The new medically-fit-to travel forms for passengers 70 and older

[greykitty]

1 hour ago, Travelcat2 said:

Lastly, this assumes that a vaccine will be 100% effective rather than the current effectiveness of the flu vaccine.  Speaking of the flu vaccine, this should be required for all people that are physically able to take it (those with egg allergies cannot tolerate it).

Good news on the egg issue and flu shots - it's not an issue anymore, apparently.  I get my flu shot religiously every year and noticed they don't ask about egg allergies anymore.  Of course, always check with your own healthcare provider if you have concerns.  

 

https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/library/allergy-library/egg-allergy-and-the-flu-vaccine

 

https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/pharmacists-dont-need-to-ask-about-egg-allergies-before-flu-shot

[Travelcat2]

15 minutes ago, greykitty said:

Good news on the egg issue and flu shots - it's not an issue anymore, apparently.  I get my flu shot religiously every year and noticed they don't ask about egg allergies anymore.  Of course, always check with your own healthcare provider if you have concerns.  

 

https://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/library/allergy-library/egg-allergy-and-the-flu-vaccine

 

https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/pharmacists-dont-need-to-ask-about-egg-allergies-before-flu-shot

 

We also get the flu shot every year but was not aware of this.  That is great news and now there is no reason why 100% of Regent cruisers to not have the shot (and have proof of it).  IMO, will be important for all of us - whether cruising or not - to be able to differentiate the flu from Covid-19.  

 

Thanks so much!

[JMARINER]

2 hours ago, danielaocean said:

You may need an Immunity Passport to travel soon.  Countries including Chile, Germany, Italy, UK, and US are considering a physical or digital document confirming that a person has become immune to SARS-CoV-2.   This is being compared to the yellow fever immunization cards given to people traveling or living in Africa who have been vaccinated against the disease.  However there are many issues involved as you can imagine specifically people who may be eligible for immunity passports may not actually have access to them.  This could, in turn, create two different classes of people, those who are permitted to travel and those who aren't.  I am quoting from the following article as there are issues that the article goes into in depth.

 

https://www.fodors.com/news/coronavirus/will-i-need-an-immunity-passport-to-travel

Fodors is WRONG:

 

Fodors writes: We’re not quite there yet when it comes to the science required for immunity passports. At this point, we don’t have a “gold standard” antibody test that confirms with 100% certainty whether a person has developed antibodies after having COVID-19"

 

In fact Covid 19 antibody tests (IgG) exist that at 99.6% accurate. " ELISA test developed by clinical laboratories at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York showed a sensitivity and specificity of 92.5% and 100%, resulting in positive and negative predictive values of 100% and 99.6%." [Source] There  are many other antibody test that are almost as good. FDA approved test (IgG)

 

And there  is another glaring problem with this idea. The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has only been circulating in human hosts for five or six months, which means that there is simply no way to know whether immunity to the disease lasts longer than that.

 

J

[Travelcat2]

JMARINER - just heard that in our state (Washington) there were two people that had the "flu" in December and now have been tested and have the antibodies of coronavirus.  This virus seems to take many different forms which may make it more difficult to find a universal vaccine for.  One can only hope.

[SusieQft]

The variability of symptoms and the failure to recognize early cases should not have any effect on the ability to create a vaccine.  Only mutations of the virus would change the effectiveness of a vaccine.  The novel coronavirus seems to have quite a bit of variability in the symptoms independent of any variations it may have in its genetic code.  Of course cases occuring here in December were thought to be the flu.  We had no idea this was coming.

[Travelcat2]

Thanks for the explanation.  Listening to this on the news gets complicated.

[RJ2002]

On 5/14/2020 at 2:16 PM, Travelcat2 said:

 

We also get the flu shot every year but was not aware of this.  That is great news and now there is no reason why 100% of Regent cruisers to not have the shot (and have proof of it).  IMO, will be important for all of us - whether cruising or not - to be able to differentiate the flu from Covid-19.  

 

Thanks so much!

It would be my HOPE that all Regent cruisers get the vaccine once available.
 

However, some polls I’ve seen suggest that a certain percentage of the population would choose not to get the vaccine - for various reasons. 
 

Recent interviews with cruise line CEO’s suggest that proof of vaccination MIGHT be required for boarding, potentially leading to a decision for those unable or unwilling to take the vaccine. 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Some people will just plain not able to take the vaccine, if it has similarities to the flu vaccine.  Like people allergic to eggs.

[greykitty]

There's good news on the old egg allergy/flu shot issue.  Of course, check with your own health care provider if you have questions.  That said, yes, there may be people legitimately unable to take a COVID vaccine, but that's a bridge to be crossed down the road IMO.    Kind of the usual risk/reward issue for me.

 

Your risk of having a serious adverse reaction to the egg protein in a flu vaccine is very low even if you have a severe egg allergy. A review published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical ImmunologyTrusted Source looked at over 4,000 people with egg allergies who were given the flu vaccine. They didn’t find evidence of a serious reaction from the flu shot among any of these individuals.

 

https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/egg-allergy-flu-shot#2

[Ladys Mom]

By the way, NCL hired Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former head of the FDA, as a consultant on their Covid response team.  They would not have gone to the effort and expense of having him if they weren't taken their response of the pandemic seriously, and they didn't want to initiate cruises as soon as possible.

[Travelcat2]

3 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Some people will just plain not able to take the vaccine, if it has similarities to the flu vaccine.  Like people allergic to eggs.

 

Our concern is that the vaccine for Covid-19 is not a live virus (as the Yellow Fever  vaccine is).  This would make it impossible for some people to have the vaccine.  

 

After listening to the fast-track vaccine in the U.S., we are still more inclined to wait for the Oxford vaccine.  It has been tested for a while now and is doing wonderfully well.  If it becomes available before the end of the year, we will likely fly to England for a few days (once we know that we are permitted to take it).  There is something about rushing a vaccine (with an unproven company) that makes me wonder about effectiveness, etc.  Heck, this country can't even get a reliable test for the virus.

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

BTW- people that had Barr-Epstein Syndrome, after mononucleosis, cannot take the flu vaccine. It’s not only allergy to eggs. 

Edited May 16, 2020 by Bellaggio Cruisers

[RJ2002]

6 minutes ago, Travelcat2 said:

 

Our concern is that the vaccine for Covid-19 is not a live virus (as the Yellow Fever  vaccine is).  This would make it impossible for some people to have the vaccine.  

 

After listening to the fast-track vaccine in the U.S., we are still more inclined to wait for the Oxford vaccine.  It has been tested for a while now and is doing wonderfully well.  If it becomes available before the end of the year, we will likely fly to England for a few days (once we know that we are permitted to take it).  There is something about rushing a vaccine (with an unproven company) that makes me wonder about effectiveness, etc.  Heck, this country can't even get a reliable test for the virus.

 

Time will tell how quickly any of the vaccines are actually available.  Like you and everyone else, I'm hoping sooner rather than later, but we'll see.  I'm guessing that we'll all have plenty of time to discuss the various vaccine options (if indeed there is an option) with our doctors. 

 

The challenging backstory about the preparation of the delivery mechanism (vials, syringes, etc.) has been interesting to follow.  And of course - -  to come is establishing the priority as to who gets the vaccine first, and how the hundreds of millions of doses will be actually administered.   Lots of things still to be determined.

[greykitty]

It took me approximately a year to get my Shingrex shots.  Granted, I didn't spend 24x7 trying to source them, but the first year the vaccine was available I was waitlisted at several places, as were many others.  And the comparatively high price for the series was fortunately not a deterrent for me, but I know plenty of seniors who paused when told the cost.   Last winter, far easier to get the series but still nowhere as prevalent as getting the last flu shot.

 

So, yes, not just a question of finding the appropriate vaccine(s) but the logistics and costs of distributing it globally.   I have read that Medicare will cover the vaccine(s) in the US, though, so that's a hopeful sign.  And yes, US medical care pricing is a whole separate discussion.  I personally think the vaccine should be 'free' at point of delivery, globally, with costs paid at a different level.  

 

I'm going with the idea that it'll be healthcare workers, first responders and other workers who necessarily deal with the public 24x7, then, probably, seniors, especially those with chronic conditions, and then the more or less general public.  But pretty sure my healthcare practice will give me both the go-ahead and my standing on the wait list as we get there.

 

Any of this could change.  If we start seeing yet more children affected seriously by the virus, well, I bet they go way up the list to receive a proven vaccine- and IMO they should.  

 

 

 

 

[Camillus112]

4 hours ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

BTW- people that had Barr-Epstein Syndrome, after mononucleosis, cannot take the flu vaccine. It’s not only allergy to eggs. 

 

I will also add those that have had the Guillain Barré Syndrome, a virus that lodges into your spinal cord and debilitates and/or incapacitates your nervous system.   I suffered this while young and was able to overcome it, but I cannot have the regular flu vaccine, as it may trigger it back.  Most probably, I will not be able to have the anti-Covid vaccine.  Great that my last cruise was on Regent-Explorer!

 

[Travelcat2]

4 hours ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

BTW- people that had Barr-Epstein Syndrome, after mononucleosis, cannot take the flu vaccine. It’s not only allergy to eggs. 

 

Sheila - good information to know.  A lot of people remain afraid of the flu vaccine, however, with the number of deaths each year and with Covid-19 having similar symptoms, it may be time for everyone that can get the vaccine to get it. While it is not 100% effective, we have taken it for many years and have not had the flu (knocking on wood).  It would seem that if 95% (just picked a number out of my head) had the vaccine, those that could not have it for medical reasons will still be safer and, of course, there would be fewer deaths.

 

greykitty - unfortunately there are some people that think older people should be last as they see us as expendable.  Hoping that they are distribute the way you laid it out.  In terms of children, sadly, many are not getting basic innoculations which I believe is a poor decision.  All of us over a certain age have received all of the necessary vaccines and we’re still here.  

 

Everyone has a few months to think about safety, distribution, etc. so I hope that whomever is in charge of getting these vaccines out to the entire U.S. are planning now. My DH said that the vaccine does not have a long shelf life so it may need to be kept on dry ice.

 

 

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

Herb and I get the super-flu shot every October. 
Half the time, we still get flu. This year, we had the shot in October and we both came down with flu in December. Herb was much worse than me,  and I probably caught it from him. 

Who knows what any new vaccine will really be like?
sheila

[UUNetBill]

 

On 5/15/2020 at 8:29 PM, Travelcat2 said:

JMARINER - just heard that in our state (Washington) there were two people that had the "flu" in December and now have been tested and have the antibodies of coronavirus.  This virus seems to take many different forms which may make it more difficult to find a universal vaccine for.  One can only hope.

It was my understanding that most of the antibody tests would hit positive for many different viruses, not just Covid-19:

 

Positive results may be due to past or present infection with non-SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus strains, such as coronavirus HKU1, NL63, OC43, or 229E.

 

That's what makes it so hard to get valid numbers, I think.

 

On 5/16/2020 at 6:31 PM, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

Herb and I get the super-flu shot every October. 
Half the time, we still get flu. This year, we had the shot in October and we both came down with flu in December. Herb was much worse than me,  and I probably caught it from him. 

Who knows what any new vaccine will really be like?
sheila

You sure it was the flu?  Seems like a lot of people got sick around that time, thought it was the flu, and found out later it may have been Covid-19...