printer

Yeah i often check UK news to see how they are fairing and it seems right now not too bad all things considered. I am sure that will possibly change down the line but it's more the frustration of just not knowing what is next and where we are going with all this. We would all benefit from a concrete game plan that sets out exact criteria for the future so at least we are all working towards the same goal. For example what vaccine rate are we looking for and once achieved what is next step? After 2 week lull remove x,y,z restrictions. Or once we have "x" number of hospitalizations or lower we can remove x and y but keep z for another 4 weeks. We did have a plan but that's gone belly up and apparently its all the unvaccinated fault. I am not sure when they came up with the stepped reopening plan whether vaccination rates were part of it but we keep hearing they need to improve yet improve to what? I am just so frustrated with all this now it's becoming a form filling nightmare just to get my teeth cleaned at the dentist, i've never filled out so much and had so many reminders for a 45 minute cleaning.

scilly

The problem is that we have had those guidelines laid out for us.

Stage 3 would be July 1

Stage 4, almost all restrictions removed, would be September 4, provided that x% over 12 had had 1 vaccine and x% over 12 had had 2 doses. We were getting VERY close to that, in fact It hink that overall in BC we had achieved both %ages of vaccinations.

So what happens?

Covid throws a curve ball at us in the form of a different variant, the Delta strain, which is more infectious, and this finds all those unvaccinated people who either refuse to be vaccinated or haven't got round to it for some reason.

Positive cases increase, hospitalisations increase, ICU cases increase .................. and a low percentage of those double or single vaccinated catch covid.

So, we get restrictions put back on in an attempt to curb the spread, and it looks as though Stage 4 will not be reached.

If you look back, something like that has happened every time we seem to heading out of the crisis.

BristolUK

It went a little differently here.
We had colours and Stage 4 was Green. Similar target for vaccinations and Green from end July.
Initially it seemed 2nd jab target would be reached early but then it all slowed right down - possibly because Moderna only was being offered and a lot of those who'd had Pfizer as first jab didn't want to mix.

Government decided to go green even though target not met.

Immediately case numbers went up - but clearly there hadn't been enough time for that to have 'properly' happened and it seemed that people had actually changed their behaviours in advance of the official green day.

Since then we've been getting increases like those seen after Christmas and recently we had the highest new cases for a day since vaccinatios were just getting underway. We have a few hospitalisations too. Not many overall but when you're used to snapshots of zero or one for 2 or 3 months, half a dozen suddenly seems dramatic.

The strange thing is the majority of NB's cases are Alpha, not Delta. So what happens when people travel around a bit more and Delta becomes dominant?

scilly

Bristol ......... daughter told me yesterday that the border between NB and NS was closed again. Is that true??

scrubbedexpat091

It was not wise of the government to begin opening as quickly as they did in the early part of the summer, even when the first stage happened, delta variant issues were already sufficiently known to realize what is happening now was going to happen, especially in regions with low vaccination rates, there are parts of BC under 50%, the lower mainland is pushing up the provincial overall average, but once you begin to see by region, well no surprise why certain regions are getting hit bad over others.

No idea what it will take to encourage people to get vaccinated at this point.

When they dropped the mask mandate, there were already reports and studies from the US and elsewhere indicating delta variant spread easier, so why they dropped the mask mandate is anyone's guess but it doesn't seem to been based on science as at the time BC was dropping mask mandates, the US CDC was changing theirs to recommend even vaccinated people continue to wear masks indoors.

Seems to be a trend along with the variants of governments opening things too quickly, and we end up right back where we started, at this rate its never going away, all we can do is get as many vaccinated as possible, and hope the vaccines work long term to prevent deaths.

Just hope this year is another low influenza season, last thing we need is a bad flu season on top of COVID. Reminds me non of the pharmacies I was on the wait list for last winter for flu shot ever called....

Danny B

The only daily COVID numbers people should care about these days as far as I'm concerned is:

1. How many people are in hospital?
2. How many ICU beds are taken / available?
3. How many people died?

I don't particularly care that 650 people in BC are at home with a runny nose or whatever mild symptoms they have. As long as the numbers for questions 1-3 are going down, the new infections shouldn't worry people. It proves that the vaccine is doing its job.

Almost Canadian

I agree. I also think that people should be responsible for their own actions and should not have to be told what to do by government. If you are happy going to a movie theatre and not wearing a mask; you should be able to. If you wish to go to a movie theatre and wear a mask; you should be able to. If you believe that if you come within 10 feet of someone that may not be vaccinated and your head will explode, don't come within 10 feet of such people. If you are vulnerable and exposing yourself to a risk may kill you; ensure that you keep yourself safe.

I have no idea why lots of people believe that it is government's job to tell them what to do, or how to behave. Why do adults want to be treated like children?

scrubbedexpat091

The concern at the moment is hospitalizations and ICU admissions are increasing not decreasing. Hospitalizations are up 100% from 2 weeks ago, and ICU up 53%.

Upside if your vaccinated you have a lower risk of hospitalization but the fully vaccinated still made up 14.4% of hospitalizations between Aug 9 & Aug 22 most recent data I could find.

Sure the total numbers look small, but they are already high enough for some hospitals to be over capacity leading to surgeries being cancelled, Interior Health has already cancelled 612 this month, oh and there is pretty serious nursing shortage at some hospitals with nurses quitting, Kamloops ER has apparently lost 25%-30% of their ER nurses due to burnout and nurses leaving the field.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...g-24-1.6151240

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...g-24-1.6151240

The most recent 7 day rolling average for deaths is 2.86 well below the 19 at the peak in December, so deaths wise we are doing pretty good, vaccines were never going to bring deaths to 0, but deaths are still low but slowly climbing as well.

BristolUK

Sorry, just saw this.

Not 'closed' as such but previous restrictions reintroduced. She's probably just using the word that was commonly used to describe the border controls set up way back when everyone talked about closed borders but "good reasons" for entry and isolating rules applied apart from a few exemptions like workers crossing.

Checkpoints, line-ups, delays etc...completion of documents on line, proof of double vax required and so on.
7 day Isolation if a single jab,, 14 days if no jab.
CTV describes it as the same rules applying as for those from outside Atlantic Canada.
https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/highway-...ents-1.5561292

BristolUK

The vaccine is certainly doing its job but we've always known that variants of the original virus were possible. We know this to be true with one variant that spreads more quickly but isn't more dangerous while another variant doesn't spread so quickly but is more, let's say, problematic.

What happens if the next one is a bit of both? It seems foolhardy to not worry about a virus spreading when there's a strong possibility of further mutation.

The least we can do is continue to wear masks - as uncomfortable as it is - where appropriate - indoors with other people, outdoors in crowded areas. Carry on with everything else by all means.

Yes, this is all what you were saying before 4.5 million people died isn't it.

Just prior to your prolonged absence you said
Perhaps it's the government's job because they are quite well placed to study the evidence and opinions of people who know what they are talking about.

scrubbedexpat091

Beaverton ever misses a beat *satire of course.*

scrubbedexpat091

Plus masks are only effective when a large % of people are wearing them, and that is something we have learned most seem unwilling to do, so even if I am wearing a mask, if 75% of the customers in the store are not, my mask really isn't doing much, the mask is to prevent spread but it requires cooperation for a large part of society, but seems we live in a fairly selfish, individualistic society, which isn't going to ever benefit our species, we cannot as a species survive without working together, if our early ancestors decided to be individuals rather than work collectively as a group, we would never have achieved what we have as a species.

This too, Monday BC announces restrictions coming for the unvaccinated, Tuesday see's 8,000 people get their first dose, more than double the daily average the last few weeks, and highest daily number of first doses since middle of July.

I doubt its a mere coincidence and the government announcement played a role, some people simply will not do anything unless forced.

Teaandtoday5

Canada being put on UK green list

printer

Where are you going where people aren't wearing them? It's a mandate now for whole BC and had been for our area quite a while. I don't see people without where i have been BUT i have noticed not all places have the sign on door.
But here's the truth, more people will get vaccinated because of the proposed restrictions NOT because they care about others. People will wear masks because it's mandated NOT because they care about others.
There is also now some kickback from various restaurants and a brewery about this whole vaccine passport thing and apparently there are many many businesses of same mind according to article in local media and I quote:A Facebook group called "BC Businesses against Health Pass" has attracted more than 60,000 members.

The group shares a list of businesses that claim a vaccine passport in B.C. is unconstitutional.

scrubbedexpat091

We were in the Lower Mainland & Squamish for a week earlier in the month due to MIL health issues, and they at the time did not have a mask mandate, and there were a whole lot of people in the area we were in not wearing masks indoors.