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crfriend wrote: And if that last remark sounds a bit fatalistic, it is. I have precisely no hope for what was once my country. The actions on 2022-01-06 saw to that. In case anybody accuses me of forsaking my country, I'd posit that
my country forsook me.
Ummmmm.........Don't you mean 2021
Working too many long hours
Uncle Al
Kilted Organist/Musician
Grand Musician of the Grand Lodge, I.O.O.F. of Texas 2008-2009, 2015-2016,
2018-202 ? (and the beat goes on )
When asked 'Why the Kilt?'
I respond-The why is F.T.H.O.I. (For The H--- Of It)
Having refrained from visiting this forum for some time, I now read the comments per mid January 2022. A few remarks.
The mandatory vaccinations: in the Netherlands, there was a law in place till mid '70's making vaccination mandatory, such is no longer the case.
Also in the Netherlands, the vaccination program is registered as phase three. There is also a phase 4, where participantents are fully informed and may take their leave whenever they feel the need thereto.
In the media was a announcement that Pfizer would be no longer under EUA, such is not the case. The EUA was extended.
Last edited by Uncle Al on Sat Mar 19, 2022 11:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason:major type-o's
For us in this quiet little backwater the virus is fading into history. It was never a big deal anyway even at its height. There are now no restrictions, mask wearing voluntary. There are still a few that persist in wearing them but they don't draw attention, they are just accepted. Probably those with some sort of immune deficiency who still feel that they need whatever protection they offer. There is talk of a fourth inoculation but it's only for the old and/or vulnerable at this stage. Little reporting of the number of cases, hospitalisations, deaths. Life goes on as normal.
I believe in offering every assistance short of actual help but then mainly just want to be left to be myself in all my difference and uniqueness.
Pretty well the same here. However, our Taoiseach or PM visited Washington for the St Patrick's Day celebration, tested positive, had to isolate and could only confer with Joe Biden on videolink......which he could have from Dublin anyway!
At my seriously advanced age I'm still carrying a mask around with me, which I wore to Church, incidentally as most people attending did/do.
Alas, Ukraine has grabbed the headlines and most of the airtime. That has batted Covid into the long grass, but we all hope and pray that it will end very soon.
Tom
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I still wear a mask on busy trains, the London Underground and in busy supermarkets. It’s an N95 (PPF2)mask, so an effective one. It’s my choice of course, and I quite understand the majority removingvtheir masks. With the highly transmissible Omicron B.2 variant, I’m being cautious.
You at least wear a proper mask. Most don’t do so and many with the nose protruding. We can’t hide forever and the latest version is nothing more than a bad cold. I haven’t had so much as a sniffle for over 5 years and my biggest problems stem from the effects of the lockdowns (from which my company hasn’t yet recovered) and side effects of the vaccine. I have had two doses but no more, as I prefer the possibility of covid over the inevitability of vaccine issues. It’s time to ignore it and get on with life.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been fully approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with Pfizer in late August, 2021 and Moderna in late January, 2022.
Most places here have scrapped assorted mandates and mask-madness requirements, but the recent Saint Patrick's Day holiday is sure to produce another "spike" so we will likely see a return to the insanity -- and I hope this tile around we're not going to be tolerant of the socially irresponsible. We've all lost two years out of our lives because of this mess, and given the average human life-expectancy (which is now falling in the US) two years is a measurable percentage of one's life. And we still have all the mental-health damage that this has caused -- which nobody is talking about.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
Midas wrote: ↑Sun Mar 20, 2022 11:59 am
We can’t hide forever and the latest version is nothing more than a bad cold.
Well, you're one of the lucky ones. I got it for the first time two weeks ago and "a bad cold" does not come close to covering it. Certainly worse than any flu I've ever had. It's also got a way longer tail. Couldn't outrun Omicron forever.
Now, the chance of hospitalisation is way lower than any previous version, which is good. But it bugs be when people just airily suggest there's no problem any more and any illness they might be feeling is clearly their imagination. Can we at least accept that for a lot of people it's definitely worse than a "bad cold"?
pelmut wrote: ↑Sun Mar 20, 2022 6:11 pmThe mask reduces the chance of an infected wearer spreading the virus to others, it does not protect the wearer against catching the virus.
Precisely. Why should the socially-responsible who have been vaccinated worry one whit about the socially-irresponsible ones who are anti-VAX without valid medical reason, and remain a very large part of the problem?
I'm remarkably tolerant -- up to a point. And at that point I get extremely intolerant. Let Uncle Chuck (Darwin) sort it out.
It'll be another week or so before the numbers come in regarding a Saint Patrick's spike. I'm waiting for them, and hoping that it doesn't throw my life asunder yet again. I've got too many damned irons in the fire already -- more than a few of which have life-changing consequences of their own. I do not need more externalities.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
In respect of denying medical attention for those who have not taken the vaccines, medical insurances, especcially in the old world are based on solidarity. If you want to exclude someone from cover you will have to do so in general terms, like self inflicted harm. Such will mean that those with accidents due to participating in sports, smoking etc., shan't be able to get medical treatment.
Another aspect is that many medical underwriters will not provide cover for those who are participating in trials, without prior appoval, due to self inflicted harm. In addition many US underwriters working international will limit cover either to an amount specified in the policy and/or years. In policies for US expats it was even double. Travel insurance in combination property and loss insurance in the country of residence would often provide the solution for US expats.For Europeans the medical cover under the travel insurance wiould be obligatory as the costs of medical treatment in other countries would exceed the national cover. It even differentiates between european and global cover.
In Europe all vaccines are still under EUA; having read the doc's issued by the CDC professionally, such is still the case in the US also. In the news it was indicated as if all were approved, but they all requested approval but only extension of the EUA was provided by the CDC being the equivalent of the EMA.
Over on this side of the Pond the big 'externality' is now the open-arms welcome extended to Ukrainian refugees, thousands of whom are already here, as is the case with most European countries. I haven't heard a syllable mentioned about what percentage of them have been vaccinated &c &c, so there's another big spike coming for sure.
Kirbstone wrote: ↑Sun Mar 20, 2022 9:30 pm
Over on this side of the Pond the big 'externality' is now the open-arms welcome extended to Ukrainian refugees, thousands of whom are already here, as is the case with most European countries. I haven't heard a syllable mentioned about what percentage of them have been vaccinated &c &c, so there's another big spike coming for sure.
That's because it's a statistical blip. Each day in the EU over 600,000 test positive and there are many who have it but don't test. Even if every single person from Ukraine got it it would perhaps add a few percent, if that. The entire refugee population amounts to maybe 0.5% of the EU population. You'd be hard pressed to even notice an effect.
That said, they're being offered vaccinations at the border if they want. But I can assure you, on the list of things to worry about, this is a long way down.
pelmut wrote: ↑Sun Mar 20, 2022 6:11 pm
The mask reduces the chance of an infected wearer spreading the virus to others, it does not protect the wearer against catching the virus.
Actually, masks DO protect the wearer against catching the virus. Empirical observations from 100+ years ago during the H1N1 "Spanish Flu" pandemic of 1918: Nurses who wore simple cloth face coverings (headscarf, whatever) tended to stay healthier and avoid the virus much longer than those who did not. Those early observations are still reflected in current studies. The better the mask, the better the protection. Up to 83% for N-95 masks, worn properly. A very significant level of protection.