The Reality of Living in Australia and Covid

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by UFO

Just for you.... A Nice up to date one - What are you views on the following:



https://7news.com.au/lifestyle/healt...-who--c-901591


Re Ourworld - If you can't be arsed to figure out a way to get the rankings, then I really can't be bothered to tell you how.

Up to date? masks in short supply? use hand sanitiser???

And this little ripper - 'Last month, the United State’s Surgeon General Jerome M Adams, pleaded with the public to stop buying masks.'

That bloke has been on the dole for over a year!!

You really truly must try harder.

[HankOnthewater]

Back to the covid situation in Oz.
The numbers in all states look better, except for NT (Northern Territory) and WA (West Australia). Although the latter only shows low 2 digit numbers of daily cases, the real numbers are likely much higher.

If we go on reported numbers, the other states are certainly past the peak. Maybe a little peak in the numbers or less of a decrease for a week or so, because of:
- the kids going back to school
- kids 5-11 year old only starting the receive their 1st dose
- 3rd dose vaccination of age group 16 year and older still lowish ~40%

If no other variant is coming to visit Oz, things will be looking up. But the important word is here "if".

If one were to follow the modelling of the Melbourne University, their current prediction is that numbers will halve each 10 or 11 days. Hmmm, I think that is optimistic for the next 2 weeks.
https://covid19forecast.science.unimelb.edu.au/

[HankOnthewater]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Up to date? masks in short supply? use hand sanitiser???

And this little ripper - 'Last month, the United State’s Surgeon General Jerome M Adams, pleaded with the public to stop buying masks.'

That bloke has been on the dole for over a year!!

You really truly must try harder.

As far as I can tell, nothing is in short supply at the moment, although I have not tried to buy toilet paper. Yes, RA testkits are available, but buying the cheap ones in large quantities ie 5,000 or more, one has to make quite a few phonecalls, otherwise it is fine. I expect this issue to be resolved within 3 or 4 weeks. This shortage is due to Chinese new year, more than anything else..... I think

[UFO]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Up to date? masks in short supply? use hand sanitiser???

And this little ripper - 'Last month, the United State’s Surgeon General Jerome M Adams, pleaded with the public to stop buying masks.'

That bloke has been on the dole for over a year!!

You really truly must try harder.

If you are going to ignore the actual content of the video in regards to wearing masks (which is what this was all about) from the WHO and the message they are stating then I refer back to my previous post.



Bored Now dealing with your childish side steps and interacting with someone who is purposefully obtuse is rather dull and fortunately for me I have much better things to do than populate CF. Although being someone who it appears must get the last word in, I expect you will be answering.....:non ono:

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

Yair.



The son of a mate flew, for business, from MEL via Dubai to an airport beside a chilly midden heap in Norway known as Oslo. Border authorities at Oslo handed him a free RTK Ag (Rapid Test Kit - Antigen; aka RAT).



The good news from the son was that N Europe has a fun new variant, currently called BA.2, that infects those just recovering from Omicron!

Yes but nobody cares anymore. The pubs are open

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by HankOnthewater

I think it quite funny, not funny really. All passengers packed in like sardines, all wearing a mask, and then the food trolley comes around, or with coffee and tea, and all masks are removed at nearly the same time. ??? This negates completely the need of mask wearing. I was on three flights this week, I did not take my mask off.

Airlines could save some money here by not offering food and drinks: "for covid safety reasons". Or if someone wanted a drink, offer a straw. Bummer that is also banned, so we might be better off with covid



As a side issue, a few years ago I could fly from west to east for $200 to $250 return flight. Now they charge $1200 one way !!! And the plane is still full. Have wages gone up? Price of fuel?

I suppose there are fewer planes in the sky that can contribute to the bottom line, so the few planes there are..... the airlines are milking them for every dollar.

Nothing about mask mandate makes sense in Ireland public health advice was initially against them for non professionals.

To me the pressure to wear masks came from the public and the Czech Republic flawed experience. People clutched at straws and masks were the straw.

There’s no hard evidence mask wearing was or is effective especially with the compromises , including materials used and massive “ application “ errors.


Well all I can say is I’m back to my boat in Greece soon for 15 euros each for me and SWMBO , that’s a 4 hour flight ( Ryanair are doing a two for one deal and my flight cost 30 euros ) I flew home in December for €10 my lunch in the airport was €10

Ryanair has ordered another 150 Boeing’s

My wife just returned from Brussels €12 each way

The bus will be more expensive to the airport !!

[UFO]

Its Just business as normal in Australia.....


https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/cor...asks-c-5565472

[danstanford]

Originally Posted by Lucky Luke 1

Similar story to Tassie. We had such a strong economy whilst we kept Covid out, plus a normal life with no masks. We opened up and our economy has suffered and the tourism we opened for is doing worse than when we had better border rules. I haven't spoken to anyone who thinks opening was a great idea and even the head of the Tourism council mentioned o the radio the other day that we may have opened prematurely. Premier has had to resort to a slick TV ad to try to win back the population he has put at risk both economically and health wise.

Trying to understand the circumstance you are describing? Are you referring to a time of open economy but closed borders followed by opening of borders?

I have read of many lockdowns in Australia and assumed this was the circumstance through significant portions of the pandemic.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by danstanford

Trying to understand the circumstance you are describing? Are you referring to a time of open economy but closed borders followed by opening of borders?

I have read of many lockdowns in Australia and assumed this was the circumstance through significant portions of the pandemic.

Briefly, the major enduring item was the nation wide restrictions on international travel and hotel quarantine on return.
Below that was the closure of state borders. That involved primarily not letting Victorians into any of other states, on occasion not letting people from NSW into Victoria ( I live on the border - that was confusing at times but at least the roads were quiet ) and at present WA won't let anyone in.

Real lockdown stuff centred around the the city of Melbourne and to a far lesser extent Sydney.
The entire state of Victoria was under travel restrictions ( no further than 5km from home and essential purposes only - which really meant nothing in the bush where everything is 50 km away and everything you do is essential ) for a short time .
The Greater Melbourne area - maybe 100km radius and 4 or 5 million people copped it hard for quite a while as there the 5km radius thing really did restrict movement.
For the rest of Australia - the other 20 million or so - life has just rolled along.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by UFO

Its Just business as normal in Australia.....


https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/cor...asks-c-5565472

Appalling - that sort of behaviour belongs in Queensland. I'm guessing he is a freemason.

I have always believed that if a person says they want a job that comes with a uniform and a gun they should not be given a job that comes with a uniform and a gun.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Appalling - that sort of behaviour belongs in Queensland.

Jeez, Ping .. it's still early in the morning for us.

Still waking up after yesterday (8th day of the Year of the Tiger) celebrating the birthday of millet, the birthday of millet agriculture in the Liao River valley that gave rise to so much, including the Trans-Eurasian Language family.

And of course starting at midnight (start of 9th day of the Year of the Tiger) we were bombarding the heavens with pyrotechnics to celebrate the birth of the Jade Emperor.

But since you ask: for all Queenslanders, especially on a Wednesday, our minds are focused on the BIG question, namely should we:

[a] use a sheet mask?
[b] apply an exfoliator?
[c] just slather on spackfilla?

Yer gotta think about the Wensd'y arvo race around Garnet Rock and the aftermath, right? The SE'er is blowing, so we'll likely be beating into it on the first leg, with a run on the homeward leg.

So ... which sheet mask will be best?

A lotta the younger crew will go for a Hydrogel mask.
See: https://www.mamamia.com.au/best-sheet-masks/

Then there's the question of whether a mask every day is too much? So perhaps exfoliate after the race instead?
See: https://www.mamamia.com.au/tried-and...y-for-a-month/

I do assure you that we doan wanna get the coppers involved in the questions. That's more a VIC thing, ever since Ned Kelly 'n all that. In QLD, the coppers have their own (usually corrupt) agenda and yer nebber too sure wot it is t'day.

[Lucky Luke 1]

Originally Posted by danstanford

Trying to understand the circumstance you are describing? Are you referring to a time of open economy but closed borders followed by opening of borders?

I have read of many lockdowns in Australia and assumed this was the circumstance through significant portions of the pandemic.

State borders not International boarders. Australia's a Federation of states and have control of their own boarders the Federal gov has control over international boarders.
The vast majority of Australia was largely unaffected by Covid until the last few weeks. My state was covid free for the majority of the last 2 years for eg.

[El Pinguino]

Well it seems that we are back to normal, at least in Victoria.
Yesterday was the first day in almost 2 years that Covid was 'top of page' and with its very own section in the Melbourne 'Age' giving daily deaths etc etc..

Today one small piece in 'local news' which is further down the page than the Winter Olympics - 'opposition leader caught unmasked in Parliament House, hit with $100 fine'.
https://www.theage.com.au

They still have the 'stats box' top right which I find interesting
https://www.theage.com.au/national/c..._redirect=true
16 people in hospital in Tassie !

Other news, Dan pushes for 3 vaxx requirement for international visitors.
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/v...09-p59v20.html

[JPA Cate]

Yes, 16 in hospital in Tassie. Reaping the benefits of opening despite the Omicron handwriting on the wall. Sigh. All our cases now related to people coming in.


Ann

[UFO]

Looks like the UK are moving in the right direction:


https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60319947


What I thought was quite telling:


"But reported deaths within 28 days of a positive test are taking longer to fall from their January peak, and are currently averaging over 250 a day, with 276 on Wednesday.


There are signs the high infection rates may be leading to more instances when someone with Covid dies of another cause, however.


In England and Wales, there are about 100 fewer deaths each day where a doctor registered Covid as the main cause of death, compared with the daily reported figure of deaths after a positive test."


As if this has not be the case worldwide all along.