General COVID-19 Vaccine Discussion

[drron]

Cathay is making vaccination mandatory for all air crew.

Cathay Pacific Threatens To Fire Unvaccinated Employees

Cathay Pacific is threatening to fire flight attendants and pilots who aren't vaccinated by August 31, 2021. Here are the full details.

onemileatatime.com

 

[jakeseven7]

ATAGI did state that their advice re AZ may change. I presumed at the time that this kind of situation may be a reason. Just get vaccinated with whatever you can as soon as you can.

Doubt they will have the guts but we know at least 2 of the board were overruled and did not agree with their latest AZ enhancement

 

[jakeseven7]

If this get's away from us Australia wide, which is a 50/50 now, the PM, gov't, media and populace will change, but it will still take a few months. Change will be forced on us.

Say what you like about Melb defeating COVID last year, but Wuhan strain was the featherweight class, Delta is a middlewight.

The vulnerable are almost completely vaccinated and those who aren’t declined the jab / didn’t get themselves organised, so really we should be fine with that now.

 

[OATEK]

The vulnerable are almost completely vaccinated and those who aren’t declined the jab / didn’t get themselves organised, so really we should be fine with that now.

I think you are a little ahead of yourself here. As an over 70, I booked for AZ as soon after 1B opened as I could and have not yet had second dose (booked for 2 weeks time). Prof Kelly said again the other day that over 70s were particularly vulnerable, and until 1B has had time for their second dose people should not be promoting ideas to let the virus go freely as yet.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

The vulnerable are almost completely vaccinated

If we are talking first doses:

• Those in residential age care facilities yes.
• Many of those in disability care are still waiting.
• And the elderly at home have also not been as proactive as they could have been and/ or have had access to GP's with only limited supply.

If we are talking fully vaccinated (both doses), then the numbers are not as good.

 

[jakeseven7]

I think you are a little ahead of yourself here. As an over 70, I booked for AZ as soon after 1B opened as I could and have not yet had second dose (booked for 2 weeks time). Prof Kelly said again the other day that over 70s were particularly vulnerable, and until 1B has had time for their second dose people should not be promoting ideas to let the virus go freely as yet.

Hence the word used ‘almost’. The clock is ticking though and the vaccine hesitant / snobs will also be in trouble soon...

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Is 1000 a bad number? We currently have about a quarter of the adult population with at least one vaccine dose (which reduces illness). Most of the vulnerable population has been fully vaccinated and in 5 weeks time (especially with what should be a run on second AZ doses) we’ll have a much larger proportion of the older generations vaccinated as well. We’re also 18 months in, have better treatments, better knowledge and have better prepared our hospitals.

We’ve been so conditioned to the unsustainable “COVID-0” that we hear 30 and think it’s bad. It’s time for that to change, and by August I wouldn’t think 1000 a day would be a massive concern. We can’t continue to accept zero risk.

Yes, 1000 new daily cases is a really bad number to have. I would encourage you to look at other jurisdictions that have similar figures and note the strain it is putting on their healthcare system, even with vaccines. I would also point out that virtually no one in Australia has gotten their COVID jab. Yes, the politicians love to point to aunt Helna in the nursing home, but there are far more at risk people than the one person they use for photo ops. The fact of the matter is, by the commonwealth's own admission, there are over 16 million doses needed to protect everyone in Phase 1 (e.g. the elderly, people with underlying medical conditions, people with disabilities, people working in quarantine centres), and NSW Health is throwing confetti and parties to celebrate the 2 millionth dose given, a large portion of whom are by definition not in the Phase 1 roll out (e.g. over 40s).

In particular, I would encourage everyone to look at a story the AFR wrote a few days ago regarding the dismal roll out of jabs here. A key infograph from the story is pretty much all you need to know:


Colour me unamused, but now is not the time to be throwing parties or celebrating given the lacklustre approach the states and commonwealth have taken to all of this. Yes, we need to come forward to vaccinate but that doesn't fix the supply problems we're having, it doesn't fix ATAGI poo-pooing the use of AstraZeneca except for the most desperate in our population and it doesn't fix the mixed messaging people have received regarding when and how they can secure their COVID jab.

Your Trusty,

kangarooflyer88

 

[Pushka]

I think you are a little ahead of yourself here. As an over 70, I booked for AZ as soon after 1B opened as I could and have not yet had second dose (booked for 2 weeks time). Prof Kelly said again the other day that over 70s were particularly vulnerable, and until 1B has had time for their second dose people should not be promoting ideas to let the virus go freely as yet.

I would expect that such a plan could safely be enacted 2 - 3 months from now for all those who diligently (ie proactively) sought their vaccination in 1b and should be finished.

 

[Princess Fiona]

The vulnerable are almost completely vaccinated and those who aren’t declined the jab / didn’t get themselves organised, so really we should be fine with that now.

Unfortunately that’s not the case.
Only 1.6 % the Disabled living in residential care had been fully vaccinated by the start of this month.

 

[Lynda2475]

Doubt they will have the guts but we know at least 2 of the board were overruled and did not agree with their latest AZ enhancement

It was hardly a unique decision most of wesern Europe are also limiting AZ use to over 60s and its banned outright in others AZ is not going to be some magical panacea for these current community cases.

GP roll-out of 1B roll-out started on 22nd March (were able to book before then). My parents are over 70 have had their second dose already, as have some members here. Could have been faster if mass vaccination centres were used from the start.

Some misinformation in tonights project with Lisa and Chris commenting there are no mass vaccination centres in NSW - totally wrong. Olympic Park is proving extremly popular and there are another 25 state run mass clinics at hospitals giving Pfizer. That is before you add in the commonwealth run hospital hubs.

 

[drron]

It appears being vaccinated gives you more protection than having Covid infection itself.

How Immunity Generated from COVID-19 Vaccines Differs from an Infection

A key issue as we move closer to ending the pandemic is determining more precisely how long people exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 virus, will make neutralizing antibodies against this dangerou…

directorsblog.nih.gov

 

[jakeseven7]

So apparently the Health Minster has directed ATAGI to meet ahead of the emergency Nat Cabinet / Nat Security Meeting.

I hope someone is kicking heads, or better some sense into them!

 

[oz_mark]

So apparently the Health Minster has directed ATAGI to meet ahead of the emergency Nat Cabinet / Nat Security Meeting.

I hope someone is kicking heads, or better some sense into them!

Why? ATAGI need to come to a group consensus on what is best. Sure, there will be a variety of opinions, and some frank and forthright discussions, but at the end of the day, they need to agree on something.

 

[jakeseven7]

Why? ATAGI need to come to a group consensus on what is best. Sure, there will be a variety of opinions, and some frank and forthright discussions, but at the end of the day, they need to agree on something.

Why have they been asked to meet? We can only hope it’s to re-evaluate the new environmental factors we are now living in and apply that to the vaccine roll out...
But who knows... it’s all cloaks and daggers.

 

[jase05]

Mukesh Haikerwal (past president of the AMA) was on ABC radio this morning, basically saying that GPs should be very careful agreeing to vaccinating patients under 60 with first dose of AZ as there is no indemnity in place, and that any signed waiver from a patient is unlikely to stand up in court - so don’t do it or as a GP you could find yourself sued if something goes wrong. Understand where they are coming from, but bloody hell no wonder our vaccination program is going nowhere.

 

[Lynda2475]

Why have they been asked to meet? We can only hope it’s to re-evaluate the new environmental factors we are now living in and apply that to the vaccine roll out...

That may be your hope, but not the hope of many. Many countries have restricted use of AZ, and if option of Pfizer is taken away and people are pushed to AZ then we will see even less people vaccinated.

Those signing a waiver also need to understand that if they have an adverse effect and are unable to work or die, that their income protection insurance and/or life insurance / death benefits may be voided as taking AZ is not recommended if you are under 60.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Those signing a waiver also need to understand that if they have an adverse effect and die, that their life insurance / death benefits may be voided as taking AZ is not recommended if you are under 60.

Out of the box thinking but this is an emergency, so then why doesn't the government underwrite something?

How much money and economic activity are we wasting/forgoing at the moment due to lockdowns that would not be required if more were vaccinated?

 

[Pushka]

Mukesh Haikerwal (past president of the AMA) was on ABC radio this morning, basically saying that GPs should be very careful agreeing to vaccinating patients under 60 with first dose of AZ as there is no indemnity in place, and that any signed waiver from a patient is unlikely to stand up in court - so don’t do it or as a GP you could find yourself sued if something goes wrong. Understand where they are coming from, but bloody hell no wonder our vaccination program is going nowhere.

I think there was any indemnity for anyone getting the vax so it’s moot.

 

[jase05]

That may be your hope, but not the hope of many. Many countries have restricted use of AZ, and if option of Pfizer is taken away and people are pushed to AZ then we will see even less people vaccinated.

Those signing a waiver also need to understand that if they have an adverse effect and are unable to work or die, that their income protection insurance and/or life insurance / death benefits may be voided as taking AZ is not recommended if you are under 60.

Would be a interesting legal case I’d imagine.
ATAGI has said at this point that Pfizer is PREFERRED over AZ only and indeed they also said

• COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca can be used in adults aged under 50 years where the benefits are likely to outweigh the risks for that individual and the person has made an informed decision based on an understanding of the risks and benefits.

Would be interesting to see if a legal case could be made that not ending up in ICU with Covid is outweighing the other risks

 

[Pushka]

Those signing a waiver also need to understand that if they have an adverse effect and are unable to work or die, that their income protection insurance and/or life insurance / death benefits may be voided as taking AZ is not recommended if you are under 60.

With greatest of respect I’ve been reading of those comments coming from anti vaxxers.