Isolation: How will you pass the time?

i thought i'd wait a bit, as the weather warms they are more likely to leave doors and windows open at the vac site!
We got ours in a big parking deck out by the airport. They gave us paperwork on the top deck to fill in if we had not done so online, then we drove down one level to give them the papers back or show them the qr code that lead to our online form, then down one more to get in one of 11 lines of cars to get the actual injection without getting out of the car, then down to the ground level to wait a bit to make sure we weren't having anaphylactic shock or anything (toot your horn and put on your flashers if in trouble, and medical folks converge on you) then off you go. Pretty clever set up, I thought. Quick and easy and no need to get close to anybody but the one holding the needle, and all out in the relatively open air.

Round here (just east of Sacramento, Northern California) things feel fine, lots of outdoor dining, and the weather has been perfect for a couple of weeks.
Similar here in Piedmont of NC, but with a liberal sprinkling of pollen. The good news is, the masks I have been making for medical offices are also effective against the larger pollen grains. (Larger than a virus, anyway!)
 
yes, finally could get the first dose last week and the 2nd is already scheduled. did not have to get out of the car. just a bit of a sore arm for a day and a half.

Michigan rates of infection went way up when restrictions were eased and everyone decided that they were going to do whatever they wanted again. so the hospitals are again full of covid cases and more people are dying again (3rd round of this) that didn't need to die.

with more people being vaccinated the demographics of the cases at the hospital have shifted to younger people.

i'm still pretty much a hermit so i'm ok with doing mostly what i normally have been up to. gardening season is starting up and that is where i spend most of my time when the weather cooperates. reading and frogging around on the computer can soak up all sorts of extra time and energy.
 
Good going guys.

I do not hear any mention of laws and other governmental stuff, like "covid passports" and such. You guys are "lucky"!

In my country everyone is getting nuts and the government literally wants to create a "test society" and has funded it with 1 billion Euros, which includes measures to make sure you cannot travel (or visit your old folks, or shopping??), without a negative test. Meanwhile there is a very very slow vaccine process.


I might sound a bit over the top, but I am telling you: I cannot accept this dystopian future.
 
I do not hear any mention of laws and other governmental stuff, like "covid passports" and such. You guys are "lucky"!
ive seen something about covid passports in the news but havent really paid attention. we are the land of lawsuits, so i figure noone will be able to get away with a thing like that for long, in my opinion.

Yale university and one other private college said they are making vaccine mandatory for students (but apparently not teachers so...lawsuit guaranteed) but state colleges wont have mandatory rules.
our legislature did put a bill in to get rid of the religious vaccine exemption for grade schools though. it will likely pass our democrat heavy legislature.
which i personally think is a good thing, if people dont want to vaccinate healthy children (measles etc) they can home school them or not have them in the first place.. but im guessing my state will be sued into offering public online teaching for children who cannot be in a physical classroom, if they dont offer it themselves. The state is obligated to provide an education after all.
 
I've had my first vaccine dose (Moderna, at a local hospital, very efficient), and will be fully vaccinated in month. Round here (just east of Sacramento, Northern California) things feel fine, lots of outdoor dining, and the weather has been perfect for a couple of weeks. Movie theaters starting to open. All feels like the start of a return to normal. Mask wearing is pretty well observed indoors.
Lucky #$#$#!!:):):).

Money can't buy it on my corner of the planet.
 
What stands in the way of mass producing this vax fast right now?

Whoever can do that can make billions, surely.

I thought the Chinese would be able to scale up fast and take advantage, but I see no sign of that.
 
What stands in the way of mass producing this vax fast right now?
Nothing technical. Here in the US, we've pretty much got all the vaccine that we need. In fact, too much in some places. There are 3 million doses a day being administered.

Article:
After steadily increasing for three months, the pace of vaccinations has flattened at around 3 million a day, and the national total obscures pockets of the country like New Hampshire, North Dakota and Virginia that have more open appointment slots than they've yet experienced. Several states are now administering fewer 75 percent of the doses they receive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A recent report from the federal health department's assistant secretary for planning and evaluation found that more than 25 percent of people across Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming expressed reservations about being vaccinated. Roughly 16 percent of all American adults are hesitant to get a coronavirus vaccine, according to a recent Census Bureau report.
 

I live in one of the bigger college towns and vaccines were hard to come by at first even for the first "phase" or group- once they opened it up to everyone 16+ supply was quite short initially- but demand dropped pretty quickly once outside of town. My wife and I drove to a small town 90 miles away to get our first shot because they had availability- a lot of people I know did similarly. We now have appts in town for our second shot because demand has eased...
 
I thought the Chinese would be able to scale up fast and take advantage, but I see no sign of that.

In particular given the amount of effort put into researching these things with the stated goal of being able to best protect us against them.
 
Just chiming in. Got Moderna #2 yesterday at the local fairgrounds. Very efficient and organized, run by the local hospital. Wife had a scheduling conflict and was able to easily get #2 at CVS. Had to provide proof of residency for the county. Definitely feeling it a little today, like I spent all yesterday digging ditches.

Like many of you, kinda hermity. Live up in the hills, got a garden and vineyard to tend and fire season to prep for. Have only seen the same 15-20 people all year. Did manage to go to Baja last week. Supposedly the boarder was closed to drive through crossings, but no one seemed to care. Big retired expat community in San Filipe. Masks and temperature taking is a big deal to get in to restaurants, pools, golfing but once in, everybody takes their masks off. Everyone is outside and apart from each other so I guess it's ok.

I'm really surprised at what a dumpster fire Europe seems to be. So sorry to hear from you guys. I would have thought with almost every country having their own national healthcare system the vaccine rollout would have made the US look pathetic. Despite our patch work mess of states, counties, cities, insurance, private hospitals, public hospitals, I think were close to everyone that wants a vaccine can get it or will soon. Now its time to convince the holdouts to get on board.
 
So sorry to hear from you guys. I would have thought with almost every country having their own national healthcare system the vaccine rollout would have made the US look pathetic.
some parts of the US look kinda pathetic, but the vaccine is free to everyone here in the US.. so health insurance isnt really an issue.
 
Did manage to go to Baja last week

I live in the south of Baja, have done the whole pandemic. Lucky for me either with only girlfriend and cat or in tiny village, so the whole thing's pretty much passed me by. Haven't been online much lately so I've mostly forgotten about it. But gotta spare a thought for those whose 2020/21 has been an unpleasant one - especially the kiddies trapped indoors. :(
 
I'm really surprised at what a dumpster fire Europe seems to be.

Oi! Unsupported extrapolation.

If you split the US entry on the "how shittily are things going" league tables into individual states, and then interleave them with the countries of Europe and the rest of the world, you'll see that For every country in Europe you might be tempted to call a dumpster fire, we could find two US states that are worse.

Yes, I know that you didn't call any individual country in Europe a dumpster fire - as I said in my first brief paragraph, you tainted the whole continent with one slur - but I genuinely don't know which would be the worse argument.

Currently sitting between WA and NH for kaputniks-per-kapita - am I in a dumpster fire?
 
As far as the "dumpster fire" comment pertains to the pace of vaccinations: US procurement was based on govt emergency orders for domestic production, which AFAIK entails that surplus vaccines may not be sold or even gifted to other countries legally.
The EU has no central government that can do this, so they had to bargain many months ago on how much to order where before the vaccines were even proven. That's why there are fewer vaccine doses to go around at the moment.
We're getting the old people accinated who are most at risk.

Another thought: Bargaining more drives prices up for poorer countries. We see the outbreak in India, we know that more infections mean more mutations, and what use are today's vaccines then? You need to actually think and act globally with a pandemic, you can't be locally safe and still be open to the world.
 
Hey guys, just curious, how is it going for you in the States? I understand of course all states treat Covid differently, that's why.

Over here (The Netherlands), it is still one big shitty mess. Still major lockdown, "fieldlab" tests being cancelled, "the pubs" being opened again, but only 60% will be able to, and so forth. Still, no plan for the (near) future. That one worries me quite a bit.

I try to be positive. Not easy.
Sorry, should have included what made me think "dumpster fire". In no way did I mean it judgmentally. I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, I like everybody ells to.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/26/world/europe/france-covid-lockdowns.html



PARIS — Three French lockdowns, and counting, over the past 13 months have been many things, among them a rare opportunity for the formidable national bureaucracy of about 5.6 million public servants to display their gift for the complication of lives.

With the announcement of the third Paris lockdown last month to try to control the spread of the coronavirus, an apotheosis of the absurd was reached.

A dense, two-page version of the notorious “attestation,” a government form to be completed anytime one leaves home, was so convoluted that it tied the Interior Minister’s spokeswoman in verbal knots trying to explain it. The document had metastasized with each lockdown into an ever more ungainly monster.
Content from External Source
 
some parts of the US look kinda pathetic, but the vaccine is free to everyone here in the US.. so health insurance isnt really an issue.
Agreed. I was trying to contrast our convoluted patch work health care system with the many EU countries that have top down, government run national health care systems. It seemed to me, that such national programs would be much better equipped to roll out a national vaccine program.
 
down under apart from a few minor outbreaks from quarantine hotels we are doing ok.. last weekend my city had a football event with the largest crowd on earth for past 12 months,,, and my team won :)

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-25/mcg-biggest-crowd-covid-pandemic-anzac-day-afl/100094508

A year to the day since a lone bugler played the Last Post inside an empty stadium, the MCG has played host to the biggest crowd at a sporting event anywhere in the world since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Key points:​

  • The AFL and government allowed a maximum of 80,000 people into the ground for the game
  • The 78,113-strong crowd pipped an India-England T20 from March for the biggest post-COVID sporting audience
  • Essendon won the traditional clash against Collingwood 16.13 (109) to 13.7 (85)
The traditional Anzac Day clash is the biggest AFL home-and-away game of the season and it once more lived up to that billing.
 
down under apart from a few minor outbreaks from quarantine hotels we are doing ok.. last weekend my city had a football event with the largest crowd on earth for past 12 months,,, and my team won :)

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-25/mcg-biggest-crowd-covid-pandemic-anzac-day-afl/100094508

A year to the day since a lone bugler played the Last Post inside an empty stadium, the MCG has played host to the biggest crowd at a sporting event anywhere in the world since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Key points:​

  • The AFL and government allowed a maximum of 80,000 people into the ground for the game
  • The 78,113-strong crowd pipped an India-England T20 from March for the biggest post-COVID sporting audience
  • Essendon won the traditional clash against Collingwood 16.13 (109) to 13.7 (85)
The traditional Anzac Day clash is the biggest AFL home-and-away game of the season and it once more lived up to that billing.

i hope they're still vaccinating everyone anyways? it is great that a few countries have managed to quarantine and contain this disease, but i think it unlikely that you will be able to avoid it indefinitely the way people are about travelling and not really always following the rules.
 
i hope they're still vaccinating everyone anyways? it is great that a few countries have managed to quarantine and contain this disease, but i think it unlikely that you will be able to avoid it indefinitely the way people are about travelling and not really always following the rules.


yes vaccination in OZ is under way all be it very slow and not without hiccups,, supply chain, concern regards blood clots & political mischief etc. Over seas holiday travel is pretty much no go for the general population we while displeased about a pandemic are also happy being virus free more less earth island hermits getting to know our neighbors state and country attractions better.. Oh we currently can if wish travel to New Zealand in covid free bubble.



My peak iso time hobbies of 128 days lockdown last year have continued with me becoming improved at archery & fisherman wee are owner of 2 new puppies and better husband with much less swearing during diy home repairs.
 

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With infection rates coming down by and by in Germany, lockdowns and restrictions are eased piece-wise, and I must admit I start losing orientation on what rules apply to whom and where and when. You see, there are some rules set by the federal government, most by individual states (Länder), but then rules are different from city and district to city and district - in part triggered by thresholds, in part by local discretion.

So, for the long Pentecost weekend, I reserved a hotel room in Cologne, as state rules now say that hotel visits are open for private/tourist purposes, not only business, and I want to meet someone in the evening. BUT I got an email the next day saying my visit must be business related and I must show proof (gonna call them in a bit to see whether that was an automated mail based on outdated info) - and my acquaintance informed me that curfew is different there from what it is here, a mere 50 km / 30 miles away as the crow flies, same state. I am confused as to whether it makes sense at all to visit Cologne.

I am vaccinated, so some restrictions no longer apply to me at all, some are deemed equivalent to having a fresh negative test result ... and I lose track of which rule applies to me and which doesn't.

So for practical purposes, I no longer need to get tested - except at my work place, which has different rules due to its nature. We test one another there, twice a week. It's still not clear if anyone can create, stamp and sign a certificate of negative test result and have it officially be accepted elsewhere.

But I can also get tested for free in publicly available places, one of them being a hotel in town that is burdened by the lockdown, and I actually do get tested there from time to time instead of at work, a) to save my company time and money, b) to provide the hotel a bit of revenue (the hotel owner and chef does the testing himself, he's a friend of mine, and does this to generate a bit of income).
 
@Oystein, I can share your frustration. Being a Dutchie, we have similar things as you mentioned. It is getting quite hard to do things right. And then, there is the "covid passport" coming.. Oh boy.
 
i will likely still be wearing a mask for a while even if i am fully vaccinated. it is ok. i don't mind it. and it has always been common sense to wash my hands when coming home from being out and around.
 
i will likely still be wearing a mask for a while even if i am fully vaccinated. it is ok. i don't mind it. and it has always been common sense to wash my hands when coming home from being out and around.
I have to use a mask in my work every day. I am an engineer and quite hands on as well. I can tell you that you start to hate this mask after a 9 hour shift. At least, I do.
 
Mask rules here are falling. My policy throughout this pandemic has been "I will not be anybody's beta tester," so when rules are relaxed I wait a few weeks to see what happens. It is a policy that has kept me masked or otherwise protected as new surges happened on several occasions.

I am today finishing a batch of the masks I make for a local clinic and shelter, and will drop them off tomorrow along with a note asking them to keep an eye on what their actual client needs are as more get vaccinated and as rules change. I am happy to keep the machine running if folks continue to need reusable masks, but if they are becoming a de facto one-use-and-discard item then they don't need me for that, masks that are MADE to be disposable are cheaper and less labor-intensive! Been doing this for the year now, and while happy to continue I'd also be happy to stop if no longer needed. Got some kite-sewing I'd like to get to! :cool:;)
 
Mask rule relaxations are in effect here too in LA, CA, USA.
I am 2nd shot Moderna vaxxed + 2.5 weeks.
Last night was my first "sit-down interior dinner service" with a server and friends etc.... inside a restaurant.
I loved it.
It was a joy.
i will likely still be wearing a mask for a while even if i am fully vaccinated. it is ok.
I will be doing the same........... but mostly because I look younger with a mask, than without.
:cool:
 
To wind up the g/f, I grew some outragiously unfashionable sideburns, proper burnsides. So yup, the mask's staying on for similar reasons.
 
To wind up the g/f, I grew some outragiously unfashionable sideburns, proper burnsides. So yup, the mask's staying on for similar reasons.
I grew the stereotypical COVID Lockdown Beard. First beard I've grown in 40 years. Oddly, it is not the color I remember it being 40 years ago... presumably my memories have changed over the years...

temp headshot 2020 beard loking into camera.jpg
 
I grew the stereotypical COVID Lockdown Beard. First beard I've grown in 40 years. Oddly, it is not the color I remember it being 40 years ago... presumably my memories have changed over the years...

They must have been unreliable eye-witness reports! ;-)
 
Caught up on the entire catalogue of Viper


.

Took up and badly performed at Wood Burning/Painting, here's my very first crappy and semi finished attempt at the Great Wave Off Kanegawa




I also got a telescope. Hey look, an alien UFO tic tac!



Just kidding, that's Saturn! I don't have any astrophotography equipment yet so I'm mostly happy with using my eyeballs, but I do wish to take better photos at some point.

Moon shot:



Getting used to using a telescope is actually kind of hard honestly.
 
Also I got my 2nd moderna shot this past Friday! I now officially don't feel the need to worry about getting anyone else sick. That being said, I'm still going to be using KN95 masks in the foreseeable future.
 
oh great my state Victoria city Melbourne metro lockdown again as bug escaped and spreading fast.
Well been here before well rehearsed i got home chores and hobbies a plenty. im an excepted essential worker so can go to work as long wear mask and follow covid control rules hopefully be only 7 days but the numbers look a tad grim so likely longer.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05...urne-outbreak-lockdown-restrictions/100169172

Key points:​

  • The seven-day lockdown will start at midnight and apply to the whole state
  • Victorians will only be allowed to leave their homes for five reasons
  • Ten thousand primary and secondary contacts have been linked to the cases
 
oh great my state Victoria city Melbourne metro lockdown again as bug escaped and spreading fast.
Well been here before well rehearsed i got home chores and hobbies a plenty. im an excepted essential worker so can go to work as long wear mask and follow covid control rules hopefully be only 7 days but the numbers look a tad grim so likely longer.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05...urne-outbreak-lockdown-restrictions/100169172

Key points:​

  • The seven-day lockdown will start at midnight and apply to the whole state
  • Victorians will only be allowed to leave their homes for five reasons
  • Ten thousand primary and secondary contacts have been linked to the cases


those people playing were playing with fire... hope it can be contained! it always sucks that the innocent are often the ones who take the worst of it as a result and not the idiots.


"
The ABC understands one of the 26 cases in Victoria had symptoms for six days before getting tested and was out in the community.

Another waited 10 days to get tested.
"


oy... :(
 
A friend who works in the field gave us a handy hint for finding the shortest queue, and we went from thinking about queuing to being actually done in only 8 days. Janssen, so one-and-done. And 3 hours later, there's an England Germany footy match to watch. I'm not sure I can do that sober, in particular as I'll be watching it in a pub.
 
yay :( into lockdown again version 5 i think,,, but i saw it coming and prepared buying some new arrows for my paddock archery & when i was 15 -16 yold my 1st bike was a TL 125 trails which id gently punt about the beach tracks and laneways of my local & today some 45 years later i got another TL 125 & have plenty of time to strip and rebuild get her out in the paddock lumps and bumps.

thumbnail_IMG_20210715_163502.jpg

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07...f6UxgjI0WoKzYtXWwmfBE37E-LFhsnZQQGZ3ML97JsXH8

As Victoria's outbreak continues to grow, health authorities have announced a five-day snap lockdown for the state in a bid to curb the Delta strain.

Mask rules were already tightened overnight to respond to the outbreak, which is now linked to 18 cases.

Here's what you need to know about the new restrictions.
Content from External Source
 
We're now having open air music festivals and beer festivals. Both of those didn't have any vax/recovered/negative entry conditions. I'm heading to Finland for a beer festival in 2 weeks, but that will require the vax passport, as Finland's still pretending to use the lock-it-out method. (But failing, because of football and Russia.) I would say we're back to normality here now, but through persononal choice I still mask up before going into a shop or public transport, even though it makes me stick out rather, less than 1% do.
 
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