Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[sbbefc]

That's flat out dictatorship.

Pretty sure we were lockdown when only 40% of the population had their first dose. I think we might have even spent more days than pretty much any other country in lockdown too.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

Pretty sure we were lockdown when only 40% of the population had their first dose. I think we might have even spent more days than pretty much any other country in lockdown too.

Aye but look at how many cases/deaths we had at the time.

Locking down because a handful of people have Covid is authoritarian.

 

[tsubaki]

Aye but look at how many cases/deaths we had at the time.

Locking down because a handful of people have Covid is authoritarian.

its far better than locking down because thousands of people have covid

 

[Deckard2049]

Sources: US to recommend COVID vaccine boosters at 8 months

U.S. experts are expected to recommend COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all Americans, regardless of age, eight months after they received their second dose of the shot.

apnews.com

Wonder if the UK will follow suit at some point.

 

[BlueInNZ]

How's the vaccine rollout going there? Surely at some point you're just going to have to open up and hope for the best?

Roll out has been pathetically slow. Lots of excuses why from the Govt and coming home to roost now.

I was only eligible to get dosed up from last week, my first jab was supposed to be this Friday but looks like that will be delayed.

 

[BlueInNZ]

Panic buying at supermarkets, people going crazy. Absolutely no reason for it. I popped down to my local supermarket before and was lucky enough to get the last 200 rolls of toilet paper.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Here in NZ we’ve just about to go into a full lockdown (only supermarkets allowed to open) for three days.

Why, you ask? We’ve had ONE community case. ??

That is crazy

 

[Deleted member 48881]

 

[sbbefc]

Aye but look at how many cases/deaths we had at the time.

Locking down because a handful of people have Covid is authoritarian.

I would disagree, the sooner you lockdown and contain an outbreak the sooner you'll be out of lockdown. The whole point in short sharp early lockdowns is to prevent the disaster we had. Obviously its impossible to compare the UK to NZ given our population and geographical location. But I wouldn't call it authoritarian. They'll eventually come out of this with fewer deaths than us and fewer lockdowns. They'll probably have had more freedoms than us for a longer periods.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

I would disagree, the sooner you lockdown and contain an outbreak the sooner you'll be out of lockdown. The whole point in short sharp early lockdowns is to prevent the disaster we had. Obviously its impossible to compare the UK to NZ given our population and geographical location. But I wouldn't call it authoritarian. They'll eventually come out of this with fewer deaths than us and fewer lockdowns. They'll probably have had more freedoms than us for a longer periods.

Depends how long it goes on for really - if they do this for months/years to come even with vaccines they'll be riots.

 

[BlueToff]

Here in NZ we’ve just about to go into a full lockdown (only supermarkets allowed to open) for three days.

Why, you ask? We’ve had ONE community case. ??

Aye saw that. Three days for everywhere but Auckland which is a week, isn't it.

It's the elimination strategy. I hope it works for you mate, but once you do open borders early next year, I fear that it's going to hit hard (unless the gov have got the vaccine roll out fully done which is poss)

 

[BlueToff]

I would disagree, the sooner you lockdown and contain an outbreak the sooner you'll be out of lockdown. The whole point in short sharp early lockdowns is to prevent the disaster we had. Obviously its impossible to compare the UK to NZ given our population and geographical location. But I wouldn't call it authoritarian. They'll eventually come out of this with fewer deaths than us and fewer lockdowns. They'll probably have had more freedoms than us for a longer periods.

they're going for an elimination strategy - that's how Arden described it last week. They plan to open borders in 2022 to certain nations but are basically living as a hermit kingdom.

Now, NZ can just about do it but there is a limit and because the rest of the world isn't pursuing an elimination strategy, it's hard to see it working sustainably. Of course, the vaccines will help that but they need to get that roll out done. They realistically could already have had it done though, quite easily. There's 4.8m people or something.

 

[BlueToff]

Hard for elite level sportsmen and women.

the vaccine can knock you and in an individual sport like tennis where it's quite literally week after week travelling around the globe, you'd have to sacrifice a lot to get that time off from training, competing etc. I know it sounds daft but this will be an issue - so it's why the Tour organisers have to sort it out. But then that creates issues of its own because each country has different rules, so do the ATP/WTA insist that they will purchase vaccines and administer, and then how is that tracked?

You'll see this across a lot of sports.

 

[BlueToff]

its far better than locking down because thousands of people have covid

It is but should they be doing it 18 months in when they've had months to really get their vaccine roll out underway (and arguably finished, given their population) - should it really be happening?

But that's the 'elimination' strategy they're pursuing. I just don't see how it's going to work come 2022 when their borders are open even just to people who have been fully vaccinated.

 

[ToffeeTim]

they're going for an elimination strategy - that's how Arden described it last week. They plan to open borders in 2022 to certain nations but are basically living as a hermit kingdom.

Now, NZ can just about do it but there is a limit and because the rest of the world isn't pursuing an elimination strategy, it's hard to see it working sustainably. Of course, the vaccines will help that but they need to get that roll out done. They realistically could already have had it done though, quite easily. There's 4.8m people or something.

Zero covid policy, or an elimination policy (call it what you like) will not work, because the virus will never disappear. It's a naive idea not based on reality in my opinion. It will only take one person to spread it again in future.

Mass vaccination, mitigation through cleaning and hygiene, and back to normality is the only sustainable long term policy.