The Coronavirus Thread

[Scot Dutchy]

Well I hope so Jim.

[L'Emmerdeur]

I never had any regard for Mr Brand, and haven't followed him. This is the first I've heard of his latest hijinks, but I am not finding them surprising.

'Comedian Russell Brand Has Become a Powerful Voice for Anti-Vaxxers'

If there’s one thing few people had on their 2021 bingo cards, it would be anti-vaxxers becoming enamored with British comedian Russell Brand for his conspiracy theory-laden YouTube channel.

The Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor has always presented himself as a contrarian—a “free-thinker” who isn’t afraid to challenge established views or spout off at the government (both U.K. and U.S.).

But recently, Brand, who always seemed to skew left in his political beliefs, has found a loyal fanbase in right-wing conservatives and anti-vaxxers who have flocked to his YouTube and Facebook accounts, hailing the 46-year-old as a so-called “voice of reason.”

He’s played heavy to this fanbase, interviewing right-wing trolls Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens, although he does disagree with them on certain points. In June, he asked his watchers if he should accept Fox News’ invitation to appear on the network; most agreed he should. “I would suggest Tucker; he’s very fair,” one fan commented.

[Sean Hayden]

He's been getting a lot of exposure lately, but I'll never pay attention.

[NineBerry]

[Sean Hayden]

91% fully vaccinated in my zip code...




























So like me and 3 others...

[macdoc]

Canada is doing okay

after a slow start.
Tho Alberta is an unmitigated disaster thanks to gov inaction and stupid people. Having to call in the military

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/alberta- ... -1.6197263

[Tero]

FDA may have to offer booster shots to all that got Pfizer shot in the next 2 months. Before all the Christmas travel.
https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2 ... hqToeGGy7s

...None of us are there yet,” he said.

But others apparently are. Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s top advisor on vaccines, has come out strongly in favor of booster shots, saying before Friday’s vote that a failure to endorse the shots “would be a mistake.”

[Joe]

I got a text from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment saying I'm due a Covid booster since I had my last Pfizer jab over 6 months ago. I guess they listened to Fauci.

[rainbow]

He's been getting a lot of exposure lately, but I'll never pay attention.

The Algorithm however seems to think that I should be watching his drivel, no matter how many times I tell them this in the comments section.

[Brian Peacock]

David Spiegelhalter: Rules and advice don’t slow the spread of the virus – human behaviour does.

[Scot Dutchy]

Finally seeing sense:

New Zealand Covid elimination strategy to be phased out, Ardern says

Prime minister says the use of vaccines means country now has ‘more options’ on how to control virus

New Zealand’s elimination strategy will be phased out in favour of a new model that takes into account vaccination rates, prime minister Jacinda Ardern has said, as she laid out a three-stage “road-map” to transition Auckland out of its lockdown.

“Elimination was important because we didn’t have vaccines,” Ardern said. “Now we do, so we can begin to change the way we do things. We have more options, and there’s good cause for us to feel optimistic about the future, but we cannot rush.

“That’s why we need to continue to contain and control the virus as much as possible, while we make our transition from a place where we only use heavy restrictions to a place where we use vaccines in everyday public health measures,” she said.

It is the first time the government has announced a shift away from the ambitious elimination strategy, that has largely kept the country free of the virus. Ardern said the strategy had served New Zealand well, but there was always going to be point of transition away from it.

“Vaccines will mean that in the future we can do things differently … but even then, our strategy remains: that while cases will continue, we want to control the virus, stamp out cases, and prevent hospitalisations, but with vaccines we have more options on how we do that,” Ardern said.

Fifty new cases were reported over the weekend, including a truck driver who travelled to Palmerston North, about 500km from Auckland, while infectious. Another 29 cases were reported on Monday, with all but one in Auckland, bringing total cases in the outbreak to 1,314. A newborn baby in the maternity ward at North Shore hospital was one of the latest cases.

About bloody time. You cant eliminate a virus but it has taken her long enough to realise it. How many lives could have been saved?

[pErvinalia]

NZ have hardly lost any lives compared to the Netherlands. And she's made this decision at the right time. Ie. When enough people have been vaccinated. It couldn't be earlier or you'd wind up with the sort of horrendous death toll the Netherregions had.

[Scot Dutchy]

NZ have hardly lost any lives compared to the Netherlands. And she's made this decision at the right time. Ie. When enough people have been vaccinated. It couldn't be earlier or you'd wind up with the sort of horrendous death toll the Netherregions had.

Fernland is tiny. If she had started vaccinating straight away she would not have this problem. They could have been on par with Israel. The elimination policy was nuts like Ozland's. We did not have a horrendous death toll that was the UK. We are heading for 90% total vaccination but Fernland is just over 40%. Life here is almost back to what it was. The waiting lists in hospitals are now being worked upon. You are still in lockdown

[pErvinalia]

I'm not in lockdown. I've been under lockdown for only two weeks of the whole pandemic. And NZ has barely been in lockdown either.

[Scot Dutchy]

FFS cant you bloody read! Vicland is heading for the world record lockdown.

NSW reports ‘dramatic drop’ in new Covid cases as Melbourne edges closer to world’s longest lockdown

Victoria’s Covid infections have dropped slightly with Melbourne’s 246-day lockdown to become the world’s longest on Tuesday.