2019 Novel Coronavirus Covid-19 Discussion

Forums › Health and fitness › 2019 Novel Coronavirus Covid-19 Discussion

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Master Geek
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#2763629 20-Aug-2021 11:58

tdgeek:

Only to whoever else lives at home. Lockdown matters. (yes there is the essential worker risk)

OT. I am seeing more traffic here at home then the last L4 lockdown

Sorry, I meant normally, outside of any lock downs.

KiwiSurfer

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#2763647 20-Aug-2021 12:01

Zeon:

I am not at all surprised that NZ slept-walked into what will probably be an outbreak of 100+ cases… I had a personal experience a couple of weeks ago around trying to get a test – I had been sick for 2 weeks and while it almost certainly just a standard winter virus spread from my son at daycare, I thought considering it had run for a while I should get a test.

I've found the proper testing centres (not GPs and the like) to be good. I've been three times to my local one in Wiri (a COVID-19 testing site that only does COVID test and nothing else) and every time I've just turned up in my car and driven though with no issues. I believe you can not book for that site, you just turn up and get swabbed. Results back within 24 hours every time. I pass that site regularly and they seem to have continued operating ever since it was set up early last year. I know my local GP does testing as well (noticed this during my last few visits) although the system there seems to be more complicated which means I just go to the dedicated site instead.

KiwiSurfer

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#2763649 20-Aug-2021 12:04

antonknee:

Are there reports of people turning up to closed vaccination centres

I see two examples in this thread alone, including one I posted. I assume though it's just teething issues though as they re-establish the service under Level 4 parameters--just a bit annoying their communications are saying one thing (open now) when on the ground it's obviously not the case (open from tomorrow or whenever).

Fred99

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#2763653 20-Aug-2021 12:20

Zeon:

According to the published locations of interest going back to the start of August it looks like there could have been community spread for 3 weeks. Luckily someone did manage to win the lottery of being able to get a test or it could be another 3 weeks and increased hospital admissions before the country figured it out too.

That was actually considered to be highly unlikely - just possible - once the link to the border was established.

Tests had been readily / freely available - so suggesting that the case who got a test only happened because of "lottery" is disingenuous.

The ability to ramp up testing capacity essentially overnight was never going to happen and never could. It's also no doubt part of the reason for a very rapid lockdown decision.

The vaccine rollout was going to schedule, the 48 hour (then reduced) suspension was perfectly reasonable (bloody annoying to me as I had to reschedule the shot I was going to have yesterday).

Anyway massively ramping up vaccination does not solve the short term problem, it's a medium-term solution (ie will take months to have an effect - not weeks).

antonknee

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#2763661 20-Aug-2021 12:23

Zeon:

I am not at all surprised that NZ slept-walked into what will probably be an outbreak of 100+ cases… I had a personal experience a couple of weeks ago around trying to get a test – I had been sick for 2 weeks and while it almost certainly just a standard winter virus spread from my son at daycare, I thought considering it had run for a while I should get a test.

First port of call was my enrolled medical center. After calling they confirmed they couldn’t give a test. They suggested I contact 2 other medical centers who were doing testing. Neither of them picked up the phone when I tried to call. One of them was close by (inside Sylvia Park mall) so I decided to go there anyway. When I arrived, the receptionist said the nurse doing tests was on leave that day and to come back tomorrow.

At that point I gave up.

According to the published locations of interest going back to the start of August it looks like there could have been community spread for 3 weeks. Luckily someone did manage to win the lottery of being able to get a test or it could be another 3 weeks and increased hospital admissions before the country figured it out too.

New Zealand’s vaccination rates are the lowest in the OECD – Australia is nearly 100% ahead of us in first doses and countries like the US and UK are already completing vaccination for all those who wanted it. Testing is near on impossible. Practically no one scanning QR codes going into businesses. NZ has been incredibly complacent about this virus.

I don’t see the media putting any kind of pressure on the government about these either. Just the usual praise for “hard and early” with the prime minister at the podium in a nice daily photo op. Is the lockdown hard – yes. Is New Zealand early? No. Lack of testing availability, lack of strong encouragement or enforcement for location tracking, multiple quarantine breaches including people jumping a fence and going to the dairy – we are behind on everything.

While I was fully vaccinated as at the start of July - I’ve still got a cough 4 weeks later. Maybe one day I can get a test – maybe at Christmas at this rate…..

This is a bit of a bad take IMO.

I don't understand why people are not making use of the Healthpoint website (which I note Ashley Bloomfield spruiks every single day) which lists testing locations - of which there are plenty. I acknowledge that it's unfortunate your call to two GPs was not answered, but we have always been asked to call ahead if symptomatic so that they can make arrangements so it's not their fault you turned up when the nurse was on leave. To be blunt - I don't think you are putting in enough effort to get tested.

That said, in the current outbreak there isn't enough testing capacity as evidenced by long queues and the experience another poster in this thread. However this appears to be being addressed.

Australia's vaccine program has really ramped in the last 4 weeks (like literally they have doubled), and this is the same time period over which ours has really ramped too (and we have ramped again since the outbreak). Reports would indicate there are a lot of people who aren't bothering to get the vaccine rather than it being a capacity issue now.

The published early locations of interest have been addressed by the PM and Bloomfield.

I agree with you the lack of QR code scanning is disappointing and frustrating. This should have been made mandatory and people fined for not doing it IMO.

I disagree that there is no pressure on the government. I could link to hundreds of articles criticising the vaccine rollout and even some criticising lockdowns. MIQ breaches are unfortunate and unacceptable but the reality is that they are relatively few given the volume of passengers who go through MIQ; and in any case - you can't totally stop people being idiots and jumping fences. It's not like MIQ facilities have an open door.

I also disagree that we aren't early. We locked down as soon as we knew of a case - how much earlier can you get? A proactive lockdown for no reason just in case there might be a case?

Are we perfect? No. Does this take

ezbee

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#2763662 20-Aug-2021 12:26

Well being 1/2 way vaccinated, and having loved ones needing encouragement this outbreak has an odd feeling. Sigh...

Strangely enough we are actually ahead of Russia in vaccination, one of the few places that makes its own technology vaccine.
So potentially not limited by rationing from other countries, and patent rights of others.

Seems despite being one of the first out of the gate they have had mass production problems ?

Russian Sputnik Vaccine, and now Sputnik light.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01813-2

Australia curiously enough was able to buy extra supplies from Poland.
Poland as part of the great EU had prior allocation of EU manufactured vaccines.
However they were not able to use them quickly due to the population being in thrall of conspiracy theories.
So Australia got to buy them.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-20/coronacheck-poland-pfizer-doses-misinformation/100391090

Yeh vaccination center closures are a pain, but in level 4 I suppose its not such a pain to go back another day.
Sorry but I find the limited driving I have done much more pleasant, making a right turn across traffic, what traffic !!
At least they are getting testing done, but yes lets get back to training people, once seen a wasteful practice of the past.

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#2763666 20-Aug-2021 12:29

DOH! - News break ran with the UK story we have been discussing here where it was found that vaccinated people can have the same virality loading as an unvaccinated if they manage to be infected. (We kinda figured but its looking confirmed)

That's another chink in the 'why should I then' camp.

Oblivian

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#2763676 20-Aug-2021 12:42

Zeon:

According to the published locations of interest going back to the start of August it looks like there could have been community spread for 3 weeks. Luckily someone did manage to win the lottery of being able to get a test or it could be another 3 weeks and increased hospital admissions before the country figured it out too.

You fell into the same trap I did.

That's seemingly because one of these immediate contact links went 'oh, I felt kinda sick when I went to this cafe a few weeks ago.. but didn't get a test to rule it out.. is that bad?'

Cue swearing and the need to go back to that point to be doubly sure.

Stu

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#2763679 20-Aug-2021 12:45

Oblivian:

DOH! - News break ran with the UK story we have been discussing here where it was found that vaccinated people can have the same virality loading as an unvaccinated if they manage to be infected. (We kinda figured but its looking confirmed)

That's another chink in the 'why should I then' camp.

My answer to that camp: Why? Because being vaccinated greatly reduces the chance to you of serious illness or death. Period.

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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Master Geek
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#2763681 20-Aug-2021 12:50

Oblivian:

DOH! - News break ran with the UK story we have been discussing here where it was found that vaccinated people can have the same virality loading as an unvaccinated if they manage to be infected. (We kinda figured but its looking confirmed)

That's another chink in the 'why should I then' camp.

Siouxsie says the load drops a lot faster in vaccinated people though.

https://thespinoff.co.nz/science/19-08-2021/siouxsie-wiles-why-vaccinated-people-still-have-a-small-chance-of-being-infected/

sbiddle

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#2763682 20-Aug-2021 12:52

Oblivian:

DOH! - News break ran with the UK story we have been discussing here where it was found that vaccinated people can have the same virality loading as an unvaccinated if they manage to be infected. (We kinda figured but its looking confirmed)

That's another chink in the 'why should I then' camp.

The Oxford study (which is now a few days old) is great bedtime reading for anybody with an interest. https://www.ndm.ox.ac.uk/files/coronavirus/covid-19-infection-survey/finalfinalcombinedve20210816.pdf

It's pretty clear now that Pfizer isn't some gold standard vaccine that is leaps and bounds better than everything else out there. With hindsight being such a great thing again, our focus on that as our only vaccine may carry some gotchas that other countries don't have.

I'm still really keen to see the Novavax performance against Delta from their new Singapore trial.

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#2763683 20-Aug-2021 12:54

Just in case anyone was wondering there is no live 1pm announcement today just an MOH written statement at 1pm.

Lockdown announcement and update at 3pm

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JPNZ

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#2763688 20-Aug-2021 13:03

KiwiSurfer:

antonknee:

Are there reports of people turning up to closed vaccination centres

I see two examples in this thread alone, including one I posted. I assume though it's just teething issues though as they re-establish the service under Level 4 parameters--just a bit annoying their communications are saying one thing (open now) when on the ground it's obviously not the case (open from tomorrow or whenever).

There are plenty of reports on news sites..

"A Northern Region Health Coordination Centre (NRHCC) spokesperson said only eight of 13 community vaccination centres were operating on Friday because some staff were “urgently diverted” to support the surge in testing following the announcement of further cases and related locations of interest."

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MuzaNZ

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#2763690 20-Aug-2021 13:07

Just in case anyone finds it useful,

I've created a website to make it easier to search through the recent locations of interest:

https://covidlocations.nz/

Dratsab

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#2763694 20-Aug-2021 13:10

MuzaNZ: Just in case anyone finds it useful,

I've created a website to make it easier to search through the recent locations of interest:

https://covidlocations.nz/

Great work!

If reports of spread outside Auckland (into Wellington) are true, people need to start mentally preparing for an extended lockdown period.

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