstrations against the expected restrictions to be imposed once vaccinations pass the 90% level have been both large and impassioned, with nooses being displayed and a man arrested after he called for people to bring guns to the demonstrations and Premier Daniel Andrews to be killed.

[Róisín]

Yastreb, I find myself really worried about the protestors over there. They seem to have picked up the more extreme ‘freedum’ nonsense of the American far right, and that may well see many more deaths. Wish you were here where you could be a little safer. Look after you and yours as you can!

[Yastreb]

I wish I was there so I could be more help to you, Róisín.

I'll be on my guard. My friends, bless the Fates, seem to be in the sensible end of the continuum.

[Róisín]

I am relieved to hear that! Look after yourself!

[Yastreb]

So-called "freedom rallies" have been held in state capitals across Australia.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-protest-live-updates-thousands-expected-at-anti-pandemic-bill-rally-in-cbd-20211119-p59aiw.html

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/20/australia-covid-protests-threats-against-traitorous-politicians-as-thousands-rally-in-capital-cities

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/thousands-take-to-melbourne-s-cbd-in-separate-pandemic-law-protest-and-counter-rally-20211120-p59al2.html

I did get some amusement from this...

A Sydney demonstrator carried a “kill the bill” sign, despite there being no such bill in NSW

[JoB]

I did get some amusement from this...

A Sydney demonstrator carried a “kill the bill” sign, despite there being no such bill in NSW

Chances are he'd happily reply "I meant Gates, of course" ...

(Sorry for not quoting properly, but SMF's [quote] tag's a tad limited that way.)

[Yastreb]

Victoria recorded 1400 new cases yesterday, and about 1200 new cases today, with a total of twelve deaths on those two days combined. And in the middle of all that, we have "Freedom rallies" (superspreader events) still happening. The stupid... it burns!!

And in Róisín's state, Omicron cases have been reported; eighteen in all. Not a good sign.

[Grade E cat]

The death by Covid-19 of a woman who had gotten a fake vaccination pass and didn't get proper treatment partly because she didn't tell anyone after ending up in the hospital made the news over here. The cynical part of my brain has a new counter-argument for if I ever end up interacting with someone pushing the "but some vaccinated people have gotten Covid" argument.

EDIT: To be clear, I already know there are still benefits to vaccination such as a lower probability of getting sick in the first place or getting a serious case if you do anyway. The key word above is "new".

[Róisín]

Yeah, vaccination doesn’t give you total immunity to covid, but if I understand correctly it does reduce your chance of catching it in the first place, and if you do catch it vaccination improves your chances of staying out of hospital and makes it far less likely that you will become direly ill, need to be ventilated or will die.

Thirteen new cases in SA today, I think a couple are Omicron. Three patients are in hospital, none in ICU. No deaths.

Had my booster shot, only side effect so far is headache and a very sore swollen arm at injection site, otherwise I seem to be okay.

[RanVor]

Meanwhile, Poland still has no compulsory vaccination and no restrictions for the unvaccinated. And there have been around 11000 new cases just today.

I swear, the government is trying to kill us all.

[moredhel]

I knew you do not have the best govenrment possible in poland but this sounds insane.

[thorny]

It is, um, rather contradictory around here.

New York State's governor just reinstituted mask mandates; employers can choose whether to require masks or vaccination. But all the stores, restaurants and recreational places included, are open.

Area hospitals are cancelling elective surgeries in order to keep beds open for emergencies, because they're filling up with covid patients again.

Second county over from me -- maybe some others also -- have declared local emergencies.

One county over from me and also one county over from the emergency-declaring county, they're having a four day festival intending to bring people from all over the country; and apparently succeeding in that. Much of it's scheduled for outdoors, but not all; plus which all those visitors are going to stay somewhere, and not outdoors, not in New York State even in a global-warming December; plus which some of the outdoor stuff is crowded. There was a photo in the paper of a crowd jammed together, elbow to elbow, almost none of them masked (one masked person near the front of the photo looks, to me, like she's pretty unhappy about it.) -- the paper made no comment on the lack of masks; they were just reporting hey, look at this neat festival.

Me, I've gone back to staying home as much as reasonably possible, despite having been able to score three Pfizer shots. I'm 70 with three other risk factors. One of them, unfortunately, means I'm going to have to run around getting tests done.

Oh yes -- I seem to keep editing this post. But the county with the festival? Also has a high number of vaccine refusers. (So does mine. Some of it's politics, some of it's religion.)