wuhan - coronavirus

[kbutton]

1 minute ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

That’s not even logical. (And I know you aren’t saying this yourself).  If they are not in danger (like many of them claim) then we can’t somehow make them dead even if there was some terrible person who actually wished that (no one I know). 
 

On wanting to exclude them from society then yeah. If you don’t take basic cautions against contagion disease then that’s their consequence that they freely chose. (Usual disclaimer about this not being about those with legitimate medical exemptions. Those of us in that category have always known that we have to monitor and mitigate our exposure to society). 

Oh, none of them make sense around here. It's wild. Someone posted a video saying lots of nutso stuff, but the person recording the video claimed her husband went to the hospital with regular pneumonia, and the hospital turned it into Covid pneumonia by taking all the tests for flu, etc. and turning them all into Covid tests. 

On the same thread (a friend's FB page), another person tore into a reference to the AMA's survey that showed that a high rate of doctors are vaxed as if it was a flawed study because not everyone is in the AMA, not everyone responded, there is no incentive for unvaccinated doctors to respond, etc. and got into really deep weeds in the way that people on here would tear apart an actual flawed scientific journal article. There was no sense of proportion that surveys are...surveys. There was no reasoning with this person that a survey can be treated like a survey--take it or leave it if you feel like it wasn't representative enough for your own needs, but it's not the same as a double-blind study that someone manipulated on purpose, lol. Another person on that same thread said posting the reference to the survey at all was an ad hominem attack (the point being made was that it's less educated healthcare workers that were unvaccinated). 

The people on that thread wanted compassion for their POV (they are persecuted for understanding the truth), but not for being vulnerable to Covid. 

[lewelma]

43 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

I hope the carrots and sticks work! Single vaccination just isn't working for Delta, but having everyone recently double vaccinated should! Is that percentage you are hoping for of the total population, or a certain age group?

The goal is 90% for 12+ people. We are currently at 83% in Auckland and 76% everywhere else for first doses (more like 46% for second doses). But because we only ramped up vaccination one month ago when we finally got supply, they are assuming all the first dose people will get their second doses in the next 2 weeks (we have a recommended 6 week gap). It is the last 10% that they are fighting for. They want 90%+ nationwide and distributed equally between localities and ethnicities, and all political parties and tribes and churches are pushing the same thing.

They have announced that only vaccinated people will be allowed to enter NZ when we open up in January.. 

Edited October 4, 2021 by lewelma

[Ausmumof3]

1,763 cases and four deaths today for Vic.  Still escalating.

we had yet another truck driver case yesterday. The border town has gone into semi lockdown while the health department figures out what’s going on as the lady with Covid apparently wasn’t revealing all her contacts.  I guess that means we’re still aiming to keep it out it possible which is reassuring.

[Melissa in Australia]

3 hours ago, lewelma said:

They are not sure yet, but they are doing the genome testing now. 

Governments has changed tacks slightly. They are going for the aggressive stamp it out, but they are no longer expecting that they can get back to zero. Looks like it is a race between vaccines and the spread if they want to avoid keeping Auckland in lockdown, but they have been very clear that this is NOT a let it rip policy. It will continue to be an aggressive stamp it out approach. There was such a big push on vaccines a month ago, that all the second doses are coming up in the next 2 weeks, so our double vaccinated numbers should soar to about 78%. Then it is the long, hard fight to get the hesitant vaccinated, and the government is announcing its carrot and stick approach today. We are still at about 20 in the hospital nationwide and no deaths in 15 months.

Media here reported that  in Auckland organised criminals, who are wary of people in authority accidently spread it as they were reluctant to get tested. 

No idea if this is true or not

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanmic/article/PIIS2666-5247(21)00219-6/fulltext
 

“Reinfection by SARS-CoV-2 under endemic conditions would likely occur between 3 and 63 months after peak antibody response, with a median of 16 months. This protection is of less than half the duration revealed for the endemic coronaviruses circulating among humans.

Our estimated times to reinfection are consistent with the low numbers of validated cases of reinfection. However, our results caution that reinfection will become increasingly common as pandemic disease transitions into endemic disease. “

 

Obviously it’s very early in the piece to know for sure and there’s a lot of limitations with a study like this.
 

 

[Arcadia]

4 hours ago, lewelma said:

There was such a big push on vaccines a month ago, that all the second doses are coming up in the next 2 weeks, so our double vaccinated numbers should soar to about 78%. Then it is the long, hard fight to get the hesitant vaccinated, and the government is announcing its carrot and stick approach today. We are still at about 20 in the hospital nationwide and no deaths in 15 months.

It is so much better than Singapore’s numbers:

4,509,533 completed full vaccination program (approximately 76%),

8 deaths (October 4th), 40 deaths (September),

2,475 new cases (October 4th)

[lewelma]

4 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

Media here reported that  in Auckland organised criminals, who are wary of people in authority accidently spread it as they were reluctant to get tested. 

No idea if this is true or not

It did get into a gang. But the PM and the Director of Public Health stated at their 1pm briefing a couple of days ago that the gang had been cooperating. And then it has never been mentioned again. 

[lewelma]

Ok, first stick has been announced. Starting in November people must have an electronic certificate to prove double vaccination to enter any large scale events, and possibly/likely all hospitality venues (bars, restaurants etc, they are still deciding the details).  They will not be required for essential services like grocery stores, chemists, doctors.  So Jacinda said that if you are planning on any summer festivals, you need to get vaccinated now, because it will be 8 weeks until your certificate will be valid (6 weeks between doses plus 2 weeks after 2nd dose) and summer is around the corner. We have a single public health database, so there will be a barcode on either your phone or your printed form that will be confirmed at the entrance. So not really an easy way to forge your certificate. For people without phones, their doctor/pharmacist can print the document.

[Jean in Newcastle]

One more thought on the compassion thing:  I don’t think that most people want compassion as such for their POV. They might want agreement. Or capitulation. Or perhaps tolerance. 
 

I can do tolerance to a point. If everyone in a public area is masked (as they are in my area of my state) I don’t really care if they like masking or not. Or what their views are. Or even their vaccination status. I am protected on a couple of different levels and I am not going to be getting up close and personal. I know that many of you are in unmasked areas though. I guess my self protection if I lived in an area like that would be a lot more isolated because I do rely a bit on everyone being masked. 
 

I don’t feel like it’s my mission in life to convince anyone to vaccinate. I have honestly answered questions when asked my opinion. I have quietly made it clear that my non-profit is abiding by all Covid rules. I know that some of my volunteers aren’t vaccinated. I don’t encourage grumbling but I don’t make an issue of it either. I just outline what is expected (vaccination or negative Covid tests in order to participate). If they gripe (which is rare) I tell them to knock it off. 
 

I am against abuse towards anyone- pro or anti. That’s not how God wants me to treat people. Fortunately no one has been abusive towards me in this matter. I am very fortunate that even those who disagree with me on Covid are still kind people. They assume more risk by not being vaccinated but I guess that’s on them at this point. (And I think that they would agree that it’s on them.). I don’t know anyone who is extremely anti though. 

[KSera]

12 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

It's a (insert colorful word) mess. Mobile morgues in the parking lots. Hospitals on the coast where they can't send patients at all and they are dying because they don't have access to the better equipment. National guard doing administrative things. Many of the patients in our metro hospitals aren't local--they are being shipped in from rural, unvaccinated areas but this is affecting us all. 97% of those in the ICU at the hospital I would choose to go if I fell ill are unvaccinated covid patients.  I'm feeling a bit of compassion fatigue.

 

This is probably currently the aspect that makes me the most angry. I don't know what justification people can give for this being okay when they argue that being vaccinated or not should just be everyone's choice and no one else should care. Can any of our anti-vax or at least pro-choice vax posters shed light on that? How is this not a everybody's problem that a minority of people are making this choice with such serious repercussions for everyone else?

2 hours ago, lewelma said:

 So Jacinda said that if you are planning on any summer festivals, you need to get vaccinated now, because it will be 8 weeks until your certificate will be valid (6 weeks between doses plus 2 weeks after 2nd dose)

I had missed that NZ was doing 6 weeks between doses. Is this all/mostly Pfizer? It will be interesting to see if you have longer lasting protection that way. I'm still hopeful that UK will experience that with so many having the longer interval.

[lewelma]

2 hours ago, KSera said:

I had missed that NZ was doing 6 weeks between doses. Is this all/mostly Pfizer? It will be interesting to see if you have longer lasting protection that way. I'm still hopeful that UK will experience that with so many having the longer interval.

Yep. For Pfizer. My understanding is that the UK was desperate earlier this year, so extended the Pfizer dose out to give more people first doses, and then they found that it was more effective than 3 weeks. So since NZ is running behind, we are using all the knowledge learned from overseas to do the most scientifically sound policy. So 6 weeks gap for us.

Edited October 5, 2021 by lewelma

[chocolate-chip chooky]

On 10/4/2021 at 3:05 PM, Ausmumof3 said:

Just thought I’d update in case anyone was following that my 12-16 year old cohort in my house have had the first dose and fully bounced back.  

So glad to hear this!

My 15 yr old had her first Pfizer with nothing more than a sore arm. 

[RootAnn]

7 hours ago, KSera said:

This is probably currently the aspect that makes me the most angry. I don't know what justification people can give for this being okay when they argue that being vaccinated or not should just be everyone's choice and no one else should care. Can any of our anti-vax or at least pro-choice vax posters shed light on that? How is this not a everybody's problem that a minority of people are making this choice with such serious repercussions for everyone else?

"It isn't me" causing the problem? The over-crowding of hospitals is a complicated, multi-faceted issue.

Most people I know who have chosen not to receive the vax believe they will have a mild case. Actually, the majority of people I know IRL have had it (once or twice) and have had what is referred to as a mild case (even if they were pretty sick) because none had to seek doctor or hospital help. So, realistically, those people are correct in their own interpretation. But, obviously, there is still an issue of full hospital ICUs. Why?

Hospitals running lean on staffing to maximize profits all these years. Not having robust HCW training programs all these years. Those are contributors. Obviously compassion fatigue, pay bonuses for traveling nurses, and firing staff for not vaccinating now causing worse staffing issues in certain places.

Separately, is the current and upcoming supply chain issue totally a covid-caused one? Or did it provide a major contributing cause to highlight what was already a strained system? I would argue the latter and that we've known for years about it & done nothing to beef up the system. Same with sourcing our medicine & PPE overseas. Are we going to do what we should (IMO) to fix the situation long-term? Or just point fingers, bellyache, and bandaid the problem? These are complicated issues that have multiple solutions. They are an everybody problem. But the solutions involve a bigger group than I think you highlighted. Things run smoothly until there is a hiccup, or in this case, a pile-up. 

[TCB]

5 hours ago, RootAnn said:

"It isn't me" causing the problem? The over-crowding of hospitals is a complicated, multi-faceted issue.

Most people I know who have chosen not to receive the vax believe they will have a mild case. Actually, the majority of people I know IRL have had it (once or twice) and have had what is referred to as a mild case (even if they were pretty sick) because none had to seek doctor or hospital help. So, realistically, those people are correct in their own interpretation. But, obviously, there is still an issue of full hospital ICUs. Why?

It may well be a mild case for them but who are they passing it on to? There are many problems within the health care system but Covid is a big one. Things have calmed down quite a bit here right now, but still at least 1/2 the patients in ICU are Covid patients. They are really sick and take a huge amount of resources. If we did not have the Covid patients, which would put numbers more like they usually are for us at this time of year, things would be way more manageable. There is no way to honestly deny that it isn’t a huge issue in a lot of places. I would love to go back to the days when I didn’t get multiple texts most  days begging for people to help out at work.

[RootAnn]

1 hour ago, TCB said:

It may well be a mild case for them but who are they passing it on to? 

They are really sick and take a huge amount of resources. ... There is no way to honestly deny that it isn’t a huge issue in a lot of places.

Usually, they pass it onto their kids and/spouse and sometimes people at work.

Absolutely no denying the hospital overload, that a certain amount of people get really sick, and some die. The data is unavoidable.

I was trying to provide one perspective requested. I am not anti-vaccination. I am anti-governmemt over-reach.

[KSera]

12 hours ago, lewelma said:

Yep. For Pfizer. My understanding is that the UK was desperate earlier this year, so extended the Pfizer dose out to give more people first doses, and then they found that it was more effective than 3 weeks. So since NZ is running behind, we are using all the knowledge learned from overseas to do the most scientifically sound policy. So 6 weeks gap for us.

I've been thinking I will probably try to space out the doses for my younger kids, if I can. If we are in a bad place with case numbers at the time and I don't feel confident in being able to shield them from being exposed, I'll do it on the shorter interval, but given current data, giving a few more weeks between doses is looking like a good idea.

7 hours ago, RootAnn said:

"It isn't me" causing the problem? The over-crowding of hospitals is a complicated, multi-faceted issue.

Most people I know who have chosen not to receive the vax believe they will have a mild case. Actually, the majority of people I know IRL have had it (once or twice) and have had what is referred to as a mild case (even if they were pretty sick) because none had to seek doctor or hospital help. So, realistically, those people are correct in their own interpretation. But, obviously, there is still an issue of full hospital ICUs. Why?

Hospitals running lean on staffing to maximize profits all these years. Not having robust HCW training programs all these years. Those are contributors. Obviously compassion fatigue, pay bonuses for traveling nurses, and firing staff for not vaccinating now causing worse staffing issues in certain places.

Separately, is the current and upcoming supply chain issue totally a covid-caused one? Or did it provide a major contributing cause to highlight what was already a strained system? I would argue the latter and that we've known for years about it & done nothing to beef up the system. Same with sourcing our medicine & PPE overseas. Are we going to do what we should (IMO) to fix the situation long-term? Or just point fingers, bellyache, and bandaid the problem? These are complicated issues that have multiple solutions. They are an everybody problem. But the solutions involve a bigger group than I think you highlighted. Things run smoothly until there is a hiccup, or in this case, a pile-up. 

These are all issues, but clearly right now, everyone who can get vaccinated doing so would cause us not to be in the crisis the hospitals are in right now. Never before have we had this many hospitals all over the country so full all at the same time, rationing care, cancelling so many procedures that really aren't "elective" in the way that we think of them, turning away people who die as a result. And the reason this is happening all over right now is because of the large numbers of people hospitalized for covid. Yes, we need to fix this stuff long term, but that's not a reason to accept this preventable situation right now.

[Dmmetler]

37 minutes ago, RootAnn said:

Usually, they pass it onto their kids and/spouse and sometimes people at work.

Absolutely no denying the hospital overload, that a certain amount of people get really sick, and some die. The data is unavoidable.

I was trying to provide one perspective requested. I am not anti-vaccination. I am anti-governmemt over-reach.

And their kids are passing it on to their classmates, their spouse is passing it on at work, as are the co-workers. One mild case can cause a lot of other cases, and eventually it won't be so mild. 

 

This is why vaccination, and until vax numbers increase by a lot, vaccination plus masking plus testing is so important. 

[Ausmumof3]

I never finished updating yesterday was a kind of hectic day and now I can’t find the numbers.  Nsw was somewhere in the 600s I think. 

Today cases from Vic are 1420 and 11 deaths.  Apparently hospitalisation percentages are down on last years mostly due to vaccination so that’s a slim positive.  There’s some ambulance ramping though.

The woman who tested positive in the border town here has been moved to quarantine.  Someone set a car alight in her driveway last night.  Thankfully all her kids are also in quarantine with her.  The health department is very guarded about what they’ll say because contact tracing is meant to be confidential but there seems likely criminal links of some kind. (She likely made a trip to Melbourne and is not being open about here movements etc). Kind of a crazy situation though.

“SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said he understood the car belonged to the woman who had tested positive to COVID-19 . 

"People shouldn't assume that they know what's going on," he said.

"It's completely unnecessary, it's unwarranted they have committed a serious crime and if we do detect them then we will be dealing with them appropriately.

"I'm just asking people to show tolerance. We don't know exactly what's gone on. Let us get to the bottom of this and we'll provide that information to the community as quickly as possible."

 

[Ausmumof3]

594 for NSW and 10 deaths.

0 in Qld

39 in NZ 

[Melissa Louise]

3 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

594 for NSW and 10 deaths.

0 in Qld

39 in NZ 

Do NSW numbers make sense to you? It's such a drop..is it trustworthy? 

[TCB]

4 hours ago, RootAnn said:

Usually, they pass it onto their kids and/spouse and sometimes people at work.

Absolutely no denying the hospital overload, that a certain amount of people get really sick, and some die. The data is unavoidable.

I was trying to provide one perspective requested. I am not anti-vaccination. I am anti-governmemt over-reach.

I know you aren’t anti-vax. I don’t really think the answer is making people get vaccinated against their will. I was really commenting that, even without a huge surge, Covid is still really disrupting hospitals. Also these people aren’t aware of how far the spread goes from them and the effect it has. 

[Arcadia]

@Melissa in Australia@Melissa Louise@Ausmumof3@chocolate-chip chooky@Rosie_0801

Potential for False Positive Results with Certain Lots of Ellume COVID-19 Home Tests Due to a Manufacturing Issue: FDA Safety Communication https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/potential-false-positive-results-certain-lots-ellume-covid-19-home-tests-due-manufacturing-issue-fda

“Date Issued: October 5, 2021

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting test users, caregivers, health care personnel, and the public of the potential for false positive results with certain lots of the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test, due to a recently identified manufacturing issue. For these tests, a “false positive” is a test result that indicates that a person has the virus when they do not actually have it. Negative results do not appear to be affected by the manufacturing issue.

The FDA is working closely with Ellume to assess the company’s additional manufacturing checks and other corrective steps to help ensure that the issue is resolved.

A complete list of affected Ellume COVID-19 Home Tests can be found on Ellume’s website

”

[Melissa Louise]

NSW Premier looking at removing workplace mask mandates even earlier than Dec 1.

I don't get it. Dumb little me on the interwebs can see what's happening in Singapore, and understand that high vaccination rates alone may not be enough to control Covid. Are they just gambling on NSW exceptionalism? 

 

[ktgrok]

5 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

NSW Premier looking at removing workplace mask mandates even earlier than Dec 1.

I don't get it. Dumb little me on the interwebs can see what's happening in Singapore, and understand that high vaccination rates alone may not be enough to control Covid. Are they just gambling on NSW exceptionalism? 

 

There is no such thing as a high vaccination rate until kids can be vaccinated. I don't get why the powers that be can't understand that! If you have a reisvoir of unvaccinated people hanging out, playing, etc together, you are not going to contain this! They bring it home to their vaccinated parents who, with that level of viral exposure (kissing and hugging on their sick kids) get breakthrough infections. I'm watching it in real time with my sister, but it's happenign all over. 

WHY is that so hard for people to understand?? You can't relax masking and such until ALL ages can be vaccinated! 90% isn't ACTUALLY 90% if you aren't counting kids!

[Arcadia]

12 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

NSW Premier looking at removing workplace mask mandates even earlier than Dec 1.

I don't get it. Dumb little me on the interwebs can see what's happening in Singapore, and understand that high vaccination rates alone may not be enough to control Covid. Are they just gambling on NSW exceptionalism? 

 

Masks are compulsory as well and yet there are 3,486 new cases and 9 deaths   for October 5th in Singapore.

[Melissa Louise]

26 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

There is no such thing as a high vaccination rate until kids can be vaccinated. I don't get why the powers that be can't understand that! If you have a reisvoir of unvaccinated people hanging out, playing, etc together, you are not going to contain this! They bring it home to their vaccinated parents who, with that level of viral exposure (kissing and hugging on their sick kids) get breakthrough infections. I'm watching it in real time with my sister, but it's happenign all over. 

WHY is that so hard for people to understand?? You can't relax masking and such until ALL ages can be vaccinated! 90% isn't ACTUALLY 90% if you aren't counting kids!

It's just so frustrating. 

So many good ideas to open up as safely as possible, so little will to implement. 

Just found out one of my kindy kids has Covid - her parents too 🙁

[Melissa Louise]

29 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

Masks are compulsory as well and yet there are 3,486 new cases and 9 deaths   for October 5th in Singapore.

Exactly! Surely those on government have had this drawn to their attention. I just don't get it. 

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, Melissa Louise said:

Do NSW numbers make sense to you? It's such a drop..is it trustworthy? 

I’m not there to know what numbers on the ground look like but the curve kind of seems to make sense?  I think it has to be vax rates driving it down mostly.  I think Coronacast has said a couple of times the difference between NSW and Vic is the number of seeding events?

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

@Melissa in Australia@Melissa Louise@Ausmumof3@chocolate-chip chooky@Rosie_0801

Potential for False Positive Results with Certain Lots of Ellume COVID-19 Home Tests Due to a Manufacturing Issue: FDA Safety Communication https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/potential-false-positive-results-certain-lots-ellume-covid-19-home-tests-due-manufacturing-issue-fda

“Date Issued: October 5, 2021

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting test users, caregivers, health care personnel, and the public of the potential for false positive results with certain lots of the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test, due to a recently identified manufacturing issue. For these tests, a “false positive” is a test result that indicates that a person has the virus when they do not actually have it. Negative results do not appear to be affected by the manufacturing issue.

The FDA is working closely with Ellume to assess the company’s additional manufacturing checks and other corrective steps to help ensure that the issue is resolved.

A complete list of affected Ellume COVID-19 Home Tests can be found on Ellume’s website

”

Thank you.

[Ausmumof3]

1 hour ago, ktgrok said:

There is no such thing as a high vaccination rate until kids can be vaccinated. I don't get why the powers that be can't understand that! If you have a reisvoir of unvaccinated people hanging out, playing, etc together, you are not going to contain this! They bring it home to their vaccinated parents who, with that level of viral exposure (kissing and hugging on their sick kids) get breakthrough infections. I'm watching it in real time with my sister, but it's happenign all over. 

WHY is that so hard for people to understand?? You can't relax masking and such until ALL ages can be vaccinated! 90% isn't ACTUALLY 90% if you aren't counting kids!

Plus we aren’t even giving boosters to our healthcare workers or vulnerable who got vaccinated in March yet 

[Ausmumof3]

Apparently the US is having save Australia protests!  Wow!  Please, please don’t!

[Melissa Louise]

10 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Apparently the US is having save Australia protests!  Wow!  Please, please don’t!

Yeah, not necessary, lol

[Ausmumof3]

3 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

Yeah, not necessary, lol

Btw I think you’re already onto this but might be helpful

https://www.sydneyoh.com.au/news

[KSera]

19 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Apparently the US is having save Australia protests!  Wow!  Please, please don’t!

Aussies react with savage sarcasm to ‘Save Australia’ protest

[Melissa Louise]

Forgive the personal me-covid-job update.

Talked to the principal and she was great. Option to take a mix of paid and unpaid leave if need be, but also some plans and thought re spaces/roles. 

Thinking it through, but it's nice to have options. 

[chocolate-chip chooky]

3 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Apparently the US is having save Australia protests!  Wow!  Please, please don’t!

Say what? Why do we need saving?

[Melissa Louise]

29 minutes ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

Say what? Why do we need saving?

Cos we've lost all our freedoms...

[chocolate-chip chooky]

11 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

Cos we've lost all our freedoms...

Huh.  I personally quite like being free from Covid, and free from mass shootings, if that's what this is about. 

 

[Laura Corin]

3 hours ago, KSera said:

Aussies react with savage sarcasm to ‘Save Australia’ protest

Okay. How should I pronounce Melbourne?  From the article. 

[Ausmumof3]

46 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

Forgive the personal me-covid-job update.

Talked to the principal and she was great. Option to take a mix of paid and unpaid leave if need be, but also some plans and thought re spaces/roles. 

Thinking it through, but it's nice to have options. 

Happy to hear this for you!

[chocolate-chip chooky]

2 minutes ago, Laura Corin said:

Okay. How should I pronounce Melbourne?  From the article. 

Melbin. Melbun. Neither of these is quite right. It's hard to identify the vowel sound between the b and n. 

Maybe just Melbn 😄

[Laura Corin]

2 minutes ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

Melbin. Melbun. Neither of these is quite right. It's hard to identify the vowel sound between the b and n. 

Maybe just Melbn 😄

Okay. As a Brit I say Melbn. Thanks.

[Melissa Louise]

15 minutes ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

Huh.  I personally quite like being free from Covid, and free from mass shootings, if that's what this is about. 

 

It started about six weeks ago with comparisons of Howard Springs to Nazi concentration camps. 

[Rosie_0801]

44 minutes ago, chocolate-chip chooky said:

Melbin. Melbun. Neither of these is quite right. It's hard to identify the vowel sound between the b and n. 

Maybe just Melbn 😄

Schwa!

[Ausmumof3]

https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-940278/v1
 

Preprint only - increase in cardiovascular impacts 1 year post-covid

[chocolate-chip chooky]

23 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

Schwa!

Yay for linguistics! The upside down e, if I remember correctly.

[TCB]

9 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Apparently the US is having save Australia protests!  Wow!  Please, please don’t!

Anything to turn the attention elsewhere. Some people here do a lot of that, I’ve noticed. 

[ktgrok]

5 hours ago, Melissa Louise said:

Forgive the personal me-covid-job update.

Talked to the principal and she was great. Option to take a mix of paid and unpaid leave if need be, but also some plans and thought re spaces/roles. 

Thinking it through, but it's nice to have options. 

Oh, I'm glad!!!!

[kbutton]

Covid toes study.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-58801462?fbclid=IwAR3iCD86iK_IJ98QSozufLlnyheAp3wXE847CX0Paa2NSInpGSaMZZcm8No

The article links to the journal, but not the article, and it's not the only Covid toes article. I don't have time to sort out which one it is right now.

 

[lewelma]

It's now in 3 gangs, who as you can imagine are not super keen to get contact traced. The government is working with the gang bosses and has given 2 of them exemptions to cross the Auckland border to mediate. Also, looks like it is now outside the second lockdown zone, so there is a massive push to get the whole country vaccinated in the next month to 90+%. Lots of inter-party cooperation, and they are having a single weekend where the entire country will focus on just vaccinating. They asked all of us waiting for 6 weeks between doses to get the second dose immediately (but still 3 weeks apart), so my second is now tomorrow. The move of the virus will still be slowed down/stopped by public health measures and lockdowns, but the focus is now on vaccination as the gangs will spread it. Looks like our 15 months of covid free life is about to end. But they have stressed that this is NOT a let-it-rip strategy. They are still calling it elimination because no covid will be tolerated, but it is not longer eradication.