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BioNTech and Fosun are supposed to open a joint venture plant, in Shanghai in August, for producing 1B vaccine doses per annum.
There may be delays etc of course, but a new and very large supply chain would be nice.
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@dogmeat said in Coronavirus - Overall:
@mariner4life yeah well if Singapore has really pivoted its been a very recent thing as they are just emerging from a lockdown - except the government wouldn't allow anyone to call it a lockdown.
Singapore's response to COVID has been far more draconian than NZ's and I guess Oz's.
They still haven't opened up a travel bubble and have been in various levels of lockdown for months.
They are pretty advanced with their immunisation programme so I can't see what the story is. Once the local population is immunised every country is going to try and open up as quickly as possible - Australasia included. It sounds like a PR stunt by Singapore govt to me.
Not sure I agree with any of that. Singapore have been a bit more strict on certain things, but you'd expect that when the entire country is a city. I'd put them par with NZ / OZ, certainly not far more draconian.
The difference with Singapore is that they are a global hub, and so much of their economy is based on this. They need travel through Singapore desperately.
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@crucial said in Coronavirus - Overall:
@taniwharugby said in Coronavirus - Overall:
@paekakboyz only 600k +/- have had the first dose, and about half of them the 2nd.
But they really need to pull finger and roll it out quicker, surely the sooner this happens, the less likely an outbreak is to happen.
I mean looking at the way things are, they are on a knife edge in Wellington right now, and given the time frames were working with, if a new case appears in wellington, it is highly likely to have spread elsewhere.
We can only vaccinate as fast as we get supplies. We are but an afterthought in the world scheme of things and are probably lucky that we are getting any when suppliers have client countries that spend way way more with them asking for it quickly as well.
I think one of the reasons we went with just Pfizer is to up the volume levels with one supplier tomake us more important to them.Getting us all vaccinated just reduces the need to do these short lockdowns to slow/stop spread. At level one we are pretty much at normal anyway except for travel/tourism and I can't see that freeing up until the risk levels from incoming travellers reduces.
IF you put all your eggs in one basket though, something goes wrong with that basket you are stuck.
I don't necessarily think anything is going wrong with the NZ vaccination program that could be helped. YEs, it's far behind others, but lets face it - you don't have Covid, and those of that do that live in the wealthier countries, are under colossal pressure to distribute vaccines to developing / third world countries.
Given the above, you can see why NZ will struggle to get its' hands on vaccines. The easiest / most plentiful one about is the AZ, but lets face it, NZ has put itself on such a pedestal, its' far far too good for any of the shitty AZ stuff ....
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I just don't really understand the fixation some have on the speed of vax rollout in NZ.
As long as the program is done before borders are ready to open and we aren't waiting to let people in because we are behind then what's the issue?
We could all be vaccinated today and it would make virtually no difference.
Maybe we would chance our arm a bit more with Oz but suggesting that we openly allow infected people through the border to test how well the vaccinations hold up is probably a step too far at this stage.
The most it would do is perhaps curtail the odd few days dip into L2 -
@majorrage said in Coronavirus - Overall:
The easiest / most plentiful one about is the AZ, but lets face it, NZ has put itself on such a pedestal, its' far far too good for any of the shitty AZ stuff ....
Not sure that was the case. As has been mentioned they probably just wanted one supplier to get in a significant order. It's also the most difficult to manage so was likely more available. If we were actually being altruistic it is better that the easier ones go to places that aren't as well set up to deal with it. Don't think that was reason at the time though.
Sounds like it might have been all that we could get rather than any sort of snobbery.
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@crucial said in Coronavirus - Overall:
I just don't really understand the fixation some have on the speed of vax rollout in NZ.
As long as the program is done before borders are ready to open and we aren't waiting to let people in because we are behind then what's the issue?
We could all be vaccinated today and it would make virtually no difference.Some thoughts top of mind:
- Vaccine passports become more than a just distant theoretical to ponder
- Even easier/less risk to reunify migrant families still split by the border
- Reduced chance again of it jumping the border
- Even less chance of it spreading if it jumps the border
On a personal level:
- Less concern about a family member with a pre-existing health issue from birth.
- Peace of mind/less worry about the small chance of me accidentally infecting rest home residents when I visit my Mum (yes, they are now vaccinated, but still plenty of frail ones of sound mind for whom a mild dose is still toast)
@crucial said in Coronavirus - Overall:
The most it would do is perhaps curtail the odd few days dip into L2
The hospitality industry would still appreciate that.
One concern at the moment is that the rest of the world opens up long before we're able to. Skills attraction and retention is the main labour market issue for NZ at the moment, and as it becomes increasingly easier to go elsewhere while still difficult to travel here, that will be further exacerbated. Somewhat ironically, it's a growing issue for the health sector at the moment.
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@donsteppa said in Coronavirus - Overall:
The hospitality industry would still appreciate that.
I saw that Queenstown is asking Kiwis to visit so doing my bit and going tomorrow.
Was there in March and it was actually busy. Pubs, bars, restaurants all pretty full. Was strange actually talking to Kiwis, even stranger being waited on and served by Kiwis. In the past you'd be lucky to find someone that wasn't from overseas.
Be interesting to see what it's like with the Ski fields opening.
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@snowy yep, the Restaurant Association has the ski season as a point of hope, alongside "Industry is at a crisis point as the skills shortage boils over." https://www.restaurantnz.co.nz/trends/monthly-hospitality-dashboard-may-2021/
Good to hear you're doing your part for the Queenstown economy
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@snowy said in Coronavirus - Overall:
@donsteppa said in Coronavirus - Overall:
The hospitality industry would still appreciate that.
I saw that Queenstown is asking Kiwis to visit so doing my bit and going tomorrow.
Was there in March and it was actually busy. Pubs, bars, restaurants all pretty full. Was strange actually talking to Kiwis, even stranger being waited on and served by Kiwis. In the past you'd be lucky to find someone that wasn't from overseas.
Be interesting to see what it's like with the Ski fields opening.
Yeah, had friends that went during the July school hols last year. Said it was crazy busy. Maybe not quite so much outside that time. But still steady. Another kick in the teeth though, with everything ticking along nicely until this lastest hiccup at the worst possible time
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@donsteppa said in Coronavirus - Overall:
Good to hear you're doing your part for the Queenstown economy
It's completely altruistic. Just for the good of the nation and the local economy. I'm like that.
I'd go even if it wasn't my favourite part of the planet just to help out.Interesting in that article about staffing issues and rising wage and compliance costs.
We have a supply shortage of people in hospitality because we don't have the young tourists to do the jobs, but it does suggest that there is still demand (cost issues and business viability aside).
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@snowy said in Coronavirus - Overall:
@donsteppa said in Coronavirus - Overall:
Good to hear you're doing your part for the Queenstown economy
It's completely altruistic. Just for the good of the nation and the local economy. I'm like that.
I'd go even if it wasn't my favourite part of the planet just to help out.Interesting in that article about staffing issues and rising wage and compliance costs.
We have a supply shortage of people in hospitality because we don't have the young tourists to do the jobs, but it does suggest that there is still demand (cost issues and business viability aside).
We are heading out for dinner on the weekend, to a very nice suburban restaurant. Mrs CF went there the night the last Auckland L3 was announced. The look on the faces of the staff was apparently desolate. I plan to eat up and probably wine match as well, if it helps them we both win
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@snowy said in Coronavirus - Overall:
@majorrage said in Coronavirus - Overall:
The easiest / most plentiful one about is the AZ, but lets face it, NZ has put itself on such a pedestal, its' far far too good for any of the shitty AZ stuff ....
Not sure that was the case. As has been mentioned they probably just wanted one supplier to get in a significant order. It's also the most difficult to manage so was likely more available. If we were actually being altruistic it is better that the easier ones go to places that aren't as well set up to deal with it. Don't think that was reason at the time though.
Sounds like it might have been all that we could get rather than any sort of snobbery.
I’m just being facetious. I doubt the govt thought like that, but read plenty of columns / comments saying it.
TBH, I’m surprised NZ hasn’t gone all in with the Chinese vaccine given the bending over backwards Cindy does to keep them happy.
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@canefan Good to know that I am not the only one helping out. It's just the right thing to do.
You all also need to renovate your houses so that I can keep my charitable donations to the poor people that need me to survive in these awful times.
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@snowy said in Coronavirus - Overall:
@canefan Good to know that I am not the only one helping out. It's just the right thing to do.
You all also need to renovate your houses so that I can keep my charitable donations to the poor people that need me to survive in these awful times.
Paying it forward. I like it
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NZ has orders with 4 different suppliers of the vaccine. Pfizer-BioNTech is the only one that has provided all of the information required and has been approved by Medsafe so far.
https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/status-of-applications.asp
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@majorrage said in Coronavirus - Overall:
TBH, I’m surprised NZ hasn’t gone all in with the Chinese vaccine given the bending over backwards Cindy does to keep them happy.
The emergence of the phrase "Indo-Pacific" has been interesting lately. e.g.
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Re caste is an unfortunate term to use with India.
Oh right they left off the "e". Wondered where we would fit in as a nation there.
Getting more into politics than the virus but will leave it here.
@MajorRage
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300322188/china-slams-gross-interference-from-jacinda-ardern-and-scott-morrisons-joint-statement-on-hong-kong-and-xinjiang?rm=aCindy hasn't completely given in to China. You and I obviously have strong views on the political issues with our connections and sadness about our former home and what has been happening there. I know that it colours my judgement at times but China will do as it wants at the moment I reckon.
Coronavirus - Overall