You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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message 1701:
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Sandra, Moderator
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Dec 22, 2021 04:16PM
(Yes, I'm drinking. A wonderful Boutena du Château Jérémie)
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I got my booster on Dec 22nd. Since I got the Pfizer vaccine for both vaccinations, I got the Pfizer booster. I did not have any soreness or other issues. I will get my flu shot next week. I just wanted to make sure that everything went well with the Covid stuff before I went for my flu shot this year.
Appointment's slots for my booster open on January 6th for my age range. We shall see how this one goes. My second dose knocked me down for a day,
My birth year can make an appointment since yesterday. I'm getting my booster on Wednesday.
Good timing folk if the rest of you are facing a surge like we are. Our testing system is at the point of saturation an d many of our smaller hospitals are not taking any more patients. As predicted it is the record staff absences that are forcing the issue.
Our Province had nearly 3,000 new cases yesterday 😳 I think I will just hide in a cave until this is over 🤦♀️
I had my booster last week. Unfortunately I had a reaction -- fatigue and a headache, but it lasted only 1 day. Then a few days later I got my flu shot. I didn't want to get them together just in case I had a reaction to the covid booster.
Roz wrote: "I had my booster last week. Unfortunately I had a reaction -- fatigue and a headache, but it lasted only 1 day. Then a few days later I got my flu shot. I didn't want to get them together just in c..."I had both my booster and my flu shot at the same time, one in each arm. I was pretty sick the next day, but it only lasted the one day. The bruising from my flu shot lasted over a week, yet there wasn't even a mark from the covid booster.
Glad everyone is getting boosted!We had a Premier (read like a Governor) change in NSW in November and the new Premier decided that he knows better than the health officials and just opened everything up. No more lockdowns, we just live with the virus. Which has spread to all other states.
The country has a limited supply of boosters, we haven't started vaccinating children under 12 yet, it is impossible to find rapid antigen tests and if you can find them they cost $25+ per test. The testing sites are overwhelmed, usually reaching testing capacity at 9am and people then sitting in cars for 8 hours waiting to be tested. The Aus government has decided to change what a casual contact is so less people have to get tested. So if you sit next to someone inside with covid unmasked for 3 hours and 59mins, you will be fine. If you sit there for 4 hours, then you're a close contact. They have also just asked people not to get tested.
NSW had 5500+ cases yesterday, with Australia having 21 000+. Today, NSW had over 21 000 just in that state. I feel like all the work we have done to keep ourselves and our families and friends safe over the last two years has just been wasted. Because some conservative man doesn't like listening to doctors and thinks money is worth more than people.
My stepfather had a fall while walking the dog with Mum this morning. He smashed his face on a rock, and the walk in clinic sent him to hospital as his eye is an egg. He's also concussed. Mum had to leave him at the door, as no visitors are allowed in the hospital now due to this explosion in cases. She said to the nurse at the door that he was concussed, and the nurse was like "he'll be looked after" but Mum has no idea what on earth is going on 5 hours later after he toddled into the hospital. God knows if he even made it to Emergency, in normal circumstances he could easily wander the halls for hours let alone after being knocked on the head!
I am not having a go at the health officials, at all. Hospitals are at their limits, testing sites are overwhelmed, no one's had leave, they are exhausted and dealing with political decisions over Christmas and New Years. And they have worked so so so so hard for the past 2 years. But that is silly.
But according to emails and press conferences, we are doing really well.
Argh, that makes me so mad just reading about it! Unbelievable.. Can your premier decide things like that all on his own?Also, very sorry to read about your stepfather. Must have been very stressful for your mom too.
Oh, Rusalka, I really hope your stepfather is well. If there is something that became clear with the pandemic is that the people who make the decisions don't like to listen to experts and end doing what they want. In two years we have seen so many bad decisions. So many.
Is omicron predominant there or are you still dealing with Delta?
Hope your step father got the treatment he needed Rus. I think most health services are in similar state. Ireland has decided on a Catch-22 solution: you can't that a PCR test unless you show a positive antigen test. There are no Antigen tests to be had 😵
They've told us not to be going to new years parties while newspapers ran with photos of state officials were pictured having a Champaign party during the strict lookdown last year. And social distancing was NOT observed.
The message is "stay home and die quietly". I plan to watch TV in my PJ's, consume too much wine and probably fall asleep before 2022 😉
BTW we're at 400 new case a day per 100K populations and obviously that's the tip of the iceburg. Cases are much less severe than with delta though.
..and Quebec is back on kinda lockdown. Restaurants are take out only. No inside gatherings allowed. And we have a curfew at 22h.
Oh, Esther, not again. I'm sorry...
I hope your stepfather is doing okay, Rusalka. How worrisome to just drop him at the door and leave him to his own devises like that.
Margo wrote: "Oh no, not curfew!"At least it is at 22h, not a 20h like last year. That one killed me.
Rusalka wrote: ".."I had the same experience at the beginning of covid when my mother fell. I spend a few hours outside, sitting on the grass knitting and reading until they call me to pick her up at the door. Not so much fun. At least, in my case, she did not look concussed, so I was not too freaked out.
She was lucky to end up with only a broken finger.
Thanks guys, sorry for the rant. Just so frustrated.Most important thing, stepfather is okay. Mum picked him up after 7 hours. He had some scans that showed his head and his eye were okay, but he has a blowout fracture to his eye socket. They need to go to a specialist next friday to see if he needs surgery or not after the swelling goes down (50-50). Luckily he wasn't wearing his glasses or sunglasses though, as otherwise there would have been glass to the eye/face to deal with.
Margo, mainly Omicron. There is some Delta floating around still, but the really contagious Omicron is the one that has just gone crazy. Yes it's less severe apparently, but most of the Aus population is hitting the needing booster stage, like I said kids aren't vaccinated, and I am still unsure about long covid from this one. Lexx is boostered as of a fortnight a go, but my parents and his are not for example. We had Christmas last week with two over 75s with lung issues who aren't boostered as another.
Peggy, the Premier can make health decisions for their State. It's a state responsibility and is paid for by the state - health, schools, roads, etc. Australian Federation is a day long lecture and doesn't really make sense. Quarantine for example is a federal responsibility in the constitution, but the current gov has pushed that to the states for the past 2 years as it's too hard. Federal gov departments approve the vaccines for use in Aus, but the State govs roll out the administration of the vaccine. Like I say, complicated.
The problem is, that the virus doesn't respect state or territory boundaries. So old mate in Sydney saying let it rip, has meant the virus has spread everywhere in Aus whether those of us in other jurisdictions had restrictions in place or not. And we won't even get the satisfaction of trying to vote him out!
I'm so sorry to hear about the curfew, Esther!
you have lateral flow shortage too then Margo? it's totally crazy!
Sorry to hear about your step father Rusalka, I hope all is well now
Rant incoming...So. Since I last posted about this:
* My stepfather is healing well. He is going back in a month to see if he needs surgery.
* Our government's and a state government's policy of "let it rip" means that we have the highest infection rate per capita IN THE WORLD.
* Our governments of all flavours were not prepared for this, and ordered no rapid tests. They are impossible to get in the country and have been since Christmas. We have 16 companies who we have approved to make them for Aus, 2 of them are Australian. A whole heap of companies who make them in Australia sell them to international markets as the Gov has been very slow on approvals for these tests since they were approved for use in Nov. 2021. I know.
* Because of this, the strain on our PCR testing sites is immense. In my city today, 3 testing sites out of 6 closed as there are no more supplies to test people.
* If you have managed be allowed to get in line for a PCR test, and sit there for hours and hours in summer, and get tested, sometimes your test sample takes so long to get tested they just throw it out as it is no longer viable for testing. Which is understandable scientifically, but shithouse for a society and mental health.
* Health care workers are beyond breaking point. Hospitals are nearly overwhelmed.
* Vaccinations for children under 12 only opened up on Monday. So many doctors have had to cancel appointments as their supplies haven't showed. Even if they do, they are only allowed 100 vaccines for kids per week no matter what staff or resources they have... WTF?
* Because so many people are sick, and because so many people need to get tested and cannot, the supply chain of food has broken down. The past week in supermarkets in Australia have had little to no fruit, vegetables, and meat. KFC has had to stop producing certain products as there is no chicken. I went to the supermarket the other day in the middle of the capital city of the country, and there were a couple of expensive cuts of beef, and the rest of the aisles were completely bare.
* It's not dire yet, as the plant substitute parts of the supermarket are still full. You know we are on the brink of starvation when people panic buy tofu. (I don't mind plant substitutes).
* As there are no abattoir workers, truck drivers, health care workers, supermarket stackers, waiters, etc that are around as they all have covid, we have changed the rules so people who are essential can work and not isolate, and infect more of us. Yay!
* I got a call this arvo from my little bro who sounded sick as a dog, and he is waiting for his PCR test results. He worked with a positive case on site 3 days ago, and sounds so so so fluey. I know he has it but we are waiting for confirmation. He has no sick leave left as he spent 3 weeks quarantining from exposure during the Delta outbreak which used up all his leave. The benefit is then he wasn't vaccinated then, and now he is (although like me waiting on the booster) and Omicron is not as deadly as Delta.
I am just so so so so angry at the complete cluster this is. So many Australians have been locked in their houses for literal months to stop this happening over the past 2 years. Melbourne nearly had a year in lockdown, but we got it. Sacrifice for the greater good, we need to stop this happening. It's an insult, and more of an insult to those health care staff who have advised us on this for 2 years.
It was for the good of the economy, however we have all put ourselves back into a non-enforced lockdown as the government won't help us, and the economy is as low as it was in the middle of the two full on country wide lockdowns. No one is going out or doing anything.
But totally worth it. To quote the PM: "How good is Australia?"
You forgot to mention Djokovic!Just kidding. Really sorry it's such a mess where you are. I find it stressful just reading your post, so actually living it is awful. Big hug!
We have a press conference this evening. We were in lockdown for the last 5 weeks or so. Some restrictions will be lifted. It's very clear that everyone's very tired of all of this. It's time to look forward on how to live with this virus without sudden lockdowns and other restrictions imposed on us all the time.
It seems that higher education will open up again next week, so no more teaching online. Yay, but also no yay, because omikron has reached a peak among students so I also feel a bit uncomfortable going back into a classroom again. And apparently we're going to have to wear masks all the time (before it was only when moving around in hallways etc., not when you were seated).
So frustrating and disheartening, Rusalka!How can people deny the impact of covid when systems are breaking down like this all over the world? What do they think is causing this world wide breakdown? I had quite the talk with my housekeeper earlier this week. She was grumbling that if they had stopped the lockdowns, we'd be over this. For one thing, we've never been in a complete lockdown here. She told me she had had covid.
Me: When did you have Covid?
Her: About a year ago?
Me: You come into my home every two weeks knowing my health history and you didn't tell me?
Her: Well, you weren't home and I didn't come. Besides, I don't really know if I had it because I didn't get tested.
Seriously? You have your own business which involves you going into other people's homes and you are not responsible enough to your clients to get tested if you're sick?
Peggy wrote: "You forgot to mention Djokovic!"Oh don't even get me started on that knob!
Peggy wrote: "...We have a press conference this evening. We were in lockdown for the last 5 weeks or so. Some restrictions will be lifted. It's very clear that everyone's very tired of all of this. It's time to look forward on how to live with this virus without sudden lockdowns and other restrictions imposed on us all the time..."I completely understand, Peggy. Lockdowns are not sustainable forever. Both socially, economically, and for mental health. They are brilliant circuit breakers though when needed.
Where we were at was 90% vaccination rates (in my city 99%, highest in the world) and the govs relaxed too quickly and with reckless abandon. I would recommend to your family and friends a softly softly approach, and use us as an example of what not to do.
Janice wrote: "Seriously? You have your own business which involves you going into other people's homes and you are not responsible enough to your clients to get tested if you're sick?"Nope, no time for that. Of course people are going to catch it and that isn't their fault as disease has no fault (unless you are unvaxxed but that's not what we are talking about), but you are totally obliged as a human being to tell people you have it or have had it in the period you interacted.
And I know you know, but of course you wouldn't be over it. You'd just know a lot more dead people. That is such a silly way of thinking!
Rusalka, This sucks. Australia was doing so well...
I hear you about the test situation. We were the same, Little PCR testing as the were prioritized health workers and all quick test were BO everywhere.
Some of our restrictions will go off n Monday. School will open again and the curfew will be over. But our vaccine passport will be required in more places.
Rusalka you said it all.I'm breaking my absence from the discussions to reply to you Rusalka and add my own thoughts. Couldn't help myself!
Have we not learnt anything from the last two years? Our government has lost the plot. People are so wishing this was all over, they are trying to ignore it and think it will just go away. Yes it probably will eventually but how many lives will be lost? It is difficult to have conversations with friends and family with opposing views, because it is such an emotive issue. The Queensland government ruled that essential workers must be double vaxed to work, and many of my friends are teachers. Their opinions range from vehemently opposed to being told what to do, (I actually see their point - on the form they fill in, it states that they are doing it voluntarily, so like Djoker they are telling lies) to aggressively positive, totally perplexed about why someone would not be vaxed, government rule or not. My younger brother is unvaxed - he won't be told what to do.
And now the Qld government has declared the first 2 weeks of school as an extension of the holidays - no home schooling! We will now need to occupy Harrison for an extra 2 weeks. That weighs heavily on me as a 70-year-old looking after a 14-year-old.
We are triple-vaxed and Harrison is DD, but restricting our movements but that means we are home a lot, and I am trying to stay up-beat. Difficult with a teenager who wants to watch movies and do gaming online with his friends. At least he's socialising in a way. Also difficult with a husband who is depressed and tired all the time (from his heart op and his medications). These are the things I am doing:
*Have a morning routine - get up and look out the window and be grateful for whatever.
*Eat healthy food - not always successful, but easier now that Christmas is over. Let's not to talk about the wine though.
*Swim most days - I am grateful that I have a backyard pool. I use a contraption that allows me to swim continuously - like a bungee cord.
*Since late last year I've taken up a bit of gardening. My friend says you can't kill succulents, and geraniums thrive on neglect. I'm probably about to prove her wrong.
*Keep up contact with friends
*Getting stuck into my new project of writing a small book about the literary history of Toowoomba and the Darling Downs for local distribution.
*Read books, and do the YLTO challenges. I'm not sure if the mods realize how important it is to those who participate, especially for mental health. So to all the mods - a big thank you.
Enough, or you'll be saying you wish I hadn't come back after my absence from the discussions.
Rusalka wrote: "Janice wrote: "Seriously? You have your own business which involves you going into other people's homes and you are not responsible enough to your clients to get tested if you're sick?"Nope, no t..."
Except she's not vaccinated.
We would never wish you weren't chatting, Shirley. I'm glad to hear from you. I understand that the covid stuff is a bit much (as you and I have highlighted!) but do come and say hello in the watchya doing thread still :) I hadn't thought about the QLD delays to school from a teenager perspective. A lot of my family and friends have kids in primary school, so it seems like a good idea in order to make sure they get at least one dose before going back. But for vaxed teenagers that does seem redundant. I guess the argument is it would be too confusing for families to have children on different schedules, but they do any way.
If Harrison is gaming online with friends, then that's great and he's completely socialising. I have some life long friends I met through online gaming, and got to know real life ones so much better from solving puzzles/problems with them in game (including family). Online gaming kept us going, and some of our really socially isolated friends too, throughout the 2020 lockdown.
I'm sorry your husband still isn't feeling great after his op. Another compounding stress that neither of you need at the moment. Great to hear that you are focusing on a routine and particularly things that make you focus on the positive. I believe in your gardening ability!! And understand about not talking about the wine consumption. The book sounds really interesting too. And I am glad that the activities we do here help as well, nothing like a group sanctioned distraction from the real world ;)
Brother got his test results this morning. He's positive. I mentioned that he should book in for his booster as soon as he gets better as he will be finally eligible for it at the beginning of Feb, and his response was "Hell yes, I am never catching this thing again!"
Janice wrote: "Except she's not vaccinated..."Oh, well. Yeah, that's not on particularly if your job is going into other people's houses. So many levels of not on.
Rusalka wrote: "We would never wish you weren't chatting, Shirley. I'm glad to hear from you. I understand that the covid stuff is a bit much (as you and I have highlighted!) but do come and say hello in the watch..."Thank you for your thoughtful response, Rusalka. Totally appreciated.
Rusalka wrote: "Rant incoming...So. Since I last posted about this:
* My stepfather is healing well. He is going back in a month to see if he needs surgery.
* Our government's and a state government's policy..."
That's all aweeful Rus. I hope your brother doesn't get too sick with it. It's all very stressful for you *hugs* Please keep us updated on the situation and rant away - it does help.
There're lots of gaps on our shelves at the moment too ( =less than in Aus by the sounds of it). About 25% of our population is self isolating right now so nothing is running smoothly but at least we don't have dick head tennis prima-donnas to contend with.
Janice wrote: "I had quite the talk with my housekeeper earlier this week.
."
Janice, that woman is so selfish *grrrr*!
I did my first antigen test yesterday. I was luck to find a place that had them in stock - 3 for 10 euro. We have fog for the last week and it drives my allergies nuts, always has done, but I had a physio appointment and so I did a test just on the off chance that my sore throat had a more sinister cause. Pete asked me to wait til he'd done the shopping first! I kinda see his point as it seems that every second person here has it but there is no way I'm going to put someones health and business for our convenience.
Shirley wrote: " Since late last year I've taken up a bit of gardening. My friend says you can't kill succulents, and geraniums thrive on neglect. I'm probably about to prove her wrong.I."
I managed to will geraniams. The only things I can't kill are ivy and dandelions so if its a spot of colour and some evergreens you're after - just saying ;-)
Keep the pecker up *hugs*
It's crazy everywhere. We went to Minnesota for Christmas - all of us vaccinated and boosted, feeling well, had a great time. Flew home and got stuck in the airport delay mess. The day after I finally got home started feeling unwell. Henry searched everywhere in our town for a COVID test - none available. My brother found a few tests in his town 3 hours away, so Henry met him halfway where he picked up a test (like a drug deal). Test came back negative, then Henry started feeling sick. His test also came back negative. We still think we got it and stayed home.Henry went back to work this Monday and his office partner found out the next day that he was positive, so we are quarantined again. We decided that instead of "Dry January" we are doing "Quarantined January" lol I am reading a lot and planning my garden and focusing on self-care.
Wishing everyone a healthy and safe New Year.
Shirley wrote: "Thank you for your thoughtful response, Rusalka. Totally appreciated."Easy done!! Thanks for taking the time to tell us what is going on with you. And know the level of frustration and sometimes borderline despair is shared. Thank god it's an election year.
Margo wrote: "That's all aweeful Rus. I hope your brother doesn't get too sick with it. It's all very stressful for you *hugs* Please keep us updated on the situation and rant away - it does help...."I dropped around some shopping for him today. And his birthday present that finally appeared from the UK this morning after 8 weeks. I stood 5m away in the carport double masked as they unwrapped the present behind their screen door. He sounded a lot less stuffy today than yesterday on the phone but his cough is gross. I love my family and our love of data a lot, but he called Mum this morning to say he was positive and feeling better, and she said "well you shouldn't get short of breath with Omicron until tomorrow"... jesus.
Sister in law got tested today, and has a dry cough and a sore throat. She is an essential worker though, so could technically go to work whenever she is asked too /sigh.
I went to the local corner shop to get him his honey and cucumbers and avos and eucalyptus drops today. A bit more meat there, so seems to be a major supermarket thing. Which is great for us in the cities, but sucks for any regional towns or rural areas where you have literally one shop.
But even there they had limits of two packs of meat each. I was looking at the packs though, that was 4 drumsticks. A lot of people have pointed out these limits (if there is stock to buy!) do not accommodate for larger families. If you have 5 family members who need 2 sausages each (I know, this has turned into year 6 maths) and can only buy 2 packs of 4 sausages, you need to pay and then put the snags in your car, come back and buy the final pack. If no one else has bought all the sausages.
It is a bit insane. I am sorry it's like this in Ireland too. No one at all thought about supply chains!! I mean... Look, I'm not a politician, or even a policy maker any more... but ... How are they that fricking stupid??!?
Jayme wrote: "It's crazy everywhere. We went to Minnesota for Christmas - all of us vaccinated and boosted, feeling well, had a great time. Flew home and got stuck in the airport delay mess. The day after I fina..."I'm sorry to hear you guys got sick, Jayme, but very glad it's not *the* virus. Our old housemate from last year just had this, coming home from Christmas in QLD. Not covid, but apparently all the other bugs are loving the planes and airports, and so many travelers are now playing the "is it covid or normal sick" game.
We're talking about that, pseudo drug deals in the park, too in my family. Other brother (not the sick one has) 4 RAT tests. I managed to get an oximeter. There is a lot of talk about meeting outside double masked to pass precious cargo over between houses. And we aren't even locked down. I never ever thought I would experience this.
Hearing all these stories brings it home to me how universal this crisis is. We truly are all in this together. And to think that 2 years ago, we were thinking a few months of lockdown would be all that was needed.
Margo wrote: "Shirley wrote: " Since late last year I've taken up a bit of gardening. My friend says you can't kill succulents, and geraniums thrive on neglect. I'm probably about to prove her wrong.I."
I mana..."Thanks Margot. I’ve started a new morning routine of looking out the window and acknowledging something to be grateful for. This morning I felt grateful that most mornings start off with the kookaburras in the trees outside laughing.
Oh I love kookas! I am very jealous. We have the on the mountain next to us and every now and then you can hear a laugh waft down, but they never visit my garden.
Kookaburra sits in the old gum treeMerry merry king of the bushes, he
Laugh kookaburra, Laugh kookaburra,
Gay your life must be. ha ha ha...
Thanks for the earworm.
I remember hoping that the pandemic would be over before my cruise to Norway was scheduled. My sister is rebooked to go in April and she's even wondering if it will be cancelled too.
Well done Janice. Now you've passed it on to me.Stop it with the Norway. Covid stopped my trip there in 2021.
Rusalka wrote: "Oh I love kookas! I am very jealous. We have the on the mountain next to us and every now and then you can hear a laugh waft down, but they never visit my garden."We are lucky to have them nearby. We live in suburbia but there's a nature reserve nearby.
Janice wrote: "Kookaburra sits in the old gum treeMerry merry king of the bushes, he
Laugh kookaburra, Laugh kookaburra,
Gay your life must be. ha ha ha...
Thanks for the earworm.
I remember hoping that the pa..."
Damn you Janice, I really didn't need that in my head! 🤣
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
Catch-22 (other topics)The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories (other topics)
