Good News - CDC issues mask order to (hopefully) allow cruising to resume!

[ECCruise]

50 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

I'm not hearing any figures this side of the pond, how are the vaccinations going in the US?

 

Since it is done by a state by state basis, it varies from very good in some states to abysmal in others.

[ziggyuk]

Just now, ECCruise said:

Since it is done by a state by state basis, it varies from very good in some states to abysmal in others.

 

Oh dear that's not encouraging, I was really hoping to hear some good news that might let flights start in the coming months, maybe summer.

[roger001]

1 hour ago, ziggyuk said:

 

I'm not hearing any figures this side of the pond, how are the vaccinations going in the US?

 

Slow...much slower than was initially anticipated.  It seems we are in very short supply of the vaccine now.  The advertised surplus we were suppose to have, it turns out we don't'   The ability to deliver it to arms is getting better though as that gets more organized.  I'm sure it will improve soon, but at the current pace for my state, it will take 3 1/2 years to get everyone vaccinated, although many will refuse.  

[winterbliss]

14 hours ago, NikiPinkston said:

No one enjoys wearing a mask, but I believe that they are effective. Would you want to have surgery performed by a doctor who didn't wear a mask? Part of the problem is that people were told that wearing a mask protects others, not so much themselves. Know your audience!  Too many people are selfish. Hopefully, by the time most cruisers are vaccinated, masks won't be required. In fact, I actually hope that proof of vaccination is required to cruise. Voila, problem solved. We're looking forward to being vaccinated in the next few weeks & to our POA cruise in October.

 You might want to reread your package inserts on those vaccines before you think problem is solved with mass vaccination. 

[ArthurUSCG]

5 minutes ago, roger001 said:

Slow...much slower than was initially anticipated.  It seems we are in very short supply of the vaccine now.  The advertised surplus we were suppose to have, it turns out we don't'   The ability to deliver it to arms is getting better though as that gets more organized.  I'm sure it will improve soon, but at the current pace for my state, it will take 3 1/2 years to get everyone vaccinated, although many will refuse.  

I'm not sugar coating it. In general the states are horrible in managing the vaccine roll out. My state hasn't even used 1/2 the vaccine they have received. The previous administration created a cluster......... mess. It looks like Biden is switching to a federally managed response and using federal agencies to help set up mass vaccination centers.

[Formula280SS]

1 hour ago, ECCruise said:

Since it is done by a state by state basis, it varies from very good in some states to abysmal in others.

 

Correct, as per the Constitutional provision of "states rights," that the state invoked when the federal government suggested it would take the lead.

 

7 minutes ago, ArthurUSCG said:

I'm not sugar coating it. In general the states are horrible in managing the vaccine roll out. My state hasn't even used 1/2 the vaccine they have received. The previous administration created a cluster......... mess. It looks like Biden is switching to a federally managed response and using federal agencies to help set up mass vaccination centers.

 

Totally inaccurate, at best. 

 

The vaccine was likely developed years ahead of normal availability under pre-administrative change to vaccine development and approval processes and timelines.  The states have all been allocated their pro-rata share by population with the SAME GUIDANCE.

 

Some states are doing great.

 

Some state are doing awful; generally, the states that objected the loudest to the federal level handling it (and generally the same states with the highest nursing home death and death rates, and related population data).

 

Other states are in between.

 

Other states have allowed sub-state regional governments, i.e., counties, there own discretion.

 

Many states are utilizing their national guard units to administer the vaccines at mass vaccination sites.  Others have their national guard in DC, where, despite promise to make the response to the virus was the #1 priority, over 43 other EO's totally unrelated to the virus response has been the daily soup de jour.

 

 

 

[ArthurUSCG]

That is why I said in general, and not all states. Some are doing great, most are not. Look at the data and not what the governors are spinning. We have a republican governor and by what he's saying, you would think he's the best thing since sliced bread in how he is managing the vaccination, but the data shows otherwise and why is he quietly accepting the federal response. He is also passing any failings to the county level, but given that his administration designed the plan and approved the county plans, that means the buck stops at him. Passing the blame to the counties is like passing the failure to the private, rather then the general that created the horrible plan.

I was in the military, we know how to do mass inoculations, for the flue shot, majority of the base is done in a day. Line up, roll up your BDU/ODU and only pause to scan the CAC and for the stab.

[roger001]

16 minutes ago, ArthurUSCG said:

That is why I said in general, and not all states. Some are doing great, most are not. Look at the data and not what the governors are spinning. We have a republican governor and by what he's saying, you would think he's the best thing since sliced bread in how he is managing the vaccination, but the data shows otherwise and why is he quietly accepting the federal response. He is also passing any failings to the county level, but given that his administration designed the plan and approved the county plans, that means the buck stops at him. Passing the blame to the counties is like passing the failure to the private, rather then the general that created the horrible plan.

I was in the military, we know how to do mass inoculations, for the flue shot, majority of the base is done in a day. Line up, roll up your BDU/ODU and only pause to scan the CAC and for the stab.

Here's how we got ours.  Air guns.  Don't move or it would slice your arm.  We marched through, one medic on each side with a gun, and two, sometimes three, quick injections.  Ouch!   but effective.   

[ziggyuk]

Thanks for the updates, I just found this website which looks like it gives a pretty good idea of progress, overall it looks good, some states are lagging but the overall progress is very good.
 

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/01/28/960901166/how-is-the-covid-19-vaccination-campaign-going-in-your-state?t=1612192437280

[sanger727]

6 hours ago, ScratchTheRat said:

Better safe than sorry. I wear my mask from the moment I exit my apartment until the moment I am back inside it.

do you by any chance live in a densely populated city and use public transportation?

 

that may be the difference compared to a lot of the people from the US who are responding. I live outside a medium sized city but in an area that used to be rural but is slowly being developed into suburban. Either way, it’s not densely populated. And what you are describing makes no sense where I live. When I leave my house I am in my car, by myself. When I get where I am going I don’t put my mask on until I am actually walking into a store because until

then, no one is close to me. If I go for a walk/jog; again, even in the park near my home, there just aren’t enough people to need to wear a mask. I might pass one person in 3-5 minutes. I don’t think that is sufficient contact for a mask to help. In this context wearing a mask outside is unnecessary so I don’t. 

[PTC DAWG]

7 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

do you by any chance live in a densely populated city and use public transportation?

 

that may be the difference compared to a lot of the people from the US who are responding. I live outside a medium sized city but in an area that used to be rural but is slowly being developed into suburban. Either way, it’s not densely populated. And what you are describing makes no sense where I live. When I leave my house I am in my car, by myself. When I get where I am going I don’t put my mask on until I am actually walking into a store because until

then, no one is close to me. If I go for a walk/jog; again, even in the park near my home, there just aren’t enough people to need to wear a mask. I might pass one person in 3-5 minutes. I don’t think that is sufficient contact for a mask to help. In this context wearing a mask outside is unnecessary so I don’t. 

I totally agree, not wearing a mask in my car, or anywhere outside.  I just don't see the point.  I also agree that areas of the US vary greatly in density, etc....it's not a one size fits all thing.  

Edited February 1, 2021 by PTC DAWG

[winterbliss]

35 minutes ago, roger001 said:

Here's how we got ours.  Air guns.  Don't move or it would slice your arm.  We marched through, one medic on each side with a gun, and two, sometimes three, quick injections.  Ouch!   but effective.   

Oh much gosh.. so now these new vaccines have already been ok'd for the hypodermic jet administration. I reckon they have studies on the efficacy of administration of covid vaccines via hypodermic jet as well. 

[ArthurUSCG]

53 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

Thanks for the updates, I just found this website which looks like it gives a pretty good idea of progress, overall it looks good, some states are lagging but the overall progress is very good.
 

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/01/28/960901166/how-is-the-covid-19-vaccination-campaign-going-in-your-state?t=1612192437280

Scroll down to the table on the right that says "How efficiently are states administering their doses?" The USA average is 62% of distributed doses have been administered. Only North Dakota, West Virginia, New Mexico and South Dakota are in the 80% administered range which is the target. Those states are in the lower 1/3 for population and doses delivered. ND only received 108k doses.

Edited February 1, 2021 by ArthurUSCG

[ArthurUSCG]

1 hour ago, roger001 said:

Here's how we got ours.  Air guns.  Don't move or it would slice your arm.  We marched through, one medic on each side with a gun, and two, sometimes three, quick injections.  Ouch!   but effective.   

I got some using a newer version with a CO2 cartridge and head. I still remember the line, 200+ of us lined up, all doing right step halt, around the medical building, I think it took 30 minutes, but that was also to keep us moving and loop around for any type of reactions. The medics got into a rhythm, the  guns hitting and cartridges being ejected at the same time, as they got both arms, the worst part was knowing there was 2 more sets of shots coming.

[ArthurUSCG]

19 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

I totally agree, not wearing a mask in my car, or anywhere outside.  I just don't see the point.  

I think this points to varied the population density in the USA. About 1/2 live in dense cities, 1/3 in suburbs low populated cities and the rest in rural areas or towns. And that density difference is reflected in the virus experience and mask useage.

I live in a small town but would work in a big city, if we were not teleworking. As soon as I step out of my car, the mask goes on, but back near my home, I'll go for walks without worry because there are so few people.

[DCGuy64]

34 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

do you by any chance live in a densely populated city and use public transportation?

 

that may be the difference compared to a lot of the people from the US who are responding. I live outside a medium sized city but in an area that used to be rural but is slowly being developed into suburban. Either way, it’s not densely populated. And what you are describing makes no sense where I live. When I leave my house I am in my car, by myself. When I get where I am going I don’t put my mask on until I am actually walking into a store because until

then, no one is close to me. If I go for a walk/jog; again, even in the park near my home, there just aren’t enough people to need to wear a mask. I might pass one person in 3-5 minutes. I don’t think that is sufficient contact for a mask to help. In this context wearing a mask outside is unnecessary so I don’t. 

Correct. This is similar to my situation: I live outside Washington, DC, but my neighborhood is very quiet. When I take my 30-minute lunchtime walk, I am lucky if I even SEE 2-3 people over the course of that half-hour, much less get close to them. Hence, no mask. No, that doesn't make me reckless. It means I know the risk is extremely low, and since I've already had COVID-19 and recovered from it, I am not a risk to anyone. I think occasionally someone who lives in a densely-populated city assumes everyone is just like him. Not true. Facts on the ground matter, immensely.

[Formula280SS]

1 hour ago, ArthurUSCG said:

Scroll down to the table on the right that says "How efficiently are states administering their doses?" The USA average is 62% of distributed doses have been administered. Only North Dakota, West Virginia, New Mexico and South Dakota are in the 80% administered range which is the target. Those states are in the lower 1/3 for population and doses delivered. ND only received 108k doses.

 

Well, National Public Radio is certainly not a reliable non-biased source in this or any other matter.

 

What is missing in the puff piece is intellectual thought about the data.  For example, NPR cannot declare that the number of vaccines administered as a % of vaccines allocated/supplied equates to "efficiency."

 

Consider that some states use a 2-shot planning regimen (21 days for Pfizer and 30 for Moderna) and are "balancing" the drug developer guidance for the lag-to-second dose regimen by holding on to some of the supply to "avoid wasting a first vaccine by a STALE 2ND DOSE."

 

Other states, or counties within such, are not doing such, and are issuing there allocated supply to primarily to 1st dose vaccination.  Such administration, with risks if further vaccine supplies are interrupted, may or may not be the correct approach.

 

Again, NPR cannot determine successful or determine efficiency of the vaccination process with pure data without intellectual study and analysis.

 

That would require both actual effort (i.e., work), technical and educational experience, skills and expertise, and a genuine interest in reporting fairly and accurately.

 

🤨

[DCGuy64]

If memory serves me, there was a lot of pessimism last year regarding when and even if there would even BE a vaccine that was effective against COVID-19, let alone multiple ones. Here we are in February and several vaccines have already begun to be administered. It says something about the world we live in that we can go from worrying about whether there will be a vaccine at all to complaining that people aren't getting it fast enough. I guess I'm just grateful that vaccines were developed and shipped this fast in the first place.

[NikiPinkston]

6 hours ago, winterbliss said:

 You might want to reread your package inserts on those vaccines before you think problem is solved with mass vaccination. 

I believe the covid vaccine’s package inserts aren’t much different from those of most vaccines.  Every vaccine has risks & benefits and, sadly, there are always a small number of people who have adverse reactions.  However, through vaccines, we’ve been able to virtually eliminate many deadly & disfiguring diseases.  Smallpox, another virus, was a painful & disfiguring disease that permanently scarred not only the skin but also the victims’ internal organs.   Many sufferers went blind and fully half died.  Thanks to the development of the vaccine, the virus was eradicated in 1980 due to everyone being vaccinated.  So, yes, I do have hope for this vaccine.  I know that opinions about it vary widely, even among those in the medical community, but I’m blessed to have the benefit of my Doctor husband’s knowledge & experience, and I know that he wouldn’t advise me to do something that he thought would harm me.  Here’s a great explanation of the vaccine & answers to a lot of concerns from a scientist at a company that does DNA testing if you’re interested: https://www.crigenetics.com/blog/covid-19-vaccines-everything-you-need-to-know?utm_campaign=January blogs&utm_source=email&utm_medium=Email

[NikiPinkston]

9 hours ago, farmersfight said:

 

When are you booked in Oct? I'm booked on PoA Oct 23-30, 2021. Fingers crossed 🤞.

We're booked for October 2 with a week stay in Waikiki prior to embarkation.  It will be our second cruise on the POA and I can't wait.  We were set to sail March 28 of last year and this is the 4th time we've rescheduled.  Fingers crossed, here, too, and saying my prayers! 💗😊

[kirtihk]

13 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

I think that it's a good thing if they mandate masks on the ships if that's the only way they can start up again. The sooner they can start up again the fewer cruiselines will disappear.

 

I will not cruise if I have to wear a mask but I have no problems with maskrequirements on cruises as long as I'm not cruising.

The best comment I read for a long time!

 

Seriously, what’s a point of a vacation called “cruising” if your air intake is blocked from the open ocean water breeze which is the most important part of such a vacation? Yes, I will “allow”myself to suffer when I cannot avoid it (like a short time in the store), but to pay a huge amount for this “enjoyment”?

[deefer]

1 hour ago, kirtihk said:

The best comment I read for a long time!

 

Seriously, what’s a point of a vacation called “cruising” if your air intake is blocked from the open ocean water breeze which is the most important part of such a vacation? Yes, I will “allow”myself to suffer when I cannot avoid it (like a short time in the store), but to pay a huge amount for this “enjoyment”?

 

The most important part of a “cruising” vacation for me is the ports. We pay a huge amount of money to be able to unpack once and see various parts of the world.  The breeze from the ocean makes it a pleasant way to travel from place to place but for us this is no where near the most important part of such a vacation.  I have yet to lay on a lounge chair in the sun - and we have done 14 cruises.  We pick itineraries with very few sea days, (I personally find sea days boring) which is why we would have no problem cruising wearing a mask as it would do little to diminish the experience for us. 

 

Now, if we the new regulations state we have to do NCL excursions only (and I understand why that may end up being the case) then we may reconsider cruising as a part of our vacation experience.   Good quality small group tours are also an important part of the cruising vacation for us and NCL excursions do not meet this criteria.

 

That’s the beauty of this - if it won’t work for me then I won’t do it. But I will not assume it will not still be a great experience for someone else. 

[ScratchTheRat]

18 hours ago, sanger727 said:

do you by any chance live in a densely populated city and use public transportation?

 

that may be the difference compared to a lot of the people from the US who are responding. I live outside a medium sized city but in an area that used to be rural but is slowly being developed into suburban. Either way, it’s not densely populated. And what you are describing makes no sense where I live. When I leave my house I am in my car, by myself. When I get where I am going I don’t put my mask on until I am actually walking into a store because until

then, no one is close to me. If I go for a walk/jog; again, even in the park near my home, there just aren’t enough people to need to wear a mask. I might pass one person in 3-5 minutes. I don’t think that is sufficient contact for a mask to help. In this context wearing a mask outside is unnecessary so I don’t. 

I do live in a big city but in the quiet area on the outskirts. I don't drive during COVID as there's rarely need to. We're only allowed out to exercise and are not allowed to drive to do that, the exercise has to start and end at your home.

 

As such, I put my mask on, go for my 30 min walk, pop into the supermarket to get groceries if needed, then walk home. That's my outdoor activity!

[ScratchTheRat]

17 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Correct. This is similar to my situation: I live outside Washington, DC, but my neighborhood is very quiet. When I take my 30-minute lunchtime walk, I am lucky if I even SEE 2-3 people over the course of that half-hour, much less get close to them. Hence, no mask. No, that doesn't make me reckless. It means I know the risk is extremely low, and since I've already had COVID-19 and recovered from it, I am not a risk to anyone. I think occasionally someone who lives in a densely-populated city assumes everyone is just like him. Not true. Facts on the ground matter, immensely.

Oh indeed. I was not suggesting the fact me wearing a mask when outdoors should be the norm.

 

Was just saying it's what I have chosen to do. I don't NEED to, but I choose to. Plus it means I dont accidentally forget a mask etc.

 

If cruises start with mask policies, I will not notice the difference now as Im so used to mask wearing.

[ScratchTheRat]

6 hours ago, deefer said:

 

The most important part of a “cruising” vacation for me is the ports. We pay a huge amount of money to be able to unpack once and see various parts of the world.  The breeze from the ocean makes it a pleasant way to travel from place to place but for us this is no where near the most important part of such a vacation.  I have yet to lay on a lounge chair in the sun - and we have done 14 cruises.  We pick itineraries with very few sea days, (I personally find sea days boring) which is why we would have no problem cruising wearing a mask as it would do little to diminish the experience for us. 

 

Now, if we the new regulations state we have to do NCL excursions only (and I understand why that may end up being the case) then we may reconsider cruising as a part of our vacation experience.   Good quality small group tours are also an important part of the cruising vacation for us and NCL excursions do not meet this criteria.

 

That’s the beauty of this - if it won’t work for me then I won’t do it. But I will not assume it will not still be a great experience for someone else. 

I think we could easily just reply to every post lately with:

 

"We all cruise for different reasons (breathing sea air, food, ports, drinking) and we all have different views on possible rules for cruise restarts, but when cruising does restart, we can all decide individually if the new rules will suit us or not and if we believe we'd still get a great cruise, if so, great, if not, then wait."