Covid-19 Updates & Info

[JazzNU]

Great news about the Indian Health Service. I hadn't heard any data on how they were doing with vaccinations.

[ponchi101]

Down here.
It seems that the process is flowing better. I was talking to a friend and she tells me that there are batches of vaccines arriving daily. Not enough but the GOV has decided to do this via the health providers; as most people in Colombia have one, they are better used to dealing with vaccination programs.
Still, I may be slotted for Q4 this year. If that is the case, I gather by then the USA will be delivering on demand (walk in, pay for it, get it). In view that the anti-vaxxers are in full gear and that 70MM Americans will not believe in this, the USA may have a surplus. If so, I may decide to go to CO and get it. Most expensive vaccine ever but perhaps worth it.

[Suliso]

My parents in Latvia (72 and 75) might be getting their first dose either this Saturday or the next. If there are no delivery delays again...

[JazzNU]

Down here.
It seems that the process is flowing better. I was talking to a friend and she tells me that there are batches of vaccines arriving daily. Not enough but the GOV has decided to do this via the health providers; as most people in Colombia have one, they are better used to dealing with vaccination programs.
Still, I may be slotted for Q4 this year. If that is the case, I gather by then the USA will be delivering on demand (walk in, pay for it, get it). In view that the anti-vaxxers are in full gear and that 70MM Americans will not believe in this, the USA may have a surplus. If so, I may decide to go to CO and get it. Most expensive vaccine ever but perhaps worth it.

It will be slightly cheaper than you're thinking. Once you get here, you don't have to pay for it! But great to hear things are getting better there. I hope it picks up since Brazil is being all manners of reckless.

And don't let those 70 million fool you. There are definitely anti-vaxxers in that group. But a healthy portion are willing to knock over people on canes and in wheelchairs to get the vaccine immediately. They've been trying to get to any and every disadvantaged area that has been specifically targeted for rollout that they previously wouldn't step foot in if it means getting the vaccine early. I have legitimately seen people online giving instructions on "how to go to the ghetto to your vaccine." Where are you looking they ask someone else? No, no you can't look near your home they tell you. "When they say diverse, they mean the ghetto," you have to target X area to get one. Wish I was lying. It's the reason some cities have changed their criteria when targeting hard hit areas to specific zip codes on your ID rather than city residents as a whole.

[atlpam]

Down here.
It seems that the process is flowing better. I was talking to a friend and she tells me that there are batches of vaccines arriving daily. Not enough but the GOV has decided to do this via the health providers; as most people in Colombia have one, they are better used to dealing with vaccination programs.
Still, I may be slotted for Q4 this year. If that is the case, I gather by then the USA will be delivering on demand (walk in, pay for it, get it). In view that the anti-vaxxers are in full gear and that 70MM Americans will not believe in this, the USA may have a surplus. If so, I may decide to go to CO and get it. Most expensive vaccine ever but perhaps worth it.

It will be slightly cheaper than you're thinking. Once you get here, you don't have to pay for it! But great to hear things are getting better there. I hope it picks up since Brazil is being all manners of reckless.

And don't let those 70 million fool you. There are definitely anti-vaxxers in that group. But a healthy portion are willing to knock over people on canes and in wheelchairs to get the vaccine immediately. They've been trying to get to any and every disadvantaged area that has been specifically targeted for rollout that they previously wouldn't step foot in if it means getting the vaccine early. I have legitimately seen people online giving instructions on "how to go to the ghetto to your vaccine." Where are you looking they ask someone else? No, no you can't look near your home they tell you. "When they say diverse, they mean the ghetto," you have to target X area to get one. Wish I was lying. It's the reason some cities have changed their criteria when targeting hard hit areas to specific zip codes on your ID rather than city residents as a whole.

Jazz is correct; part of the issue is they set up mass sites in areas where people are higher risk, but the same population is also vaccine hesitant, so when the appointments go unclaimed, others travel to those areas to take a chance at jumping their spot in line.

[JazzNU]

The vaccine hesitant part has been overblown by the media to try to explain away the number. For the black community, at least. There are very few who wanted to go first for fear this was another guinea pig situation yet again. But after millions had taken it and there were very few issues, the hesitancy hasn't been a huge problem. I knew quite a few (I'm talking several dozens) who were hesitant about taking it in the summer and fall. I know only three who are still hesitant to take it now. And one of those three is getting vaccinated this week anyway (possibly because we may have threatened to bound and gag her and just take her to get it ourselves if she didn't go on her own - she is the very definition of high risk).

Different black doctors groups around the country have been trying to communicate to Public Health officials that the issue is not hesitancy anymore, but access. Almost every single vaccine registration that exists is online based, but not everyone has internet access. Bridging that gap is the biggest issue. Phone registrations have only recently been added to many county and state signup processes, they were non-existent at the start of this.

[Suliso]

Would it not be easier to go via family doctors? I assume most people, especially those on the older side, do have those.

[ti-amie]

Would it not be easier to go via family doctors? I assume most people, especially those on the older side, do have those.

This was my thought suliso until I found out doctors in private practice don't have it. I usually get my flu shot at Duane Reade but I'm hoping that private doctors will have access soon.

[JazzNU]

Private doctors would help. But plenty don't have that either, there are institutional issues here that go beyond covid. There are underserved populations that don't have as much access to doctors in their neighborhoods, have been discriminated against in healthcare settings and shy away from getting regular healthcare, and others that can't afford healthcare, so they don't necessarily have regular contact with a doctor.

I know there has been success using mobile units in many different areas. There's a program here in Philly that is spearheaded by a black doctors group. They work with church and community leaders to set up different vaccination sites in underserved communities. It's been very successful.

Private doctors have been advocating for a good 3 months to be one of the main places to get a vaccine. I haven't heard them making much progress in getting them yet. If I'm understanding the argument against it right, it would be too slow of a rollout if they went that route. That sites that can do hundreds or thousands per day are more efficient at getting us to herd immunity on the quickest timetable. I have no idea if that's true, but I understand how that might be possible.

[JazzNU]

Also, I should say. Private doctors can help with expediting the process many times right now, they just don't have the vaccine to administer themselves. My mom got her vaccine through her doctor technically. She had her appointment at maybe 10 AM with her doctor. He's part of a larger healthcare system with two major hospitals in the region and several health and diagnostic centers as well. Their larger hospital system does get vaccines from the state allocation, just not the individual doctors. Her doctor marked her as a very high risk (which she is, more than just her age) within their network system and asked that she get a vaccine soon. By 11 AM, she had an vaccination appointment invite in her email.

[atlpam]

Our governor is finally getting his act together with expansion of mass vaccination sites and expanded eligibility for those with high risk conditions as well as anyone over 55. I will be getting my 1st dose (Pfizer) on Monday.

[ti-amie]

[Suliso]

The current top vaccine makers (Pfizer, Astra Zeneca, Johnson and Johnson, Moderna) have become household names. A friend was just invited for a final round of a job interview at AZ in a scientific position. If successful she'd move from Virginia to Gothenburg. Weird how these things happen entirely by Zoom these days. In my company as well, I wonder if the quality of our hires will be the same or higher/lower because of it.

[JazzNU]

What?!? I totally missed that that was even a possibility there. I know the vaccine rollout has been slow and they stopped that shipment from being sent to Australia, but I hadn't seen any mention of the current virus levels there.

I'm not sure if it's the same in Italy and Europe, but I'm pretty sure here there is too much laser focus on getting the vaccine and people are forgetting to make sure they don't have covid and aren't spreading it. I went for a covid test about two weeks ago and got a same-day appointment. That was just an impossibility in 2020 even when our infection rates were very low.

[atlpam]

What?!? I totally missed that that was even a possibility there. I know the vaccine rollout has been slow and they stopped that shipment from being sent to Australia, but I hadn't seen any mention of the current virus levels there.

I'm not sure if it's the same in Italy and Europe, but I'm pretty sure here there is too much laser focus on getting the vaccine and people are forgetting to make sure they don't have covid and aren't spreading it. I went for a covid test about two weeks ago and got a same-day appointment. That was just an impossibility in 2020 even when our infection rates were very low.

When my husband inquired back in Jan for PCR testing prior to travel, no one would guarantee the results within 3 days due to volume. When he finally scheduled for earlier this week, they were providing results the same day. Numbers are down but probably in large part because people aren't getting tested.