vaccine 2021

[WECRUISEUK]

It's a fair bet that a vaccine will be distributed to the elderly,vulnerable and all healthcare workers throughout the u.k. in the early part of 2021.If this does happen would i be right in saying that masks would no longer be required onboard ship and you would be able to go off on your own excursion?Some have said that,distance-masks-wash hands,would need to stay in place for some time on and off ship,just as an extra precaution.Cruise lines could make it compulsory that all passengers can only board if they have had the vaccine,this makes sense to me as most passengers are of the age that would require a vaccine.

[1025cruise]

My GUESS is that the current "normal" will be like this for at least 6 months after availability of a vaccine. Its going to take time for enough of the masses to be vaccinated that we can get back to what we have known as normal.

[CruiserBruce]

All speculation at this point, but until there is widespread vaccination, not just high risk groups, I would expect the mask requirement to remain. Might need to see some sustained decrease in cases as well.

[Honolulu Blue]

2 hours ago, Mr.Clive Browne said:

It's a fair bet that a vaccine will be distributed to the elderly,vulnerable and all healthcare workers throughout the u.k. in the early part of 2021.If this does happen would i be right in saying that masks would no longer be required onboard ship and you would be able to go off on your own excursion?Some have said that,distance-masks-wash hands,would need to stay in place for some time on and off ship,just as an extra precaution.Cruise lines could make it compulsory that all passengers can only board if they have had the vaccine,this makes sense to me as most passengers are of the age that would require a vaccine.

 

Depends on how effective the vaccine(s) is/are.  If it's 90% effective, then you probably don't need most of the current precautions, because anyone who's infected likely wouldn't spread it very far on the ship.  If it's only 50% effective (which is the standard our FDA says would be acceptable; I don't know about the UK), then the vaccine requirement - while helpful - would not end the need for masks, etc.

 

[bigrednole]

With early vaccines, efficacy is still a question. The flu vaccine is only about 50%. A new, untested vaccine for a new virus pandemic will be much lower. People that get covid are protected/immune for 3 months (according to the CDC). That may just be that the tests cannot detect between an active virus infection and antibodies. I think the protocols will be in place for several years until there is a drug that can be truly depended upon.

[sanger727]

They will not reduce restrictions until the vaccine is readily available to all. They aren’t going to develop a system that applies to some passengers only. It would be entirely too hard to enforce rules if they only apply to some. Can you imagine masks being required, unless you had the vaccine. And several times a day having crew/security coming up to you about the fact that you didn’t have your mask on and having to show your proof of vaccination. They certainly aren’t going to operate on the honor system.

Edited October 24, 2020 by sanger727

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, bigrednole said:

With early vaccines, efficacy is still a question. The flu vaccine is only about 50%. A new, untested vaccine for a new virus pandemic will be much lower. People that get covid are protected/immune for 3 months (according to the CDC). That may just be that the tests cannot detect between an active virus infection and antibodies. I think the protocols will be in place for several years until there is a drug that can be truly depended upon.

You have a couple of assumptions here that haven't been proven yet. There is NO indication that a rapidly produced vaccine will be any more or less effective than any other vaccine. Those are two of the great unknowns of a rapidly produced vaccine...there is no evaluation time to know exactly how long the vaccine is good for, nor how effective it is.

 

Yes...studies show so far that getting the virus gets you immunity, possibly for a limited time. But again, we are relatively very early in this process. Further study will give better answers.

[bigrednole]

Yes, full studies are years if not a decade away. There is no assumption in that. The only thing that can be done in the next 3 years is speculation and extrapolation. 

[sfaaa]

Frequent handwashing, new health protocol at buffet and increase public area cleaning are all very sensible and good hygiene practices . I hope cruise lines will make them permanent post COVID -19.

[navybankerteacher]

19 minutes ago, sfaaa said:

Frequent handwashing, new health protocol at buffet and increase public area cleaning are all very sensible and good hygiene practices . I hope cruise lines will make them permanent post COVID -19.

How about hoping cruise passengers will comply.

[pris993]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

How about hoping cruise passengers will comply.

I am not concerns about passengers complying.   Frequent hand washing, protocols for good hygiene practices I leave up to the cruise lines.  I have always followed frequent hand washing.  If I have concerns I would not cruise. 

[navybankerteacher]

Just now, pris993 said:

I am not concerns about passengers complying.   Frequent hand washing, protocols for good hygiene practices I leave up to the cruise lines.  I have always followed frequent hand washing.  If I have concerns I would not cruise. 

Sailing on a ship on which many fellow passengers do not comply should give any rational person concern. 

 

No amount of hand washing will protect you from inhaling a mist of virus-laden droplets left in the air you breathe by some infected person who does not want to comply with mask requirements.

 

Protocols put in place by the cruise line will not help you if passengers do not comply with those protocols.

[pris993]

26 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Sailing on a ship on which many fellow passengers do not comply should give any rational person concern. 

 

No amount of hand washing will protect you from inhaling a mist of virus-laden droplets left in the air you breathe by some infected person who does not want to comply with mask requirements.

 

Protocols put in place by the cruise line will not help you if passengers do not comply with those protocols.

If I am concerned I would not cruise.   I can't control the world around me.  I accept that there may be risk.  

[jtwind]

I'd almost rather have fast 100% accurate testing over a vaccine. 

[sanger727]

7 hours ago, jtwind said:

I'd almost rather have fast 100% accurate testing over a vaccine. 

there is not and will never be a 100% accurate test. Nothing in the medical field is every 100% accurate or 100% effective.

[Toofarfromthesea]

5 hours ago, sanger727 said:

there is not and will never be a 100% accurate test. Nothing in the medical field is every 100% accurate or 100% effective.

 

Which is why treatment is far more important than a vaccine.

[CPT Trips]

Masks will be with us for a while after there is mass vaccination. I think of it like safety features in my automobile. My brakes work, but I have seatbelts; my seatbelts work, but I have airbags; my airbags work but my vehicle is designed with crumple zones to protect me. Combined these make me safer.

[bigrednole]

18 hours ago, jtwind said:

I'd almost rather have fast 100% accurate testing over a vaccine. 

You do know any and all testing is not fact? Current testing also cannot manage people that DID have covid for 3-6 months. There tests will come back positive until all parts are out of the system. Then, anyone with a vaccine will have parts of it injected. Testing is good, but nowhere near fool proof. 

[Toofarfromthesea]

1 hour ago, bigrednole said:

You do know any and all testing is not fact? Current testing also cannot manage people that DID have covid for 3-6 months. There tests will come back positive until all parts are out of the system. Then, anyone with a vaccine will have parts of it injected. Testing is good, but nowhere near fool proof. 

 

As opposed to a vaccine where 50% effectiveness will deemed good enough?

[ontheweb]

59 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

As opposed to a vaccine where 50% effectiveness will deemed good enough?

50% has been set as a minimum. That does not mean that none of the vaccines presently being tested will not be better than that.

[jtwind]

2 hours ago, bigrednole said:

You do know any and all testing is not fact? Current testing also cannot manage people that DID have covid for 3-6 months. There tests will come back positive until all parts are out of the system. Then, anyone with a vaccine will have parts of it injected. Testing is good, but nowhere near fool proof. 

 

I've been one of the people on this forum who has been talking about the potential consequences of getting a positive test because you had the virus several months ago.  But something is screwy because there have recently been several high profile people who had the virus, and shortly afterward, were able to test negative.