Are vaccines the light at the end of the tunnel?

[TeeRick]

17 hours ago, Threedrones said:

Curious as to why you think people in no mask states should be penalized for mandates beyond their control.

You are right.  I was just musing about it but not seriously.  There are plenty of people in states like Texas who wear masks and try to be safe.  I just have a difficult time with opening up too early and lifting mask mandates when there are still so many people infected.  Let's give the vaccines a chance!  Our borders in the US are open across state lines.  What Texas does effects the rest of us too.

[TeeRick]

This article really opened my eyes about COVID globally.  Why has COVID's toll been so much lower across Asia and Africa?  Very interesting.  

 

https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?abVariantId=1&campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20210307&instance_id=27836&nl=the-morning&productCode=NN&regi_id=121450033&segment_id=52986&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2F93a8e398-89b5-5328-be4f-f01bbcbc8019&user_id=8259b050a84d722b46d85f64ae857bb0

[mimbecky]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

Our borders in the US are open across state lines

Not to mention our southern border.  Not talking about the undocumented but rather those Americans that live in Mexico and work in the US. They are crossing both ways daily.

Received my second Friday-10 days late.  Was down all day Saturday with 100.6, headache, chills, body aches.  Surprised as I am NEVER sick!  Still totally worth it.  Husband just tired. 

TeeRick....relatives in PA finally seeing progress in getting vaccine!

M

[cangelmd]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

This article really opened my eyes about COVID globally.  Why has COVID's toll been so much lower across Asia and Africa?  Very interesting.  

 

https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?abVariantId=1&campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20210307&instance_id=27836&nl=the-morning&productCode=NN&regi_id=121450033&segment_id=52986&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2F93a8e398-89b5-5328-be4f-f01bbcbc8019&user_id=8259b050a84d722b46d85f64ae857bb0

Without even reading it - age and obesity. Only 5% of the population of India is 65 or older.

[deadzone1003]

In California they are offering the vaccines through some pharmacies and even doctors!.  I suspect the supply chain is reaching the standard flu vaccine apparatus.  The pharmacies are apparently getting all 3 vaccines.  Not sure about the doctors though I suspect it will be the J&J.  Might be easier for one's own doctor to convince someone who is hesitant about taking the vaccine. 

 

One thing about Molnupiravir and if it works as plan (5 day regiment as early treatment and you are cured), you can go on a long cruise and you may lose only 6-7 days of that cruise.  Along with required vaccinations, this expected new drug can only help restore some confidence in cruising.    

Edited March 8, 2021 by deadzone1003
grammar

[boscobeans]

NEW C.D.C. RULES as of RIGHT NOW..

 

"Indoor visits or gatherings by fully vaccinated people no longer require social distancing or the wearing of masks..."

 

By Fully Vaccinated they mean 2 weeks after the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna,  or 2 weeks after the Jansen single dose.

 

They also said no need for masks among vaccinated adults and low-risk groups (like children)

[cangelmd]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

This article really opened my eyes about COVID globally.  Why has COVID's toll been so much lower across Asia and Africa?  Very interesting.  

 

https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?abVariantId=1&campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20210307&instance_id=27836&nl=the-morning&productCode=NN&regi_id=121450033&segment_id=52986&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2F93a8e398-89b5-5328-be4f-f01bbcbc8019&user_id=8259b050a84d722b46d85f64ae857bb0

I read it, interesting. Some of the possibilities are almost mutually exclusive on the face of things, and if they aren’t mutually exclusive, the why might provide valuable insights into the immune system. Masking and border control in Africa may have helped, Ebola would be a powerful incentive to get that well developed, but I would have to see some pretty convincing data to believe Vietnam was able to close the border with China fast enough to prevent virus leaking across. I would think a lot of the pre-prepped immune response would be from other coronaviruses, and that would come from enclosed spaces, so those two ideas seem to be in some opposition- so what does it mean if both are true?

The positive thing to me is that poorer, tourism dependent countries have a little easier calculation to make about re-opening to vaccinated tourists - their populations are not as at risk as the visitors coming in.

[paulh84]

I wonder if this new guidance from the CDC will have any impact on the long awaited technical instructions for cruises....

 

 

[Fouremco]

22 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

NEW C.D.C. RULES as of RIGHT NOW..

 

"Indoor visits or gatherings by fully vaccinated people no longer require social distancing or the wearing of masks..."

 

By Fully Vaccinated they mean 2 weeks after the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna,  or 2 weeks after the Jansen single dose.

 

They also said no need for masks among vaccinated adults and low-risk groups (like children)

Today's full update can be found here:

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html

[4774Papa]

3 hours ago, TeeRick said:

This article really opened my eyes about COVID globally.  Why has COVID's toll been so much lower across Asia and Africa?  Very interesting.  

 

https://messaging-custom-newsletters.nytimes.com/template/oakv2?abVariantId=1&campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20210307&instance_id=27836&nl=the-morning&productCode=NN&regi_id=121450033&segment_id=52986&te=1&uri=nyt%3A%2F%2Fnewsletter%2F93a8e398-89b5-5328-be4f-f01bbcbc8019&user_id=8259b050a84d722b46d85f64ae857bb0

TeeRick,

Yes, third world countries have younger population.   Live expectancy there results in far fewer seniors.

Also, obesity is not a problem in the third world as it is in the USA.  Further, our southern border is furnished our SW states with more foreign COVID-19 cases that especially now are flooding over, despite CDC's requirement for a negative COVID-19 test before flying into the USA (even from US citizens).

[TeeRick]

36 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

TeeRick,

Yes, third world countries have younger population.   Live expectancy there results in far fewer seniors.

Also, obesity is not a problem in the third world as it is in the USA.  Further, our southern border is furnished our SW states with more foreign COVID-19 cases that especially now are flooding over, despite CDC's requirement for a negative COVID-19 test before flying into the USA (even from US citizens).

Yes I understand but it still surprised me to see some of the differences between countries.  Some of it is under-reporting or different definitions of cause of death.  Some of it is legitimate.  So it might change the equation a bit on global vaccinations by some of these governments and COVAX.  Where to focus first?   Also might it impact crew member vaccinations and where the crew is coming from?  To me this virus continues to fascinate my scientific curiosity.

[D C]

2 hours ago, boscobeans said:

NEW C.D.C. RULES as of RIGHT NOW..

 

"Indoor visits or gatherings by fully vaccinated people no longer require social distancing or the wearing of masks..."

 

By Fully Vaccinated they mean 2 weeks after the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna,  or 2 weeks after the Jansen single dose.

 

They also said no need for masks among vaccinated adults and low-risk groups (like children)

 

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Today's full update can be found here:

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html

 

Yet still not a peep from them about anything resembling a revision to cruising. 

 

This will be very difficult to implement, simply due to the lack of standard vaccine verification. 

Edited March 8, 2021 by D C

[TeeRick]

2 hours ago, paulh84 said:

I wonder if this new guidance from the CDC will have any impact on the long awaited technical instructions for cruises....

 

 

It is always interesting to speculate about what the CDC will do or not do in regards to cruise ships.  But we are usually wrong!  Anyway it seems to open up the possibility of cruising on verified, fully vaccinated ships (passengers and crew) without a mask requirement on board.  But masks will likely be required in ports, on excursions, anywhere off the ship.

[LGW59]

Just now, D C said:

 

 

Yet still not a peep from them about anything resembling a revision to cruising. 

They mentioned travel cautions/advisories

[TeeRick]

2 hours ago, cangelmd said:

The positive thing to me is that poorer, tourism dependent countries have a little easier calculation to make about re-opening to vaccinated tourists - their populations are not as at risk as the visitors coming in.

Agree.  And usually when we go on excursions the tour guides are very young in most cases.  So not as likely to get severe COVID. 

[D C]

3 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

It is always interesting to speculate about what the CDC will do or not do in regards to cruise ships.  But we are usually wrong!  Anyway it seems to open up the possibility of cruising on verified, fully vaccinated ships (passengers and crew) without a mask requirement on board.  But masks will likely be required in ports, on excursions, anywhere off the ship.

We can only hope.

This is at least an early hint that there should be no requirement for masks on a fully vaccinated ship.  If the CDC says this and then says masks are required on ships...well...I wouldn't be surprised. 

[TeeRick]

2 minutes ago, D C said:

We can only hope.

This is at least an early hint that there should be no requirement for masks on a fully vaccinated ship.  If the CDC says this and then says masks are required on ships...well...I wouldn't be surprised. 

Just like in the casino CRAPS table.  Same odds as Red or Black.  Toss up.

[markeb]

Well, this is still there under what hasn’t changed:

 

• You should still delay domestic and international travel. If you do travel, you’ll still need to follow CDC requirements and recommendations.

Since I can’t come up with a situation where cruising is a necessary form of travel, I interpret that as the answer to why there’s nothing new on cruising.

[cangelmd]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

Some of it is legitimate.  So it might change the equation a bit on global vaccinations by some of these governments and COVAX.  Where to focus first?   Also might it impact crew member vaccinations and where the crew is coming from?  To me this virus continues to fascinate my scientific curiosity.

It is a challenge when you think about it. Is a particular country more damaged economically than medically? If they have done well with simple precautions and reduced international travel, but they really need NGO help that has had to go home, economic development or just a market for their goods - who should they vaccinate first? And, as you said, the scientific implications of the variability are very interesting, and will lead to studies way into the future.

[nocl]

3 hours ago, cangelmd said:

Without even reading it - age and obesity. Only 5% of the population of India is 65 or older.

Time spent out doors or in buildings with open window style ventilation.  In some cases poor reporting.  In others such as Vietnam regimented reaction.

[nocl]

56 minutes ago, D C said:

 

 

Yet still not a peep from them about anything resembling a revision to cruising. 

 

This will be very difficult to implement, simply due to the lack of standard vaccine verification. 

Still pretty clear that most things related to cruising still fit into the what has not changed category

 

What Hasn’t Changed

For now, if you’ve been fully vaccinated:

• You should still take steps to protect yourself and others in many situations, like wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. Take these precautions whenever you are:
  • In public
  • Gathering with unvaccinated people from more than one other household
  • Visiting with an unvaccinated person who is at increased risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 or who lives with a person at increased risk
• You should still avoid medium or large-sized gatherings.
• You should still delay domestic and international travel. If you do travel, you’ll still need to follow CDC requirements and recommendations.
• You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.
• You will still need to follow guidance at your workplace.

[Crazy planning mom]

1 hour ago, markeb said:

Well, this is still there under what hasn’t changed:

 

• You should still delay domestic and international travel. If you do travel, you’ll still need to follow CDC requirements and recommendations.

Since I can’t come up with a situation where cruising is a necessary form of travel, I interpret that as the answer to why there’s nothing new on cruising.

Dr. Walensky hinted a revision in travel guidance might be coming in the future.   Probably, when a higher proportion of the population is vaccinated.  

[Ken the cruiser]

Looks like Carnival has begun the process of bringing crew back to their fleet. I know, I know. But, hey, it's progress. 😉

 

Carnival Is Crewing Up Its Cruise Fleet - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News

[Ken the cruiser]

Looks like Canada is going to finally start getting a good flow of vaccines this week and in the weeks to come. Sounds like great news if it all comes to pass as described in the article!

 

Coronavirus: Canada set to receive more than 910,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines this week | CTV News

[D C]

6 hours ago, nocl said:

Still pretty clear that most things related to cruising still fit into the what has not changed category

 

What Hasn’t Changed

For now, if you’ve been fully vaccinated:

• You should still take steps to protect yourself and others in many situations, like wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. Take these precautions whenever you are:
  • In public
  • Gathering with unvaccinated people from more than one other household
  • Visiting with an unvaccinated person who is at increased risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 or who lives with a person at increased risk
• You should still avoid medium or large-sized gatherings.
• You should still delay domestic and international travel. If you do travel, you’ll still need to follow CDC requirements and recommendations.
• You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.
• You will still need to follow guidance at your workplace.

Precisely my point. I said:

"Yet still not a peep from them about anything resembling a revision to cruising. " 

No revision or any suggestion of such, despite the order being ancient in terms of the status of covid.