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adnj wrote:redmanjp wrote:16 cycles wrote:the mutation scenario is/was the 'Achilles heel' of herd immunity strategy...
if we fast track the vaccines and drastically reduce transmissions it would lessen the chance of many mutations- but as long as the pandemic rages on more and more mutations will take place
the US doesn't want to ban travel from UK, yet (though they considering a negative test) but that could cause community spread of the new strain in the US. next thing a trini come down from florida or new york to T&T with that strain but they were never in the UK. they get to go home after 7 days.
You may not realize that all of the Covid-19 vaccines have been fast tracked. What is required is to eliminate hosts as fast as possible -- accelerate the vaccination take rate.
Dizzy28 wrote:^ Need to show the wife this. Grocery runs became such a chore as more time was spent disinfecting the purchases afterwards than the actual shopping run.
redmanjp wrote:Dizzy28 wrote:^ Need to show the wife this. Grocery runs became such a chore as more time was spent disinfecting the purchases afterwards than the actual shopping run.
at first i stopped wiping down the items which can stay outside (the virus becomes inactive with time) and just did the ones that need to go into the fridge (cheese, veges, etc.) as it can lives for weeks in the cold. (i still contemplate if i should still wipe it) but now my mom starting back going to the grocery after 6 months of isolating at home. the real threat is any gatherings, whether in restaurants/bars, or with family/friends, or not wearing masks.
told my dad who doesn't live with us that he needed to reduce his exposure in order to have lunch with us for Christmas and stay a couple days (no dining out and no using taxis). he lives with another relative so i hope they not having ppl over for christmas.
redmanjp wrote:a couple new developments:
new 'long covid' symptom: teeth falling out
new UK strain may affect children more than other strains
Renuka Singh
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and National Security Minister Stuart Young are defending the fairness of this country’s COVID-19 exemption policy in the face of stinging criticism that their children were allowed to jump the exemption queue. However, Rowley is also indicating that the Government plans to revisit and make changes to the policy.
Their defence comes after Guardian Media revealed yesterday that the 21-year-old son of Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi was granted an exemption and entered T&T on November 13, after spending two months abroad.
Rowley’s daughter Dr Sonel Rowley-Stewart was also granted an exemption and is currently home for the Christmas period. She applied for her exemption on November 4, three days before policy changes were announced and was granted an exemption to return from New York on December 16.
In a text exchange with Guardian Media yesterday, Prime Minister Rowley said more changes to the policy were coming in the new year and not everyone would be happy.
“As we make revisions in the new year, that is no guarantee that the grumbling will be eliminated because these restrictions by their very nature will adversely affect some people more than others,” Rowley said.
Rowley said there will always be criticism of himself and his Government but that would not change the facts.
“Picking on my family or the minister does not change the facts that once the border is closed and we are managing the inflow, there will be enough stories and grumbling and lies to fill the many voids,” he said.
“We just keep on doing the best as we protect the national population in a very difficult situation.”
Rowley said despite all the work being done to bring nationals back home, there will always be “grumbling.”
“I did say a few weeks ago that the borders and the schools are our biggest managed challenges. That remains so,” he said.
Young took a similar stance but noted the current system was never “first come, first served.” He also denied suggestions that relatives of Government Ministers were allowed to jump the line.
Noting that by July 29 there were 5,539 applications made to enter T&T, Young said, “As at December 23, we had granted 9,557 exemptions to enter Trinidad and Tobago. This shows that the vast majority of people who were genuinely stuck outside as at March 22 were granted exemptions to return.”
Young said from day one it was announced that applications would be considered on a case by case basis “and this continues to date.”
“At the Ministry of National Security, a system was developed that considered many factors and prioritised the granting of approvals to enter Trinidad and Tobago. This was always managed, bearing in mind the ability to safely quarantine persons who returned to the country, balanced with the capacity of the parallel health care system’s ability to manage positive cases, without collapsing,” he said.
He detailed those factors:
• date of application
• elderly and sick nationals
• families, especially those with young children
• persons who went for a vacation of a few weeks and got stuck outside; and
• persons with medical issues.
Young said the Government later added students who wanted to return home.
“Approvals were never granted on a first come first serve basis alone. Additionally, at every stage, we maintained a discretion for emergency cases or expedited cases,” Young said.
He said every Caribbean Airlines flight leaving over the past few months to Miami, New York, Barbados and Canada had nationals on them and many of these persons then applied to return to T&T.
“These people know that the borders are closed when they leave the country but still turn around and apply to return,” he said.
He said there are students who left in August and September “to go back to schools away and then applied to come back for Christmas or due to a change in their schooling circumstances.”
He said in and around October/November, most of the nationals who were stuck outside when the borders closed and persons who lived abroad, had lost their jobs and wanted to come back to T&T were cleared.
“The Government announced we would increase state-supervised quarantine and facilitate some people returning for Christmas. It was very clearly stated that not everyone would be able to be accommodated. This was done over the past month and a half and hundreds of nationals returned for Christmas, but not all,” he said.
“There are still nationals applying to return. Many were accustomed to going and spending months away and then returning to spend months in Trinidad. They were not nationals who were stuck outside due to going out for a short vacation.”
Regarding the farmworkers in Canada, Young said they fall into two separate categories. There are those who were in Canada when the borders were closed on March 22 and those who went to Canada after the borders were closed (in their hundreds).
“The workers who went to work in Canada after the borders were closed were warned that if the borders remained closed when they wished to return, they would be subject to the Government’s existing border management policies. They signed agreements agreeing to be bound by this and also acknowledging the risk they were taking. Nevertheless, as soon as these workers finished working in Canada they demanded to return,” he said.
He said the Government has been liaising and working with the Canadian government to facilitate the nationals and have begun repatriating them.
“We are now dedicating flights and facilities for these workers to return to Trinidad and Tobago. It is to be noted that over 90 nationals have indicated that they wish to stay in Canada even though we are making arrangements for their return to Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.
death365 wrote:ok so i dont want to cause more bachanal but is there a post-Covid plan?
if so what/where is it ... a plan is only good when properly communicated to the public and relevant stakeholders.
Whether you are ringing in the New Year with twelve or 60 people at your private home, there is very little police officers can do as no laws are being broken.
This is according to attorney Farai Masaisai who told Guardian Media the existing Public Health Ordinance only allows an officer to enforce gatherings within public spaces.
“The ordinance is, as its name says, to protect the public and is really for public spaces so unless you are charging persons to enter your private home then it will not become a public space”, the attorney told Guardian Media during a telephone interview yesterday.
Masaisai recalled the Bayside pool party in September which he noted occurred in a public space on a private development, yet nothing became of it. This was one of the events which sparked public debate regarding the police’s jurisdiction in private spaces.
“For example, these zessers and wessers events are broadcasted on these different social media platforms and they then, therefore, bring that residence into a public space because they charge persons to enter,” Masaisai explained.
“I have known persons who have been having weddings with over 100 people during COVID in their private confines, I mean they were big enough but, in my view, it is a crowd and they have not been arrested or brought before any court”.
Unless the officers present a search warrant, attorney Masaisai said they cannot enter a person’s private property without “reasonable cause”.
Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith has warned that his officers will be out in full force this week to clamp down on any Old Year’s night party.
Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh recently said the ministry is aware of several Old Year’s night parties across both islands including two planned for Down-the-Islands.
The attorney also believes police may be looking to enforce other existing laws such as the use of fireworks.
“So, if it is you are having your private event and you do not have a license to set off those fireworks, the police could come to confiscate it and in doing so they may make arrests”, Masaisai said.
The attorney stated that while the law may protect families wishing to hold festivities tonight, it does not protect them from contracting COVID-19.
Dohplaydat wrote:Shakes are deaths still be recorded correctly?
Got notified yesterday of the death of a family friend who died from covid (he did test positive and was at home for most of the time until he got really sick). He died 4 days ago (Sunday 28th) and I saw the death count increased yesterday but that was also quite a delay when previously they seemed to update it the next day.
Kenjo wrote:Dohplaydat wrote:Shakes are deaths still be recorded correctly?
Got notified yesterday of the death of a family friend who died from covid (he did test positive and was at home for most of the time until he got really sick). He died 4 days ago (Sunday 28th) and I saw the death count increased yesterday but that was also quite a delay when previously they seemed to update it the next day.
You think they hiding stuff ?
redmanjp wrote:Good news. WHO approves Pfizer biontech vaccine for emergency use. It better get here before the new variant reach Venezuela.
(CNN)The World Health Organization has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for emergency use, paving the way for lower and middle-income countries to begin immunizing their populations against Covid-19.
The vaccine was first approved in the UK on December 8 for emergency use within the country, with the US, Canada and European Union following soon after. All have begun their own vaccination drives.
But the green light from the World Health Organization (WHO) means countries without their own regulatory bodies, or the means to rigorously assess the efficacy and safety of vaccines, can expedite their own approval processes and begin rolling out vaccination programs.
Rich countries are hoarding Covid-19 vaccines and leaving the developing world behind, People's Vaccine Alliance warns
Rich countries are hoarding Covid-19 vaccines and leaving the developing world behind, People's Vaccine Alliance warns
There have been concerns about unequal distribution of vaccines as wealthier countries have bought or signed contracts to purchase large amounts of the doses available or those waiting for approval.
In a statement Thursday, the WHO said organizations like UNICEF and the Pan-American Health Organization could now procure the vaccine for distribution to countries in need.
"This is a very positive step towards ensuring global access to Covid-19 vaccines. But I want to emphasize the need for an even greater global effort to achieve enough vaccine supply to meet the needs of priority populations everywhere," said Dr. Mariângela Simão, WHO assistant-director general for access to medicines and health products.
"WHO and our partners are working night and day to evaluate other vaccines that have reached safety and efficacy standards. We encourage even more developers to come forward for review and assessment. It's vitally important that we secure the critical supply needed to serve all countries around the world and stem the pandemic."
The WHO's team and independent experts reviewed the data on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine's safety, efficacy and quality to conduct a risk-versus-benefit analysis, the statement said.
"The review found that the vaccine met the must-have criteria for safety and efficacy set out by WHO, and that the benefits of using the vaccine to address Covid-19 offset potential risks," it said.
A group of WHO immunization experts will meet on January 5 to lay out policies and recommendations for the vaccine's use in populations. It will also help them set up cold supply chains, as the vaccine needs to be stored at 60-90 degrees Celsius.
While the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is the first to gain WHO approval, there are hopes that cheaper and easier-to-distribute options will be made available soon.
One such option is the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which was approved by UK regulators on Wednesday. The country will begin administering the shots from January 4.
AstraZeneca has promised to supply hundreds of millions of doses to low and middle-income countries, and to deliver the vaccine on a not-for-profit basis to those nations in perpetuity.
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