uk_grenada

Do not seek for inferences that are not there, I simply state the obvious and make no assumptions about your beliefs .

However you have stated which horse you wish to back regardless of what ever truth may emerge from objective investigation. I on the other hand do not adhere to any particular belief in who or what caused this. To call the UK the puppy of the US is clearly insulting, and imho not true or worthy of consideration, something which may be your belief but not mine. Remember 40% of all covid research genomes on the planet are being taken in the U.K. and around the same percentage of global covid testing. You realise every citizen can test themselves free every day if they choose to do so. This is also why knowledge on the efficacy of vaccines etc comes first from the U.K., the leader in this field,

I simply state that the only solution is to have an objective reviewed investigation which is forensic in nature and is allowed and Free to go where evidence leads. If China does not permit this, they become suspects. I do not think further discussion is beneficial.

Gordon Barlow

Among those not planning to be vaccinated, 78% say they are unlikely to reconsider their plans, including 51% who say they are "not likely at all" to change their mind and get vaccinated. That leaves one in five vaccine-reluctant adults open to reconsidering, with 2% saying they are very likely and 19% saying they are somewhat likely to change their mind and get vaccinated...
https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/78...ir-mind-gallup

An interesting statistic. I'm surprised the non-vaxxers are so few. (Note that I say "non-vaxxers, not anti-vaxxers. Some of the non-vaxxers are not-yet-vaxxers. I'm one of them.)

uk_grenada

The vital statistic missing. from your message was the base one - how many of those asked - were planning to not get vaccinated? How many consider the risk of the virus is less than that of the innoculation?

Here fake news rules the locals, who are often frankly pretty dumb, many leave school around 12-14, you hear so much garbage and this is actually ruining lives. Ive heard all sorts - from the rum tasting different if you've been vaccinated, to people with 'name any illness' arent allowed to take it. Even some of the doctors are into this, telling pregnant women and people with egg allergies not to take it [there is no egg in it, and covid can kill the unborn too.]. The real sadness is its all moot here right now, there is no bug on the island but parts of government seem to have not realised they have to join the rest of the world one day. It will arrive then there will be some knee jerk reactions and some unnecessary deaths.

The government removes any tourist related company that is not 100% vaccinated from its tourism programs, they cannot operate like this so all unvaccinated staff are fired, and the unemployed grow.

Im told there is now a new import - vaccinated workers from other islands, especially in chain hotels.

The UK are now at 70 million shots, the NHS freely admits the vaccine kills - around 10 people have died as a result, but you can multiply that by 10,000 for the death rate from the bug itself, no brainer?

Gordon Barlow

Ahhh, the dreaded statistics again! I don't really have that much faith in them, to be honest.

Still, we do have to co-exist with them, I know. Sigh...

uk_grenada

Well statistics are simply information which you have to assess by source as to how credible they are [its not whats written, its by whom and what was the reason and are there axes to grind] , but applied to the right problem, they can be knowledge, which is power of course.

Gordon Barlow

https://www.travelweekly.com/Caribbe...239H5792201C0E
This just in... An update from Travel Weekly.for the Caribbean territories.

Gordon Barlow

https://www.caymancompass.com/2021/0...ovid-outbreak/

BVI reimposes lockdown restrictions amid rapid COVID outbreak

This headline from our local Cayman paper. The news will make our own politicians even more reluctant to open our borders. Yikes!

uk_grenada

The number of cases is irrelevant IF full vaccination is widespread. The U.K. has very high new cases, but almost no deaths or hospitalisations. Then it’s just like flu, so what…..

Gordon Barlow

And a new report, which features several Caribbean islands as being "low risk"
https://www.fox10tv.com/news/coronav...63ed47bba.html

Gordon Barlow

https://www.caymancompass.com/2021/0...ks-and-caicos/
A straw in the wind? A Cayman dive-operation moving to Turks & Caicos - at least for the time being...

Gordon Barlow

https://www.theepochtimes.com/norweg...n_3901532.html
The latest news about cruises out of Florida... "Vaccine passports" are banned there. This is bound to affect the industry.

uk_grenada

Yes, the cruise ships are coming!

They have agreed the same thing with most islands, only vaccinated people allowed on the boat, pcr test when they board, and in return the islands let them in untested for the day.

I have heard that islands will ask for proof before allowing people in, but there could never be testing, possibly rapid tests but they are not reliable and anyway doing it on thousands rushing to get off a boat isnt sensible. BUT floridas edict means not only can people get off, get infected, get on then get off next day elsewhere, but will also mingle with infected on board now. Boats as we know are stews of infection anyway.

Frankly i think the bug NEEDS to arrive everywhere, the concept of zero covid for a country doesnt work indefinitely. Look at the uk, tens of thousands of new infections a day but no healthcare strain and fewer deaths than from flu, because - vaccination. Here the health minister is getting tough, no visitors unless vaccinated, hotels closed if not all vaccinated, and same for stores in a month or two. He has publicly said that the vaccinations ae available, its a personal choice, but its not the governments fault if you get it and die instead. There is a clear campaign to distance themselves from that vote losing scenario,

Gordon Barlow

Unfortunately, vaccinated people can still be carriers - at least according to the latest "science". So all the tourist-welcoming bars and restaurants, taxis and buses, will be vulnerable to boycott by the locals. I really don't see the return of cruise-ships as a positive move - pun intended.

uk_grenada

Unfortunately its sort of moot, as florida doesnt allow cruise ships to ask if passengers are vaccinated, and you cant PCR test thousands of day trippers. However, it doesnt affect much for those places with herd immunity established, but they of course arent the caribbean.

This is the dilemma, zero covid isnt socially or economically sustainable, you have to accept it like the flu, and live with it best you can, which is fine, if you are vaccinated.

Gordon Barlow

But remember that "herd immunity" is a very loose definition, and a very variable one. It's not immunity, and it's not the whole herd. It's a fairly arbitrary percentage (which varies from country to country) of a selected portion of the population. The selection varies, too. Some places exclude people below and/or above specified ages in their calculation of "the herd".

I'm an old auditor ("old" in both senses of the word...), and have a good nose for humbug.

I hope that Cayman's politicians refuse all cruise-line calls - and, incidentally, all reception of sick people off cruise ships at sea. That's how we got our first and only Covid-claimed death. A passenger on a cruise had several heart-attacks and was flown to one of our hospitals. A fourth attack killed him, and he was discovered to have died WITH Covid. (In those days "WITH Covid" deaths were conflated with "OF Covid" deaths. The science has been cleaned up a bit since then, but the statistics haven't!)