COVID-19 in other countries 2021

... and The Netherlands just went into lockdown

Covid: Dutch go into Christmas lockdown over Omicron wave

 

Brian May posted this after catching Covid-19 recently:
Queen guitarist Brian May reveals he is recovering from COVID-19 as Omicron sweeps UK

He says that they (he & his wife) have been cautious, everyone at the party had passed the RAT & were triple dosed (booster) - so they didn't wear a mask.

Moral of the story, don't drop the mask.

 

Cruise anyone? Just you - and 6,000 of your closest friends

Almost 50 test positive for COVID-19 on world's biggest cruise ship

 

... or sharing the buffet

 

Yesterday's 19th December 2021 worldwide Covid death rate was 4,280 in the previous 24 hours (source: Worldometer data). This was the lowest number of Covid deaths in a 24 hour period for 14 months (4,220 on October 12 2020).

 

Nice… but now it’s 5503 for yesterday.

 

The lag issue?

 

I'd happily go on a cruise next month if I had the chance: cruise ships have been operating for months in UK and USA with no great problems. They've got their systems organised: test negative prior boarding, reduced occupancy, serve yourself buffets replaced with staff serving (like a food court) etc. As it is I've now got three cruises booked for 2023 - my 2021 cruise deferred twice, the 2022 one deferred and the 2023 cruise booked just before Covid broke out. Cruise YouTube bloggers around the world are astonished that our government has put a two year shutdown on the cruise industry whilst they carry one cruising.

 

EU implemented today an expiry date on the covid certificate - 9 months after vax/booster.
EU Digital Covid Certificates will only be valid for travel for 9 months

Australia will probably do something similar soon. My trip to Australia is 8 months after 2nd vax so hopefully ok, don't plan on booster before 12 months unless needed for travel.

 

Serious lockdown in Xian with panic buying, empty shelves and restrictions including:

‘One person from each household would be permitted out every two days to buy household necessities…’

China orders lockdown of up to 13 million people in northern city

 

They just reintroduced the curfew and outdoor mask mandates here, starting tomorrow.

Did the masks outside for 14 months last time but don't think I can do it again, will leave the city for a while, my beach house on the Costa Brava is very isolated this time of year, nothing open, no people.

Spanish government can get stuffed, we're all vaccinated WTF are they doing?

 

Poor buggers was like that here at the beginning, no panic buying but children completely prohibited outdoors and supermarket visits checked. Time to fight back if they try that again.

 

It sucks

Even here in Sydney some time during the Jun-October lockdown, only 1 person per household was allowed to do essential shopping on any one day. But in reality, that's impossible to police. We had outdoor mask wearing too for residents of the LGAs of concern, with only exemptions if you were doing vigorous exercise or had a particular reason why you couldn't wear it. But it's also easy enough to pretend you don't live in an LGA of concern, basically it wasn't checked.

I heard the UK is having 120k new cases per day, it's a shocker. Hoping treatments come soon.

 

NYT is reporting 201k cases (up 69% from last week), still only reflecting 1300-odd deaths.

 

The Risk of Vaccinated COVID Transmission Is Not Low - Scientific American

 

Used my last antigen test on my 8 yo son this morning, came back positive. He's been sick, definitely not asymptomatic like most other kids.

Scrambled around looking for more home antigen tests, like most countries at the moment they are in short supply. Pharmacy number 6 had some. I tested positive at home, so now I have to stay here for 10 days with him. His brother and mother negative, living separately.

Symptoms the last two weeks like moderate pneumonia (I had pneumonia in 2013). Hard to sleep at night with lungs clogged up, and not much energy. Smell and taste are fine. Home tests 15 days ago and 5 days ago were negative so assumed it wasn't Covid. But then today positive so I guess just got to keep testing when negative with symptoms, have read these antigen tests don't show a positive until fairly late in the infection after symptoms.