Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #100

[TootsieFootsie]

Here in my Central West New South Wales, Australia town, the pop up vaccination clinic that's been on this week has lessened the time in between getting the Pfizer and Astrazeneca shots.
It was 12 weeks, but the defence force team will be back in four weeks to give the second shots.

How are the vaccination clinics going? Are people receiving their boosters in 3-4 weeks, or do they have a longer wait between vaccines, as we did in Canada until our vaccine supply was meeting the demand.

 

[pocketaccent]

Unvaccinated. 5 Orphans.

IE father dies of COVID just weeks after wife, leaving 5 children behind

YUCAIPA, Calif. (KABC) -- A sad update to a story Eyewitness News reported two weeks ago about an Inland Empire nurse and mother of five who died after a battle with COVID-19.

Her husband was also hospitalized at the same time and now friends say he has died as well.

Davy and Daniel Macias leave behind five children, including a newborn. The oldest child is seven.

The Yucaipa couple -- who were not vaccinated -- likely contracted COVID-19 while on vacation recently.
...

 

[TootsieFootsie]

And wasn't he in the news before, for being out of his area or something ?

I don't recall him getting fined for that, or whether he really was out of the area he was supposed to be in.
I thought the fine was more than $500 for not having a mask on, or I might be getting that mixed up with having no good reason to be where you are.

NSW Police have slapped former Prime Minister Tony Abbott with a $500 fine after he was photographed maskless in Manly on Wednesday.

 

[SouthAussie]

And wasn't he in the news before, for being out of his area or something ?

I don't recall him getting fined for that, or whether he really was out of the area he was supposed to be in.
I thought the fine was more than $500 for not having a mask on, or I might be getting that mixed up with having no good reason to be where you are.

$500 for not wearing a mask when the rule says you must.
$1,000 for breaching the public health order like not staying in your area.
$3,000 fine for not following the rule that you can only exercise with one other person.
$5,000 fine if you have been told to self-isolate but do not do it.
$5,000 fine for lying to a contact tracer.

COVID-19 fines in NSW

 

[pocketaccent]

$500 for not wearing a mask when the rule says you must.
$1,000 for breaching the public health order like not staying in your area.
$3,000 fine for not following the rule that you can only exercise with one other person.
$5,000 fine if you have been told to self-isolate but do not do it.
$5,000 fine for lying to a contact tracer.

COVID-19 fines in NSW

I wish we had those rules here.
But if we did, a lot of Americans will owe $14,500 per day.

 

[KALI]

Before these <modsnip> of illegal aliens are released into the USA, they should be vaccinated. Unless they already have antibodies. Period. Moo

Vaccination sites across the U.S. require some form of identification, a requirement that many undocumented immigrates do not have. Fortunately, the Department of Homeland Security has pledged to ensure that all immigrants, regardless of status are entitled to get vaccinated against Covid. Still, around 75% of state websites fail to mention this explicitly to spread the information. Unless told otherwise, undocumented immigrants fear the worst possible outcome, allowing their fears of deportation to dictate their decisions in the hopes of staying in the country.

Moreover, there is often a language barrier limiting undocumented immigrants from learning about their eligibility to become vaccinated and the protection offered. Many websites dealing with vaccinations are not translated into languages such as Spanish, Korean or Mandarin, so large portions of the non-citizen community cannot access information about eligibility and how to obtain a vaccine.

Immigrants Slow To Get Covid-19 Vaccine As Impediments Block Their Access.

 

[musicaljoke]

Before these tens of thousands of illegal aliens are released into the USA, they should be vaccinated. Unless they already have antibodies. Period. Moo

Yes, I agree, anyone crossing a border into any country needs to be vaccinated, but there has to be a way to make it possible for refugees to get the information and opportunities they need. If there are hindrances, they must be corrected. If there are communications issues, that too needs to be corrected.

I've worked with refugees and newcomers, and nothing is simple for them.

 

[SouthAussie]

Yes, I agree, anyone crossing a border into any country needs to be vaccinated, but there has to be a way to make it possible for refugees to get the information and opportunities they need. If there are hindrances, they must be corrected. If there are communications issues, that too needs to be corrected.

I've worked with refugees and newcomers, and nothing is simple for them.

In one of the articles I read about it, it said that some/many of them have a big distrust in govt. Which is not surprising, considering the circumstances they are coming from.

This article speaks of trust issues. Unfortunately, it is never as easy as it seems it should be.


"Just like in the community, when somebody is taking a medicine, when someone has a history of some sort of allergic reaction or just when they don't know, they need to sit down and talk to somebody that has the knowledge and that they trust — and that's difficult in immigration detention," Venters said.

"It is completely understandable that people being held in ICE facilities may be suspicious of injections they are offered," Salk told CBS News. "They may see little reason to trust the same people who are imprisoning them in inhumane conditions without even adequate medical care to begin with."

ICE ramps up vaccination of immigrants in U.S. custody, but thousands have refused

 

[Lilibet]

75% of Americans are vaccinated against Covid or have at least one dose. Dr. Fauci stated initially that herd immunity would be seen at between 60 and 70% of the nation being vaccinated.
White House: 75 percent of adults have at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose

BBM

Dr Fauci spoke long before the Delta variant took over. And not to quibble, but that is 75% of adults, not all Americans. From the linked article:

“Still, only slightly more than half of the overall U.S. population is fully vaccinated: 53 percent are fully vaccinated and 62 percent have received at least one dose.”
BBM

In my Southern Oregon county, the vaccination rate is even lower. And it’s because local “live free or die” people (not immigrants) are refusing to get vaccinated. We have one of the highest Covid case rates in the state. Covid cases have filled the hospitals in my area. If one of us were to need an ICU bed it might not be available. Even ordinary hospital beds are in short supply.

I never leave our home, and my husband only rarely. Today is our 55th wedding anniversary and it would have been nice to have a celebratory meal in one of our fantastic local restaurants, but it would have been foolhardy. We thought about ordering takeout, but for the money…meh.

But at least we still have each other, having survived sneaky, insidious original Covid in January despite every possible precaution. We are vaxxed, but we can’t (and won’t) relax.
JMO

 

[SouthAussie]

BBM

Dr Fauci spoke long before the Delta variant took over. And not to quibble, but that is 75% of adults, not all Americans. From the linked article:

“Still, only slightly more than half of the overall U.S. population is fully vaccinated: 53 percent are fully vaccinated and 62 percent have received at least one dose.”
BBM

In my Southern Oregon county, the vaccination rate is even lower. And it’s because local “live free or die” people (not immigrants) are refusing to get vaccinated. We have one of the highest Covid case rates in the state. Covid cases have filled the hospitals in my area. If one of us were to need an ICU bed it might not be available. Even ordinary hospital beds are in short supply.

I never leave our home, and my husband only rarely. Today is our 55th wedding anniversary and it would have been nice to have a celebratory meal in one of our fantastic local restaurants, but it would have been foolhardy. We thought about ordering takeout, but for the money…meh.

But at least we still have each other, having survived sneaky, insidious original Covid in January despite every possible precaution. We are vaxxed, but we can’t (and won’t) relax.
JMO

Happy anniversary, Lilibet! Wow ... you and your hubby have done well together.

 

[Lilibet]

Happy anniversary, Lilibet! Wow ... you and your hubby have done well together.

Thanks @SouthAussie. Thankfully, we still have our sense of humor and can laugh about our weirdest anniversary ever!

 

[coffeeandacig]

BBM

Dr Fauci spoke long before the Delta variant took over. And not to quibble, but that is 75% of adults, not all Americans. From the linked article:

“Still, only slightly more than half of the overall U.S. population is fully vaccinated: 53 percent are fully vaccinated and 62 percent have received at least one dose.”
BBM

In my Southern Oregon county, the vaccination rate is even lower. And it’s because local “live free or die” people (not immigrants) are refusing to get vaccinated. We have one of the highest Covid case rates in the state. Covid cases have filled the hospitals in my area. If one of us were to need an ICU bed it might not be available. Even ordinary hospital beds are in short supply.

I never leave our home, and my husband only rarely. Today is our 55th wedding anniversary and it would have been nice to have a celebratory meal in one of our fantastic local restaurants, but it would have been foolhardy. We thought about ordering takeout, but for the money…meh.

But at least we still have each other, having survived sneaky, insidious original Covid in January despite every possible precaution. We are vaxxed, but we can’t (and won’t) relax.
JMO

First off... Congratulations on your Wedding Anniversary!!!

1 In 3 Americans Had Covid By The End Of 2020, Models Estimate—That’s Four Times The Official Count

"Around 103 million Americans—31% of the population—had been infected with Covid-19 by the end of 2020, according to models designed by Columbia University built on population data, recorded case numbers and the number of people testing positive for coronavirus antibodies."

So... if 31% are now have natural antibodies, and 62% got the shot...then we are up to a maximum of 94% of all Americans being either immune or vaccinated. Of course, there will be people who had Covid and the shot. But, it will still be a higher percentage than 62%.

 

[JayWill]

First off... Congratulations on your Wedding Anniversary!!!

1 In 3 Americans Had Covid By The End Of 2020, Models Estimate—That’s Four Times The Official Count

"Around 103 million Americans—31% of the population—had been infected with Covid-19 by the end of 2020, according to models designed by Columbia University built on population data, recorded case numbers and the number of people testing positive for coronavirus antibodies."

So... if 31% are now have natural antibodies, and 62% got the shot...then we are up to a maximum of 94% of all Americans being either immune or vaccinated. Of course, there will be people who had Covid and the shot. But, it will still be a higher percentage than 62%.

The stats today do not support that, however.

 

[coffeeandacig]

The stats today do not support that, however.

Do you have a link, please?

 

[SouthAussie]

First off... Congratulations on your Wedding Anniversary!!!

1 In 3 Americans Had Covid By The End Of 2020, Models Estimate—That’s Four Times The Official Count

"Around 103 million Americans—31% of the population—had been infected with Covid-19 by the end of 2020, according to models designed by Columbia University built on population data, recorded case numbers and the number of people testing positive for coronavirus antibodies."

So... if 31% are now have natural antibodies, and 62% got the shot...then we are up to a maximum of 94% of all Americans being either immune or vaccinated. Of course, there will be people who had Covid and the shot. But, it will still be a higher percentage than 62%.

Another way of looking at it is ... using firm statistics.

333,310,170 US population
- 40,523,954 US documented covid cases
-177,433,044 US fully vaccinated
115,353,172 = 34.6% of the US population unprotected

This is using the assumption that the people who have had covid and have since been vaccinated cancel out the uncounted covid infections. (As well, people who have had covid may have lost their protection by now, if they remain unvaccinated.)
There are a lot of murky grey variables to consider.


U.S. COVID-19 cases and deaths | Statista
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations - Statistics and Research

 

[Satchie]

The University of Washington Covid models have always assumed testing only captures 30%-40% of cases.

But there are many more variables than just infected+vaccinated.

In their latest briefing:
"Based on the percentage of the population who have been previously infected and
vaccination rates, taking into account immunity preventing infection from both, we
estimate that currently 58% of the population are immune to the Delta variant. In our current reference scenario, we expect that by December 1, 66% of people will be
immune to the Delta variant (Figure 21)."
You can download the Sept 9 briefing from here:
COVID-19 Policy Briefings

 

[Lilibet]

Following up on my earlier post #449…Spotlight on Jackson county in Southern Oregon where my husband and I live in self-imposed lock-down. Most vaccine resistant commenters on local FB news articles do not believe the hospital statistics. They say things like: “The parking lots are empty.” Or “I was there the other day and it was really quiet.” They either lack critical thinking skills or are willfully obtuse. We are being held hostage by these people.

Inside an Oregon hospital amid an ‘absolutely stunning’ Covid surge

Despite the widespread availability of vaccines, this region of Oregon is in the grip of an intense Covid-19 surge that has filled local hospitals to capacity, overwhelmed healthcare workers and killed 37 people in the last two weeks.

Last month, cases in the Medford area in Jackson county were growing faster than anywhere else in the US, driven by the hyper-contagious Delta variant and a low vaccination rate.
<snip>
The crisis is particularly severe in Jackson county, where just 54% of people 18 and over are fully vaccinated. Though cases appear to have peaked last month, according to New York Times data, hospitalizations are up 24% and show no signs of slowing as the county continues to grapple with resistance to the vaccine.
<snip>
The vast majority of Covid patients at Rogue regional medical center are unvaccinated, Ghosh said. As of last week, the hospital had 180 Covid patients, 92% of whom were unvaccinated; 51 in the intensive care unit, 98% of whom were unvaccinated; and 35 people on ventilators, all unvaccinated.

“This is unprecedented,” Ghosh said. “It’s the same peak that New York and Italy experienced. It’s absolutely stunning and what makes it sad is that New York and Italy didn’t have the benefit of a vaccine, but we do.”
<Snip>
The level of resistance to vaccines in this largely conservative county came as a surprise to even longtime residents and healthcare professionals.

“I thought we’d find our footing, we’d figure out the mitigation strategies, we’d put them forward and then people would do them,” said Dr Jim Shames, Jackson county’s longtime health officer. “But it has become a political cause célèbre to not wear masks because you’re being told to, not get the vaccine because you’re being told to. I didn’t see that coming.”

(Much more at the link)

 

[nightowl1975]

Unless told otherwise, undocumented immigrants fear the worst possible outcome, allowing their fears of deportation to dictate their decisions in the hopes of staying in the country.

.

For those currently crossing our border, the solution is super simple.

Get the vaccine now or return to wherever you came from. The end.

It is appalling that we are giving people who cross our border illegally the CHOICE to refuse the vaccine yet allow them to continue about their merry way.

If we are about to FORCE US citizens to get vaccinated or lose their jobs (the very jobs where tax funds come from to pay to vaccinate those coming in illegally), there shouldn’t be a single argument against forcing these folks at the border to get vaccinated if they want to be released into our country.

 

[nightowl1975]

Before these <modsnip> of illegal aliens are released into the USA, they should be vaccinated. Unless they already have antibodies. Period. Moo

So far, there is no indication that US citizens are going to be given an exemption from vaccination if they already have antibodies. I see no reason why incoming immigrants should be allowed to not get the vaccine if they have antibodies already.

 

[Lilibet]

First off... Congratulations on your Wedding Anniversary!!!

Thank you for your congratulations.

Other than that, I will have to disagree. Delta was a game changer for any kind of “immunity.” Plenty of vaccinated people have gotten it and some (mostly elderly) are dying. Even though my husband and I tested positive in late January and immediately got the monoclonal antibody infusion and were vaccinated 90 days later in May, this was all before Delta really hit the news. In late June, about two weeks after we were considered “fully vaxxed” and before we even had a chance to eat out, I realized (thanks to this thread) how Delta was behaving. We decided to continue our usual precautions.

Unfortunately, Oregon “opened up” June 30 because we had met the goal of a certain percentage vaxxed. A goal set before Delta. Lots of celebrating. Within two weeks, cases began to rise (especially in our area), as I knew they would (I hated being right!). We’ve battened down our hatches even tighter. It’s frustrating and sad that our lives are now so limited, but since we prefer to live, we are not going to gamble, hoping that we have some kind of immunity. Nor do we want to risk the possibility of transmitting it to others. Delta changed everything. Please stay safe.

Risk of severe breakthrough Covid-19 is higher for seniors and those with underlying conditions -- but the unvaccinated still face much higher risks - CNN