NSW number's.

Basically the same daily cases as yesterday. Now up to 53 in ICU.

Whats grinds me in this thread, is that while there is a some criticism of other countries responses, there isnt any complaining or whining about that. But we complain and whine about our own response. Daily. Do we have a culture where we expect perfection?  Can Covid perfection be achived? Are we an economic Utopia so we want and can do everything? Barely a day goes by without whinging. I have a Pommy mate (not an insult he uses that term too) who tells me that Kiwis whinge more than Poms. He is correct.   Notwithstanding that not all Poms or all Kiwis whinge, but sometimes we need to look at ourselves a bit more. John Clarke aka Fred Dagg is and was often correct with his song title

tdgeek:

 

Whats grinds me in this thread, is that while there is a some criticism of other countries responses, there isnt any complaining or whining about that. But we complain and whine about our own response. Daily. Do we have a culture where we expect perfection?  Can Covid perfection be achived? Are we an economic Utopia so we want and can do everything? Barely a day goes by without whinging. I have a Pommy mate (not an insult he uses that term too) who tells me that Kiwis whinge more than Poms. He is correct.   Notwithstanding that not all Poms or all Kiwis whinge, but sometimes we need to look at ourselves a bit more. John Clarke aka Fred Dagg is and was often correct with his song title

 

Agreed. So much complaining when results are so much better so far.

This "doctor" Doctor challenges seizure of ivermectin, the unapproved Covid-19 drug he imported for patients | Stuff.co.nz

 

Murupara GP Bernard Conlon​ is taking legal action to force Medsafe to release a supply of ivermectin he is trying to import for his patients.

 

Conlon​, who is unvaccinated and says he has taken the unapproved Covid-19 treatment himself with no ill-effects, has filed a case in the Rotorua District Court seeking a judicial review of a Medsafe decision to confiscate his consignment of ivermectin.

 

Conlon​ said he took ivermectin, prescribed by a colleague at his request, to protect patients when he was still operating as an unvaccinated doctor, and he experienced no side effects.

 

In my opinion, he is an idiot.

Ge0rge: Probably could go in the What The .... thread too, to be fair.

Friend needs to get a covid test to travel for work.
- Local medical centre aren't testing today, the nurses are on leave.
- Local pharmacy has IT issues, can't connect to MoH database so won't test.
- Next town over has no capacity to test.
- Next town up the line is only testing people if they are symptomatic.
- Next town up (we're at a 35 minute drive now...) medical centre will only test if you are notified as a close contact or are symptomatic.
- Pharmacy might be able to test at 1500, but not sure.

And we're wondering why test numbers are dropping? 🤦‍♂️

Hope that's not typical, in general. This week, and especially last two days before Xmas is not ideal. Plus, these people who are jabbing and testing also have lives, no doubt many or on holiday now.

Ge0rge: Probably could go in the What The .... thread too, to be fair.

Friend needs to get a covid test to travel for work.
- Local medical centre aren't testing today, the nurses are on leave.
- Local pharmacy has IT issues, can't connect to MoH database so won't test.
- Next town over has no capacity to test.
- Next town up the line is only testing people if they are symptomatic.
- Next town up (we're at a 35 minute drive now...) medical centre will only test if you are notified as a close contact or are symptomatic.
- Pharmacy might be able to test at 1500, but not sure.

And we're wondering why test numbers are dropping? 🤦‍♂️

Many of those test sites mentioned above only do PCR tests, which the government only funds for people who are symptomatic or close contacts.

Assuming domestic travel (to leave Auckland or meet airline requirements while not fully vaccinated): Go to below link, enter your address and tick the "Anyone can access" and "Supervised Rapid Antigen Test for New Zealand Travel" boxes.

https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19/

tdgeek:

 

Whats grinds me in this thread, is that while there is a some criticism of other countries responses, there isnt any complaining or whining about that. But we complain and whine about our own response. Daily. Do we have a culture where we expect perfection?  Can Covid perfection be achived? Are we an economic Utopia so we want and can do everything? Barely a day goes by without whinging. I have a Pommy mate (not an insult he uses that term too) who tells me that Kiwis whinge more than Poms. He is correct.   Notwithstanding that not all Poms or all Kiwis whinge, but sometimes we need to look at ourselves a bit more. John Clarke aka Fred Dagg is and was often correct with his song title

 

Yeah, I think NZ should be following the optimal covid-19 response, based on available information.

Clearly perfection is not possible, as we are constantly learning. For example the, the Keep omicron out vs let it rip discussion. Not enough information to  make that call yet. so to prefect the response, we would have to take a stab in the dark, and get it right...

International responses are discussed plenty (NSW is my favored case study at the moment). Very useful experiment for us as they are a highly vaccinated environment that is seems committed to the omicron let it rip approch. (yesterdays restrictions were pritty mild, so don't in my mind materially change that approach).

Some international approaches have been so poor that they don't really add value as case studies, and can only really be used as cautionary tales (for example the USA, with 811k official deaths from covid-19 so far).

sbiddle:

 

Considering how I got smashed for 48 hours after and know a number of other people who have been for 2-3 days (who didn't suffer badly at all with the first two doses) my recommendation would be to get it done when you don't have anything important on for a couple of days incase you do get badly affected by it.

 

It seems to be a bit of a mixed bag with some people not seeing any side effects at all, and others being hit quite badly.

 

That's the thing, I don't think your immune system responds in any pattern. It's "sort of" random, but this is still prudent advice imo. Why risk ruining your plans by getting vaccinated before something important? It won't really reduce your risk of covid much in the interim (assuming you're thinking about days rather than weeks/months).

tdgeek:

 

Our health system has been the way it has been, forever. That is no quick fix. Its not a we beat Covid , it is what it is. Lockdowns then vaccines were tools to reduce deaths, which some other countries didn't want to do, so accepted deaths and supposedly a vibrant economy, and thats didn't work out either, so a lose lose

 

The premise now is vaccines, Omicron is not harsh, beds wont be used the same as Delta and so on

 

It's just lucky that Omicron appears to be less harsh, because if it was as bad as Delta, NZ would be in a very bad place. A new variant could appear tomorrow that's worse.

Yes, the NZ health system has suffered from underinvestment for many years. The past 2 years should have been a massive wake up call on that, but it seems that the government is taking the same "it is what it is" attitude and doing very little about it. Yes there is no quick fix, but nearly 2 years later essentially nothing has changes nor does it appear to be.

Scott3:

 

Yeah, I think NZ should be following the optimal covid-19 response, based on available information.

 

Clearly perfection is not possible, as we are constantly learning. For example the, the Keep omicron out vs let it rip discussion. Not enough information to  make that call yet. so to prefect the response, we would have to take a stab in the dark, and get it right...

 

International responses are discussed plenty (NSW is my favored case study at the moment). Very useful experiment for us as they are a highly vaccinated environment that is seems committed to the omicron let it rip approch. (yesterdays restrictions were pritty mild, so don't in my mind materially change that approach).

 

Some international approaches have been so poor that they don't really add value as case studies, and can only really be used as cautionary tales (for example the USA, with 811k official deaths from covid-19 so far).

 

Agree. Its interesting that there have been past stellar examples of a Covid response and result (can't recall the term often used), that are now in a state of disarray. Given that no one knew what was best and what will change, holding off as long as reasonably possible will save lives then, and allow the response to change now, as new hurdles arrive. never be ideal but its the safest

Scott3:

Many of those test sites mentioned above only do PCR tests, which the government only funds for people who are symptomatic or close contacts.

Assuming domestic travel (to leave Auckland or meet airline requirements while not fully vaccinated): Go to below link, enter your address and tick the "Anyone can access" and "Supervised Rapid Antigen Test for New Zealand Travel" boxes.

https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19/

tdgeek,

You are right, there are so many ways this could have been worse.
Worse is a pretty mild word by any measure.
Brazil, Russia, USA, UK who invented the term 'curates egg', etc, take your pick.
Bodies piled up like core wood, running out of freezer trucks and mass grave diggers.

We have grandparents alive, not having significant numbers of covid orphans.
Got to point of vaccinating the hard to get and hard cases with a small toll. Everyone who want's it got it.
Export earnings and prices have stayed strong, as has international reputation for quality products.
We have taken homeless off the streets, for a 2nd Christmas, 
something that in normal times was impossible, and unthinkable.
Were one of leading countries in genomic testing.

You work with what you have, you're not doing a Nordic country medical , social and education system without their tax system.
Money shared to keep Air and Sea freight going, the large hotel infrastructure, testing and vaccination services, some hospital expansion.
Successive Governments have seen voters have a strong appetite for surplus to be returned.
Panic at deficits even to bridge major events. 

Perfection no, there is suffering, there was a price sure.
Perfection is the purview of heaven, which probably works for atheists as well.

Of course there is the anthem of generation after Fred Dagg.

Queen 'I want it all and want it now' 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFDcoX7s6rE

All the best for Christmas and the New Year.

tdgeek:

 

Whats grinds me in this thread, is that while there is a some criticism of other countries responses, there isnt any complaining or whining about that. But we complain and whine about our own response. Daily. Do we have a culture where we expect perfection?  Can Covid perfection be achived? Are we an economic Utopia so we want and can do everything? Barely a day goes by without whinging. I have a Pommy mate (not an insult he uses that term too) who tells me that Kiwis whinge more than Poms. He is correct.   Notwithstanding that not all Poms or all Kiwis whinge, but sometimes we need to look at ourselves a bit more. John Clarke aka Fred Dagg is and was often correct with his song title

 

We often never hear of people in our own country, then one day stumble across them on some international stage being introduced as world authorities in their field.

I discovered Professor Robert Webster that way, I was watching Bird Flu videos on youtube and realized he was 'thee' guy I had seen quoted in written text on Influenza.

You get this feeling of pride when you see one of ours like him. A feeling we should extend to the people behind the scenes in all of this, some have become familiar faces, some even get attacked in forums for being too this or too that when the narrative does not fit with what people want to hear.

Usually the slings and arrows are about over caution and they are cast by people who are living in the most successful Delta management system in the history of planet Earth....but as you were...continue...

Ge0rge:

Government mandated testing to travel into Auckland from lower North Island on boxing day to work in an MIQ facility for six weeks. Fully vaccinated including booster, Government air transport so commercial airline rules not applicable. Unfortunately your suggestions above, while appreciated, aren't applicable.

Per has had to drive just over an hour to get tested.

Good to hear it is resolved.