River Cruisers: How Are Things Where YOU Are?

[Coral]

10 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi Roz, congrats on that 2nd shot!🙂.  I get my 2nd one next week!  As for taking the picture?

My passport stays inside the top drawer of a desk and I am putting the card inside the passport. 

Someone on the Crystal board suggested buying these for COVID vaccine cards:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XVN1HDR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Though they were only $7 when I bought them (for 10). I gave the extras to coworkers - they probably think I am crazy and they are probably right. They come in larger quantities.

 

Edited March 24, 2021 by Coral

[Lois R]

Great idea but I only need 1...........😀 I think I will go to a Kinko's and see if they have a laminating station.  Or something like that......maybe Office Depot. 

[Coral]

33 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Great idea but I only need 1...........😀 I think I will go to a Kinko's and see if they have a laminating station.  Or something like that......maybe Office Depot. 

They tell you not to laminate these or social security cards. I wonder if we have to be vaccinated next year, if they will use the same card.

 

Well - that is what people on Crystal board said (not to laminate them). I just found an article that says Staples will laminate them for free.

Edited March 25, 2021 by Coral

[Lois R]

Thanks for the heads up........I have never heard anyone say not to laminate them. 

[Roz]

I may have spoken too soon. After the 2nd shot, I noticed I'm being tracked from outer space and am a conduit for 5G networks. 🤣🤣🤣

[Coral]

8 hours ago, Roz said:

I may have spoken too soon. After the 2nd shot, I noticed I'm being tracked from outer space and am a conduit for 5G networks. 🤣🤣🤣

That is so cool! Can't wait to get my 2nd one.... 🙂 

[AF-1]

My local news reported that several local companies are laminating vaccine cards for free.  Coral,  you have a good idea with your plastic holder.  I have several of those left over from cruises.  I got my second Moderna shot three weeks ago.  About an hour after I left the pharmacy my arm swelled up with hives.  It looked bad but didn't hurt.  I put Benadryl cream on;  and it went away.  

[Coral]

8 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

My local news reported that several local companies are laminating vaccine cards for free.  Coral,  you have a good idea with your plastic holder.  I have several of those left over from cruises.  I got my second Moderna shot three weeks ago.  About an hour after I left the pharmacy my arm swelled up with hives.  It looked bad but didn't hurt.  I put Benadryl cream on;  and it went away.  

I had been reading the Crystal boards about a week ago. I know you are not supposed to laminate social security cards (I had accidentally done that with my Mom's card) - not entirely sure why. Someone had mentioned also the COVID card also not laminating it. When I google it last night - I do see several are saying it is ok and companies are offering to do that. So it must be fine. I wanted to make sure mine was protected (that is the goal, right) - so I just bought the plastic holder and it fits it perfectly. Honestly - I wish I had purchased the 100 pack. It wasn't that much more. I just handed them out to coworkers and I had others contact me to see where I had gotten them and if I had more. Since we were all vaccinated the same week - they were popular items at work. 

 

Interesting about the Moderna. My 2nd shot is coming up and if I react to anything (medication) - it is often hives.

[Lois R]

That pack with the 10? I am now retired so no co-workers to offer them to........a pack with 100?

I don't know 100 people to give them to LOL..........

 

But thanks for the information........after I get my 2nd shot (next week😃) I will have it

laminated👍

[sharkster77]

I have read where at some point a booster might be required if the original vaccines are found to be less effective at dealing with the variants.  If that happens, might the booster be recorded on the same card?  That would make a laminated card problematic.  We're holding off for now---no reason for the card to leave the house at this point.

[acwmom]

22 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Interesting. They say beer doesn't travel well - at least English beer does not taste as good here from my fridge. So they are undecided a bit about the effect on wine. I can with assurance say that the price makes my head spin without drinking the wine!

 

notamermaid

 

I have friends from Vermont, NY, and California who ship me beer regularly. As long as the canned date is recent (at least for IPAs) it remains pretty tasty! But, there's nothing like having it on tap.

 

Robin

[notamermaid]

We have white or yellow passports, they are actually called that, i.e. Impfpass. They used to be white but they switched to a different format and colour more than 20 years ago now. Every vaccine you get is documented in that. Also the Covid-19 vaccine is entered in it. It is special plastics paper, so no lamination possible or meaningful. But you get documentation with your vaccine as well. My elderly relative only had the documentation at first, they said she would get the entry in the passport later. The government in line with EU suggestions is working on a digital version, but the entry in the yellow passport is just as valid internationally, you do not have to have the digital version they say (at least in the EU).

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

5 minutes ago, acwmom said:

I have friends from Vermont, NY, and California who ship me beer regularly. As long as the canned date is recent (at least for IPAs) it remains pretty tasty! But, there's nothing like having it on tap.

 

Robin

Oh, yes, a half pint in a pub tonight would be lovely. Alternatively a "Schuß", that is with us a Pils with a shot of dark (malted and low in alcohol) beer, in a beer garden would be nice. Beer garden season is starting soon, alas not this year. Perhaps in a few trial areas chosen by the government.

 

notamermaid 

 

 

[acwmom]

24 minutes ago, notamermaid said:

Oh, yes, a half pint in a pub tonight would be lovely. Alternatively a "Schuß", that is with us a Pils with a shot of dark (malted and low in alcohol) beer, in a beer garden would be nice. Beer garden season is starting soon, alas not this year. Perhaps in a few trial areas chosen by the government.

 

notamermaid 

 

 

I think I’ve shared this before, but this is my “view” from my desk. I can’t tell you how calming it is, and how happy it makes me. (It would even keep me calm if there were crowds, but this is an early morning photo)

 

 

[Daisi]

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

We have white or yellow passports, they are actually called that, i.e. Impfpass. They used to be white but they switched to a different format and colour more than 20 years ago now. Every vaccine you get is documented in that. Also the Covid-19 vaccine is entered in it. It is special plastics paper, so no lamination possible or meaningful. But you get documentation with your vaccine as well. My elderly relative only had the documentation at first, they said she would get the entry in the passport later. The government in line with EU suggestions is working on a digital version, but the entry in the yellow passport is just as valid internationally, you do not have to have the digital version they say (at least in the EU).

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

Those yellow passports must have been around for quite a while.  We have been cleaning up the house to get ready to sell, and found them for all of DH's family in an old box that had been left with us.  We had quickly gone through the stuff a while ago when we got it, then put it in the basement for "just in case".  The vaccines were dated from the late 60's, and not sure if they were for trips to the Netherlands or Dominican Republic where his brother was living at the time.  It's been interesting going through all the old paper work his parents left behind now that we have time.

[capriccio]

Coral - thanks for the link to the plastic sleeves for the Covid vaccine cards.  I just ordered a package of 10 and informed our kids that we're bringing back presents when we return to Virginia next month!  That way we'll use 6 of them right away and hopefully in the next year the two granddaughters will get the vaccine.

[notamermaid]

I have just checked and the yellow one has indeed been around since the 60's. The white one is not a standardized international one, not sure if it is used much still.

 

notamermaid

[gnome12]

I know when I was a kid (probably in the 60s) I had a yellow smallpox vaccination booklet (about the same size as the passport) that we travelled with internationally. I don't know when we stopped using them; I assume when smallpox was declared eradicated.

 

I also got one for yellow fever when I went to South Africa in 2013. (Although it said that yellow fever vaccine was not medically advised.)

[notamermaid]

@acwmom so you have a European beer garden poster over your office desk? It looks really nice, so calming, even works through the computer.

 

I actually prefer just the few people rather than a crowd and the sun coming through the trees looks lovely.

 

notamermaid

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

17 hours ago, Roz said:

I may have spoken too soon. After the 2nd shot, I noticed I'm being tracked from outer space and am a conduit for 5G networks. 🤣🤣🤣

My cellphone company wants to charge me extra for 5G.  Can I use you for free instead???  🤣

[Host Jazzbeau]

On 3/22/2021 at 5:13 PM, notamermaid said:

 

@Host Jazzbeau here is an idea, a CC members only cruise! Could that be arranged? Oh, I am dreaming, but as capriccio said, it is not so far fetched. Scylla AG has some nice ships for charter available...

So – I actually asked about this idea, because I have heard about such things in the past.  The word I got back is that CC sponsored over 200 group cruises, mostly on Carnival and Royal, at one time. They were very successful from a cruising point of view, but lost money.  So no more...

[notamermaid]

33 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

So – I actually asked about this idea, because I have heard about such things in the past.  The word I got back is that CC sponsored over 200 group cruises, mostly on Carnival and Royal, at one time. They were very successful from a cruising point of view, but lost money.  So no more...

Thank you very much for asking.

 

Booaarrghh - not for us river cruisers. We will just have to organize it ourselves. I will look up Scylla's phone number quickly, just a minute...

 

Seriously, plans for some kind of virtual do in Würzburg still on.

 

notamermaid

 

Edited March 25, 2021 by notamermaid
missing word

[Roz]

51 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

So – I actually asked about this idea, because I have heard about such things in the past.  The word I got back is that CC sponsored over 200 group cruises, mostly on Carnival and Royal, at one time. They were very successful from a cruising point of view, but lost money.  So no more...

 

I took one of those cruises in 2007 on the Carnival Spirit - 12 days from San Diego to Honolulu.  Lots of fun.  

[notamermaid]

The EU vaccine summit is finished, with the US administration having been guest.

 

Will mention it tomorrow, perhaps, too annoyed right now. Got to sleep over this otherwise I shall forget British politeness, I shouted at the telly and left the room...

 

In the case of the health worker who died a couple of weeks ago in Austria it has been proven to have been caused by a rare immune system reaction caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine. That is official from the Austrian investigators and has been corroborated by the Greifswald science team - or to be precise the Austrians confirmed the findings the German team had presented to them. The lady was a 49-year-old nurse who died ten days after her vaccination, a colleague of hers (35 years old) suffered a pulmonary embolism, but survived. Another death in the North of Germany is being investigated - also a woman, 49 years old.  France had already decided to give the vaccine to those over 55 only, now Sweden has recommended it only be given to those over the age of 65, as the severe adverse reactions are far fewer in older people. Denmark has reported two more cases of the rare reaction and has halted the vaccinations for another three weeks.

 

In Germany it is allowed for all age groups (over 18) but AstraZeneca has issued a "red hand letter" through the Paul Ehrlich Institute which is an official warning letter to medical personnel. It happens to other pharmaceutical products and medicines as well, these are standard procedures to ensure product safety. So now doctors know what to look out for and what information to give patients. For you doctors out there, the German is "... Eine Kombination von Thrombose und Thrombozytopenie, in einigen Fällen einhergehend mit Blutungen, wurde sehr selten nach einer Impfung mit COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca beobachtet." The cases are still so extremely rare, that it is quite understandable that again such a case has not come up in the latest trial in the US, scientists here have said in the media.

 

Good to read that the US data issue has been sorted and it looks promising.

 

There are of course adverse reactions with the other vaccines that have been reported and it is interesting to see the "yellow card" listings of the British authorities. I will compare this to the J&J when it is finally administered in the EU.

 

All part of my vigilance...

 

Ignoring all the bickering and complaining for a moment, it is astounding that we have all these at our disposal, eight months ago we did not know if any vaccines would work well.

 

notamermaid

 

 

 

[notamermaid]

Florida revelers - B117 loves you...

 

Just read about the partying in Miami. Words fail me. Florida has the highest number of the variant: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1207354/covid-19-variant-b117-cases-number-us-by-state/

 

 I am sure officials know what this is, I am not sure that people get it. Our country has been overrun by B117 and while we are not loosing the elderly much now, those aged over 50 are in trouble. One Greifswald hospital reported that their patients in the ICU are between 50 and 60 years old.

 

The hospital were they are investigating the thrombosis case, they have now suspended the AstraZeneca vaccine in certain age and risk groups. Again, thrombosis cases also happen with the BioNTech vaccine but there have been fewer reported which due to the groups and ages vaccinated is a statistical phenomenon and will adjust itself naturally, giving pure figures would be an apples to oranges comparison.

 

notamermaid