Covid #'s trending down in Canada

[Allee]

Alberta's gone full redneck, and insists on having the Stampede this year because of course, we can't possibly have no Stampede. LOL. Something I will avoid like the literal plague, not that I don't most years anyway.

We reopened for stage 1 today, which means outdoor gyms and sports, patio dining, and personal services like hairdressers can open up again. Rumor has it that by mid June we'll be at stage 2 and pretty much fully reopen by mid July. First dose vaccination rates are closing in on 70% and they're talking starting second shots ASAP. Progress, I guess.

 

[Neil Gendzwill]

19 hours ago, lowrider said:

We must be getting better Leaf's vs Canadiens in Toronto tonite 500 front line workers allowed ! First large gathering sine start of pandemic. Montreal had a crowd of 2500 so Toronto has to do something in the way of rabbit out of a hat to win.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         And the Leafs loose again ! 1967 was a while back.

500 health care workers in the stands couldn't prevent the Leafs from choking.

38 minutes ago, Allee said:

Alberta's gone full redneck, and insists on having the Stampede this year because of course, we can't possibly have no Stampede. LOL. Something I will avoid like the literal plague, not that I don't most years anyway.

We reopened for stage 1 today, which means outdoor gyms and sports, patio dining, and personal services like hairdressers can open up again. Rumor has it that by mid June we'll be at stage 2 and pretty much fully reopen by mid July. First dose vaccination rates are closing in on 70% and they're talking starting second shots ASAP. Progress, I guess.

 

We've had indoor/outdoor dining and hairdressers open for ages.  I think hair salons were only closed for a couple of months here.  They restricted indoor dining to 4 people per table, now they've opened it up to 6 as of this week.  I think indoor activities still have to be distanced but they have dropped the restriction of 8, you can have as many people in your zumba class as you like so long as they can all maintain distance.

[lowrider]

7 hours ago, Allee said:

Alberta's gone full redneck

 

I thought it always was ! At least with their feelings about the east.

[lowrider]

Slight uptick in #s due to delta variant. Not expecting it to stay low much longer. Vaccine rates dropping as time goes on. I guess a return to "normal" isn't a priority . 

[scottishsurfer]

Not really canada related but I caught what was most likely the delta variant of corona about 5weeks ago now and im still recovering. Having been in probably the best shape i have been in years it hit me incredibly hard i can easily see how anyone with any sort of underlying health conditions is in serious trouble if they catch it. For those that are interested my experience was incredible fatigue and tiredness for the first couple of days. I then felt fine for a day followed by what felt like really bad stomach flu for a week where i had a complete loss of appetite all i could literally eat was apples oranges and the very occsional bowl of soup i could force into me. After that I felt fine again for a day....... and then i started to cough which resulted in me coughing so hard i cracked the cartiledge connecting one of my ribs. By the end of the day i was only able to take small little breathes as my chest was feeling super tight and probably the most terrifying thing was i began to cough up blood. For about 2 days i lay on my chest and just focused on my breathing trying to take slightly bigger breathes than were comfortable and fortunately on the third day things started to improve. Ever since then ive made a steady improvement bit by bit but im still finding that i get out of breath fairly easily but it is improving and with luck in a week or two i should be fully back to my normal self.

On a lighter note its an amazing diet i went from 94kg to 85kg in two weeks lol sadly it was mostly muscle waistage but i do feel nice and light now

[west carven]

howdy scottishsurfer

sorry to hear that you got it. were you in a high risk activity/situation? and were you vaccinated?

[scottishsurfer]

Not really I work pretty much alone in an electrical testing lab at work and im pretty anti social so i generally either have my breaks there or in my car. Other than grocery shopping and mountain biking ive not really done much with really any sort of human interaction in the past couple of months . So where i got it no idea

In terms of vaccination i was going to chase up my appointment the weekend i had gotten sick as i hadnt recieved the fabled blue envelope through post telling me when my first dose was to be. I had checked a couple of times previous using the online tool but it always showed nothing was booked for me which i put down to being 35 with no underlying health conditions that could make corona be an issue. Incase you dont know here folk were vaccinated in terms of age and risk so i was pretty much at the bottom of the list for vaccination.

It later transpired that my local health center had neglected to change my address 5 years ago when i moved even though i had filled out the required form and informed them. So aparently I was still registered under my old address and that was where my appointment letter had been sent and since i was using my correct address online to check it showed nothing was booked for me . Now i have to wait another couple of weeks before i can get dose number 1 as they want me to wait 4 weeks from the end of major symptons before i can get jagged.
 

Edited July 27, 2021 by scottishsurfer

[west carven]

howdy

we had a huge outdoor music festival on july 17/18 and roughly 30,000 attendees over the two-day event from all over the country and now covid are numbers are getting higher and add to that people coming thru to visit glacier national park. it has been the busiest here I have seen and every year it seems to get worst. even our river is getting busy, it used to be a few local kids years ago, but now it is over run by every age group thanks to stand up paddling and the warmer temps. it has become not fun any more and the chance of getting covid becomes higher. looks like this winter will be like last year.

[west carven]

howdy

Under the Big Sky music festival … July 17/18 2021 … Super Spreader Event …

[lowrider]

Scottishsurfer sorry to hear of your illness. When people are careful in their activity level it is disturbing to hear that you still contacted Covid. One wonders how others can flaunt the recommendations and justify or rationalize it . West, I used to say there's no cure for stupid but more and more it would seem people like to flaunt the idea that they are bucking the norm or accepted behavior and proud of it . How are health insurers in the US not going bankrupt over Covid coverage ? We have universal health care in Canada but I'm at the point where I'd like to see the Gov't say if your not vaccinated due to medical conditions and you get sick the bill is on you ! My doctor suggested to me the other day that some of her patients who used multiple excuses for not getting vaccinated were actually using these excuses to mask the fact that they were actually afraid of needles  (usually big tough guys)  !

[scottishsurfer]

22 hours ago, lowrider said:

Scottishsurfer sorry to hear of your illness. When people are careful in their activity level it is disturbing to hear that you still contacted Covid.

It is what it is i full expected to catch it at some point i was just hoping it either wouldnt be that bad or id have had at least my first dose of vaccine. I survived mostly unscathed that's important thing as i know there have been many less fortunate than myself

[Allee]

Glad to hear you're doing OK, Scottish Surfer. That sounds more than a little scary, and even scarier that you don't know where you got it. Apparently the Delta variant is ridiculously contagious though, as if the original strain wasn't bad enough.

Well, Alberta has officially become the first place in the world where you don't have to isolate if you test positive. I'm waiting for the next lockdown two weeks after the kids go back to school in September, and the temperatures start to cool off.

Given my reaction to the second vaccine - a headache like someone had jammed an ice pick between my eyes, nausea, and two weeks of fatigue and breathing difficulties - I don't really want to catch the real deal. 

[bumpyride]

Truth of the matter is that we are in it for the long haul.

Major misconception of the Vaccine is that it provides a shield around you.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The Vaccine will enable you to fend off and or ameliorate the effects of the Virus, but with the Delta Variant we all can be carriers.  The Vaccine is  not a protective shield that keeps the Virus from entering your body.  If you catch it, asymptomatically or not, you can spread it.

My very good friend, the last person I would ever expect to catch it, who was Vaccinated and in a car with 2 other Vaccinated friends, caught it.  The Vaccinated person that he caught it from just died.  The person who died was 79 years old and had comorbidity complications, but still died and passed it on.  The other person in the car did not catch it and was in the back seat. 

2 1/2 weeks later my friend is still short of breath and has an irritating cough, but otherwise pretty OK.

Opening for business as usual per the immense political pressures is going to be a recipe for extending this ordeal.

We all have 2 choices, get Vaccinated and possibly catch a mild case of Covid, or go Unvaccinated and you will get it sooner or later and maybe not be so lucky as having a mild case. 

[lowrider]

Case numbers climbing for the last three days and the premier said schools will be open in Sept. if he has to drive the bus himself.  He might have to change that to an Ambulance. Apparently third dose of Pfizer give 11X the protection but sadly can't get a third dose yet. Stay safe everyone !

[BlueB]

Big pharma is scamming us big time, with 3rd doses. 

[bumpyride]

38 minutes ago, BlueB said:

Big pharma is scamming us big time, with 3rd doses. 

I'd be more than interested in seeing some data to back this up.

[scottishsurfer]

On 8/1/2021 at 12:14 AM, bumpyride said:

Major misconception of the Vaccine is that it provides a shield around you.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The Vaccine will enable you to fend off and or ameliorate the effects of the Virus, but with the Delta Variant we all can be carriers.  The Vaccine is  not a protective shield that keeps the Virus from entering your body.  If you catch it, asymptomatically or not, you can spread it.

I see the vaccine a bit the like the nitrile gloves i wear in work there primarily to prevent static discharge into fragile electronics but the also serve the purpose of giving me a level of protection against electric shock. Now i don't ever rely on them to protect me but they can make the difference between ouch that hurt and having to go to the hospital should the worst happen a bit like the vaccine.

[TVR]

8 hours ago, bumpyride said:

I'd be more than interested in seeing some data to back this up.

Any information that goes against the core narrative of pro-vaccine is either considered political, the individual is attacked as a conspiracy theorist, or both. There is plenty of information out there, so each of us should do our own research on any content that relates to our lives or livelihoods. Traditional media censors any information that goes against their preferred story, but there is still plenty of information out there and the information evolves daily. 

[bumpyride]

59 minutes ago, TVR said:

Any information that goes against the core narrative of pro-vaccine is either considered political, the individual is attacked as a conspiracy theorist, or both. There is plenty of information out there, so each of us should do our own research on any content that relates to our lives or livelihoods. Traditional media censors any information that goes against their preferred story, but there is still plenty of information out there and the information evolves daily. 

I simply asked for data.  I did not dispute, nor did I accuse, just asked for the basis of the quote.  All good data is where good decisions are made.  Whether or not you agree or disagree is irrelevant to facts.  I generally read different sources of media content, and make my decisions on what facts are available. 

Whenever you see a headline with "Is there something to", "People are asking", "They're asking about", "Maybe there's something going on", "Does the ____not want you to know", "Are they hiding something", "There's been speculation", and on and on.  Those articles are clickbait, and don't present facts.  I want facts and data to make an informed decision, and I don't believe that's asking too much or castigating anyone.

[BlueB]

One quick link I had at hand, that someone sent to me couple of weeks ago. There's a fair bit off other articles too. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/globalnews.ca/news/8015934/covid-coronavirus-booster-pfizer-efficacy-long-term/amp/

"Pfizer is being criticized as the drug maker reveals it will, in August, seek emergency use authorization in the U.S. for a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine. Mike Le Couteur explains why medical experts have doubts about the need for a booster shot, and why they're raising concerns about ethics – Jul 9, 202" 

Basically, the demand for 3rd shot authorization comes from the producer themselves, instead from medical authorities and government. Does not seem to be backed by peer reviewed studies, either. 

What would make the most sense is testing for antibodies, to establish who really needed extra imunity. But for obvious reasons, you won't hear that idea from pharma. 

Edited August 2, 2021 by BlueB

[bumpyride]

17 minutes ago, BlueB said:

One quick link I had at hand, that someone sent to me couple of weeks ago. There's a fair bit off other articles too. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/globalnews.ca/news/8015934/covid-coronavirus-booster-pfizer-efficacy-long-term/amp/

"Pfizer is being criticized as the drug maker reveals it will, in August, seek emergency use authorization in the U.S. for a third dose of its COVID-19 vaccine. Mike Le Couteur explains why medical experts have doubts about the need for a booster shot, and why they're raising concerns about ethics – Jul 9, 202" 

Basically, the demand for 3rd shot authorization comes from the producer themselves, instead from medical authorities and government. Does not seem to be backed by peer reviewed studies, either. 

What would make the most sense is testing for antibodies, to establish who really needed extra imunity. But for obvious reasons, you won't hear that idea from pharma. 

Thanks for that link.  Very much appreciated.

[crote123]

46 minutes ago, bumpyride said:

I simply asked for data.  I did not dispute, nor did I accuse, just asked for the basis of the quote.  All good data is where good decisions are made.  Whether or not you agree or disagree is irrelevant to facts.  I generally read different sources of media content, and make my decisions on what facts are available. 

Whenever you see a headline with "Is there something to", "People are asking", "They're asking about", "Maybe there's something going on", "Does the ____not want you to know", "Are they hiding something", "There's been speculation", and on and on.  Those articles are clickbait, and don't present facts.  I want facts and data to make an informed decision, and I don't believe that's asking too much or castigating anyone.

some good article here: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/are-covid-19-vaccine-boosters-the-way-forward#Why-take-booster-doses?

 

[Jack M]

Fauci said on July 11 that a 3rd dose is not needed at this time, but that could change.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/11/politics/fauci-booster-shots-sotu-cnntv/index.html

[bumpyride]

Lest we all forget (which I'm sure no one has) Big Pharma doesn't really give a crap for anything but the bottom line.

 

https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/pfizer-eyes-higher-covid-19-vaccine-prices-after-pandemic-exec-analyst

[bumpyride]

Once there's a booster available, and unless there's really any severe side effects, I will be as close to the head of the line as possible.  My 2nd shot was in May.

My wife who was the head of a large Microbiology Lab for 42 years is convinced that Covid will be around for at least a couple of years, and anything we can do to stay as safe as possible and get to the point where we can drive it down to where Variants will not be forming, is the least we can do.  In full disclosure, I share that opinion, and if anything, am more pessimistic than she.