NOT good news ...

[wishIweretravelling]

55 minutes ago, Kwaj girl said:

Another thought...if masks and social distancing work....why is this still apparently spreading? 

Because so many people are loosey-goosey about masking and distancing. And so many people are engaged in activities--often by necessity--or in living situations (nursing homes, prisons, etc) where the distancing part is impossible. And because, while masks and distancing decrease risk markedly, they do not eliminate it. And while those who have been positive think they are now immune, studies are showing that that immunity does not last long.

[Kwaj girl]

13 minutes ago, wishIweretravelling said:

Because so many people are loosey-goosey about masking and distancing. And so many people are engaged in activities--often by necessity--or in living situations (nursing homes, prisons, etc) where the distancing part is impossible. And because, while masks and distancing decrease risk markedly, they do not eliminate it. And while those who have been positive think they are now immune, studies are showing that that immunity does not last long.

WOW...so billions of dollars have been spent on R&D and distribution....for short-term immunity?  Might make one wonder "why bother?"  We will be immunized for the sole purpose of getting the magic card....but it's short-term immunity that card won't be worth...how do you say...a Plug Nickel to allow us to board a ship, say, next year.  Or perhaps this is just like the flu shot....get one every year.

[jjs217]

I wouldn't be surprised if we don't end up having to get a Covid-19 vaccine every year.  Get a flu jab in one arm, a Covid jab in the other arm and a pneumonia jab in one butt cheek.  That leaves another whole butt cheek for what comes down the pike next.  Also, it just seems like what is really needed at this point is a quickie test with an effective treatment - that can be dispensed in a cruise ship clinic.

[wishIweretravelling]

11 minutes ago, Kwaj girl said:

WOW...so billions of dollars have been spent on R&D and distribution....for short-term immunity?  Might make one wonder "why bother?"  We will be immunized for the sole purpose of getting the magic card....but it's short-term immunity that card won't be worth...how do you say...a Plug Nickel to allow us to board a ship, say, next year.  Or perhaps this is just like the flu shot....get one every year.

I was referring to those who think they have "herd immunity" because they have previously tested positive for the virus. I was not referring to the vaccination, which the testing  that has been done to date has shown a longer time line of protection. But of course, because of the hurried approval process, we won't know for sure for a while. I have been assuming that the shot will be an annual event like the flu shot, but that's a factor still to be seen. 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

2 hours ago, TrulyBlonde said:

Funny you would say that because I put basically the same suggestion on the Crystal board. I suggested we give this cruise a name. What should we call it? 

Depends.

[TrulyBlonde]

48 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Depends.

Perfect...they are a bit stodgy over there. I think if we were on a cruise together it would be called "Prisoners Gone Wild". 🍷xo

[Wendy The Wanderer]

13 hours ago, travelwell said:

I struggle with this topic. I have spent much of the past year as a nurse on a Covid floor. I am now retired but now volunteering giving Covid vaccines. I have lost a friend to Covid last month,  1 more on week 5 on a vent, many friends sick with with various levels of healing. Covid is in my face right now and I have a real respect for the seriousness of this illness. I realize that my perspective is different then some.  ...

 

LIsa, sorry for your losses.  And thank you for your service.

[SusieQft]

4 hours ago, wishIweretravelling said:

Because so many people are loosey-goosey about masking and distancing. And so many people are engaged in activities--often by necessity--or in living situations (nursing homes, prisons, etc) where the distancing part is impossible. And because, while masks and distancing decrease risk markedly, they do not eliminate it. And while those who have been positive think they are now immune, studies are showing that that immunity does not last long.

I agree with this except for the last sentence.  Studies are showing that immunity lasts pretty well are as far as we have gotten yet.  Not enough time has gone by to know if it lasts a long time.

 

I think the last numbers I saw very recently for good antibody levels after infection were 99% at 3 months and 88% at 6 months.  There is no data reported for longer than this.  And the antibody level does not tell the whole story.  We expect it to go down once the infection is out of your body and you are not actively fighting it.  But your immune cells can still remember how to make it and ramp up production when needed.  We don't really have data about how well this memory lasts, other than that reinfections are very rare compared to the total number of people who have had the virus.

[pappy1022]

And that is the crux of the problem, we have a lot of “don’t knows” with COVID. We don’t know; how long the antibodies will be effective, we don’t know how long the vaccines will work. We don’t know if enough people will take the vaccine; we don’t know if we will reach herd immunity and even if we do when it might be; we don’t know if you can be reinfected after getting COVID, we don’t know if the vaccines and immunities will work against new strains of COVID, etc, etc, etc.

During the Spanish “flu” pandemic, it didn’t stop until the virus couldn’t find new people to infect, it essentially ran out of victims. 20% of the world population died. Of course we have much better technology today and I’m not predicting that the death rate will be anywhere near what it was in 1918. Vaccines are the key to controlling this disease and as much as we want to snap our fingers and get everyone vaccinated in a short period, it is a logistical challenge. We’ve made remarkable progress in getting a vaccine out the door. I remember in the fall where medical experts were saying that the earliest we would see a vaccine was mid year 2021. As far as when cruising will resume, add that to the list of we don’t knows. COVID cases have risen around the world at a much higher pace than anything we saw in 2020, so we have a long way to go. One thing is certain, every time we have a major holiday in the US, cases rise afterwards. That means that it is still risky to get groups of people together in a confined space, especially indoors and that the biggest spreaders are those who are asymptomatic. 

[jjs217]

3 hours ago, pappy1022 said:

And that is the crux of the problem, we have a lot of “don’t knows” with COVID. We don’t know; how long the antibodies will be effective, we don’t know how long the vaccines will work. We don’t know if enough people will take the vaccine; we don’t know if we will reach herd immunity and even if we do when it might be; we don’t know if you can be reinfected after getting COVID, we don’t know if the vaccines and immunities will work against new strains of COVID, etc, etc, etc.

During the Spanish “flu” pandemic, it didn’t stop until the virus couldn’t find new people to infect, it essentially ran out of victims. 20% of the world population died. Of course we have much better technology today and I’m not predicting that the death rate will be anywhere near what it was in 1918. Vaccines are the key to controlling this disease and as much as we want to snap our fingers and get everyone vaccinated in a short period, it is a logistical challenge. We’ve made remarkable progress in getting a vaccine out the door. I remember in the fall where medical experts were saying that the earliest we would see a vaccine was mid year 2021. As far as when cruising will resume, add that to the list of we don’t knows. COVID cases have risen around the world at a much higher pace than anything we saw in 2020, so we have a long way to go. One thing is certain, every time we have a major holiday in the US, cases rise afterwards. That means that it is still risky to get groups of people together in a confined space, especially indoors and that the biggest spreaders are those who are asymptomatic. 

We won't know until we try.  I say - cruise with all passengers and crew who have received two doses and let see what happens.  

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

6 minutes ago, jjs217 said:

We won't know until we try.  I say - cruise with all passengers and crew who have received two doses and let see what happens.  

You are so right.... so many people live on “what if”..  I live on “what can be”.

Our world is full of folks who try to analyze everything..without much knowledge. 

How about thinking positive for a change..

And, we are not stupid or careless. We have remained in our home for almost a year. Our decision. We just received our 2nd vaccine shot. As per doctor,  in two weeks, we are ready to venture out. We have been patient. But, it’s time to fly. 
More importantly, ready to sail when the ships hit the water. 
sheila

Edited February 7, 2021 by Bellaggio Cruisers

[jjs217]

2 minutes ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

You are so right.... so many people live on “what if”..  I live on “what can be”.

How about thinking positive for a change..

Thank  you for saying I'm right.  I don't hear that very often.  Hahaha.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Here’s some positive news:

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/02/sputnik-v-vaccine-91point6percent-effective-in-late-stage-trial-the-lancet.html?&qsearchterm=russian vaccine