The COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Australia has begun

[Batterytraveller]

I wonder if the Australian government has taken any steps to have our vaccine certificates recognised in the EU or anywhere else?

NHS Covid pass still not recognised in some EU countries

Tourists facing difficulties following delay in linking NHS Covid pass to EU’s system

www.theguardian.com

 

[mviy]

Front Page:

The Age: “Voters back vaccination targets to ease curbs” - 62% back the plan, only 24% back states to go rogue, 54% saying not possible to achieve “complete suppression” again

Canberra Times: “Jab rate out in front” - “The ACT has jumped ahead in the race to vaccinate the nation, taking the lead for the first time on the same day the capital recorded a record number of COVID-19 cases…”

 

[jakeseven7]

Qantas vaccination ad: Why the new Qantas campaign has all of Australia talking (and crying)​

It's the heart-rending, tear-jerking, passion-swelling call to action that Australia has been waiting for. And curiously, it has come in the form of a Qantas ad.

The national carrier this week released a video advertisement that functions more readily as a pro-vaccination campaign ad, as it follows the story of three sets of travellers on their journey back into the world at large – of course, after receiving their COVID-19 jabs. And it's stirring stuff.


"I'm gonna see you soon, OK?"

Qantas, you had me there. I'm welling up with tears just writing this. A bloke is on the phone, talking to someone in a far-off place, and he says the sentence we have all been dying to say for so long now.

This is Australia, the country where almost half of us were either born overseas, or have a parent who was. We have family connections in other countries. We have friends in other countries. And how good would it be to pick up the phone and tell those people, our mums and dads, our brothers and sisters, our nieces and nephews, our grandkids and grandparents:

"I'm gonna see you soon, OK?"

Qantas vaccination ad: Why the new Qantas campaign has all of Australia talking (and crying)

It's the heart-rending, tear-jerking, passion-swelling call to action that Australia has been waiting for. And curiously, it has come in the form of a Qantas ad.

www.traveller.com.au

 

[Pushka]

​

Qantas vaccination ad: Why the new Qantas campaign has all of Australia talking (and crying)​

It's the heart-rending, tear-jerking, passion-swelling call to action that Australia has been waiting for. And curiously, it has come in the form of a Qantas ad.

The national carrier this week released a video advertisement that functions more readily as a pro-vaccination campaign ad, as it follows the story of three sets of travellers on their journey back into the world at large – of course, after receiving their COVID-19 jabs. And it's stirring stuff.


"I'm gonna see you soon, OK?"

Qantas, you had me there. I'm welling up with tears just writing this. A bloke is on the phone, talking to someone in a far-off place, and he says the sentence we have all been dying to say for so long now.

This is Australia, the country where almost half of us were either born overseas, or have a parent who was. We have family connections in other countries. We have friends in other countries. And how good would it be to pick up the phone and tell those people, our mums and dads, our brothers and sisters, our nieces and nephews, our grandkids and grandparents:

"I'm gonna see you soon, OK?"

Qantas vaccination ad: Why the new Qantas campaign has all of Australia talking (and crying)

It's the heart-rending, tear-jerking, passion-swelling call to action that Australia has been waiting for. And curiously, it has come in the form of a Qantas ad.

www.traveller.com.au

Finally got to see my son's July UK wedding speech last night on YouTube. "We are gonna give you a congratulatory hug soon, ok?"

#freedomwithvaccination

 

[antycbr]

​

Qantas vaccination ad: Why the new Qantas campaign has all of Australia talking (and crying)​

It's the heart-rending, tear-jerking, passion-swelling call to action that Australia has been waiting for. And curiously, it has come in the form of a Qantas ad.

The national carrier this week released a video advertisement that functions more readily as a pro-vaccination campaign ad, as it follows the story of three sets of travellers on their journey back into the world at large – of course, after receiving their COVID-19 jabs. And it's stirring stuff.


"I'm gonna see you soon, OK?"

Qantas, you had me there. I'm welling up with tears just writing this. A bloke is on the phone, talking to someone in a far-off place, and he says the sentence we have all been dying to say for so long now.

This is Australia, the country where almost half of us were either born overseas, or have a parent who was. We have family connections in other countries. We have friends in other countries. And how good would it be to pick up the phone and tell those people, our mums and dads, our brothers and sisters, our nieces and nephews, our grandkids and grandparents:

"I'm gonna see you soon, OK?"

Qantas vaccination ad: Why the new Qantas campaign has all of Australia talking (and crying)

It's the heart-rending, tear-jerking, passion-swelling call to action that Australia has been waiting for. And curiously, it has come in the form of a Qantas ad.

www.traveller.com.au

Qantas has one of the best marketing teams in the world in my opinion. Could they be seconded to the Commonwealth Department of Health?

 

[Lynda2475]

In good news for NSW, Gladys was on the radio announcing the extra Polish supplied Pfizer doses available at Qudos and Olympic Park hubs are no longer exclusively for 16-39s from just the 12 LGAs of concern. From today anyone from 16-59 from any LGA can now book these appointments, and get jabbed as soon as tomorrow.

It is bad that not enough people from the 12 LGAs of concern came forward to fill all slots but great for those in neighbouring LGAs who can now be fully vaxxed within the the next 3-4 weeks.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Any why did this not happen June?

1/ The main reason. They only up (create) booking slots for vaccine doses that are confirmed as arriving (ie another 450K of Pfizer confirmed yesterday including 175,000 from the Polish Purchase)
2/ More than ample people in other cohorts to consume the the then available Pfizer
2/ The Federal Government's recent announcement on U 39s and Pfizer which resulted in many in that age group cancelling their booked in AZ appointments and drying up demand for AZ in Victoria in the under 60's in Vic apart from second doses.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

A little hint for our Victorian friends you can book Pfizer for 16-39 year olds in other places right NOW…. they are getting swamped so move fast

Apart from booking at places besides the Vic State Hubs, there is also this tip:

 

[TonyHancock]

I wonder if the Australian government has taken any steps to have our vaccine certificates recognised in the EU or anywhere else?

NHS Covid pass still not recognised in some EU countries

Tourists facing difficulties following delay in linking NHS Covid pass to EU’s system

www.theguardian.com

I think it is very chaotic at the moment. At some point governments are going to need to work out how to manage this. My NHS vaccine record is digital through the NHS app and can be printed. I have had two doses of AZ, one manufactured in India and still not recognised in some EU countries.

As a result I am four days away from my second Moderna jab in the US. My vaccination certificate is a card with pharmac_ stamps on it. I have no idea if this will be accepted outside of the US.

I understand that there are more pressing issues to deal with but this will need fixing soon to allow global travel.

 

[justinbrett]

I think it is very chaotic at the moment. At some point governments are going to need to work out how to manage this. My NHS vaccine record is digital through the NHS app and can be printed. I have had two doses of AZ, one manufactured in India and still not recognised in some EU countries.

As a result I am four days away from my second Moderna jab in the US. My vaccination certificate is a card with pharmac_ stamps on it. I have no idea if this will be accepted outside of the US.

I understand that there are more pressing issues to deal with but this will need fixing soon to allow global travel.

My yellow fever vaccination is recorded in a yellow booklet issued by the WHO and has been accepted at many countries around the world.

It's not that hard people! We've done it before!

 

[Lynda2475]

The EU app generates a unique QR code for vaccinated people that venues can scan to validate your status.

The NSW Premier has mentioned the Service NSW QR app is being modified so that digital certificates can be loaded, validated so that check-in will allow customer to scan venue QR and venue to scan customers QR code to know they are eligible to enter. Definitely sounds like NSW isnt waiting for Scomo to sort it out domestically.

 

[TonyHancock]

My yellow fever vaccination is recorded in a yellow booklet issued by the WHO and has been accepted at many countries around the world.

Countries requiring proof of yellow fever vaccination before entry:

• Angola
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Congo, Republic of
• Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• French Guiana
• Gabon
• Ghana
• Guinea-Bissau
• Liberia
• Mali
• Niger
• Sierra Leone
• Togo
• Uganda

I can honestly say I have not been to any of these countries, but do enjoy, I'm probably a little more interested in The USA, Canada, UK, and most European countries.

 

[justinbrett]

Countries requiring proof of yellow fever vaccination before entry:

• Angola
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Congo, Republic of
• Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• French Guiana
• Gabon
• Ghana
• Guinea-Bissau
• Liberia
• Mali
• Niger
• Sierra Leone
• Togo
• Uganda

I can honestly say I have not been to any of these countries, but do enjoy, I'm probably a little more interested in The USA, Canada, UK, and most European countries.

Australia's list of yellow fever risk countries and areas​

Australia’s list of yellow fever risk countries and areas is guided by the WHO list of yellow fever endemic countries and also takes into account recent international surveillance data.

Africa​

• Angola
• Benin
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Congo, Democratic Republic of the
• Congo, Republic of the
• Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
• Equatorial Guinea
• Ethiopia
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Kenya
• Liberia
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Togo
• Uganda

South America & Central America​

• Argentina – Misiones and Corrientes Provinces
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Ecuador excluding Galapagos Islands
• French Guiana
• Guyana
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Suriname
• Trinidad
• Venezuela

People who are one year of age or older will be asked to provide an international vaccination certificate if, within six days before arriving in Australia, they have stayed overnight or longer in a yellow fever risk country. People unable to provide a certificate will still be able to enter Australia.

I like UK/US/EU too but I really enjoyed my trips to Panama, Colombia and Trinidad & Tobago.

Anyway you missed the point, we have an internationally agreed mechanism to prove vaccination. Sure COVID will use a high tech solution but it can be done as we have before.

 

[Lynda2475]

I can honestly say I have not been to any of these countries, but do enjoy, I'm probably a little more interested in The USA, Canada, UK, and most European countries

When returning to Australia from a country which has yellow fever i.e. Brazil you cant use e-gate and have to go to a manned desk to either show your yellow fever vaccination proof or if you cant you get a mini lecture on YF and issued "with a Yellow Fever Action Card. The card provides instructions on what you should do if you develop any symptoms of yellow fever in the six-day period following your departure from a yellow fever risk country."

Some airlines also want to see a YF vaccination certificate to allow you to board some flights. A mum and daughter who were on a tour of Argentina and Brazil, were denied boarding their onward flight from Buenos Aires to South Africa, when the daughter couldnt find her YF booklet at the airport. They came back to hotel and were trying to contact their Dr in Perth to fax proof.

 

[TonyHancock]

Australia's list of yellow fever risk countries and areas​

Australia’s list of yellow fever risk countries and areas is guided by the WHO list of yellow fever endemic countries and also takes into account recent international surveillance data.

Africa​

• Angola
• Benin
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Congo, Democratic Republic of the
• Congo, Republic of the
• Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
• Equatorial Guinea
• Ethiopia
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Guinea
• Guinea-Bissau
• Kenya
• Liberia
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Senegal
• Sierra Leone
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Togo
• Uganda

South America & Central America​

• Argentina – Misiones and Corrientes Provinces
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Ecuador excluding Galapagos Islands
• French Guiana
• Guyana
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Suriname
• Trinidad
• Venezuela

People who are one year of age or older will be asked to provide an international vaccination certificate if, within six days before arriving in Australia, they have stayed overnight or longer in a yellow fever risk country. People unable to provide a certificate will still be able to enter Australia.

I like UK/US/EU too but I really enjoyed my trips to Panama, Colombia and Trinidad & Tobago.

Anyway you missed the point, we have an internationally agreed mechanism to prove vaccination. Sure COVID will use a high tech solution but it can be done as we have before.

I fear you don't read many of my posts, and almost certainly rightly so most are quite ridiculous and quite frankly rubbish, I rarely miss the point but am usually too obtuse and absurd to be understood. (It is the gin you know!) Watch out for those sticky out tongues. They usually mean a tongue in cheek and semi absurd response. (Although having said that I am not about to run off to any of the countries in your list )

As an aside I did almost get caught out when visiting Brazil, which is, with a UK passport slightly easier, and did not have any evidence whatsoever of yellow fever vaccination when returning to Australia. Fortunately the Border officials were in full on CBA mode and after an initial question just waived me through. (The alternative is quarantine as opposed to refusal of entry into Australia BTW) Still not likely to be heading off to any of those countries any time soon <--- Sticky out tongue - just to emphasise )

My point about the Covid "passports" stands though - it is currently chaos.........and not just at Govt level, private companies in the USA are placing restrictions on individuals who are not double vaccinated with an FDA approved vaccine.

edit: I should probably add that I am experiencing the travel aspect first hand - currently in the USA following 14 days in Mexico and previously in the UK. the prospect of getting back home is about a year away.

 

[TonyHancock]

When returning to Australia from a country which has yellow fever i.e. Brazil you cant use e-gate and have to go to a manned desk to either show your yellow fever vaccination proof or if you cant you get a mini lecture on YF and issued "with a Yellow Fever Action Card. The card provides instructions on what you should do if you develop any symptoms of yellow fever in the six-day period following your departure from a yellow fever risk country."

Some airlines also want to see a YF vaccination certificate to allow you to board some flights. A mum and daughter who were on a tour of Argentina and Brazil, were denied boarding their onward flight from Buenos Aires to South Africa, when the daughter couldnt find her YF booklet at the airport. They came back to hotel and were trying to contact their Dr in Perth to fax proof.

Many thanks I rarely travel you know.

 

[louie-m]

Anyway you missed the point, we have an internationally agreed mechanism to prove vaccination. Sure COVID will use a high tech solution but it can be done as we have before.

You make it sound so easy. It is the high tech solution that is the problem. It's not difficult to come up with a vaccination card to be used worldwide like we have all used for yellow fever forever and a day. But when it comes to the high tech "solution", every country has a different protocol, a different app, or no app, or no centralised health system, even approval for different vaccines. Finding a one size fits all solution like a piece of card is going to be impossible which means pretty much every country negotiating with every other country, unless the WHO get involved. And whether they do or not, that is going to take forever.

And then you have politics (and competence). At the moment, you can enter the UK without quarantine from an amber country if you have Tony Hancock's US pharmac_ stamped card (probably with or without having had the vaccinations). Yet as a UK citizen, I would have to quarantine for 10 days despite my two AZ vaccinations - and solid proof. The UK aren't nearly as interested in their overseas citizens as they are in kowtowing to the Americans. Sort of understandable as the number of entrants from Oz will be small for obvious reasons, but the same applies to all the UK expats in the Middle East, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc.

Also the risk of yellow fever, given so few travel to/from the affected countries, is tiny compared to the risk of covid, especially if new variants come to light. So we do need something more robust than a piece of paper even if it will be painful getting there.

 

[lakeman]

The most loving thing you can do for the community !​

"It’s me again, the tired occupational epidemiologist. Sixteen months into this pandemic and I seem to have answered all manner of questions about the virus for my clients. The questions often contain scary words like risk, transmission, mitigation or liability. On reflection, the most meaningful question I’ve gotten during this pandemic, likely the only question that matters, came from a university president, a Jesuit priest responsible for many. He asked me, “Shannon, what’s the most loving thing we can do for our community?” The answer to this question has changed throughout the pandemic, but for now, without question, the most loving thing we can do for each other is to get vaccinated. — Shannon Magari, Syracuse, N.Y."

Post from the new york times today

Please get vaccinated and encourage all !

 

[justinbrett]

You make it sound so easy. It is the high tech solution that is the problem. It's not difficult to come up with a vaccination card to be used worldwide like we have all used for yellow fever forever and a day. But when it comes to the high tech "solution", every country has a different protocol, a different app, or no app, or no centralised health system, even approval for different vaccines. Finding a one size fits all solution like a piece of card is going to be impossible which means pretty much every country negotiating with every other country, unless the WHO get involved. And whether they do or not, that is going to take forever.

And then you have politics (and competence). At the moment, you can enter the UK without quarantine from an amber country if you have Tony Hancock's US pharmac_ stamped card (probably with or without having had the vaccinations). Yet as a UK citizen, I would have to quarantine for 10 days despite my two AZ vaccinations - and solid proof. The UK aren't nearly as interested in their overseas citizens as they are in kowtowing to the Americans. Sort of understandable as the number of entrants from Oz will be small for obvious reasons, but the same applies to all the UK expats in the Middle East, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc.

Also the risk of yellow fever, given so few travel to/from the affected countries, is tiny compared to the risk of covid, especially if new variants come to light. So we do need something more robust than a piece of paper even if it will be painful getting there.

It's not about the technology, your reply kind of proves what I was saying. It's the political will to come up with a standard, and like the current Yellow Fever system, is defined by the WHO.

The technology is the easy part. The politics, as you say, not so much.

 

[TonyHancock]

At the moment, you can enter the UK without quarantine from an amber country if you have Tony Hancock's US pharmac_ stamped card (probably with or without having had the vaccinations).

How dare you sir! My flimsy paper smudged card with my name spelled incorrectly is completely legitimate! (Actually it really is legitimate it just does not look like it at all and there is a market for faked cards in the US.)

...you have hit the nail on the head. I cannot like your post enough. Others miss the point, sadly.