Share how COVID-19 Quarantine has affected you.

[Wumm]

11 hours ago, GusMac said:

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.

27 genuine Thrombosis episodes out of 4 million injections is miniscule in the overall scheme of things. It's just that it's really unfortunate for you if you're one of the 27. And there's no way to predict beforehand if you're going to have an adverse reaction. The Media plays on the sensationalism of it all to an extent, and then it becomes part of the narrative.

Vaccinations in Melbourne have doubled in the past week. It's like people were complacent about it, until it hit the fan and now suddenly they're faced with lockdown number 4. So now Melbournians are lining up in queues in the cold next to one another, when they should be at home isolating. People are turning up without booking, because the phone lines are jammed and of course being Australia there's no online option to book an appointment... Why would that even be necessary? So folks are leaving disappointed because there's not enough Pfizer for walk-ins, from the Exhibition Hall mass hub in Carlton... When the A/Z Vaccine is produced in Parkville in the very suburb next door and is in plentiful supply. The whole thing is just dripping in irony.

Over the past year, we made all the tough calls and did everything necessary to recover from the Pandemic. We used our isolation to advantage; controlled the borders, and apart from isolated outbreaks, suppressed the Virus. But since then, the separate States have all gone down different pathways, there's no coordination between strategies or vaccinations, and no consistency in messages. 

Our State Government is currently spending millions of dollars on the 2032 Olympics bid and $1500 dollar incentives to get people to relocate to the Tropics for Tourism jobs, but we still have no mass Vaccination hub.

Complacency.

S

[Wumm]

So, the Vaccination rollout has now slowly descended into farce here.

The first Queensland Vaccine Hub has opened at a fairground here in Southside Brisbane. This is particularly apt, as some might describe the situation as a bit of a Circus. It's only open to 40 - 49 year olds, and only dispensing Pfizer vaccine. The reason for this being, the Queensland Government has sent back their stockpile of Astra Zenica, and directed the Federal Government to sent our share of the A/Z to private GP Clinics instead. They have completely washed their hands of the responsibility of dealing with the A/Z vaccine.

The major problem is, that hardly any of the Doctors want the responsibility of administering the vaccine themselves. They don't want to store it, can't afford the extra staff to administer it, and don't want to get sued if the Patient dies from DVT. My Doctor's Surgery doesn't want to do it, so then you have to call around to find another who does, and has stock of the A/Z, because it's all I can have as I'm over 50. Even with a Doctor's certificate, you can't get an exemption to have the Pfizer jab (or so I've been told) if you have an elevated risk of blood clots, or (like me) you've had Cancer or another condition that may compromise your immunity.

So, you go to your regular Doctor to get your exemption, just in case. Then you go to the Federal Government website (because that's what the State Health Department is advising) to find another Doctor. When you can't find one that can firstly fit you in, or then has any Vaccine left, the options are:

"Contact your State Government's website!"

Who then tell you that as you're over 50, they really can't help you because you can't have the Pfizer, and that's the only brand they're administering now. But you're always welcome to come down to the Circus, er Fairground and wait in line for hours crammed together with other Hopefulls in case they have any Pfizer left over at the end of the day. 

In which case, after having taken the day off work just on speculation, and if there's any spare... They will happily give you a dose of the Pfizer Vaccination that you're not allowed to have.

S

[GusMac]

Jeez Steve, what a palaver!

Over here it's just pitch up, roll up your sleeve and go after a few minutes wait. It's about the only part of the whole thing we've got working smoothly over here mind.

[Bomber_County]

Vaccine number two tomorrow …….

[BradG]

Lockdowns are wearing pretty thin for us in Melbourne. I live in a suburb where the breakout happened and did visit some of the tier 1 and 2 exposure sites but thankfully not at the times and dates listed thus I don't have to sit in quarantine for 2 weeks. Our state government is in a shambles, we got an extra week of lockdown because they said this strain of the virus was spreading more easily, however the two cases that were used to explain this came out as false positives; one woman was said to have been infected at a display home 2 days after an infected person was there, which turned out a false positive. 

I have to say it's getting very frustrating and I am in a better position than many. I can't imagine how mad you'd be if you had no money coming in and couldn't go to work or your business is being destroyed. Like Wumm said, the phone lines for vaccination are jammed, website doesn't work, total mess.

[Wumm]

On 6/4/2021 at 11:52 PM, BradG said:

Lockdowns are wearing pretty thin for us in Melbourne...

It's patience that's wearing thin up here...

After the Melbourne lockdown had started, a middle-aged couple decided to go on a little holiday, driving 2000 klms north through New South Wales and into Queensland. Having arrived a week later, of course they've now both tested positive for Covid, sending over a thousand close and casual contacts into enforced isolation along the way. 5 other Victorians have also been found to be up here in breach of the lockdown, and will be fined $4000 each by the Queensland authorities.

Meanwhile, the Queensland Premier had her first Pfizer Vaccination this week. Despite being over 50, the reasons given for Pfizer were that because she had prioritised a 'Flu shot first this year, she now had no time to have both A/Z shots before she might be required to fly to Tokyo to accept the 2032 Olympics nomination. This very quickly set off people's 'Bullsh#t' metres, and shortly vision appeared online of her 'Flu shot press conference; where the needle was never seen to enter her arm...

The Nurse's thumb was never seen to be on the plunger...

And the cap appeared to be on the syringe the whole time...

Leading some to believe that the whole thing was an elaborate set-up to avoid the Asta Zenica. For comparison; by June 2nd, the New South Wales Premier had received her 'Flu shot and both doses of Astra Zenica. For context, it turned out that the actual incident in question happened last year, but it shows the extent to which some will go to force their particular narrative.

Speaking of which... This week the TGA confirmed a second blood clot death caused by the A/Z vaccine (along with 7 others listed as 'possible'). This now doubles the Nation's Covid-19 deaths this year, which was a single case back in April. 

S

[BradG]

I really don't want my old man to get the AZ vaccine as he had a blood clot several years ago that caused a stroke.

[Wumm]

5 hours ago, BradG said:

I really don't want my old man to get the AZ vaccine as he had a blood clot several years ago that caused a stroke.

Cognitive dissonance Brad... You want to get vaccinated because you don't want to die from a communicable disease; yet conversely you also don't want to die from willingly submitting yourself to the medicine that's supposed to prevent it. Quite the dilemma, isn't it?

My 88 year old Uncle faced the same problem recently. He is in a wheelchair, so is petrified of people's 'splatter' as he puts it. However, he's in the wheelchair in the first place because his legs were amputated due to Peripheral Arterial Disease. In the end, he opted for the A/Z jab, because if he was going to go he'd rather it quickly from a clot or aneurysm rather than a lingering death while gasping for air. 

This is what it boils down to for the Elderly now... choose your preferred demise. He's still kicking (pardon the pun) a month later, but if he were to pass from a clot, it would be put down to comorbidity and not attributed exclusively to the vaccine. 

I would do my best to get a Doctor's Certificate clearly stating your Dad's extant condition, and try to secure a Pfizer appointment for him; even if that means waiting around for a while to snaffle a shot that they might otherwise throw out at the end of the day.

S

[GazzaS]

Can;t say I blame anyone avoiding the AZ. 

[TJTX]

O find it interesting how different everything is playing out.  In other countries, in the different states, etc.

 

I was just in Orlando for recurrent and it was packed.  And we have so many vaccines they were offering them to people at the airport if they wanted them.  If you want the shot, it's super easy to get here in the US.  And, we are pretty much completely open in a lot of states and cases are down with zero deaths in most states.  I honestly cant tell much of a difference here in Texas now, compared to precovid life.  Of course that's not counting supply shortages of a lot of things.

[smitty44]

Even open in Cali, June 15 as ll orders will be dropped. WFO!

 

[BradG]

@Wumm Yes dad has already talked to his GP and even he recommended against the AZ shot. We don't have enough Pfizer down here, to the point where even those with appointments, assuming you could actually make one through the cluttered phone system, aren't even getting their jab.

[Drdave]

Here’s the latest up to date data from the MHRA here.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-reactions/coronavirus-vaccine-summary-of-yellow-card-reporting

[Jeff]

Cathy and I get shot #2 July 4 ....... lets hope this is the beginning of the end of all this crazyness

[Wumm]

Thanks for that Dave...

On 6/15/2021 at 6:06 AM, Drdave said:

Here’s the latest up to date data from the MHRA here.

Local authorities are constantly looking to the UK for guidance on the vaccine roll-out, and there are calls from some quarters to extend the recommendation for Pfizer to also include the 50 - 59 age group.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-14/calls-to-review-age-cut-off-for-az-vaccine-after-latest-death/100214896

11 hours ago, Jeff said:

Cathy and I get shot #2 July 4 ....... lets hope this is the beginning of the end of all this crazyness

Not here, not for the foreseeable future. For instance:

Federal Government gives a special dispensation to allow a fully vaccinated couple to travel from the US, so that the man can see his dying Father. Couple arrives in Sydney New South Wales, but Queensland Government refuses their entry and requires them to quarantine for 14 days if they do decide to push the issue... 

https://amp.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/vaccinated-man-stuck-in-sydney-quarantine-fears-for-sick-father-in-qld-hospital-20210616-p581ll.html

Another:

Fully vaccinated Melbourne couple flying in from overseas, and forced to quarantine after the Mother required an emergency Caesarian Section, and denied access to the Baby for over a week.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/melbourne/couple-finally-meet-newborn-eight-days-after-birth/ar-AAKTKcu?li=AAgfYrC

One is left to wonder why those fully vaccinated are still being required to quarantine upon arrival here, when they're constantly urging people to get vaccinated so that we can open up the borders!

S

[GazzaS]

2 hours ago, Wumm said:

Thanks for that Dave...

Local authorities are constantly looking to the UK for guidance on the vaccine roll-out, and there are calls from some quarters to extend the recommendation for Pfizer to also include the 50 - 59 age group.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-14/calls-to-review-age-cut-off-for-az-vaccine-after-latest-death/100214896

Not here, not for the foreseeable future. For instance:

Federal Government gives a special dispensation to allow a fully vaccinated couple to travel from the US, so that the man can see his dying Father. Couple arrives in Sydney New South Wales, but Queensland Government refuses their entry and requires them to quarantine for 14 days if they do decide to push the issue... 

https://amp.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/vaccinated-man-stuck-in-sydney-quarantine-fears-for-sick-father-in-qld-hospital-20210616-p581ll.html

Another:

Fully vaccinated Melbourne couple flying in from overseas, and forced to quarantine after the Mother required an emergency Caesarian Section, and denied access to the Baby for over a week.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/melbourne/couple-finally-meet-newborn-eight-days-after-birth/ar-AAKTKcu?li=AAgfYrC

One is left to wonder why those fully vaccinated are still being required to quarantine upon arrival here, when they're constantly urging people to get vaccinated so that we can open up the borders!

S

See....  this is just madness.  I'll bet the guy got the vaccination just so that he could travel...  and now he is stuck in quarantine for two friggin weeks.  I live in Queensland...  And now it's like I dare not leave because I sure as hell don't want to pay for two weeks in hotel quarantine.

[Jeff]

The 'experts' here are still telling us that even fully vaccinated, masks are still mandatory................ then why did I get the shot?

[belugawhaleman]

Had my second dose of vaccine on April 22 (Pfizer) I had no problems with it and

I'm doing fine. Things are opening up a little bit here. Some businesses are allowing

Entry without masks. I hope we are on the way towards normality, but in truth, I think

society will never be completely the same.

[BradG]

People still panic buying toilet paper out here in Australia. I just don't understand it, the grocery shops won't close, you're still allowed out to get supplies, the shops themselves have said there is no shortage, so just why do you require 30 bags of bog roll for 2 weeks of restrictions? 

It's also the first thing that gets stripped from the shops. You think it would be bread, or milk, nope, dunny roll. Completely illogical, because you're going to have to come back to the shop for food and if you don't, then there won't be any need for the toilet roll will there? 

[Jeff]

On 6/26/2021 at 8:37 AM, BradG said:

People still panic buying toilet paper out here in Australia. I just don't understand it, the grocery shops won't close, you're still allowed out to get supplies, the shops themselves have said there is no shortage, so just why do you require 30 bags of bog roll for 2 weeks of restrictions? 

It's also the first thing that gets stripped from the shops. You think it would be bread, or milk, nope, dunny roll. Completely illogical, because you're going to have to come back to the shop for food and if you don't, then there won't be any need for the toilet roll will there? 

Makes me wonder........................  WHAT do those people EAT ???????

[Wumm]

On 6/17/2021 at 6:10 AM, Jeff said:

The 'experts' here are still telling us that even fully vaccinated, masks are still mandatory................ then why did I get the shot?

Well, effectively you got the shot to prevent you from contacting a deadly Virus Jeff. However, one of the side benefits of being vaccinated was expected to be that restrictions would relax and that things would go back to a semblance of 'normal'. But it's not panning out that way.

Greater Sydney has now gone back into lockdown. A Limousine driver has started a cluster of over a hundred cases, by being allowed to ferry quarantining people to and from the airport whilst not being vaccinated himself. The Authorities have stated that he won't be charged or fined, as apparently there's no legislation in NSW that you need to be vaccinated to be able to transport possibly infectious people around the City in an enclosed vehicle in the dead of Winter... The mind boggles.

We are also now wearing masks again in Greater Brisbane after a fly-in Mine worker tested positive to the Delta strain. 170 fellow workers are now also in isolation, but it's too early to tell if they've stopped it spreading. A few other sporadic cases pop up here and there, mostly 'escaping' from quarantine. Despite common sense, we are still forcing regular Citizens merely crossing State borders to isolate in the same facilities as returning International travelers. Apparently after 15 months of this, they're now going to look into the possible risks of doing so.

The task group reporting to the Federal Government has recommended that the Astra Zenica jab now only be given to the over-60's. There have been more cases of the TTS Thrombosis, but no more deaths thankfully. This has meant less of the Pfizer to go around. Which means longer before we get to 80% community vaccinations, which in turn means more lock-downs every time someone sneezes.

S

[Jeff]

Here in B.C. they are saying we are good for stage 3 opening, which means we are no longer under a mandatory mask order, and a lot of us have had the first shot and lots have and are getting the second....... so with luck.......................................

[Martinnfb]

Boom. This human guinea pig reports second shot.

 

[Wumm]

Well done Martin!

I am also double jabbed with the Pfizer vaccine now; fortunately, while waiting for my Wife at a local Hospital for a procedure she was having in mid-June, a Nurse was doing the rounds at 2:30 in the afternoon asking random people if they wished to be vaccinated... There had been a few cancellations at the vaccination Hub, they'd made up too many batches and didn't want to see it go to waste. She had a queue of people in tow, it reminded me a little of the Pied Piper of Hamelin!

The cases in Sydney have continued to rise in the last fortnight, to the point where there were 112 Community cases today. Remembering, this all started from a single individual not doing his job. Authorities expect that the lockdown there will continue for the next 6 weeks at least. There are concerns that people still aren't isolating when directed, as many of the new cases announced daily are later found to be out in the Community while infectious.

Meanwhile, here in Queensland (touch wood) the Delta variant can't seem to take hold for trying. There were two confirmed Delta cases in the last month, but the only others it spread to were their respective Spouses. The larger Alpha outbreak was traced to a single individual who tested negative on day 12 of quarantine, but tested positive after being released on day 14. These cases mostly involved Portuguese and Greek community centres, before eventually reducing to the status quo of zero infections that has been the case for a week now. The following graphic shows the tracing:

Again, we are extremely fortunate here that the cases are low enough to effectively execute tracing.

In the middle of this, we were treated to an extraordinary statement by the State's Chief Health Officer that did serious damage to Vaccine confidence. In response to the Prime Minister's statement that people under 40 who were not yet eligible for the Pfizer vaccine could choose to have Astra Zenica instead with their Doctor's approval and have coverage earlier than they normally would have, and therefore increase Community immunity, Dr Young said (and I quote):

"We've seen up to 49 deaths in the UK from that syndrome. I don't want an 18-year-old in Queensland dying from a clotting illness who, if they got Covid probably wouldn't die."

https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/100256022?amp_js_v=a6&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16250767327291&amp_ct=1625076872268&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From %1%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2021-06-30%2Fqld-cho-rejects-morrisons-astrazeneca-comments-covid-vaccine%2F100256022

The Queensland Premier then followed, telling the public to ignore the Federal Health advice, listen to the State Health advice instead, and for under 40's not to consider the A/Z under any circumstances.

Meanwhile, the actual advice from the State Government is that the A/Z vaccine is safe, and has no higher risk of clotting than the Pfizer (as shown on the waiver I was required to sign to receive my jab). 

To even suggest that an otherwise healthy young individual might die from a vaccination is extreme rhetoric. Young people see this, are fearful of the A/Z jab, and wait until later when the Country gets more Pfizer. Older people with co-morbidities see this, and think 'If young healthy people can die from this, what hope have I got?' and don't get vaccinated at all. It's an unbelievably damaging statement from someone who purports to have the best interest of the Community at heart, and should know better.

Meanwhile, the State Premier calls for the quota of returning Australians to be halved... While still intending to fly to Tokyo for the Olympics, and take someone's place in quarantine after her return. You seriously can't make this sh#t up.

S

[BradG]

It's lockdown 5 in Melbourne although fortunately the panic buying seems to have stopped. I can barely be bothered getting out of my PJs all day at this stage.