COVID-19

[HAL Pilot]

Because the vaccines are not fully approved. They're under an emergency use authorization, so the DOD can't actually order you to take it. Once they are full up FDA approved a la the flu vaccine, expect it to be mandatory about 2 seconds later.

Many of us were ordered to take the Anthrax vaccine during Desert Storm. I believe it didn’t have full FDA approval at the time

My state did have a 6 day lockdown in November last year and you are right, it was boring. It came about after a worker in hotel quarantine contracted the covid virus. Luckily it was contained and there wasn't unknown community spread and we have gone back to no community cases or deaths. We have had 4 deaths, the last being on April 17th last year.

https://news.google.com/covid19/map?hl=en-AU&mid=%2Fm%2F06mtq&gl=AU&ceid=AU%3Aen

Other than the 1 person per 2 square metres for public events and limiting the number of people to my house at 50. Though I can have 200 with some precautions. Life goes on pretty much as near normal.

Activities

www.covid-19.sa.gov.au

Australia and New Zealand basically cut themselves off from the rest of the world in spring 2020 and don’t plan on rejoining the world until early 2022.

I don’t call that normal.

 

[zippy]

Do you think the DOD should stop vaccinating the military?

That wasn’t the argument I was making but since you asked, Yes it is my opinion that vaccinating healthy, non deploying members who are subject to all the DoD social/geographical/travel restrictions placed upon them should stop in for the next 60-90 days and those doses should be diverted to the general population while there is a critical shortage of vaccine for the highest risk members of the population that are dying from the disease. Society would be better served by military medicine hosting shot-exs for the local population centers around bases to vaccinate the highest risk members of the public than by military medicine putting vaccine doses in the arms of young, healthy, non-deploying service members in the short term.

60,000-80,000 additional Americans are projected to die while the vaccine is given to healthy members of the military in the next 60-90 days.

The vast majority of the roughly 2.1 million active duty and reserve members don’t have a medical need for the vaccine (40-50% of each service is 17-34 years old) and don’t have an upcoming deployment in the next 60 days.

The 1/3 shot decliners of 2.1 million that Fauci putting on blast and commands are trying to find ways to encourage/coerce into getting the shot without making it mandatory is roughly 690,000 individuals who are healthy and won’t die in the next 60-90 days from not getting the shot. There are 690,000 Americans who are at the highest risk of dying who cannot get a shot due to supply constraints that will exist for the next 60-90 days. That population group is getting decimated, with 9-13% of that number of Americans projected to die due to COVID 19 in the next two to three months.

I made the statement that pursing the vaccination of healthy and socially restricted individuals who chose to decline the shot at this point in time is misguided. I understand that DoD leadership is paranoid about being linked to asymptomatic spread of the virus hence the severe restriction of movement of DoD members during the pandemic, however there aren’t tangible numbers to show that those 693,000 theoretical vaccine decliners result in xx,xxx of deaths in the next 60-90 days. A lack of vaccine doses available to high risk population members is projected to directly translate to 60,000-80,000 more deaths. With increased production of the current vaccines and the addition of the J&J vaccine the critical supply shortage should be mostly alleviated within the next 90 days. When vaccine is available to everyone in phase 1 of the general population then leaderships quest to change the vaccine decliners minds won’t be so misguided.

 

[jackjack]

Australia and New Zealand basically cut themselves off from the rest of the world in spring 2020 and don’t plan on rejoining the world until early 2022.

I don’t call that normal.

That is mostly true. We have paid a price for very low infection rates and the 4 deaths in my state. We have restricted international tourism and student visas. Other than returning citizens. To come to Australia, it needs pre approval. To be deemed an essential worker or another valid reason to travel. On arrival, there is a 14 day quarantine period for most people. Trade, import/export is one of the exemptions. Our economy isn't too bad compared to others.

For me and most people, it is near normal. It really doesn't affect me. As I wouldn't put myself at risk by traveling to most countries. So for me, my daily life is really unaffected. Everything is open, restaurants, theater, cinema, sports are being played. Stadiums are 1 person per 2 sq metres space required. So they aren't full, but sit as smaller groups.

I saw that the US is having enough Vaccines by the end of May. That is a great thing and is well done. It's a shame the actual virus became political and not bipartisan. We are looking at September and both major parties are speaking as one. The health department is running 90% of decisions. I saw for the world, they are looking at 2024/25. We'll see what mutations come along and mess that up for everyone. As you would know, the Brazil variant, reinfection rate is scary.

 

[jackjack]

I don't know if it needs to be said, but as you would know. US/AU military is pretty unaffected. The marines are currently in transit and arriving here again this year

US marines to touch down in Darwin within days

All 2,200 US marines will need to do a do a COVID-19 test and be able to show a negative result before boarding the plane to Australia. A secure facility has been rented outside Darwin for the new arrivals to quarantine in.

www.abc.net.au

Thousands of US marines will begin arriving in the Northern Territory within days as part of an annual training rotation, the Department of Defence has confirmed.

Key points:

• 2021 marks the 10th annual rotation of US marines in Darwin
• Last year a smaller, modified unit trained in the NT
• A facility has been rented for arrivals to quarantine in

About 2,200 marines will arrive in Darwin from the United States between now and June this year, arriving in batches of 200-500 marines.

 

[HAL Pilot]

@jackjack

What about all the Australians that were stuck overseas for months because there were not enough state run quarantine rooms available or no seats on the few flights. I was seeing this reported as late as last October -8 or 9 months after Australia licked down. New Zealand had the same thing.

But life is normal for you down there...

 

[Flash]

Many of us were ordered to take the Anthrax vaccine during Desert Storm. I believe it didn’t have full FDA approval at the time

The vaccine was first approved in 1970, the issue that some had with it was that it was originally only approved for folks who directly handled animals or animal products and those who worked with anthrax and not for airborne/inhalation or weaponized anthrax.

 

[jackjack]

@jackjack

What about all the Australians that were stuck overseas for months because there were not enough state run quarantine rooms available or no seats on the few flights. I was seeing this reported as late as last October -8 or 9 months after Australia licked down. New Zealand had the same thing.

But life is normal for you down there...

Most lives are near normal down here. Initially citizen just returned home, then later it went to home quarateen. Those that chose to stay overseas and not return home earlier in the year, before the pandemic infection rates kicked up. Missed their many months opportunity and are now disadvantaged. There is now a wait list to return home through hotel quarantine system. Mainly due to our ability to provide a safe and effective zone. As you know, we have had issues containing the covid within the quarantine zone.

The failure of maintaining safe quarantine and it's management, brought about the second wave in Victoria. At the time Victoria had ~20 deaths from the first wave. The Victorian second wave and it's mismanagement brought about 800 Victorian deaths. It was was only stopped by a hard lockdown. You may remember discussions here about it. We now have a national death toll of 900. Equivalent to 13,000 in a US population measure comparison

 

[HAL Pilot]

Sorry @jackjack you won't convince me Australia is doing it right.

 

[Randy Daytona]

Speaking of COVID and vaccinations, there is South Park this Wednesday night.

 

[Jim123]

Sorry @jackjack you won't convince me Australia is doing it right.

I can't argue with the numbers or the cause-and-effect that made those numbers possible, I just don't think the juice was worth the squeeze- I think Australia shutdown too much.

 

[Treetop Flyer]

I can't argue with the numbers or the cause-and-effect that made those numbers possible, I just don't think the juice was worth the squeeze- I think Australia shutdown too much.

Our fate was sealed early. As far as stuff being open, everything but concerts and full capacity sports are open in my state and they have been since spring.

 

[jackjack]

Sorry @jackjack you won't convince me Australia is doing it right.

No offence meant, but I've read your posts over time. Why would I even try to convince you? I'm just telling the facts, as I know them. It's hard for me to see Australia is doing it wrong. When per capita, we have 40 times less covid deaths than the US.

 

[HAL Pilot]

It's hard for me to see Australia is doing it wrong.

Restricting freedoms, hurting people with tourists related jobs, isolating themselves from the rest of the world, etc.

Sorry but I believe in less government and more personal responsibility, not taking away freedoms.

 

[HAL Pilot]

CDC just announced the fully vaccinated (two weeks after second shot) can

- Visit with vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing.

- Visit with unvaccinated people who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing.

- Not quarantine and or test following an exposure if asymptomatic.

Now maybe governments will start restoring freedoms and exercising common sense.

 

[jackjack]

Restricting freedoms, hurting people with tourists related jobs, isolating themselves from the rest of the world, etc.

Sorry but I believe in less government and more personal responsibility, not taking away freedoms.

Restricting freedoms, hurting people with tourists related jobs, isolating themselves from the rest of the world, etc.

Sorry but I believe in less government and more personal responsibility, not taking away freedoms.

Hang on a minute, there are more covid restrictions affecting people in the US, than we have down here. We have been over freedom before, Australia 5th compared to the US 15.

https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/human-freedom-index-files/cato-human-freedom-index-update-3.pdf

Tourism jobs and businesses are being financially supported by the government. There is also a lot of internal tourism, because we aren't traveling out of Australia.
World tourism is down ~60%, so no one is doing well.

Infographic: International Travel Goes From Bad to Worse in Early 2021

This chart shows the change in international tourist arrivals from January through May 2021 compared to the same period of 2019.

www.statista.com