Coronavirus outbreak

[theMathematician]

AceReject : Thanks for the info! Then I simply interpreted your previous message incorrectly because your description sounded like an off label use. If it's an officially approved vaccination used for boostering purposes in the UK, I'm totally fine with it.

RayRay: 2G is already tolerated as 'the norm' here and now the next thing most people fear to come is 2G+. I don't really get its advantage though... Like, if you really believe the test is necessary, why is vaccinated/recovered + test is OK but not unvaccinated + test?

[theMathematician]

The current situation in South Africa, despite (or thank to?) Omicron, is relaxing significantly. They are currently at the lowest level of their escalation programme. There is no more contact tracing, the risk of hospitalization is up to 80% lower than for Delta, length of stay in hospitals reduced to 3-4 days, many parts of the country had their amount of new cases reduced from 5-digit to 3-digit-numbers. (source)

While seasonal effects (It's currently summer in South Africa.) need to be considered, I wonder what in the world makes our German politicians and scientists panic so much about this variant when our vaccination rate is actually much higher than South Africa's.

[theMathematician]

Over 2,200 new infection in my tiny state as well... (the highest on record). Omicron is not playing.

I initially didn't take this comment serious, but I was a bit shocked when I found out that it's mostly North German regions among the regions with the highest incidence rates. For almost the entire pandemic, there's been a heavy focus on East and South German regions due to the Northern states having higher vaccination rates, less resistance towards Covid measurements and traditionally being more distant when socialising. I thought Schleswig Holstein would never get beyond those 100-something rates, and now your region is at ~ 580 .
Ironically, the region with the highest vaccination rate (Bremen) is also the one with the highest incidence rate in entire Germany - more than 1,000.

I'm very thankful that you still haven't returned to your classic panic mode yet. To make sure you actually won't (): You are vaccinated. You will go through this without problems. Omicron is the milder one.

[AceReject]

AceReject : Thanks for the info! Then I simply interpreted your previous message incorrectly because your description sounded like an off label use. If it's an officially approved vaccination used for boostering purposes in the UK, I'm totally fine with it.

Well, then I think you need to read a bit more carefully to be honest. There was nothing in what I wrote that would suggest it was in any way illegal or unofficial. And I wasn’t seeking your approval either.

[theMathematician]

I apologize again, but then, I think you're interpreting too much into it - it was a simple misunderstanding that got cleared. Everything is fine!

[Tansike]

2G is already tolerated as 'the norm' here and now the next thing most people fear to come is 2G+. I don't really get its advantage though... Like, if you really believe the test is necessary, why is vaccinated/recovered + test is OK but not unvaccinated + test?

We also have these rules here in Switzerland and I think it's just a German thing because ... well, Geimpft, getestet, genesen, the three G's only works in German (or Dutch as well it seems?). Anyways, we have 2G+ at some places here and I think it makes sense, for example in clubs, because with 2G+ you don't need to wear masks at those places while with 2G you would have to wear masks. So clubs or bars decided to go with 2G+ instead of just 2G. We also went to a home party on Friday where you had to have 2G+ as well so just to be as safe as possible.

2G+ however is not obligatory. Club owners for example are open to decide if they want to have 2G or 2G+.

[theMathematician]

Tansike : You guys are basically 2 steps behind us Germans, it seems. It started with '3G mandatory with the option to 2G without masks' to '2G mandatory' to '2G mandatory with the option to 2G+ without masks' to probably now '2G+ mandatory'. We've got many influential hardliner people here, so I wouldn't even be surprised about '2G+ plus FFP2 mandatory' or something soon .
At the same time, there are people who oppose those rules and instead meet in private, without ANY rules. And that's where the infections happen...

[RayRay]

We also have these rules here in Switzerland and I think it's just a German thing because ... well, Geimpft, getestet, genesen, the three G's only works in German (or Dutch as well it seems?). Anyways, we have 2G+ at some places here and I think it makes sense, for example in clubs, because with 2G+ you don't need to wear masks at those places while with 2G you would have to wear masks. So clubs or bars decided to go with 2G+ instead of just 2G. We also went to a home party on Friday where you had to have 2G+ as well so just to be as safe as possible.

2G+ however is not obligatory. Club owners for example are open to decide if they want to have 2G or 2G+.

The 3G in Dutch: geënt, getest, genezen.

[theMathematician]

I kind of assumed that the term '3G' itself only makes in countries where the possible options actually start with a 'g'. What I meant is: What are the current regulations in order to e.g. go into a restaurant in your countries? Is there an abbreviation commonly known in your countries (like it's 2G/2G+/3G here)?
Are your rules also complicated and changing every few weeks?

[Thriller]

3G is crap mobile data signal in the UK.

[KEY9481]

3G is crap mobile data signal in the UK.

And unfortunately the best I can get in my little village in France

[Debs_Wild]

Ironically, the region with the highest vaccination rate (Bremen) is also the one with the highest incidence rate in entire Germany - more than 1,000.

Hmmmm... Interesting.

[RayRay]

Hmmmm... Interesting.

Bathing in Windex.

[theMathematician]

Golden Globe Awards 2022:
- private ceremony, only selected guests
- fully vaccinated + booster
- negative PCR test
- face mask
- social distancing
(source)

I can only shake my head...

[theMathematician]

Mark Woolhouse (expert on infectious diseases, Edinburgh University):
- People over 75 are 10,000 times more at risk than those who are under 15.
- Being mesmerised by the once-in-a-century scale of the emergency , we only made a crisis even worse.
- People were reducing their contacts with each other as cases rose and before lockdown anyway. ovid-safe measures, such as masks and testing, would have been sufficient to control spread.
- The lockdown was a lazy and hugely damaging solution.
- We spent almost nothing on protecting the vulnerable in the community. Instead of investing in both suppression and protection, we effectively chose just one.
- Lockdowns aren’t a public health policy but signify a failure of public health policy.
(source)

Ouch...

[LittleLinda]

3G is crap mobile data signal in the UK.

Same in Germany, which allows for lots of silly jokes by mixing up the different meanings of 3G.

[hun]

Golden Globe Awards 2022:
- private ceremony, only selected guests
- fully vaccinated + booster
- negative PCR test
- face mask
- social distancing
(source)

I can only shake my head...

why?

[bm08]

Mark Woolhouse (expert on infectious diseases, Edinburgh University):
- People over 75 are 10,000 times more at risk than those who are under 15.
- Being mesmerised by the once-in-a-century scale of the emergency , we only made a crisis even worse.
- People were reducing their contacts with each other as cases rose and before lockdown anyway. ovid-safe measures, such as masks and testing, would have been sufficient to control spread.
- The lockdown was a lazy and hugely damaging solution.
- We spent almost nothing on protecting the vulnerable in the community. Instead of investing in both suppression and protection, we effectively chose just one.
- Lockdowns aren’t a public health policy but signify a failure of public health policy.
(source)

Ouch...

I think people are just now understanding how science and peer review works. It is messy and almost never straight forward. Scientists disagree, find nuance, propose new ideas etc etc all the time. This is how (I think) people want it to work. The difference now, with COVID, is that every disagreement (or agreement) is front page news.

People running with headlines because one scientist agrees or disagrees may be unaware that agreements/disagreements happen all the time.

[theMathematician]

hun : Obviously, the thought behind each of these measurements is to reduce the risk for infections. In combination, all these measurements make it basically impossible to get infected. It's basically a 'more is more' approach, which however sounds like the responsible people are not really convinced by the effect of each measurement but they still stick with them regardless. For example: If you already want people to do a PCR test and get tested negative, why require the guests to be not just vaccinated but also boostered? If you already want people wear face masks, why still practice social distancing?
Between the lines, infections are still havily demonized although they they can't do much harm if people are vaccinated and Omicron being a milder variant on top of that. The Golden Globes don't take place in China, where 'NoCovid' is practised, so it needs to be questioned what's the purpose of acting as a 'NoCovid' island, especially when the guests (Hollywood actors) travel more than the average Joe anyway.

bm08 : Scientists do a very important job, but I wish they would keep their intercourses within their scientific bubble and only pass it on to mainstream press when their findings are secured and digestible by the mainstream. For example, the whole drama surrounding the discovery of each new variant has clearly scared people with no background knowledge of viral biology, while a competent scientist would probably say: 'Our inner circle of scientists loves analyzing this nerd stuff. For you guys who have other interests: Viruses mutate, that's their thing and nothing to worry about.'.
One important premise that got violated during this pandemic: Scientists are responsible for factual reports on scientific processes; they never announce or even suggest politicial measurements - that's what politicians do.

[stevyy]

The entire Djokovic scandal... I can't... it's like a really bad soap opera now.

[theMathematician]

The entire Djokovic scandal... I can't... it's like a really bad soap opera now.

He won the case actually .

New Zealand is usually very similar to Australia but only in smaller proportions. This time, there's a big difference in incidence rates:
Australia - 2,143
New Zealand - 8

[stevyy]

He won the case actually .

New Zealand is usually very similar to Australia but only in smaller proportions. This time, there's a big difference in incidence rates:
Australia - 2,143
New Zealand - 8

he won... and now his family is literally comparing him to Jesus Christ (Jesus of Nazareth, Christian God) now. I can't. It's ridiculous. So wacky.

All of it, the entire scandal... and his family... and he is presenting himself as one of the greatest victims of human kind, a brave soldier of freedom... is turning me against him... I hate that kind of behaviour. But it is still not clear if he can play at the Australian Open (I think).

[theMathematician]

I read the rumour that he is recovered and as you probably know, in Germany, being recovered is equivalent to being vaccinated.
As I previously wrote, you need to stick with what the law says, but democracy allows you to demonstrate, vote or file a suit, and he did the latter, which he legally won.

-----

Australia is still pretty strict, but the incidence rate shows that they aren't following their NoCovid approach anymore.
My interpretation: They wanted to wait until vaccines are around and now that most adults are vaccinated, they can 'afford' high amounts of infections knowing that they'll only lead to mild cases anyway.
Would you agree on that, InfoFromAus ?

[InFamous]

Australia announced they were not no longer following a No Covid approach at the end of AUGUST last year.. Its now January 2022.

[InFamous]

he won... and now his family is literally comparing him to Jesus Christ (Jesus of Nazareth, Christian God) now. I can't. It's ridiculous. So wacky.

All of it, the entire scandal... and his family... and he is presenting himself as one of the greatest victims of human kind, a brave soldier of freedom... is turning me against him... I hate that kind of behaviour. But it is still not clear if he can play at the Australian Open (I think).

I saw the Jesus comparisons too - completely delusional.
Also he attended events and took photos with people, without a mask, shortly after his supposed positive covid test, which is probably fake.