Coronavirus

[RobertNYC]

Interesting analogy as always. I was thinking in the other direction. Maybe I'm thinking way to positively, but I looked at the border testing as a beginning to an eventual opening. USA is still cranking out way too many new cases and deaths to even think about opening the border. But as more and more people catch Covid and survive, along with people getting vaccinated maybe it gets to a point where both countries feel more comfortable about opening up or not. In NY just yesterday Governor Cuomo announced opening sporting events to a 10% capacity with certain rules in place, one of which is a negative Covid test. This is happening next week. This is at least a start at getting back to normal and may be the way countries start opening up again. I was thinking the borders had a shot at opening up during the past summer and that clearly didn't happen. Going forward, maybe showing a form that you've been vaccinated along with a negative test might be the way we get back to the new way of traveling without having to quarantine. If not, I'll just put my vaccinated ass on my Harley and drive around upstate NY like I did last year (minus the vaccine).

Hey I sure hope you’re right. I’m just not sharing your optimism. The variants have me more concerned than anything, and governments leaning on being extra cautious. But I hope you are correct. The other thing is I don’t know if I want to fight my way into a bar like McLeans or Hurley’s if it must be no more than 25% capacity

And driving your cycle upstate is a good alternative. Matter of fact, I’ve been tempted myself to drive upstate early in morning, see some old work friends, hit a bar for poutine and a couple Bloody Caesars and then drive back and book Brittney at Desires of New York. I’ll pretend it’s a Montreal kind of day.

A lot can happen between now and end of 2021, so perhaps border crossings will become less restrictive. But if Fauci et al are talking about not having normalcy until late fall, then I’d extrapolate from that we’re not crossing border without crazy restrictions until after that. Who knows. Hope you’re right

 

[IamNY]

Hey I sure hope you’re right. I’m just not sharing your optimism. The variants have me more concerned than anything, and governments leaning on being extra cautious. But I hope you are correct. The other thing is I don’t know if I want to fight my way into a bar like McLeans or Hurley’s if it must be no more than 25% capacity

Another great point. Let's say your able to enter the country with proof of vaccination, negative Covid test, etc. Is it all for nothing if you can't grab a beer at your favorite bar or a meal at your favorite restaurant? Basically going from one lock down to another. I do go to Montreal for the girls, first and foremost, but I like to kill time in between encounters by going out and about town. If not, are we just flying in and leaving the hotel room only when it's time to bang?

 

[RobertNYC]

Another great point. Let's say your able to enter the country with proof of vaccination, negative Covid test, etc. Is it all for nothing if you can't grab a beer at your favorite bar or a meal at your favorite restaurant? Basically going from one lock down to another. I do go to Montreal for the girls, first and foremost, but I like to kill time in between encounters by going out and about town. If not, are we just flying in and leaving the hotel room only when it's time to bang?

You nailed it. My last trip to Montreal was Oct 2019. I took up my recently-divorced cousin and we had a blast bar hopping and checking out live music. Matter of fact, James hooked us with Annabelle (my girl) and Heaven (his girl) on a Saturday late afternoon and we took them to the hotel bar beforehand and just had a blast with them for nearly an hour before going up to our rooms. If you remove things like that, then you might as as well book an hour at an NYC or NJ agency.

It’s chatting with the folks at McLeans over Bloody Caesars and brunch, seeing live music at Hurley’s at midnight and going out for a good steak that makes the whole experience worth it. Sitting in a room between appointments is a waste, and I don’t want to roam the city hoping some bar will allow me inside.

 

[Zaeballo]

Interesting new details.

Exclusive | Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa admits they hid nursing home data so feds wouldn’t find out

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide privately apologized to Democratic lawmakers for withholding the state’s nursing home death toll from COVID-19 — telling them “we froze” out of fear t…

nypost.com

 

[The Nature Boy]

Clearly Israel is doing the best, in terms of tackling the crisis in a manner that attempts to cure the disease and getting its citizens vaccinated, in comparison to the political bickering and/or the hide in your house from the virus approach.

Feeling better ‘in 2 hours’: COVID drug for critically ill starts Phase 3 trials

Experimental Israeli-made drug Allocetra, developed at Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital, being used to treat so-called cytokine storm, whereby immune system attacks body’s own organs

www.google.com

Has Israel just found the cure for Covid? - ISRAEL21c

Experimental Covid drug cures 30 out of 30 moderate to severe cases in Phase I clinical trial at Israeli hospital. Second new drug also shows promise.

www.israel21c.org

Vaccines are curbing COVID: Data from Israel show drop in infections

The country is the first to see a direct effect of vaccines working in such a large group of people.

www.nature.com

Actually

Israel’s Vaccine Success Unleashes a Debate on Palestinian Inequities (Published 2021)

Its progress in vaccinating Israeli citizens against Covid-19 has laid bare a fiery debate over its duties in ensuring the health of Palestinians in occupied territory. Most have yet to get a first dose.

www.nytimes.com

Israel Is Leading the World in COVID-19 Vaccination. But Palestinians Aren’t on the List

Israel's effective COVID-19 vaccine rollout could be undone by its exclusion of the Palestinians. Here's why

time.com

 

[The Nature Boy]

How is situation in MTL right now? Is everything still closed? Are they detecting variants?

Anyone getting vaccinated there?

 

[The Nature Boy]

I don’t understand how Biden will not exercise any executive muscle and expedite this FDA meeting for the 26th up earlier? WTF!?! Their deciding the fate of a single shot vaccine @ that meeting? Not sure what I’m missing but why the fuck are we waiting again till 26/2 when the data’s available?

 

[IamNY]

An interesting article about Canadians not being able to travel to the Adirondack mountains in NY because of the pandemic:

Border blues: Canadians long for Adirondack 'homecoming'

The pandemic closure continues to thwart a return to the mountains, lakes and ski slopes that many consider their second home.

www.adirondackexplorer.org

 

[The Nature Boy]

What a piece of shit. Now here’s another reason to impeach a fucker

New Allegations of Cover-Up by Cuomo Over Nursing Home Virus Toll (Published 2021)

In a private conversation, the governor’s top aide admitted that data was withheld on nursing homes, where more than 10,000 New Yorkers have died during the pandemic.

www.nytimes.com

 

[gll]

Interesting analogy as always. I was thinking in the other direction. Maybe I'm thinking way to positively, but I looked at the border testing as a beginning to an eventual opening. USA is still cranking out way too many new cases and deaths to even think about opening the border. But as more and more people catch Covid and survive, along with people getting vaccinated maybe it gets to a point where both countries feel more comfortable about opening up or not. In NY just yesterday Governor Cuomo announced opening sporting events to a 10% capacity with certain rules in place, one of which is a negative Covid test. This is happening next week. This is at least a start at getting back to normal and may be the way countries start opening up again. I was thinking the borders had a shot at opening up during the past summer and that clearly didn't happen. Going forward, maybe showing a form that you've been vaccinated along with a negative test might be the way we get back to the new way of traveling without having to quarantine. If not, I'll just put my vaccinated ass on my Harley and drive around upstate NY like I did last year (minus the vaccine).

yes driving in the country in the open air is a good way to get a release from the confines of covid. bought my covid car last fall, a 1999 bmw z3 in mint condition with 50k miles. (next best thing to a motorcycle) enjoyed driving in upstate ny especially in the adirondacks. looking forward to spring. got my second vaccination yesterday. some body aches but generally the side effects were minimal. the cdc has now stated that those who are vaccinated do not have to quarantine after a covid exposure. i guess they must think that the chance of spreading covid is low after vaccination. i am also leaning on the optimistic side (wishfull thinking??) regarding border opening. hopefully, the combination of vaccines and rapid testing will allow us to travel more freely.

 

[IamNY]

It is going to be very interesting to see not only whether countries with low vaccination rates fully reopen their borders, with few or no restrictions, to travelers from places like the U.S., the U.K. and Israel once the vaccinations are almost complete in those countries, but also how the citizenry in those countries welcome the vaccinated.

'Unethical and unconscionable': Richer nations getting more COVID-19 vaccines than poorer

“Just ten countries have administered 75% of all COVID-19 vaccines,”

www.yahoo.com

Funny how everybody shits on the US because of the way we handled Covid and now we are getting shit on for having vaccines. Maybe China or the WHO should work on a way to vaccinate people instead of making the US out to be the bad guys all the time.

 

[Fradi]

Funny how everybody shits on the US because of the way we handled Covid and now we are getting shit on for having vaccines. Maybe China or the WHO should work on a way to vaccinate people instead of making the US out to be the bad guys all the time.

You should have been vaccinated before this pandemic started.
It is all that asshole Trumps fault.

 

[IamNY]

Here's some good news (at least for NYawkers) about covid vaccines. Looks like those with co morbidities can now get vaccinated. 94% of NY's covid deaths have been from people with co morbidities. Also, president Biden is on pace to exceed his 100 million vaccines in 100 days call to action. Good news for those of us living in the states.

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/go...crease-capacity-individuals-comorbidities-and

Governor Cuomo Announces List of Comorbidities and Underlying Conditions Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine Starting February 15

Governor Cuomo released the list of comorbidities and underlying conditions that New York State will use to determine eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine.

www.governor.ny.gov

Coronavirus Vaccine Updates: Extreme weather causes vaccine delays in several states

Extreme weather around the country is causing major delays in rolling out the vaccine in several states.

abc7ny.com

 

[IamNY]

Yes that sounds nice. But good luck getting an appointment. There are plenty of people over 65 in NY who are trying to get an appointment but haven't been able to. Why give people false hope for a vacination when there isn't enough supply for people in the initial category?

I'm scheduled for the 20th. It was quite easy getting an appointment this morning. It's not false hope, and there is and has been plenty of supply for the initial categories. If I sat around and complained about it instead of sitting at my computer this morning and making it happen I wouldn't have been able to get an appointment within 6 days.

 

[GaryH]

You should have been vaccinated before this pandemic started.
It is all that asshole Trumps fault.

I find it bizarre the number of people who want to blame Trump for the spread of this pandemic. When will the world hold China liable for the devastation this pandemic caused? We will probably never know the real cause of it due to China's coverup. China has done nothing to help the world battle this pandemic. If this virus had originated in the U.S. and the U.S. had done the coverup China did, Trump would be brought up on charges of War crimes in the International Courts.(and rightly so.)

 

[IamNY]

I find it bizarre the number of people who want to blame Trump for the spread of this pandemic. When will the world hold China liable for the devastation this pandemic caused? We will probably never know the real cause of it due to China's coverup. China has done nothing to help the world battle this pandemic. If this virus had originated in the U.S. and the U.S. had done the coverup China did, Trump would be brought up on charges of War crimes in the International Courts.(and rightly so.)

Agreed. I would include the WHO in this as well. But I think Fradi was was being sarcastic.

 

[cloudsurf]

Not trying to defend China cause they did start this pandemic and tried to cover it up at first .....and even to the present.
To say they did nothing is a stretch. They did publish the genetic code to the world. They also were one of the first to manufacture a vaccine.

 

[GaryH]

What a piece of shit. Now here’s another reason to impeach a fucker

New Allegations of Cover-Up by Cuomo Over Nursing Home Virus Toll (Published 2021)

In a private conversation, the governor’s top aide admitted that data was withheld on nursing homes, where more than 10,000 New Yorkers have died during the pandemic.

www.nytimes.com

So true. But at least it is nice to see state Democrats and Republicans coming together to condemn Cuomo for his actions. Maybe this will be the start of some positive energy in the country.

 

[IamNY]

Maybe where you live. But where my relatives live in the more rural areas of NY, it has been difficult to get an appointment. and they are over 65. I think the distribution rollout has been faulty in NY and they should make sure those over 65 get the vaccination before they open it up to other people. You might find NYC has plenty of supply, but in Northern NY that is definitely not the case.

Had nothing to do with where I lived. If your eligible for the vaccine you simply go through the different locations and pick a day and time. Using your rural areas of NY analogy, I initially was able to get vaccination dates in Plattsburgh and Potsdam. I was/am willing to drive to these rural areas because I wanted to be vaccinated. Finding an available vaccine is much more difficult downstate because there's more people. In upstate NY some towns have more cows than they do people so I find it hard to believe people upstate aren't able to get a vaccine if their eligible, I was. I agree that people 65 and older should be prioritized but they been eligible for a while now so why would you want to hold up the line if they aren't showing up to get vaccinated. If people are eligible to be vaccinated in NY, they can get the vaccine. The distribution roll out has been a shit show for the entire country, not just NY. But it looks like NY has it totally under control, at least it was in my scenario.

 

[The Nature Boy]

The rural area may not have capability to store some of these vaccines which requires specific frigid temps and only viable for short term I think

Which is why the J&J vaccine is gonna be huge. Can just store it in a fridge for months, should be out hopefully in 1st week of March

Novavax to come soon too, but not in Canada till summer it looks like