Covid-19

[Shwa Girl]

I think it'll be harder to reach the vaccination targets in Ontario unless the one-shot J&J vaccine get into use. I am aware that various health units would love to have them to reach the unhoused or transient populace to help attain herd immunity for the province.

I heard that they are getting creative and vaccinating unhoused and transient populace by working with shelters and food banks and using mobile vans to meet these people where they are

[heartgirl99]

this is really great news:
Toronto General Surgical ICU COVID-free for the 1st time since March 2020

https://www.680news.com/2021/06/16/t...ce-march-2020/

[Ciel21]

Just an alert that Vaccine Hunters' social media channels are not getting updated after Aug.31. But you'll still be able to search for vaccination locations based on the postal codes you provide.
https://appointments.vaccinehunters.ca/

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/202...-vaccines.html


Side note-my community had a pop-up clinic this week, the second one since the first one in June. Expect to see more of the rotating, local clinics to replace the larger mass vaccination clinics closing in urban locations very soon.

[francine1985]

I'm so tired of people hounding me to hurry up and book my covid vaccine. I’ve explained numerous times that I will wait until they follow the proper manufacturer timelines of 14-21 days for the second vaccine dose. I have the luxury to wait since I’m a stay at home mom in the Atlantic provinces and only go out to get the kids from school. Dh takes them to school and does the outside errands like groceries and bank runs but he’s currently working from home so even his public exposure is minimal. I’m not against the vaccine and actually really want to take it but I will wait longer for my turn to take it properly and not join long gap experiment!

so I’ve given up on waiting any longer since they don’t seem to be dropping the wait from the 28 days and it’s still better than the 4 month extreme waits they had before. Me, dh, and ds1 (12) will be getting the Pfizer vaccine on the 25th of this month. Ds2 will remain unvaccinated as he’s a few years too young, therefore we will still have to be extra careful to protect him with everything opening back up and a spike in cases in our zone recently.

[bhlombardy]

I'm so tired of people hounding me to hurry up and book my covid vaccine. I’ve explained numerous times that I will wait until they follow the proper manufacturer timelines of 14-21 days for the second vaccine dose.

so I’ve given up on waiting any longer since they don’t seem to be dropping the wait from the 28 days and it’s still better than the 4 month extreme waits they had before.

Just as an aside... there was very little chance that they would drop it from less than 28 days.

The MINIMUM wait time (from Pfizer anyway) for the second dose was originally 14 days from the first dose. But that was their original statement in March when they were rolling it out based on their early testing. However the data was adjusted: "14 days" was the average time when the first dose starts to become effective, although some saw it as early as 12 days, but it could take up to 21 days... hence the 21-day window being established before receiving a 2nd dose. Efficacy of the first dose was then being proven to last longer as well.

That said, due to variances in people's biology, metabolism, personal immune systems, etc... 28 days became the recommended time to ensure the first dose was completely absorbed and effective, ensuring the immune system acclimated to it, and so that any potential side effects could be observed.

So 28 days is really not in the plan to be shortened.


Yes of course, when supplies were short the 90-120 day window was being exercised but only because the long-term efficacy of the first dose was being proven. (they didnt know this when the vaccine was brand new, as they didnt have 3-months of testing with it on a massive scale, as they normally would have had with vaccine roll-outs) -- So getting it later than 28 days was never an issue either.

But now that a 3-month wait isnt really an issue, 28 days will be the normal wait time between doses.

This isnt meant as a prod (so much) for anyone else waiting for a shorter window... but more to note that it's not going to be any shorter than 28 days. At least until all of the side-effects are identified and determined as safe.

[Ciel21]

I am wondering if campaigning politicians will be asked about ridings getting any of the J&J vaccines since the April batch got tossed in May. Not expecting much campaign literature given the short campaign period. Will be buying papers more often during week to get sense of what issues and chat about vaccines are cropping up in Hamilton area.

Elections Canada polling areas will have staff wearing ppe behind plexiglas shields (per segments seen on evening news tonight). Should be interesting for communications. Single use pencils or electors can bring their own pencils. Electors can apply for mail-in ballots-be aware you'll have to print the name of the candidate you are voting for (names will not be printed on forms). Allow extra mailing time to ensure envelopes reach Elections Canada by Sept. 20 to be counted.

[Ciel21]

Plexiglas partitions on store counters with openings at the centre bottom like the old-fashioned bank tellers' wickets. Twice I have had to bend my back at the waist today to get my masked face near said openings to be understood. One place was in the mall with ambient background sounds bouncing off of hard surfaces.

My back is very unamused. My former bank got their openings at head height on their partitions. Genius person who thought of it!

[HermanH]

Plexiglas partitions on store counters with openings at the centre bottom like the old-fashioned bank tellers' wickets. Twice I have had to bend my back at the waist today to get my masked face near said openings to be understood.

I always found the things quite absurd. Just think about it. You are forced to place your face as near as possible to the opening (the place here air moves back and forth) just to hear the other person. You may as well each other with your concentrated moist air.

Oh, yeah, everyone else is also placing their face near that same opening to hear. So, you are bringing your face to a place where every other person before you has already breathed/spit/touched/moistened. Pure genius.

[My two Canadian cents]

Plexiglas partitions on store counters with openings at the centre bottom like the old-fashioned bank tellers' wickets. Twice I have had to bend my back at the waist today to get my masked face near said openings to be understood. One place was in the mall with ambient background sounds bouncing off of hard surfaces.

My back is very unamused. My former bank got their openings at head height on their partitions. Genius person who thought of it!

I always found the things quite absurd. Just think about it. You are forced to place your face as near as possible to the opening (the place here air moves back and forth) just to hear the other person. You may as well each other with your concentrated moist air.

Oh, yeah, everyone else is also placing their face near that same opening to hear. So, you are bringing your face to a place where every other person before you has already breathed/spit/touched/moistened. Pure genius.

Coincidentally, the New York Times published an article yesterday titled "Those Anti-Covid Plastic Barriers Probably Don’t Help and May Make Things Worse". https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/19/well/live/coronavirus-restaurants-classrooms-salons.html

Edit:
For those who can't access the article on the New York Times website (it may require login), it can read be at https://news.yahoo.com/those-anti-co...121635945.html

[Shwa Girl]

Electors can apply for mail-in ballots-be aware you'll have to print the name of the candidate you are voting for (names will not be printed on forms). Allow extra mailing time to ensure envelopes reach Elections Canada by Sept. 20 to be counted.

We did the mail in application yesterday. Will see how it goes.
https://www.elections.ca/Voting-by-mail

[dyalect]

Remote working will continue into the new year. (where possible)
Companies would be foolish to mandate people back this fall. (2021)

[dyalect]

FDA approved now. So the hesistant folks had better get on the train or get left behind. No more excuses.

[cath007]

In QC the covid cases are 703.....it scare me because we where 1 month or 2 month ago at 200....

[cath007]

today 900 cases that freak me out

[plc]

Alberta case counts have been over a 1000/day for more than a week. Alberta’s population is about 1/3 of Ontario and 1/2 of Quebec. There are more total active cases in Alberta than Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic province combined. What actions do they take here - pay the unvaccinated to get the vaccine (don’t think that will work), reintroduce mask mandate in indoor public places (shouldn’t have been so quick to remove it) and cancel surgeries because too many unvaccinated Covid cases in hospitals.
But we have had the best summer ever...NOT!

All I can do is try and make smart choices for myself and my family to keep us safe. It is pretty scary where the trajectory of cases are going.