General Discussion/Q&A on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

[OZDUCK]

Interesting report on the "Oxford" vaccine. It seems counterintuitive, to an unqualified person, that 1 1/2 doses is more effective than 2 doses. The advantage of this vaccine is that it seems that it can be manufactured fairly soon in Australia and does not require the 'special' transportation conditions of some other vaccines. So good news all round - at this stage anyway.

AstraZeneca says COVID-19 vaccine developed with Oxford can be up to 90 per cent effective

Extensive testing has found the University of Oxford coronavirus vaccine can be up to 90 per cent effective at stopping people developing COVID-19 symptoms, if the right doses are administered.

www.abc.net.au

The BBC report is less effusive than the ABC item but has a lot more detail about the testing process and trial results.

Covid-19: Oxford University vaccine is highly effective

The vaccine is cheaper than other options and easier to distribute around the world.

www.bbc.com

 

[Pushka]

I live in qld , what is a mask ?

Ha. We hadn't worn one until last Friday. (Except on a plane.) That days ago. Be very careful.

 

[Cossie]

So need to get on a plane/planes to get to QLD...... so you bring or get a mask?
Are people double/triple masking?
Other than border check, the airport procedure and boarding checks ie. temperature????, mask on???

Suppose the airline has contact info to call if a positive contact trace appears?
Anyone been followed up with same???

Flew to Brisbane and back 2 weeks ago from Canberra on Qantas. Masks in a packet on entry to plane with sanitiser wipes both ways, requested that people wear them for the whole flight, most did. No temperature checks, cabin crew wore masks, no inflight magazines but usual refreshments given.
Arrival in Brisbane had to show identification and have at that time an entry permit to say we hadn't been in a hotspot and so on.
Saw no masks that I can remember in the 48 hours I was there

 

[Flashback]

Here's the new restrictions in place for England, once lockdown 2.0 ends on December 2.
Here's the official doc: https://assets.publishing.service.g...ent_data/file/937529/COVID-19_Winter_Plan.pdf

The most restrictive measures, are not really that restrictive.....


Hospitals will be full again by mid January!

 

[jeza]

Just received a sms from DFAT mentioning there is capacity on an SQ flight SIN-CBR for the 26th November departing at 0115hrs. Email contact is flights.assist@dfat.gov.au

Probably won't be of any help but this is AFF so you just never know...

 

[I love to travel]

Just received a sms from DFAT mentioning there is capacity on an SQ flight SIN-CBR for the 26th November departing at 0115hrs. Email contact is flights.assist@dfat.gov.au

Probably won't be of any help but this is AFF so you just never know...

@dajop one for you maybe

 

[dajop]

@dajop one for you maybe

Thanks good to know there’s additional capacity. We’re actually booked onto a flight to SYD during first week of December, .

We did have our original flight cancelled a month or two ago, but thankfully were reaccomodated on a flight 9 hrs earlier. The way things are though (eg. what happened with ADL flights last week) won’t be confident of making it until the flight has actually landed at SYD!

 

[Pushka]

Spoke to our son in the UK last night. Still awaiting news of when they will be advised which zone they are in. In his area they are getting 22 cases a day which is minimal. (SA locked down at 17 over a few days). He agreed with the Australian policy but was surprised to hear that no takeaway or delivery food was available here, as that didn't stop in UK.

Anyway apparently Rona is taking a Christmas Break and families of up to three groups can meet over a five day break. So they are heading up to Kent with his partners family.

 

[Flashback]

Spoke to our son in the UK last night. Still awaiting news of when they will be advised which zone they are in. In his area they are getting 22 cases a day which is minimal. (SA locked down at 17 over a few days). He agreed with the Australian policy but was surprised to hear that no takeaway or delivery food was available here, as that didn't stop in UK.

Anyway apparently Rona is taking a Christmas Break and families of up to three groups can meet over a five day break. So they are heading up to Kent with his partners family.

Plus 1 day either side for Northern Ireland.

Yes, tiers will be announced on Thursday.. we shall see.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

In the USA the news just gets grimmer. Daily cases, hospitalisations and deaths are all ramping up.

Winter is coming and massive mixing is now occurring, or about to occur, due the travel to attend Thanksgiving with family.

In betters new vaccines are also coming, but they will take a long time to be rolled out. However there is also some suggestion that uptake may be low.

 

[drron]

On the other hand the hospitalisation and mortality rate are lower than in the original wave.
April cases of 60000 per day and deaths ~ 3000 per day.
Early November cases ` 100000 per day,deaths 2000 per day-that is allowing a 3 week lag in deaths as cases per day now ` 180000.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

On the other hand the hospitalisation and mortality rate are lower than in the original wave.

While true, it is probably more that testing is more available now.

Hospitalisations and deaths are both probably more accurate measure of how prevalent the virus is over time.

Fortunately as long as the hospitals do not get overwhelmed knowledge of how the virus works, treatments, etc are new better and so the virus is not as deadly as it was. So yes true mortality rate will be lower now.

Watching some of the recent interviews in the USA medical staffing is starting to become the limiting factor on adequate care as they can make room for sick people, have ample ventilators etc. but they are limited in what extra people they can get if they start having to quarantine there on staff. ie Minnesota is now getting medical staff from Florida and Nevada.

 

[drron]

Interesting looking at how people rate their Government's performance during the pandemic.
.

Pretty forgiving in Denmark but not so much in Mexico.

 

[OZDUCK]

And some more indication, still being subjected to further study, that sufferers can have ongoing lung problems even after relatively 'mild' infections.

Covid-19: Lung damage 'identified' in study

Researchers are to investigate whether young people and those not in hospital could be affected.

www.bbc.com

 

[drron]

Prolonged fatigue after viral illnesses has been known for a long time and the numbers can be very high.

Post-Viral Fatigue: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, and Recovery Tim

Post-viral fatigue is a type of extreme tiredness that sometimes happens after a recent viral infection. We'll go over its common symptoms, how it's diagnosed, and the treatments that can help. You'll also find out about resources that can help you navigate the complicated world of chronic fatigue.

www.healthline.com

Post-viral syndrome: Symptoms, causes, and treatment

Post-viral syndrome, or post-viral fatigue, refers to tiredness or weakness that lingers after a person fights off a viral infection. Learn more here.

www.medicalnewstoday.com

They have also been known to damage the heart.

Viral cardiomyopathy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Those older members may remember Fiona Coote who at age 14 in 1984 had Australia's 4th heart transplant.Her disease was a viral cardiomyopathy.
We really don't know the true incidence of viral cardiomyopathy because unlike Covid most cases of viral infection are not tested and often when people present with a cardiomyopathy the patient may have forgotten about a previous infection.Though my last few years in practice were treating heart failure and a few did trace their onset of symptoms to a bad "flu" though not tested for at the time.

Again with the flu there are no calls for testing anyone with the mildest symptoms for flu even when we know it is prevalent.I have no doubt that the incidence of flu is much higher than the number of reported cases.
Also with deaths during a flu outbreak there are no issued guidelines to put the flu as a disease that has played a part in the death from heart disease,dementis etc as there are with Covid.We do know however that deaths from heart disease are more likely in the months after the flu and other viral infections.

With the Xenon scan it is a new type of scan.The article linked above said that conventional scans were normal.this has not been done after other viral respiratory infections so we can't say Covid is different at this stage.However we do know that Influenza A infection can cause chronic lung damage.

Influenza A Virus Infection Causes Chronic Lung Disease Linked to Sites of Active Viral RNA Remnants - PubMed

Clinical and experimental observations suggest that chronic lung disease is linked to respiratory viral infection. However, the long-term aspect of this relationship is not yet defined using a virus that replicates at properly high levels in humans and a corresponding animal model. In this...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[drron]

More of the economic fall out around the world.First NY and NJ with businesses closing.

Nearly one-third of NY, NJ small businesses reportedly closed in 2020

It has been a bad year for ma and pa. Nearly one-third of small businesses in New York and New Jersey remain closed since January amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a watchdog. In the Empi…

nypost.com

And Thanksgiving passenger numbers down.
.

Some rays of hope in the Australian hotel market but now the majority don't think near normal trading will return until some time in 2022.

Australian Hotel Sentiment Survey, Nov 2020 | Horwath HTL Corporate

In the five months since the Second Australian Hotel Sentiment Survey in mid-May 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to severely impact on the hospitality industry across the globe and at home. The travel and tourism industry in Australia has effectively had to re-invent itself as domestic...

horwathhtl.com

But some better news that like to go to Queenstown,NZ. with the budget Discovery Lodge to be transformed into a 5 star boutique hotel.

Discovery Lodge bought by investor

Contracts have been exchanged in what is believed to be the first major accommodation sale in New Zealand since Covid-19 crisis struck in March....

www.odt.co.nz

 

[Flashback]

More of the economic fall out around the world.First NY and NJ with businesses closing.

Nearly one-third of NY, NJ small businesses reportedly closed in 2020

It has been a bad year for ma and pa. Nearly one-third of small businesses in New York and New Jersey remain closed since January amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a watchdog. In the Empi…

nypost.com

And Thanksgiving passenger numbers down.
View attachment 234849 .

Some rays of hope in the Australian hotel market but now the majority don't think near normal trading will return until some time in 2022.

Australian Hotel Sentiment Survey, Nov 2020 | Horwath HTL Corporate

In the five months since the Second Australian Hotel Sentiment Survey in mid-May 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to severely impact on the hospitality industry across the globe and at home. The travel and tourism industry in Australia has effectively had to re-invent itself as domestic...

horwathhtl.com

But some better news that like to go to Queenstown,NZ. with the budget Discovery Lodge to be transformed into a 5 star boutique hotel.

Discovery Lodge bought by investor

Contracts have been exchanged in what is believed to be the first major accommodation sale in New Zealand since Covid-19 crisis struck in March....

www.odt.co.nz

While numbers were down year on year, on a weekly basis the numbers were up about 4-5x what's been a normal day in the last few weeks/months in the US. Interesting to see what impact that brings.

 

[OZDUCK]

Yesterday, the U.S.A had a record number of deaths from Covid and all-time high 'hospitalization' (sic) numbers. And, unfortunately, "the pace of loss showed no signs of slowing any time soon". In fact the infection rate is expected to be hit with another rise due to the Thanksgiving holiday. While the death rate per 1,000 cases has dropped the sheer number of new infections is resulting the increased number of deaths - up 30% on a 14 day trend.

Grim Day in U.S. as Covid-19 Deaths and Hospitalizations Set Records

The Centers for Disease Control head warned that this winter may be the “most difficult time” in U.S. public health history. And the U.K. has become the first country to approve Pfizer’s vaccine, paving the way for mass inoculations.

www.nytimes.com

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Yesterday, the U.S.A had a record number of deaths from Covid and all-time high 'hospitalization' (sic) numbers. And, unfortunately, "the pace of loss showed no signs of slowing any time soon". In fact the infection rate is expected to be hit with another rise due to the Thanksgiving holiday. While the death rate per 1,000 cases has dropped the sheer number of new infections is resulting the increased number of deaths - up 30% on a 14 day trend.

Grim Day in U.S. as Covid-19 Deaths and Hospitalizations Set Records

The Centers for Disease Control head warned that this winter may be the “most difficult time” in U.S. public health history. And the U.K. has become the first country to approve Pfizer’s vaccine, paving the way for mass inoculations.

www.nytimes.com

Yes not good at all.

 

[OZDUCK]

The USA is continuing to accrue unwanted record figures. It has now incurred a record number of deaths over a 7 day period.

U.S. Breaks Record for Most Deaths in a Week

Trump officials passed when Pfizer offered to sell more vaccine doses months ago. Britain is readying a mass vaccination drive.

www.nytimes.com