Covid And The Rest of Us

[ford family]

UK, South Coast
We received an email from our GP Surgery last week to let us know that all of the categories in cohorts 1 to 9 have had their first dose invitation and they have started again for the second doses.
This means everybody over the age of fifty, or those younger but vulnerable, have had the opportunity for one dose already. Not hearing of many vaccine refusals.
We are cohort 5 (65 to 69) and had our first jab six weeks ago so looking forward to the second one by the end of April if not sooner.
The rollout has been very proficient thus far so younger age groups are being invited for their first jabs simultaneously with the older cohorts.

We were hoping to be able to travel to Spain in June but the situation in Europe seems to making that seem less likely.

ford family

 

[ronandannette]

UK, South Coast
We received an email from our GP Surgery last week to let us know that all of the categories in cohorts 1 to 9 have had their first dose invitation and they have started again for the second doses.
This means everybody over the age of fifty, or those younger but vulnerable, have had the opportunity for one dose already. Not hearing of many vaccine refusals.
We are cohort 5 (65 to 69) and had our first jab six weeks ago so looking forward to the second one by the end of April if not sooner.
The rollout has been very proficient thus far so younger age groups are being invited for their first jabs simultaneously with the older cohorts.

We were hoping to be able to travel to Spain in June but the situation in Europe seems to making that seem less likely.

ford family

What vaccine did you get? Here in Alberta, people your age (including my DH) are in a weird spot. They are now eligible based on age but can’t be given the AstraZeneca vaccine due to efficacy concerns. We have very limited supply of Pfizer and Moderna, and it is reserved for those 75 and over. So while my husband does have an appointment booked for his first dose (April 11), it is tentative only pending availability.

Part of our vaccine woes was the way our federal government contracts were structured. As it turned out, the millions of doses we bought and paid for were not guaranteed for steady delivery but only by the end of the first quarter. When the pharma companies stopped shipping to us late in January, it left us awaiting a HUGE supply to arrive for distribution within the next 8 days. I guess we’ll see.

 

[ford family]

We had the AZ vaccine by choice
If the French don't like it then it must be good!!

ford family

 

[NFLDERS]

What vaccine did you get? Here in Alberta, people your age (including my DH) are in a weird spot. They are now eligible based on age but can’t be given the AstraZeneca vaccine due to efficacy concerns. We have very limited supply of Pfizer and Moderna, and it is reserved for those 75 and over. So while my husband does have an appointment booked for his first dose (April 11), it is tentative only pending availability.

Part of our vaccine woes was the way our federal government contracts were structured. As it turned out, the millions of doses we bought and paid for were not guaranteed for steady delivery but only by the end of the first quarter. When the pharma companies stopped shipping to us late in January, it left us awaiting a HUGE supply to arrive for distribution within the next 8 days. I guess we’ll see.

^They say we are all in this together.. and I can't even elaborate here because everything changes almost daily! My husband did get his first Pfizer shot on Wednesday, his second is 'scheduled' for July.

 

[penn19]

Has anyone heard from Mommy in Honduras? I feel like we haven’t received an update from her lately.

 

[ronandannette]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/cana...e-travellers-allege/ar-BB1ffFe3?ocid=msedgntp
This whole hotel quarantine folly is just so stupid - start to finish. If deterrence to travel is the goal, slap a flat-rate entry fee on everybody and if safety is actually the thing, start aggressive follow-ups and enforcement of the quarantine rules already in place. Enough of this "security theater".

And I want to know if there's even been one, single person forced into this ridiculous scenario that's tested positive while in these facilities? Not a peep of information has been released on that.

 

[kyton]

Our quarantine hotel stays in Australia have caught the vast majority of COVID cases before they get out into the public.

People returning are told upfront what the costs are involved ($AUD3000 per adult) and this is no matter if you are made stay for the minimum 14 days or longer, as it can be extended if you are positively tested during your stay.

Our government doesn’t necessarily require if to be paid upfront - they have payment arrangements in place to assist returning travellers.

The fees include all meals, wifi, medical attention if required. You are tested a number of times during the initial 14 days. If you test positive your stay can be increased to 24 days at no extra charge.

There has been some leaks - transmissions occurring to staff, transport workers, cases where COVID positive persons have transmitted the virus across a hallway to another person who was also in an open doorway at the same time, another where a person used a nebuliser which then sprayed fine particles.

So it’s not perfect but in our case personally I believe it’s still a worthwhile procedure.

 

[ronandannette]

Our quarantine hotel stays in Australia have caught the vast majority of COVID cases before they get out into the public.

People returning are told upfront what the costs are involved ($AUD3000 per adult) and this is no matter if you are made stay for the minimum 14 days or longer, as it can be extended if you are positively tested during your stay.

Our government doesn’t necessarily require if to be paid upfront - they have payment arrangements in place to assist returning travellers.

The fees include all meals, wifi, medical attention if required. You are tested a number of times during the initial 14 days. If you test positive your stay can be increased to 24 days at no extra charge.

There has been some leaks - transmissions occurring to staff, transport workers, cases where COVID positive persons have transmitted the virus across a hallway to another person who was also in an open doorway at the same time, another where a person used a nebuliser which then sprayed fine particles.

So it’s not perfect but in our case personally I believe it’s still a worthwhile procedure.

Again, we have not had one single report of a Covid-positive traveller being safely contained in one of these facilities. Enforcement is also a joke - there have been many news reports of people simply walking out of the airports past security. Also many reports of unhappy experiences like the one in this story.

ETA: After a fairly lengthy google search, this is the only thing that pops up and it is from YahooNews, not one of Canada's trusted national sources or even Reuters or the Associated Press. I'm not prepared to take it as gospel.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/covid-19-landing-canada-despite-200844611.html

 

[elphaba91]

Again, we have not had one single report of a Covid-positive traveller being safely contained in one of these facilities. Enforcement is also a joke - there have been many news reports of people simply walking out of the airports past security. Also many reports of unhappy experiences like the one in this story.

ETA: After a fairly lengthy google search, this is the only thing that pops up and it is from YahooNews, not one of Canada's trusted national sources or even Reuters or the Associated Press. I'm not prepared to take it as gospel.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/covid-19-landing-canada-despite-200844611.html

I think by the sounds of it Canada's system is very lax compared to Australia. Our arrivals have no control over where they are sent (unless you are a celebrity and make an application for self-funded private quarantine arrangements), are under extremely strict quarantine conditions and are tested regularly. I only know of one report of someone managing to escape security at the airport - a pair from Germany who conned a police officer on his first day in that role, walked from Sydney international terminal to domestic (and that is NOT a walk that anyone would normally choose to do), boarded a flight to Melbourne and were only detected thanks to someone at the car rental agency realising there was an issue. Otherwise the stories have tended to go the other way - people trying to get exemptions due to medical reasons, dying relatives, etc. There have been a handful of leaks but, apart from Melbourne's big one, they have been well managed.

Speaking of international travel and quarantine, Australia and New Zealand are officially going to have a travel bubble in 2 weeks! As it stands, arrivals from NZ don't have to quarantine when entering Australia but from 19 April there will be no quarantine on the other side of the ditch either. There may be issues that arise if there are positive cases in either country (as there currently are with interstate travel here), but it will be nice even just knowing that international travel is a possibility (and I'm sure my aunt the travel agent will be thrilled!).

 

[BadPinkTink]

I meant to come back and update sooner. Finally we are seeing some slight reduction of the restrictions in Ireland, but its not that much. The changes will be on phased basis during April.

From 1st April
Two households who are fully vaccinated (two doses and at least 14 days since 2nd dose) can now meet indoors without wearing masks or social distancing.

From 12th April

• all children back to school
• construction work on homes can start
• can travel within your county
• two households can meet outside for socialising (not in gardens)

From 19th April

• elite adult sports training and matches can start

From 26th April

• outdoor sports facilities can reopen
• outdoor non-contact sports training for children (including dance) can start in pods of 15
• outdoor visitor attractions can open
• attendance at funerals can increase from 10 to 25

From 4th May (possible but not confirmed as official yet)

• all construction restarts
• non-essential retail to open on phased basis starting with click and collect and outdoor retail, such as garden centres
• personal services such as hairdressers can reopen
• religious services can restart
• museums and galleries reopen

Other Possible Changes But Not Confirmed As Official
Re opening of hotels in June
Inter-county travel in July

There is no mention of when bars and restaurants will reopen

Mandatory Hotel Quarantine
This is now the law and the number of countries this applies to has been increased.
If you arrive into Ireland from any of the following countries, you have to do the hotel quarantine. At the moment USA and EU countries are not on the list but there are talks to add these countries.

The hotels currently being used for this are located at the airports. There have been some instances of people leaving the hotel quarantine system and some people have refused to go to the hotels. The Irish Police located those who left the hotels and the people who refused to go to the hotel were arrested, taken to jail and are due in court.
Africa

• Angola
• Botswana
• Burundi
• Cape Verde
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Eswatini
• Ethiopia
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• Mauritius*
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Nigeria
• Rwanda
• Seychelles
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Tanzania
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

*Passengers arriving from Mauritius before 4am on the morning of Tuesday 6 April must prebook and enter mandatory hotel quarantine.
Asia

• Bahrain
• Israel
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Lebanon
• Oman
• Palestine
• Qatar
• The Philippines
• United Arab Emirates

Europe

• Albania
• Andorra
• Austria
• Kosovo
• Moldova
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• North Macedonia
• San Marino
• Serbia

North America

• Puerto Rico
• Saint Lucia

Oceania

• Wallis and Futuna

South America

• Argentina
• Aruba
• Bolivia
• Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
• Brazil
• Chile
• Colombia
• Ecuador
• French Guiana
• Guyana
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Suriname
• Uruguay
• Venezuela

 

[BadPinkTink]

The Vaccination Plan has also changed in Ireland.
When it was started at the end of December, it was a mix of age groups and different industries/ jobs. Now that we have vaccinated the majority of the health care workers and the majority of the elderly in care homes, the Irish Government have changed the groups.

Now it is just age based and many industries are not happy. The Police Union and the teachers Unions in particular are the loudest objectors to this change. They are lobbying the Government to change back to the original plan. The teachers Unions are threatening strike action.

My moms friends who are over 70 have now received their first vaccine, so hopefully by the start of May my mom should have her first dose.

At the moment, people are being notified by their GP's about their first vaccination appointment, but sometime in April, a new website will be launched. This will mean that anyone can go online or phone a call centre and schedule a vaccination appointment at a time, day and location that suits them. However people will only be able to schedule an appointment if they are eligible at that time.

 

[fab1976]

Well, we will be back to full lockdown in Ontario starting tomorrow. Not officially announced but it will be this afternoon. Cases are spiking at an alarming rate, I believe because of the new variants of concern. Hospitals are getting overwhelmed again, and ICU cases are higher than they’ve been this entire pandemic. The government tried an “emergency brake” which really wasn’t anything extra. Living in Peel region, we along with Toronto have been locked down since November. By the time this newest lockdown ends it will be almost 6 months. So many businesses just won’t make it. It’s not pleasant right now.

Oh and the schools....depends where you live what’s going on with those. Here in Peel our public health officer pulled rank and made them remote as of yesterday. The ministry of education keeps saying schools are safe but they really aren’t with the new variants. I am so happy they made ours go remote. It is a short week due to the Easter long weekend, and then next week is spring break. That will mean schools are closed for 17 days, and I hope it helps the numbers just a bit. Groups are pushing for school employees to be vaccinated ASAP to help as well, I’m hoping we do get it. Other essential workers also need to be vaccinated, warehouse spread is a big contributing factor. We have a lot of Amazon and Canada Post places here, they don’t pay sick days so employees are going in sick . It seems to be a never ending battle and I’m so tired of it but will stay home still.

 

[elphaba91]

Some drama in Australia this evening with an announcement from the Prime Minister that the Astra Zeneca vaccine is no longer recommended for people under 50 unless the benefits clearly outweigh the risks to the individual. Where possible, these people will be given an alternative vaccine. The problem is, the AZ vaccine was meant to be the workhorse of our vaccine rollout; we were effectively going to have unlimited supplies of the AZ as it is being made locally. The Pfizer is also being used, but so far we have received less than 1 million doses from our order of 20 million. We also have 50 million doses of Novavax on order, but this likely won’t be available for a few months. It could also be made here, although the company that could do it has said it intends to complete the AZ order first (that may change now of course!).

I am currently eligible for a vaccine (I was just waiting on a letter from my doctor for evidence), however I think I will hold off for now until there is more availability. To be honest, I felt I was jumping the queue and the risk of COVID is so low here that the don’t mind waiting.

 

[BadPinkTink]

The Irish Government are adding more countries to the mandatory 14 day hotel quarantine list this week. In addition to the countries I listed in post 2550 of this thread the following countries will be added from April 15. This means that it is the law that anyone arriving into Ireland from these countries has to do the 14 day hotel quarantine. After April 15 there will be 60 countries on this list, which includes countries that are tourist destinations for Irish people, countries where many of the Irish healthcare workers are from, countries where many Irish people live and have family in and countries which are major transit hubs such as Dubai.

1. Armenia
2. Bangladesh
3. Belgium
4. Bermuda
5. Bosnia and Herzegovina
6. Canada
7. Curaçao
8. France
9. Italy
10. Kenya
11. Luxembourg
12. Maldives
13. Pakistan
14. Turkey
15. Ukraine
16. United States of America

 

[Karin1984]

I had stopped watching the news for a few days, and I missed that we got an exit strategy in NL

After school care reopens next Monday (So happy with this, I have no kids, but my team at work was seriously impacted)

If the figures go in the right direction:
STEP 1
26 April
- Colleges/Universities back to in person

28 April
- End of curfew
- Max 2 visitors
- Outside dining allowed again
- Non essential stores reopen

STEP 2
11 May
- Outside locations like zoos can reopen (there is a huge controversy now about testing at the gate for zoos and theme parks in the test days we have planned)
- Indoor sports allowed
- Indoor art allowed again (think choirs etc.)
Expansion
- Outdoor sports for adults, team sports etc.

STEP 3
26 May
- Max 4 visitors
- Gatherings of 4 outside
- Theaters/Museums etc. reopen
- Restaurants reopen

STEP 4
16 June
- Max 6 visitors
- Gatherings of 6 outside
- Every type of bar, restaurant, club reopen for food & drinks (didn't hear anything about dance clubs)
- Events allowed
Expansion (not clear what exactly gets expanded, probably more guests)
- Restaurants
- Theaters/Museums
- Indoor sports

STEP 5
7 July
- Max. 8 visitors
- Gatherings of 8 people outside
Expansion (not clear what exactly gets expanded, probably more guests)
- Restaurants
- Theaters/Museums
- Indoor sports

STEP 6
End of measures, no date yet


We are at 4 million vaccinations (both 1st and 2nd shot), my mom could schedule her first Pfizer shot for next week
Greece opens the doors to vaccinated people, if you are vaccinated you no longer have to get tested or quarantine upon arrival.
Flight ban for South Africa and several South American countries extended to 1 May
Belgium stops their travel ban next week (Belgium was really strict on no people in or out), and reopens outdoor dining again as well early May.

 

[fab1976]

There’s been no updates from Canadians lately, I think that’s because it sucks here and doesn’t seem to have a way “out”. I do get my first vaccine dose next week which is exciting and a relief. My husband qualifies but they don’t have doses or a strategy for vaccinating 18+ in hot zones in Ontario like they announced last week. Sucks to be in a hot zone but hey, if it gets him vaccinated earlier that’s good. I qualify earlier because I work in the schools with special needs students at times.

I’m sure Canada will come out of it at some point, just seems like a long ways away still!

 

[NFLDERS]

There’s been no updates from Canadians lately, I think that’s because it sucks here and doesn’t seem to have a way “out”. I do get my first vaccine dose next week which is exciting and a relief. My husband qualifies but they don’t have doses or a strategy for vaccinating 18+ in hot zones in Ontario like they announced last week. Sucks to be in a hot zone but hey, if it gets him vaccinated earlier that’s good. I qualify earlier because I work in the schools with special needs students at times.

I’m sure Canada will come out of it at some point, just seems like a long ways away still!

We have been considered safe here, and our rollout is a slow go. My husband received his shot in Hamilton two weeks ago when Niagara residents in his age group were allowed to register in Hamilton. We heard they were offering end of day overages to the next age group, so I went with him. They said the day before that was possible, but because supply was low now they could not give me a shot. One day later they were out of vaccine.

My age group came up in Hamilton, and we in Niagara were welcomed to book there (again) for vaccination. My appointment date is May 1st. Sites for Pfizer bookings here in Niagara have since started. However the system closed quickly with the overwhelming volume of bookings.

Niagara's pharmacies have also opened AstraZeneca clinics. Presently I'm on a standby list here for Pfizer today, and tomorrow.

Kindly accept my apologies if this 'seems' understatement confusing.

 

[fab1976]

We have been considered safe here, and our rollout is a slow go. My husband received his shot in Hamilton two weeks ago when Niagara residents in his age group were allowed to register in Hamilton. We heard they were offering end of day overages to the next age group, so I went with him. They said the day before that was possible, but because supply was low now they could not give me a shot. One day later they were out of vaccine.

My age group came up in Hamilton, and we in Niagara were welcomed to book there (again) for vaccination. My appointment date is May 1st. Sites for Pfizer bookings here in Niagara have since started. However the system closed quickly with the overwhelming volume of bookings.

Niagara's pharmacies have also opened AstraZeneca clinics. Presently I'm on a standby list here for Pfizer today, and tomorrow.

Kindly accept my apologies if this 'seems' understatement confusing.

My parents are in Hamilton and thankfully got their appointment quickly once the 70+ group opened. My moms brother became sick shortly after and is a Toronto hospital for a long stint now, so it was well timed since she is his appointed hospital liaison. She’s not fully protected, but better than no protection!

 

[lisaviolet]

Well Ontario's situation has been already well-covered on here.

So just personal experiences to highlight -

I had to have a Covid test for a procedure that had already been cancelled late last year. There were a lot of very ill people in the testing lines. One man was so bad I prayed for him when
I exited. Sounds ridiculously dramatic, but it sounded and looked like he should have been in a hospital. This was all just days before they announced how poorly we are doing and announced lockdowns again. I have rarely been out of mandated lockdown anyway, so no huge change. But the businesses, so frustrated for them.

I was vaccinated yesterday. Massive well-run clinic. I was finished in a snap. Which made me feel horrid about the long lines for seniors last month. No side effects whatsoever.

 

[lisaviolet]

My parents are in Hamilton and thankfully got their appointment quickly once the 70+ group opened. My moms brother became sick shortly after and is a Toronto hospital for a long stint now, so it was well timed since she is his appointed hospital liaison. She’s not fully protected, but better than no protection!

So very sorry to hear about your uncle. Hope he recovers soon.