Re: What is happening around you, around the world? Thread #3

by **Sprite** Fri Feb 19, 2021 7:16 pm

My test came back negative this morning, although I am still coughing, sneezing, etc. so no going back to work tomorrow and I am now off for the next 3 weeks for vacation. Hopefully, I snap out of this ASAP so I don't waste any of those vacation day.

Here we are still vaccinating the LTC homes, hospital staff, indigenous populations up in the far north. We had an interruption with the vaccine deliveries, but they seem to be back on track now so I think next will be anyone 85+ and those vulnerable due to other conditions. That will include my parents. They seem to have changed some qualifiers for this next rollout so I might fall into this group because of my job. There is some confusion so not sure.

by **GuardianAngel** Fri Feb 19, 2021 10:08 pm

I haven't read the full report that was announced today, but the next round is changed to 80 yrs old and up by end of March. That will be the 2nd round as they have been vaccinating the LTC etc as mentioned by @Sprite. This will also include teachers. Also physicians can call their patients for appointments. I'm very happy about that as my mother will be in that category.

After that the third round expecting to start in June and completed by the fall. It's too bad we had a set back by Pfizer and Moderna not delivering, but they are on track now.

There are two other companies Johnson and Johnson and someone else, Health Canada is in review for approval. Those vaccines don't have to be stored in such cold temps. Once those are approved, it will be even quicker. I'm just a regular person, so I don't expect it until maybe July/Aug and I can't wait!

I'm glad they have a good plan on who gets vaccinated first.

@Norcalgal thanks for sharing your story. It's very difficult on family to deal with all that. I'm sorry she went through so much. sad

by **GuardianAngel** Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:22 pm

@Sprite I forgot to mention that's fantastic news your test was negative!!

The things you think of when you can't sleep.

I hope you're getting better and won't be sick during your vacation days.

by **Norcalgal** Sat Feb 20, 2021 9:07 pm

Do most Canadians tow the line as regards to when they can get vaccines or do you have lots of line jumpers, as we have in the states? My Aussie friend says 98% of their population follows the rules.

by sdmom Sat Feb 20, 2021 9:44 pm

@GuardianAngel , @Norcalgal thanks for sharing your personal experiences. See, I had this misconception that most westerners (for lack of a better term) are willing to stay in the nursing home. Glad to know I was wrong. If possible, most people still like to stay at own home, including me.

Sigh. Getting old is not fun. Y‘all take care.

by **Sprite** Sat Feb 20, 2021 10:39 pm

Norcalgal wrote:Do most Canadians tow the line as regards to when they can get vaccines or do you have lots of line jumpers, as we have in the states? My Aussie friend says 98% of their population follows the rules.

I think we generally follow the rules, although there are always the ones who think the rules don't apply to them.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/28/canada-couple-covid-vaccine-indigenous-people-jail-time

by **GuardianAngel** Sat Feb 20, 2021 10:54 pm

I think we're following the rules for the most part. That article is the only instance that I've read about.

I'm glad they have a good plan in place as far as the order goes. A friend of mine was asked if she wants to be vaccinated because she's her mother's care giver. Her mother is in a LTC facility, she declined and said there's no need right now since she can't visit her. She'll wait her turn.

by justcallmegranny Wed Mar 03, 2021 1:38 pm

A friend of mine, who is a physician herself, said the Chief County Public Health officer in her county is pushing giving people their first shot and waiting longer to give them a 2nd dose. "She went on to state that waiting a few weeks to give people their 2nd dose of the vaccine would not matter very much to the average patient. She went on to say there is just not enough vaccine to go around so it serves the greater good to get as many people inoculated as possible so this virus can be stopped." My friend sent her an email asking if she approved of having people only take half of the allotted doses of chemotherapy for their cancer or only giving people half doses of antibiotic when they were fighting a life-threatening infection. She said in the end patients won't be adequately protected and that that situation will only serve to encourage the virus to mutate even more than it is currently. She has received no reply.

by **Norcalgal** Wed Mar 03, 2021 4:30 pm

@justcallmegranny I just listened to KCBS radio, the Bay Area News Station, this morning while out running errands. The "Ask the Expert" section was interviewing a doctor about this very question. To summarize, your immunity is generally not compromised if the second dose is pushed back by several weeks. There are lots of opinions about vaccines and with demand outstripping supply, this seems to be a way to get more shots in more arms. Interestingly, this physician encouraged people to go out and support businesses after they have been fully vaccinated. He said wear a mask if you feel uncomfortable.

https://www.radio.com/kcbsradio

There was a shorter blurb, with an infectious disease physician from UCSF, earlier in the broadcast who was addressing the Brazilian strain of COVID. The report showing it was widespread appeared in the medical journal, Lancet. One aspect of the study, which she said was not getting any attention, is the blood samples that looked at the Brazilian variant strain all came from blood donors. She felt this might exaggerate the spread of that strain within the general population as it wasn't a representative sample. In other words, those people that donated blood might have reason to think they had been infected and they would find out if they had antibodies by donating blood.

by **GuardianAngel** Wed Mar 03, 2021 9:05 pm

When it's my turn, I want two shots, in the allotted time frame that the scientists who developed the vaccine recommend for that particular vaccine.

If the product recommends the 2nd shot in 30 days, that's what I want.

If two shots are 98% effective, one shot will be half of that. I've done everything I'm suppose to for one year now. I'd be pretty ticked if I had my first shot and was waiting weeks for my second.

I'm not taking that chance. Canada has already been screwed on the promise of delivery. If that happens again, and I've had my first shot, delivery gets delayed a month for example, and they continue immunizing first shots? It will be months before I get my 2nd. I hope we don't do that. There is a specific order which they are immunizing, which I'm glad they are doing. I'm patiently waiting for my turn.

by **Norcalgal** Thu Mar 04, 2021 4:22 pm

@GuardianAngel I understand. My 2nd shot has been delayed at least a week due to the snow storms in the midwest and east preventing the planned shipments.

by **Sprite** Thu Mar 04, 2021 5:00 pm

The wife of a co-worker was in the first group to get the vaccine because of her job. They gave her a date a month later and then that was pushed back. My friend just got her's earlier today and the second is scheduled for April 8th. We'll see if they stick to that.

by Sponsored content