Jeff Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 37 minutes ago, Bomber_County said: Thanks Jeff, we had two nice days of weather and people went mad in the parks etc.......I think pandemic period has made the selfish even more selfish IMHO......As for work, I work in a sector which is purely development/ developer led. If they don’t want to spend money, we don’t work..... I agree on the selfish part for sure... Cathy and I have been following the ever changing RULES and we are really getting tired of the folks who don't give a shit, and are carrying on with their lives like normal.... and putting us either at risk or setting us back....... it is starting to really piss us off, me more than her, but never the less, if EVERYONE would follow the ever changing rules for a while to see if it will help quell this crap, we just might all be better off, but as usual it is the few who seem to screw it for everyone for their own selfish ways......... locally a young fellow shut his restaurant down yesterday, due to 'travelers' ( who have been told by the 'officials' to stay home,) who were nasty with his staff, and refusing to follow the health rules we are all following, he wrote a scathing note on the internet, about how this should not be happening.... I don't blame him.... now , just on the news they are saying some of these 'masks' we are to wear has some sort of toxic component that can cause lung cancer................... REALLY !!??? They are supposed to be MEDICAL grade masks.... who is screwing with us ?? Like I said this is getting really old..... if they keep screwing around some one will snap and then look out.. .. so with all that rant, LOL !! I hope you have a nice Easter, and can look forward to sunny days , some good quality Ice 'Cool" beer, and good steak, some model time, and enjoy some of your time off..... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wumm Posted April 4, 2021 Share Posted April 4, 2021 On 3/20/2021 at 10:37 AM, Wumm said: A Doctor treating Covid patients in a Public Hospital tested positive to the Virus last week... Inexplicably, she had not been given even the first of the two vaccine jabs! It turns out that the Doctor in question eventually passed the Virus on to only a couple of people. It took over a week for these cases to surface, and Brisbane was put into a snap three-day lockdown last week until they could confirm the source. Through back-tracing, they found that there was another cluster of cases also linked to a Nurse at the same Hospital; who also had been treating Covid Patients but was also again inexplicably not vaccinated. This caused a lockdown in the Hospital in question, which was from that point being deep-cleaned, because they think there might be issues at the site. The State Government vowed to ensure that only Vaccinated Staff from now on would be able to treat Covid patients. Seems like something they should have been doing from the outset. Greater Brisbane and Ipswich residents must still wear a mask while out and about or while Shopping or at the Pub, until April 15. However, plenty of people aren't, and don't seem to care. 7 hours ago, Bomber_County said: So here we are again. After 8 weeks of extreme pressure to deliver two projects it’s now back to being put on furlough for the foreseeable future or until the company makes more people redundant. Deep joy..... That's such a shame for you Phil. I watched a Documentary the other night about the ranks of London Cabbies being decimated due to Covid. The completely random nature of the Virus and its effect on some Vocations and not others is just so unpredictable. I really hope there a silver lining for you in all this, and the Sun shines through somehow soon. S 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlrwestSiR Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 With less than 24 hours notice, the provincial government here has closed schools indefinitely. They sent them back for a day after the 4 day Easter weekend and have now left all the parents scrambling to find a solution. Awesome. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 4 hours ago, BlrwestSiR said: With less than 24 hours notice, the provincial government here has closed schools indefinitely. They sent them back for a day after the 4 day Easter weekend and have now left all the parents scrambling to find a solution. Awesome. Thank YOU, Doug Ford ! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlrwestSiR Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 On 4/6/2021 at 6:54 PM, Jeff said: Thank YOU, Doug Ford ! Yup, and today he just announced that schools won't reopen not one day after his minister of education said kids will be back in school as soon as possible. They need to get on the same page and stop contradicting each other. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wumm Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 Australia this week has had two cases of Health Care Workers who have been vaccinated with A/Z, that have also had blood clotting issues. These are the only two attributed directly to vaccinations, out of about 700 thousand total. The Federal Government has now recommended that Australians under the age of 50 now not get the A/Z jab, due to the lesser risks in that age group of severe Covid versus the risk of clots. This leaves only the Pfizer option, which is also in short supply. Over 3 million doses of the Astra Zenica shots that have been ordered and paid for have still not arrived from Europe, and Australian production has not yet achieved the expected levels. The Prime Minister has conceded that not all Australians will be vaccinated by the end of the year. We have also had two deaths in the past week for the first time in over a year; a former Provincial Governer from PNG who was being treated here in Brisbane, and a returned traveller from the Philippines who contracted Covid there. S 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 3 minutes ago, Wumm said: Australia this week has had two cases of Health Care Workers who have been vaccinated with A/Z, that have also had blot clotting issues. These are the only two attributed directly to vaccinations, out of about 700 thousand total. The Federal Government has now recommended that Australians under the age of 50 now not get the A/Z jab, due to the lesser risks in that age group of severe Covid versus the risk of clots. This leaves only the Pfizer option, which is also in short supply. Over 3 million doses of the Astra Zenica shots that have been ordered and paid for have still not arrived from Europe, and Australian production has not yet achieved the expected levels. The Prime Minister has conceded that not all Australians will be vaccinated by the end of the year. We have also had two deaths in the past week for the first time in over a year; a former Provincial Governer from PNG who was being treated here in Brisbane, and a returned traveller from the Philippines who contracted Covid there. S Not a good situation. Risk is very low for the clots but the J&J vaccine, which is similar technology, also seems to perhaps have the same issue if the news from the US is correct. Bit worrying. Stay safe. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottsGT Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 21 hours ago, GusMac said: Not a good situation. Risk is very low for the clots but the J&J vaccine, which is similar technology, also seems to perhaps have the same issue if the news from the US is correct. Bit worrying. Stay safe. Yep, same issue. My daughter is about 6 months pregnant and her Doc wanted her to get the J&J when it was available. She told him not under any circumstances would she be getting a vaccination while pregnant. She feels like she dodged a bullet. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wumm Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 Political aspects of the Pandemic have risen to the top down here... At the start of May, the Government put a stop to Australian Citizens and Residents returning from India, due to the current uncontrolled wave of infections there. There are said to be over 9000 Australian Citizens there currently, out of a population of around a million Australians who were either born in India or to Indian Parents... Roughly 1 in 25 of the general population. Inevitably, there were calls of "Racism" from some quarters of the Indian Community and various Political figures. Not helping the situation were reports that Australians returning against the Government advice via third Nations such as Singapore or Doha would be fined and/or jailed under provision legislated last year. Strangely, there were no similar knee-jerk reactions from the Press when South Africa was placed on the no-travel list earlier in the Pandemic. An Australian man who has been in India for over a year is taking the Federal Government to court to overturn the India Travel ban; this is all the more bizarre, as a number of my Work colleagues flew to India for Diwali and returned in November last year... Perhaps he just didn't want to leave India and return to the relative safety of Australia back last year when 4000 people weren't dying on a daily basis. More people have died in the past week here from blood clots. It's still under ten total though, out of just over 2 million vaccinations. A Sydney man also caught the virus last week; they matched it to a man from New York who had been hospitalised 500 metres from the closest point near to where he had been, but are still missing the link between the two of them. We are fortunate here that a single case is the worst thing the Authorities have to worry about. Wouldn't want to be in India. S 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 I agree. Steve, India is getting blasted and with such a huge population, I can sort of see why.... I sure wish we could get a handle on this thing... here in B.C. we have been 'banned' from moving from one health authority to another ( we have regional health areas) it is a good idea in theory, and probably should have happened a long time ago as I live in a relatively sparsely populated part of the province, and Vancouver and area is the largest population base, and of course that is where most of this thing starts and then get moved around the province due to travel. My only real beef with the travel restrictions is how it was presented from the provincial 'official'.... he layed the law down, in no uncertain terms, and I guess as that needed to be put in terms like he did, still , it was a bit harsh for those of us who have been following the rules since this thing began, and he has the RCMP road blocks at the health borders stopping cars and checking to make sure it is 'essential' travel only...you have an opportunity to turn around or get a $500 + FINE..... I get it, and it is a good thing, it was just the delivery, made me kind of shake my head, BUT there are those who cheat the rules, and maybe, just maybe if we just all tried at the same level, maybe we just might get to a point where we can live again. And Cathy and I feel a little more secure as we got our 'shot' a couple weeks ago.... here's hoping... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wumm Posted May 9, 2021 Share Posted May 9, 2021 India is getting blasted, because there is no widespread culture of hygiene there... My former workplace was of about 50% Indian heritage and had to put up signs in the toilets saying "Do not stand on the seats"; some of them at the height of the Pandemic were living in sharehouses and hot-bunking with others who would drive Cabs or Übers all night. Let me stress, this is not a criticism; if you're not shown or told the proper behaviour you can't be expected to just know it. It's like putting a member of the public at random in a cockpit and expecting them to know how to fly an aircraft. Many Indian Australians are among our best and brightest, however there also many from the lower Castes who still behave as they would in the Third World. There is a gradual shift happening Worldwide towards covert Autocracy. Freedoms are gradually being restricted, aided largely by the Pandemic and "Social Justice" issues. This is a natural progression of the successful campaign against Anthropogenic Climate Change, and the active discrimination and even prosecution of Scientific dissenters. We are already witnessing the demonisation of anti-Vaxers and mask Protesters. My final year of High School was 1984, and subsequently we had to read the Orwell novel of the same name and submit a treatise as an assessment. This is becoming a little too familiar for my liking. S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wumm Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 And in that vein... The Australian State of Victoria has gone into another lockdown, this time for 7 days. An Australian citizen who flew into South Australia from overseas later returned to Melbourne in Victoria and has started an outbreak there of 30 new cases. It is thought that he contracted Covid in Hotel Quarantine, but was still negative at the end of his 14 day stay, and later tested positive after becoming ill with the Indian variant back in Victoria. There are over 80 sites now in Melbourne and surrounds where positive cases are known to have visited in the last fortnight. Through an abundance of caution, Greater Melbourne is now in lockdown, masks are to be worn, and travel restrictions apply. And of course, the Shops there have run out of toilet paper again. Repatriation flights have begun arriving again from India, at about 150 people at a time. The first flight was almost half empty, as 70 passengers either tested positive or were close contacts of positive cases. Controversy erupted when many of these people left behind in India tested negative soon afterwards, and claimed that the Facility that QANTAS used was not properly accredited. The man in India who sued the Australian Government lost his case on Constitutional grounds, and abandoned further legal action as the border was now effectively open again. Covid vaccinations nationally reached 4 million injections this week. This is only a tenth of the way towards covering the 20 million Adult Australians in the population. It was revealed mid-week that neither the Queensland State Premier or Chief Health Officer had sat for their first Covid injections... Both of them prioritised having their 'Flu shot first. The Premier, when asked whether she would be taking the Astra Zenica vaccine, responded that she would "be taking the advice of her Doctor". This has done little to inspire confidence in the community towards either the efficacy of the Vaccine, or of the risks of blood clotting and embolisms being associated with the A/Z jab... The State Premier is 51 years old; over 50's are recommended to have the A/Z Vaccine. Unlike most Australian capital Cities, Brisbane has no centralised Covid Vaccination Hub. Since earlier in May, I am now eligible to be vaccinated as the rollout has extended to over 50's now. However, my GP is not offering this service from their clinic as they have no facilities to store the Vaccine, and can't justify the extra staff required above and beyond the normal running of the Practice. Getting people the Jab doesn't appear to be a huge priority for either the Government or the Healthcare Community, at least here in Queensland. S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 I've heard enough bad about the AZ jab that I'm not touching it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HubertB Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 38 minutes ago, GazzaS said: I've heard enough bad about the AZ jab that I'm not touching it. If you listen to all the doomsayers on the net, you’d better sit down right where you are and wait for the Apocalypse, and the sky, and death to fall on your head, and from what I read from all the deskchair experts, that should be pretty soon . Truth is, although some have suffered unexpected and severe side-effects from the vaccine, the benefit-risk ratio is vastly in favour of the vaccine. Whilst the vaccine does not protect you from an infection (what it does is prepare your body for it so that the immune system reacts faster, stronger and more efficiently to it), it is now proven that it definitely prevents any accute form of infection. It also makes you 10 times less susceptible to transmit the virus to others, in effect reducing the epidemic spread from a wave to a dribble. In short, you are still more likely to die from most causes than from an AZ jab. The size of the pandemic combined with the unprecedented extent of social media, has unfortunately opened the floodgates to all kinds of conspiracy theories, false information, ill-intended rumours, etc. Even the media, in their quest to generate viewership to then sell advertising have thrown the basic rules of journalism to the winds and participate in this doomsday movement ... Pasteur must be spinning in his grave hearing all the anti-vax proponents. Btw, I am not infering that you are anti-vax. I am just saying that the AZ vaccine is as safe as an active medicine can be: not 100 %, but the risks are so low so not to be a real « no-go » factor. Like the Janssen, it is also infinitely easier than the Pfizer and Moderna in terms of logistics. I got my AZ jab last Saturday, btw, with not even a small side-effect. But some of my close friends had a far more accute reaction, with symptoms like fever, headache, vomiting, etc. Hubert 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 6 minutes ago, HubertB said: If you listen to all the doomsayers on the net, you’d better sit down right where you are and wait for the Apocalypse, and the sky, and death to fall on your head, and from what I read from all the deskchair experts, that should be pretty soon . Truth is, although some have suffered unexpected and severe side-effects from the vaccine, the benefit-risk ratio is vastly in favour of the vaccine. Whilst the vaccine does not protect you from an infection (what it does is prepare your body for it so that the immune system reacts faster, stronger and more efficiently to it), it is now proven that it definitely prevents any accute form of infection. It also makes you 10 times less susceptible to transmit the virus to others, in effect reducing the epidemic spread from a wave to a dribble. In short, you are still more likely to die from most causes than from an AZ jab. The size of the pandemic combined with the unprecedented extent of social media, has unfortunately opened the floodgates to all kinds of conspiracy theories, false information, ill-intended rumours, etc. Even the media, in their quest to generate viewership to then sell advertising have thrown the basic rules of journalism to the winds and participate in this doomsday movement ... Pasteur must be spinning in his grave hearing all the anti-vax proponents. Btw, I am not infering that you are anti-vax. I am just saying that the AZ vaccine is as safe as an active medicine can be: not 100 %, but the risks are so low so not to be a real « no-go » factor. Like the Janssen, it is also infinitely easier than the Pfizer and Moderna in terms of logistics. I got my AZ jab last Saturday, btw, with not even a small side-effect. But some of my close friends had a far more accute reaction, with symptoms like fever, headache, vomiting, etc. Hubert I'm not anti-vax. My wife's teacher's-aid got the AZ jab and is now losing sight in one eye. What is a modeller without eyesight? Nothing. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wumm Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 2 hours ago, GazzaS said: I've heard enough bad about the AZ jab that I'm not touching it. Figures as at last Sunday... 22 thousand adverse reactions ranging from the sniffles to death, out of 3.6 million total Australian vaccinations. One confirmed death from the A/Z jab, one probable and one possible. So with just the single confirmed Covid death this year in the whole Country, and according to the Official figures... Statistically you are at least likely to die from the vaccine in Australia in 2021 than the actual Covid-19, perhaps moreso. https://www.tga.gov.au/periodic/covid-19-vaccine-weekly-safety-report-27-05-2021 Not helping much, am I Gaz? My former Partner had a severe adverse reaction from Gadalinium dye administered during an MRI scan. One of the symptoms was loss of sight; completely in one eye, and reduced to monochrome in the other (I think I may have mentioned this earlier). This was a foreign substance that she voluntarily had administered into her body, and signed a waiver for. Reactions to vaccinations are less common than the militant minority would have us believe, yet they still happen, and to varying degrees of severity. The really tough thing is... You don't know you're likely to have a reaction, until it happens. I'll be taking two aspirin a day for the week before my vax (when I can arrange it) and for a month after. And also I'll be wearing the stockings I have set aside that I used during my last operation. It's Winter here, I'll just wear long pants for a month. No biggie. S 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 I got my first shot of Pfizer one and a half week ago. Yes, they are fast on my tiny island with the vacuna. They even started with the 40's to 50's group this week, me belonging into the group of the 50's to 60's. I felt a little weak in the afternoon and on the next day, it was like somebody smacked me on to the arm lightly and that was it. Only one of many others getting the injection, felt bad for two days with some fever and cold symptoms. It's strange that the Spaniards on my island seem to just take the injection as soon as possible. It's the foreigners here, which hesitate, foremost the Germans and the Dutch, where everybody is soooo special (starts with the food, you wouldn't believe, what can possibly be harmful to your body ) and self centered and some other things which accumulate to what Hubert said. I'm not negating the risk of post reactions, even dramatic ones in some cases, but for my thinking it's about being a part of an intact society, to protect others and help to not spread the desease anymore. Ayyyy, what's itching there in my arm. They lousy implanted that brain control chip ------- STRG-ALT-DEL . Sorry, had to be said. Cheers Rob 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wumm Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 I agree with you about the benefits to Society Doc... However, I'm also greatly concerned that the Government here has approved a specific Medication, that they know has the potential to kill otherwise healthy Citizens when used as directed, and have admitted this to the Public in writing within the link I provided above. It's one thing to have unintended consequences. But harm and possible death is now a known outcome, from a medication actively encouraged and administered by the State. To me this goes against both the Hippocratic Oath, and good Governance. S 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlrwestSiR Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Sue and I both got the AZ jab back on April 24th. It was the only option available for those not considered high risk at the time here in Ontario. The next day Sue was wiped out with fatigue and a general flu like feeling. It lasted until the following day. I didn't have any side effects nor did a friend's wife who got the shot at the same time we did. He however, was like Sue though and was off his feet for a day and a bit. There have a number of confirmed deaths from side effects of the AZ shot here in Canada and so far they're in the single digits. It's enough that Ontario is no longer administering AZ shots. The current supply is being used for those whose initial jab was AZ until it's used up on their second dose. At that point, those who haven't had their second will be getting one of the other vaccines. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 As I stated earlier. What is a modeller without eyesight? Nothing. These vaccines were rushed into production, bypassing all of the normal precautions taken previously. I've never had a bad reaction to a vaccine before. Lord knows what the US Gov't jabbed me with whilst I was in her service. So, I'm not going to do it just yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Gaz, don't want to be narky but that is wrong. These vaccines went through EXACTLY the same regulatory and safety processes as any other vaccines that are licenced for human use. Full phase 2 and 3 trials as required by all the regulatory bodies such as FDA, etc. What speeded them up was removing all the time wasting getting funding and then delays getting people to look at applications for trials, etc as these were numero uno priority and fast tracked through. But they still went through everything that every other trial does. I agree the relative risks seem high for you in Oz given your case rate is so low but how are you ever going to be able to open up your borders if you don't get the population vaccinated? Do you have the option to choose which vaccine you get? As healthcare workers we all got the Pfizer one here as it was the first one available, so I'd had both doses by the beginning of March with no side effects. Hope you get it sorted out anyway. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wumm Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 13 hours ago, GusMac said: Gaz, don't want to be narky but that is wrong. These vaccines went through EXACTLY the same regulatory and safety processes as any other vaccines that are licenced for human use. Full phase 2 and 3 trials as required by all the regulatory bodies such as FDA, etc. What speeded them up was removing all the time wasting getting funding and then delays getting people to look at applications for trials, etc as these were numero uno priority and fast tracked through. But they still went through everything that every other trial does. This is one case where the lines between perception and reality are blurred for many here Gus... The Therapeutic Goods Administration (our version of the MHRA or FDA) approved the use of the A/Z Vaccine on March 26th this year. According to the link: https://www.tga.gov.au/covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca-chadox1-s Of particular concern are the parts contained within that specifically mention that this approval hinges on ongoing clinical trials, and that it was granted despite the unknown nature of the extent of the vaccine's actual prevention of Covid-19. Reasonable people are left to wonder just why it was cleared for use while clinical trials are still ongoing, and while doubts exist about its efficacy... Never mind that there's been 27 cases of TTS Thrombosis and six deaths since. For some, this seems to be the very definition of 'rushed through'. We have the choice of Pfizer for those under 50 years of age, or A/Z for overs. If you are considered at risk of clots or have a comparable Medical condition your Doctor can arrange for over 50's to have the Pfizer instead. The Moderna is coming apparently but not available yet, and the J&J was rejected. There was a promising early effort developed locally by the University of Queensland which worked well in trials, however it was rejected as it was also giving recipients false HIV positive results. The Astra Zenica is being made in Melbourne under licence at the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories; the Australian Government have put most of their eggs in that basket, which may speak to why they are persisting with it. As for open borders, I honestly don't think most people are concerned at this point. The Country had a dip into Recession last year, but the economy has rebounded into 2021 and for the most part life continues as normal. We have the occasional lock-down from a few days to a week to allow small outbreaks to be properly contact-traced, and then it's back to business again. We have a reciprocal travel agreement with New Zealand, and others can come to the Country for work or other legitimate reasons (mostly Hollywood movie stars it seems). Then there's the unanswered questions about herd immunity, constant reports of Covid being detected in sewage tests, and whether the Virus is living in the community asymptomatically and we've all had it without knowing. Either way, people don't seem too concerned... "She'll be right Mate!" S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 My wife and I were hoping to take a NZ cruise in February (for our 20th). That means we have to pay by November. But we have no idea whether we'll be going or not. Truth be told... I don;t want to risk being quarantined somewhere. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 1 hour ago, Wumm said: This is one case where the lines between perception and reality are blurred for many here Gus... The Therapeutic Goods Administration (our version of the MHRA or FDA) approved the use of the A/Z Vaccine on March 26th this year. According to the link: https://www.tga.gov.au/covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca-chadox1-s Of particular concern are the parts contained within that specifically mention that this approval hinges on ongoing clinical trials, and that it was granted despite the unknown nature of the extent of the vaccine's actual prevention of Covid-19. Reasonable people are left to wonder just why it was cleared for use while clinical trials are still ongoing, and while doubts exist about its efficacy... Never mind that there's been 27 cases of TTS Thrombosis and six deaths since. For some, this seems to be the very definition of 'rushed through'. We have the choice of Pfizer for those under 50 years of age, or A/Z for overs. If you are considered at risk of clots or have a comparable Medical condition your Doctor can arrange for over 50's to have the Pfizer instead. The Moderna is coming apparently but not available yet, and the J&J was rejected. There was a promising early effort developed locally by the University of Queensland which worked well in trials, however it was rejected as it was also giving recipients false HIV positive results. The Astra Zenica is being made in Melbourne under licence at the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories; the Australian Government have put most of their eggs in that basket, which may speak to why they are persisting with it. As for open borders, I honestly don't think most people are concerned at this point. The Country had a dip into Recession last year, but the economy has rebounded into 2021 and for the most part life continues as normal. We have the occasional lock-down from a few days to a week to allow small outbreaks to be properly contact-traced, and then it's back to business again. We have a reciprocal travel agreement with New Zealand, and others can come to the Country for work or other legitimate reasons (mostly Hollywood movie stars it seems). Then there's the unanswered questions about herd immunity, constant reports of Covid being detected in sewage tests, and whether the Virus is living in the community asymptomatically and we've all had it without knowing. Either way, people don't seem too concerned... "She'll be right Mate!" S I take your point Steve that that gives the perception of being rushed through but on-going trials of new drugs is nothing unusual. Generally, they are about discovering other slightly different applications or dosages or different patient groups. The AZ did have a different demographic in the initial trials than Pfizer hence the delay in the EU licencing it for the over 60s. Ironic, that's now the group it's basically reserved for because of the clots. At work we're involved in the imaging side of a lot of drug trials and the response of the regulators here reassures me that they don't consider the risk too high as I've seen trials of new chemo drugs pulled after a few dozen patients if they are deemed to be too harmful. Glad to hear people are still happy with the closed borders. Some in the press here have been pushing stories about a kick back against it but it's mainly those who were anti any controls here and are still pushing that line. I wish we'd shut the borders here as efficiently as you and the Kiwis but our muppet politicians couldn't organise the proverbial in a brewery! Geography doesn't help us either being so close to Europe. Stay safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 1 hour ago, GazzaS said: My wife and I were hoping to take a NZ cruise in February (for our 20th). That means we have to pay by November. But we have no idea whether we'll be going or not. Truth be told... I don;t want to risk being quarantined somewhere. That's a tough one. It's the uncertainty of the whole thing that I think makes it hardest, just not being able to really plan anything. My brother and his partner have just rebooked the same holiday for the fourth time as it keeps being postponed. I couldn't be ar**d with the hassle. Hope you get some clarity nearer the time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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