Coronavirus - COVID-19

Hi JohnnieW, It seems that the term fully-vaccinated is different for each country, in our experience each only recognise their own vaccinations (except the UK which is now effectively 4 countries). Travelling internationally is still a challenge, if you can't fly direct you have to consider the rules of the intermediate countries, at one time passengers couldn't even transit through Singapore. For a short period we were considering flying home via the USA (flying round the world you get to live an extra day). We could walk out of LAX unmasked and free to do whatever we wanted, but at the same time flights from the UK were banned. Our problem was the only vaccine available to us at that time was Sinovac, not then recognised nor approved elsewhere, and we didn't want to sit in a sealed metal tube for 13 hours with a few hundred strangers without being jabbed. Purely by chance we were amongst the first to be given the limited doses of Astra and when the Emirates was relegated from the UK red list to orange our obvious itinerary Cebu-Dubai-Birmingham became possible. We were hoping the airlines would get together and implement an internationally recognised vaccine passport procedure, but I think they have other priorities, struggling to survive with most of their planes still in mothballs. I recommend book-marking the web pages of each country that show their travel restrictions and requirements and then check them at regular intervals. The UK Foreign Office offer a service where they email you with notification of any changes

We're flying from Washington to Munich next Sunday where we join another flight onwards. We've had our vaxxes and boosters but we have to have a nasal test, performed at a medical facility within 3 days of arriving in Germany. Our results will be sent to our phones. God help us if this doesn't work properly. Of course, the rules might have changed by Monday.

My vax was due 9 days ago but the soonest I could book is this Friday. I organised the appointment 16 days ago. Over the weekend they opened up booking for all who had the vax 5 months ago and today I got a letter to tell me to book an appointment. I'd probably not get an appointment now till mid December if I was just starting. I'm not saying the NHS is a bit of a mess but it pays to stay ahead of the system

Covid-19 booster and flu jab today

Wish you well. I had a few days of walls of tiredness hitting me, but I'm ok now.

I'm done! It was all slightly confusing because my surgery was vaccinating its own pre-booked patients at a small hall facing away from the carpark, while running another massive vaccination clinic at its own building for everybody else, with big signs saying 'vaccination centre'. One of the marshals at the big queue was sending away anyone who wasn't at 6 months, not even a day off. Eventually they mentioned the other clinic. According to the nurse who vaccinated me, the other clinic queue was already at 2 hours long. Whereas I got in for my jab at 10 mins early and was only 6th from the front. I wonder how many people were stuck in the wrong queue? Additional - we were talking about cream cake the other day - because I was a good girl at the clinic - I didn't cry, wet myself or demand a lolly pop - I thought I'd treat myself to an eclair, only now M&S do their Best Ever Eclair which has all the necessary cream and chocolate.

A flight over might be better for me, Helen, rather than 'hot coals'. However, my 3rd jab is due very soon so I won't book a flight just yet.

Hi all, I boarded my Stagecoach bus at Hen Lane, around 11am today, where I was greeted with a fully compliant bus load, including the driver. Once in Coventry, that soon changed, where about a third of passengers were compliant, as I travelled around, many staff & drivers none compliant, along with the other two thirds. No strict compliance in any of the three supermarkets that I poked my nose into. I'm sure the conduct of our MPs, as well as the PM himself, has made the subject a ridicule. What do you think?

I wouldn't expect anyone will enforce mask wearing until about a week after the announcement. After that, it will depend upon how much the police enforce it as to how successful it is. I don't blame businesses not wanting to get in the middle. It doesn't help that Boris et al have been cavalier about masks but scientists and medics shot the system in the foot, even before covid-19 emerged. They were adamant that masks don't work because the virus particles are smaller than the holes in any mask less effective than an N95 or FFP3. I argued with several such people back in 2007/8 pointing out the benefits of the infected wearing masks - using a purely engineering viewpoint and experience of a wayward nose. I was ignored. So there is a lot of old literature expounding on how useless masks would be. Those who don't want to wear them latched onto that and wouldn't let go, even though the science changed. The benefit of making masks mandatory is that those who want to wear them won't feel stupid and be persuaded not to use them. Countries with better social behaviour habits are better at mask wearing. We're not the worst but we're not the best either. Certain groups and cultures are more or less compliant. Inner cities have a higher percentage of the truculent eg students. That includes vaccines, social distancing, mask wearing and even hand washing.

Hi Helen, Whilst there was an element of sarcasm in my mask post, it's a pity that our society hasn't maintained some of the basic post war personal hygiene that was part of my growing up years. Regular hand washing, cleaning eating surfaces as well as using a handkerchief. Caught at school without a hanky was an automatic detention. That was infants as well as juniors. Face masks have limitations, ask any surgeon. Good dental hygiene along with a clean hanky is my recipe. I bought fibre snoods, which I find more comfortable to wear, behaving more like a cravat until I pull the books up to go around my ears. I've just ordered a triple weave version for the colder weather.

Yes Phil, I can still remember those immortal words "have you washed your hands?" before tea and "where's your hanky?" if you sniffed!

'Don't sniff, blow!' LOL Yes, I remember that one.

Well maderioes, If mask wearing on Tuesday was a joke, today it was a farce.

Anyone taken a test yet? SHMBO is suggesting we take one

Going shopping yesterday at Cannon Park shopping centre, there were very few people without a mask. Most were compliant. Last week it was the other way round. Funnily enough I had a test this morning