2019 Novel Coronavirus Covid-19 Discussion

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#2741888 9-Jul-2021 15:20

Eva888: My granddaughter's flights back to Sydney were cancelled twice in the last days and she finally left yesterday with another family via Melbourne to Sydney instead of direct which added hours to the flight. The Qantas area at the airport was like a morgue devoid of passengers bar us, two attendants at the desk and one at baggage. I asked how many were flying...55 people. Obviously it’s not worth putting flights on for the few who want to travel.

I read the other day they there have been flights that there has been 25 on board, with the corresponding 10X fares charged. There will be plenty who can happily pay that. Not sure where the article was refering to it was a general gouging news story, but 10X fares for 25 of a 250 passenger aircraft isnt gouging. Id assume airlines here will be watched for gouging

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#2741890 9-Jul-2021 15:28

from stuff:

Earlier on Friday, Stuff reported that more than 20 people had arrived in the country from Australia without the mandated pre-departure test – including one who had recently been in New South Wales.

Stuff understands Australian border officials have only been checking about one in ten departing passengers for evidence of a pre-departure test, and New Zealand border officials are not checking all passengers for record of such a test.

Incredible.

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#2741895 9-Jul-2021 15:34

Shall we take a sweepstake - closest to guess the day we get CT from a traveller returning from Australia. Bonus points if you can guess the number of days the traveller who deliberately broke the rules would be infectious and symptomatic in the community here, clue being that the more dishonest they are, the more likely they'll be in denial if symptoms appear.

Extra bonus points - it's school holidays here now - and apparently domestic flight bookings are at an all-time record level, with 500,000 kiwis booked on domestic flights over the next fortnight. Guess how many NZ centres will be in lockdown if/when it hits.

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#2741904 9-Jul-2021 16:10

Time to call an end to the whack-a-mole travel bubble game, at least until our vaccination debacle is finally complete (which risks being several years at current rate).

Surely it's to everyone's advantage now there is no longer any chance of stability in the bubble arrangements. Who wants to travel to Australia just to roll the daily dice to discover if if they will be stuck there, for an indefinite period, with the potential 'Powerball bonus' of an additional 14 days MIQ when they do finally manage to get a flight home.

(Oops, sorry, I forgot. Queenstown's need for skiers trumps all other interests).

freitasm

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#2741905 9-Jul-2021 16:15

@KrazyKid:

Scott3:

I think it is time for us to break out our MIQ room contingency and use that for people returning from NSW. The risk is getting way to high for me to be comfortable with allowing people to return to NZ isolation free from NSW from 11:59 tonight.

At the least they should be having follow up tests on day 5.

Personally I'd like to see them self isolate at home until they clear a day 5 test - and be actively checked on to make sure they are conforming.

(A daily random in person visit by police, health board, or even St John volunteer would be a good start.
Be a good to do a welfare check at the same time. Eg How are you going - what do you need.

A phone call would be a bare minimum.)

This is a Krazy idea. I wouldn't trust ANYONE to self-isolate at home.

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#2741907 9-Jul-2021 16:20

Press invite from NZ Defence Force:

On Monday 12 July HMNZS WELLINGTON will be sailing for Tokelau and the Northern Cook Islands carrying enough doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for the eligible population of Tokelau and Palmerston Island. Media are invited to attend the departure from Devonport Naval Base. The Offshore Patrol Vessel and her 76 crew will be covering 5000 nautical miles in a logistically challenging operation to deliver the vaccines on behalf of the Ministry of Health

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#2741911 9-Jul-2021 16:35

The press release:

Rising case numbers in New South Wales and people there not isolating has changed public health advice and means flights back from NSW will not start from midnight tonight as was intended, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said.

“Case numbers in Sydney show no sign of plateauing and NSW has today ramped up restrictions again. We have responded quickly and moved to act on new advice to hold off on managed return flights from the state for three more days,” Chris Hipkins said.

“As a result, work is underway to stage flights from Tuesday, 13 July to Auckland and Christchurch airports only. 14 days in managed isolation at MIQ will be a temporary requirement for travellers from NSW from Tuesday.

“This was a difficult decision but we consider it is necessary given the heightened risk in NSW.

“We know there are Kiwis who’ve been on holiday, reconnecting with family or doing business wanting to get back.

“However our public health officials – who are in daily contact with their NSW counterparts – have assessed that the risk to New Zealand from the state has continued to increase. That warrants an extra level of protection at the border for the time being.

“People going into managed isolation at MIQ will be tested on Day 0, as is usual protocol, which means they will not need to get a repeat pre-departure test. They will not be invoiced for the stay.

“In the intervening period, about 1000 rooms at MIQs over the next fortnight will be readied and plans made to prioritise the first cohorts of retuning travellers. We kept rooms aside specifically for this purpose.

“I want to reassure people that they will be able to return but we ask for patience.

“Travellers can expect to receive more detailed guidance from their airlines over the next 24 hours. This will include how they can secure a seat on a flight home and a room in MIQ. Rooms will not be allocated through the usual MIAS system

“Information will also be updated on the COVID-19 website.

“In the meantime, we are strongly advising people not to fly to Sydney unless they normally live there and are returning home.

“The travel bubble pause with NSW remains in place.

“Managed return flights from Queensland will continue as planned from midnight tonight, and indications are that the pause with Queensland will lift early next week.”

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#2741913 9-Jul-2021 16:44

Of course

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/unvaccinated-hospitalized-patients-say-they-regret-not-getting-shot-n1273342

At least it is a change from comments being made by some patients back when DT was in charge.

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#2741930 9-Jul-2021 17:19

Fred99:

from stuff:

Earlier on Friday, Stuff reported that more than 20 people had arrived in the country from Australia without the mandated pre-departure test – including one who had recently been in New South Wales.

Stuff understands Australian border officials have only been checking about one in ten departing passengers for evidence of a pre-departure test, and New Zealand border officials are not checking all passengers for record of such a test.

Incredible.

You would think someone would have realised there was this hole in the system. Or maybe people just don't want to rock the boat.

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#2741933 9-Jul-2021 17:26

freitasm:

@KrazyKid:

At the least they should be having follow up tests on day 5.

Personally I'd like to see them self isolate at home until they clear a day 5 test - and be actively checked on to make sure they are conforming.

(A daily random in person visit by police, health board, or even St John volunteer would be a good start.
Be a good to do a welfare check at the same time. Eg How are you going - what do you need.

A phone call would be a bare minimum.)

This is a Krazy idea. I wouldn't trust ANYONE to self-isolate at home.

Not only that, but this was the whole purpose of MIQ being setup in the first place, and the huge cost this involves. Cases from Australia last year, and NZers not isolating properly, were one reason we ended up in our lockdown last year. We simply can't trust everyone will do the right thing.

Also I hope people in NSW and Sydney will be asking some serious questions about their leadership . They should have done a full strict lockdown weeks ago as it was obvious back then that they had some major problems, and they should have learnt from Melbourne 2020, or even NZ. Now Sydney/ NSW likely face unnecessary deaths and billions of dollars lost to the economy. It isn't really possible to live with the virus without widespread vaccinations, or lockdowns / social distancing, and lots of capacity in the health system which Australia doesn't really have, although probably more than NZ

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#2741935 9-Jul-2021 17:30

Fred99:
Shall we take a sweepstake - closest to guess the day we get CT from a traveller returning from Australia. Bonus points if you can guess the number of days the traveller who deliberately broke the rules would be infectious and symptomatic in the community here, clue being that the more dishonest they are, the more likely they'll be in denial if symptoms appear.

Extra bonus points - it's school holidays here now - and apparently domestic flight bookings are at an all-time record level, with 500,000 kiwis booked on domestic flights over the next fortnight. Guess how many NZ centres will be in lockdown if/when it hits.

Based on previous luck, 0, 1, 0.

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#2741936 9-Jul-2021 17:33

More likely to get it from fiji

tdgeek

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#2741937 9-Jul-2021 17:35

dafman:

Time to call an end to the whack-a-mole travel bubble game, at least until our vaccination debacle is finally complete (which risks being several years at current rate).

Surely it's to everyone's advantage now there is no longer any chance of stability in the bubble arrangements. Who wants to travel to Australia just to roll the daily dice to discover if if they will be stuck there, for an indefinite period, with the potential 'Powerball bonus' of an additional 14 days MIQ when they do finally manage to get a flight home.

(Oops, sorry, I forgot. Queenstown's need for skiers trumps all other interests).

I agree but the vaccine here is not a debacle.

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#2741940 9-Jul-2021 17:39

mattwnz:

Also I hope people in NSW and Sydney will be asking some serious questions about their leadership .

Aussies dont do lockdown

Fred99

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#2741941 9-Jul-2021 17:42

Fred99:

Pfizer is to seek FDA approval for administration of a third dose of vaccine within 12 months to boost immunity against variant strains.

This is good. Producing the new mRNA should be relatively easy, the delivery system / encapsulation should be the same process:

Pfizer and BioNTech announced on Thursday that they are developing a version of the coronavirus vaccine that targets Delta, a highly contagious variant that has spread to 98 countries. The companies expect to launch clinical trials of the vaccine in August.

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