Coronavirus COVID-19 - Global Health Pandemic #95

[dmac55]

I heard this on a Sunday talk show and I like the simplicity:
Covid-19 lives to mutate, and mutates to live

 

[LadyL]

Canada needs more help with COVID-19, prominent U.S. vaccine expert urges White House

 

[margarita25]

 

[dixiegirl1035]

My father continues to experience wildly fluctuating pt/inr levels. He’s been on Coumadin for many years and it’s never been like this. The nurse checks it weekly.
It started two days after his second Pfizer shot.
I asked the specialist and she said they have noted others that are experiencing the same thing.
JMO

Was thinking of your father today. Hope he's improving. I just finished my CDC weekly checkin with V-Safe. Did he participate? Did your dad or his doctor find that it should be a report it to VAERS - if you are in the US? (IIRC, your dad can submit not just the doctor)

 

[SouthAussie]

COVID-19 cases acquired in India are escalating in Sydney's quarantine hotels, but are yet to exceed the number of infections from the US, NSW Health data shows.

Positive cases coming from the US accelerated as the second wave took hold there, contributing 205 cases between October 1, 2020 and April 24 2021 — the highest of any country. (in quarantine in Sydney)

We charted every Sydney COVID-19 quarantine infection — India didn't come out on top

 

[SouthAussie]

"You know what this is? It's the metaphorical door to freedom," says a smiling healthcare worker in New Zealand's public health campaign promoting take-up of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"Better get your shot, steady pom pi pi," the jingle says, using Singapore slang for somebody who remains calm and collected in a difficult situation.

New Zealand's ad similarly incorporates local vernacular, declaring "Ka kite, COVID", meaning "see you, COVID" in the Maori language.

Both advertisements were strong examples of communication .... They cleverly use humour, use everyday language, are easy to follow, and frame vaccination as "the pathway to freedom"

New Zealand and Singapore have catchy new COVID vaccine ads

 

[dixiegirl1035]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/05/03/pfizer-vaccine-for-adolescents/

The Food and Drug Administration is expected by next week to grant expanded emergency use authorization to allow children as young as 12 to receive the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and German firm BioNTech, according to three federal officials familiar with the situation.

Pfizer announced at the end of March that it had submitted data from a trial of nearly 2,300 adolescents between 12 and 15 years old, half of whom had received the same two-shot regimen that has been shown effective and safe in adults. The shot triggered stronger immune responses in the teens than those found in young adults. There were 18 cases of covid-19 in the trial, all of them among adolescents who received a placebo, suggesting the two-shot regimen offered similar protection to younger recipients as it does to adults. Follow-on trials testing the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in younger children are ongoing.

The biotech company Moderna is conducting a similar trial of its vaccine in teens, with results expected in the summer. Moderna is also testing its vaccine in younger children. Johnson & Johnson is planning pediatric trials of its single-shot vaccine.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

COVID-19 cases acquired in India are escalating in Sydney's quarantine hotels, but are yet to exceed the number of infections from the US, NSW Health data shows.

Positive cases coming from the US accelerated as the second wave took hold there, contributing 205 cases between October 1, 2020 and April 24 2021 — the highest of any country. (in quarantine in Sydney)

We charted every Sydney COVID-19 quarantine infection — India didn't come out on top

At 08:29, Dr. Campbell speaks to of yesterday... It became ILLEGAL to return to Australia from India.

.................and then, we have a turn around?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/05/04/australia-india-travel-ban-morrison/

Australian prime minister backs down on jail threats as India travel ban backlash intensifies

The government’s announcement that citizens returning to Australia after recently spending time in India could face five years in jail, a $50,000 fine or both has sparked criticism from across the political spectrum.

Doctors have demanded the policy be reversed. Advocates argue it violates human rights. Legal scholars say it probably runs afoul of the law. Political opponents have dubbed it “racist.” Several members of Morrison’s conservative coalition government have come out against it. And even right-wing columnists have slammed the sanctions....

Morrison has said the India ban was prompted by a sevenfold increase in the percentage of travelers from India testing positive for the coronavirus at a quarantine facility near Darwin, in northern Australia. The government has announced plans to expand the facility.

Morrison said Tuesday that he is confident repatriation flights from India would begin after May 15.

For Australians stuck in India, that may not be soon enough.

In a letter urging the government to implement the India travel ban, Australia’s chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, admitted the measure came with risks including “serious illness without access to health care, the potential for Australians to be stranded in a transit country, and in a worst-case scenario, deaths.”

 

[SouthAussie]

At 08:29, Dr. Campbell speaks to of yesterday... It became ILLEGAL to return to Australia from India.

.................and then, we have a turn around?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...9.kiz8lzCOd4DUrYqnf6YegCCMuIPSarv5XZG7YBIyCN8

There was a cricket player who came back to Australia from India ... via an indirect route. To bypass the current restriction on flights from India.

So the govt has enacted the Biosecurity Act (fines, possible jail time) to deter that from happening again, while flights from India are paused.

The flights are paused until 15th May (for two weeks). Though I imagine they will review the pause in mid-May and see how the India situation is at that time.

 

[musicaljoke]

No one is ever forced to take a vaccine. They are always given the choice. I do think your point about this being an "experimental vaccine" has merit, so I do understand why someone might be reticent. And refusing to take it and losing one's job in the process may be perceived to be unfair (and may well be), heavy handed, or coercive. But it's not anything that will ever be forced on an adult without their consent.

That's true. No one is forced to get their vaccination. It's something like the sign at the airport that says, "If you do not want us to search your luggage, use the door on the right." You don't need to consent to having your luggage searched, but then you won't fly. The door on the right will take you out of the airport.

There will be many similar situations with covid vaccinations and the need to protect the public. There will be some who will refuse to be vaccinated, but they will find that certain doors will not open for them.

 

[FLmom777]

@FLmom777, we want to support your concerns. Please let us know of specific questions you have, if that is your focus on helping you make a decision.

Folks were on top of one which was posted by you three days ago. It's so very hard for folks who see stuff on their Facebook pages to see something if not following... and get taken down a path with conspiracy theorists. Most laypersons cannot discern truth these days with so much misinformation.

The one you speak of as taking a long time to market is indeed true. But that really doesn't even come to what the world is going through right now.

If you do a post, and have a specific question.. please post your concern. With a link.

Is it about YOU YOURSELF getting the vaccine, or are you taking a stance here on the threads that the vaccine is WRONG and trying to share opinion pieces or what the one 3 days was that was deleted from the thaeads? I thought it was about you being hesitant vs. the second option... am I correct in such?

I would never consent to any new drug without long term testing. The speed of this does not show thorough testing. Nobody has any idea of any long term effects that cannot be shown for years. I find it to be very offensive that people are basically being bullied into taking the vaccine, by calling people selfish or ignorant. I would never tell somebody that their choice to take the vaccine was wrong. I expect to be treated the same. I have major distrust of the CDC and especially of the WHO. I worked for many years in the healthcare field. The last time was in a pediatricians office. He never gave new vaccines to his patients for at least the first year after release. He wanted to see the results first, especially for diseases that were generally not a high risk for children, like chicken pox. He wanted to make sure that the prevention wasn’t worse than the disease. I too am cautious of new vaccines until proven safe. This vaccine is too new to be labeled as safe. It hasn’t been tested for a time that would unearth long term problems.

 

[Lilibet]

I would never consent to any new drug without long term testing. The speed of this does not show thorough testing. Nobody has any idea of any long term effects that cannot be shown for years. I find it to be very offensive that people are basically being bullied into taking the vaccine, by calling people selfish or ignorant. I would never tell somebody that their choice to take the vaccine was wrong. I expect to be treated the same. I have major distrust of the CDC and especially of the WHO. I worked for many years in the healthcare field. The last time was in a pediatricians office. He never gave new vaccines to his patients for at least the first year after release. He wanted to see the results first, especially for diseases that were generally not a high risk for children, like chicken pox. He wanted to make sure that the prevention wasn’t worse than the disease. I too am cautious of new vaccines until proven safe. This vaccine is too new to be labeled as safe. It hasn’t been tested for a time that would unearth long term problems.

Having had Covid, which has been proven to be deadly for people in all age ranges, I will take my chances on a vaccine that will help me avoid Covid again. At 75, I don’t have 12 years to wait for it to be proven perfectly safe, nor does the world IMO. There are risks to anything we do in the field of medicine. No drug is 100% safe. But we are in the midst of a global emergency and the vaccine has been approved on an emergency use basis. For me, the benefit of the vaccine outweighs its possible risk. I really don’t see people being bullied into taking the vaccine, unless you call it bullying for me to refuse to have close association with a friend who won’t be vaccinated. We all make choices in connection with the vaccine and should be willing to accept the consequences, whether imposed by a friend or an employer or a church or a school. JMO

 

[SouthAussie]

A broad majority of U.S. employers, 65%, plan to offer employees incentives to get vaccinated and 63% will require proof of vaccination, according to the survey. Overall, 44% will require all employees to get vaccinated, 31% will just encourage vaccinations and 14% will require some employees to get vaccinated.

When it comes to consequences for failing to comply with company vaccination policy, 42% of businesses said the employee will not be allowed to return to the physical work environment, and 35% said disciplinary actions are on the table, up to and including possible termination.

Most U.S. companies will require proof of Covid vaccination from employees, survey finds

 

[SouthAussie]

Vaccine skeptics have lots of reasons – “developed too fast,” “side effects,” “don’t trust politicians and government ‘scientists’ pushing it,” etc.

.... only 24% are still saying “No way, ever”

There are many who argue that vaccination “is a personal decision” and that no one should be required to be vaccinated. This ignores the fact that the consequences of each personal decision can affect thousands of other people.

We don’t let people personally decide to drive cars without licenses or seatbelts (or after 3 beers), nor to build what they want on their own land without zoning approval.

It is settled law in most states that employers can require vaccination because they have the right (and sometimes the obligation) to set health and safety requirements for their workplaces.

Government won’t get us herd immunity. Businesses can.

 

[ilovewings]

Having had Covid, which has been proven to be deadly for people in all age ranges, I will take my chances on a vaccine that will help me avoid Covid again. At 75, I don’t have 12 years to wait for it to be proven perfectly safe, nor does the world IMO. There are risks to anything we do in the field of medicine. No drug is 100% safe. But we are in the midst of a global emergency and the vaccine has been approved on an emergency use basis. For me, the benefit of the vaccine outweighs its possible risk. I really don’t see people being bullied into taking the vaccine, unless you call it bullying for me to refuse to have close association with a friend who won’t be vaccinated. We all make choices in connection with the vaccine and should be willing to accept the consequences, whether imposed by a friend or an employer or a church or a school. JMO

Thank you Lillibet for your well thought out response. I was trying to formulate a response but you said what I was going to say, only you said it better. We are in a once a hundred year world wide pandemic: that is why the FDA gave emergency authorization for use of this vaccine. There are lots of elderly people (like me) who don't have years and years to wait for long term testing. Frankly, it is miraculous that we have a vaccine available to use right now-- Can't even imagine what we would be doing without this vaccine. It is also important to acknowledge that the technology of mRNA has been around for over a decade: it wasn't invented a year ago: It has been tweaked. In a perfect world we could wait 10 years for long-term testing and trials. We are by far not in a perfect world. This vaccine is our only way out- There is no plan B.
During the time of the black death, they didn't have a vaccine-- during the 1918 Spanish Flu they didn't have a vaccine. Thank goodness we are living in an age when we have the technology to develop a vaccine to save lives and allow people to get back to living normal lives.

 

[GRT]

I would never consent to any new drug without long term testing. The speed of this does not show thorough testing. Nobody has any idea of any long term effects that cannot be shown for years. I find it to be very offensive that people are basically being bullied into taking the vaccine, by calling people selfish or ignorant. I would never tell somebody that their choice to take the vaccine was wrong. I expect to be treated the same. I have major distrust of the CDC and especially of the WHO. I worked for many years in the healthcare field. The last time was in a pediatricians office. He never gave new vaccines to his patients for at least the first year after release. He wanted to see the results first, especially for diseases that were generally not a high risk for children, like chicken pox. He wanted to make sure that the prevention wasn’t worse than the disease. I too am cautious of new vaccines until proven safe. This vaccine is too new to be labeled as safe. It hasn’t been tested for a time that would unearth long term problems.

I get what you're saying and you're in good company. I've been vaccinated--with the J&J shot--and (to-date) I've had no side effects whatsoever, not even a sore arm.

You are correct that for the safety of all, a long testing period is generally the best way to go.

I am hopeful that many decide to get vaccinated, but I also agree with you that bullying into getting shots is the wrong tact. It backfires and makes those who are suspicious even more suspicious. Bullying is never acceptable.

Yes, the CDC has made some bad calls, and, I also agree that the WHO isn't the most reliable source around. Still, I think they're probably right about vaccinating as many as possible. JMOO

But, that's just my opinion, and I certainly respect yours. I think the risk is probably low from these vaccines, but only time will tell. The early polio vaccines were contaminated, so we know *advertiser censored* happens.

Due to our laws in the US, it's unlikely you'll be barred from doing anything at a state or national level if you don't get vaccinated. Health-wise, some people are not able to be vaccinated.

Best of luck to you!

 

[nrdsb4]

I don't agree with bullying either, if we are talking about name calling or harassment. I do recognize that certain entities have the right to impose consequences for refusal to vaccinate. I don't consider that bullying. For those who know someone is on the fence and would be open to considering taking the vaccine if certain fears are allayed, this article might help explain how these vaccines were able to be developed "so quickly." I wouldn't bother if the person was already an antivaxxer and only believes things that confirm their own stance.

In addition, enrollment for trials that require the number of people that the COVID-19 trials did usually take years. However, these trials filled up fast.

“The public was rooting for us. When we started to enroll trials, there was lots of interest, so we had an easier time maybe than standard in terms of enrollment,” Burton said.

Dr. Kathleen Jordan, infectious disease specialist and senior vice president of medical affairs at Tia, agreed.

She said the prevalence of COVID-19 allowed the trial period to be short.

“[In] only a few months the numbers could show efficacy as placebo arms quickly evolved as being inferior. In less common diseases, it takes years for enough people to be affected in either arm to show the difference, so trials usually require much longer observation periods for the incidence to be statistically significant,” Jordan told Healthline."

How It Was Possible to Develop COVID-19 Vaccines So Quickly

 

[Inthedetails]

NYC restrictions are in process of being lifted.

May 3: can sit at a bar (last place in the state where you couldn't)
May 17: midnight curfew ends for outdoor dining ends
May 31: midnight curfew ends for indoor dining ends

"To be clear: we will only be able to maintain this progress if everyone gets the Covid vaccine," said the governor.

Dining curfews to be lifted starting May 17Los toques de queda para cenar se levantarán a partir del 17 de mayo - Manhattan Times News

I live in Manhattan and the neighborhood changed over the past year. But I also saw people pulling together to make it work, to make an effort to help keep local businesses afloat, comply with safety measures, etc. The restaurant in my building is continually working on their outdoor seating - adding decorative touches, etc. I wonder if all of them will stay up?

I went to my first meal inside a restaurant last weekend for the first time in forever. I'm now fully vaccinated so I felt comfortable and procedures were in place for safety and .... it was nice to be back. We stopped at our favorite candy shop, where you still can't go inside, but they will fetch items for you. The store actually made it a really fun experience. We need the upbeat moments!

I think those who made an effort to move forward are really feeling good right now. I'm sensing such a jovial mood in the air lately. I have little interest in naysayers about the vaccine. I don't need to be convinced how "bad" the vaccines are after I already got my two doses, ykwim. Moving on.

I still haven't got my haircut.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

RSBM I think those who made an effort to move forward are really feeling good right now. I'm sensing such a jovial mood in the air lately. I have little interest in naysayers about the vaccine. I don't need to be convinced how "bad" the vaccines are after I already got my two doses, ykwim. Moving on.

I still haven't got my haircut.

OMG! I haven't had my hair cut or pedicure or anything.. EGADS I'm a sore sight for sure. But after all my doctors appts and dentist appts... that I've backed up 2 years on... I'll do such.

It's been fun to have an excuse to not wear any makeup and look like EGADS!... Slow the change is. I have my first outing to an OUTDOOR city choral concert next week with neighbors. Perhaps I'll get my feet done and hair done by then, although I have enjoyed the freedom of being an absolute SLOB and saving $$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in the past year hehehehe.

 

[GRT]

OMG! I haven't had my hair cut or pedicure or anything.. EGADS I'm a sore sight for sure. But after all my doctors appts and dentist appts... that I've backed up 2 years on... I'll do such.

It's been fun to have an excuse to not wear any makeup and look like EGADS!... Slow the change is. I have my first outing to an OUTDOOR city choral concert next week with neighbors. Perhaps I'll get my feet done and hair done by then, although I have enjoyed the freedom of being an absolute SLOB and saving $$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! in the past year hehehehe.

I've learned to cut my own hair (you can learn anything on Youtube)--and dye the roots--and I've saved a ton of money this past year on wardrobe purchases.

We'll look back on this one day and laugh about how we grumbled about changes that we ended up liking. I was never a fan of handshakes, anyway.

But, I have to say that the internet has been a lifesaver as far as letting me work 100% remotely and keeping me in touch with loved ones. Without it, I'm not sure I would have made this far.