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THE VIRUS 2020 - the good, the bad, and the ugly
- Thread starter kxk
- Start date
Late Oct, things are looking good for reopening. I booked a trip to go swimming with sharks for early Jan. Borders with SA would be open, they'd all be 90% double vaxed before I go. Sweet.
Then their vax rate starts slipping. They won't be 90% double vaxed. What does that mean for the borders?
Then Omicron.
I can't even remember what entry to SA was going to when I booked.
A test 72 hours before. Then a test on arrival. Then a test on day 6. Which meant I had to change my plans to account for the day 6 test by flying to the state earlier.
Fine. I like Adelaide, I can spend some days there. I've got friends there. I'll have a COVID test on day 6, take my flight to Port Lincoln in the afternoon. The testing centres blow out. So no guarantee I could get a day six test in the morning and make my flight. Shit. Do I change plans again to do the day six test a day earlier?
Throws my whole post-Christmas, new years plans out the window.
Then no day one or six tests are needed. Just a test 72 hours before. Which actually is a bit of a pickle with planning the timing of your flights. If I arrive midday. I need to get a test in the afternoon 3 days before, but can I get one? The next morning is removing the hours before arrival and test result times are blowing out.
Then it's a rapid antigen test. Ok, I have some of those.
Then it's no test needed. Ok, sweet.
Leaving in a few days... and the trip is cancelled because the boat had a covid case.
Then their vax rate starts slipping. They won't be 90% double vaxed. What does that mean for the borders?
Then Omicron.
I can't even remember what entry to SA was going to when I booked.
A test 72 hours before. Then a test on arrival. Then a test on day 6. Which meant I had to change my plans to account for the day 6 test by flying to the state earlier.
Fine. I like Adelaide, I can spend some days there. I've got friends there. I'll have a COVID test on day 6, take my flight to Port Lincoln in the afternoon. The testing centres blow out. So no guarantee I could get a day six test in the morning and make my flight. Shit. Do I change plans again to do the day six test a day earlier?
Throws my whole post-Christmas, new years plans out the window.
Then no day one or six tests are needed. Just a test 72 hours before. Which actually is a bit of a pickle with planning the timing of your flights. If I arrive midday. I need to get a test in the afternoon 3 days before, but can I get one? The next morning is removing the hours before arrival and test result times are blowing out.
Then it's a rapid antigen test. Ok, I have some of those.
Then it's no test needed. Ok, sweet.
Leaving in a few days... and the trip is cancelled because the boat had a covid case.
Expressive
#YourProblem
A strange mood in Australia. Many countries are used to this level of cases but this is something new for us. It's shocking. After spending most of winter in lockdown and many people getting vaccinated I thought we'd have a decent summer but things are now worse than ever. I don't think people were expecting this to happen.
Mooseface
Little known member
No. The summer surge is unexpected. Wasn‘t the case here (Germany) although that was pre-Omicron. Things didn‘t ever quite get back to normal here over summer but cases were decreasing not increasing.
Meglos
HAVE A NECTARINE, GONK
It was unexpected because people got complacent.
After a year in which it seemed COVID was finally under control, people then pushed it too far, preferring "FREEDOM!" for Christmas over any consideration for the short-term side effects.
The current numbers are not a freak accident, or bad luck, but a direct result of politicians dropping the ball, and a significant proportion of the public then kicking the ball off the field.
Things will improve over the next month or so, with numbers falling, but a lot of ground has been lost (for example here in SA we went most of last year with under ten new cases per week, and now we're over 3000 for the first time).
After a year in which it seemed COVID was finally under control, people then pushed it too far, preferring "FREEDOM!" for Christmas over any consideration for the short-term side effects.
The current numbers are not a freak accident, or bad luck, but a direct result of politicians dropping the ball, and a significant proportion of the public then kicking the ball off the field.
Things will improve over the next month or so, with numbers falling, but a lot of ground has been lost (for example here in SA we went most of last year with under ten new cases per week, and now we're over 3000 for the first time).
T.R.
Well-Known Member
I mean what did people actually expect would happen when international and state borders were reopened?
This is what so called “living with the virus” and “freedom” looks like.
I don't think so! PCR tests are returning one in three positive in NSW. And that's just the people who can get them. Real case numbers are likely much, much higher. I read that a third of all cases in Australia since this started, have happened in the last five days.
Look at Ireland yesterday, positive tests were at 57%.
How many people aren't even bothering to get tests? To be honest, I don't think I would go wait 6-8 hours for a PCR test. I'd just stay home if I tested positive on a RAT. Although I am lucky I can stay home.
Agreed. Even if you can't get a RAT, if you feel sick just stay home if you can.
Zcsund1234
Well-Known Member
This whole situation is fucked. I was with a group of friends who all tested positive on a RAT test, I tested negative. They all went together to get a PCR whilst I went by myself so I wouldn't get it from them. I can't drive so I went to a walk in site I normally always go to just for it to be closed. All the walk in sites in my area are shut and I can't ask someone to drive me as obviously I am a close contact and don't want to put anyone or myself at risk. There are no RAT tests available for me to do on day 6 of isolation and I can't get myself to a testing site without booking an appointment (which aren't even available for the next 10-14 days). I'm isolating at a family member's house who left for me to do so but they want to go home.
Yeah, that is fucked. There are so many god damn issues with everything.
What a colossal fuck up after two years of this shit. It is fucking insane what is going on. I drive, but I just looked up my area in Melbourne. No easily accessible walk-in testing sites. That's so fucked up and such a massive oversight.
I wonder if we're not far off being told to not bother getting PCR tests even if symptomatic.
All the best to you.
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oddjob
Well-Known Member
Very hard to get tested these days. Anytime you check, the website just shows all drive through sites are closed due to overcapacity. So you have to physically drive there and just hope you’ll catch them when they‘re letting a few more into the queue, even then you might be told you didn’t make the cut. After a few failed attempts, I turned up half hour before opening this morning and got a test after two hours. Easy to understand why asymptomatic people would just not bother.
kxk
SAPIOSEXUAL
It's not real, it's satire.Oh thank you @timmy that made my evening so much better
Is it real, not fake?
These 2 are so adorable and always hilarious together, I fucking love them to bits, will watch this a lot
I am afraid, and this is a tonic
Got booster
Now going to hide away
It’s going to get us all isn’t it
How about this from The Times (London):
Mooseface
Little known member
And its also easy to see why symptomatic people would not bother either. I know a couple of people who have come down with it over the last week or so. They were too sick to go and stand in a line for up to five hours to get tested. And they would have given it to everyone else around them if they had gone to stand in a queue for hours.
I just looked up my local ones. The closest is closed. No idea why. Melbourne Showgrounds is 15 mins at the moment 10:45 am for a PCR. Which is fine. Yet it is 90 mins to get a RAT from there. Another local one is 30mins.
EDIT: Since writing this and before posting I re-checked. The local 30 min testing place is now 60 mins. The RATs at the Showgrounds is now over capacity.
I know someone whose son had a mass spreading NYE party. While their son and his friends were waiting for their results. They got two PCR tests. One negative and then another positive. I don't even know if their son even has test results back.
How about the people constantly checking findarat.com.au and then rushing to stand in a non-socially distanced crowd to try and get a RAT test? People driving all over the cities to try and get one.
The big issue with the RAT supply is that you want a supply. The lack of availability means people want to be able to use them without instantly creating the need for more tests. Hence the hoarding.
If you only had two, and they are hard to come by. You would be really reluctant to use them if really didn't need to. Or weren't really sure you might have COVID.
So is living with Covid all that everyone hoped it would be? Do people feel free? Is the economy/jobs etc improving on the east coast as a result of these decisions? I know it has a negative impact to businesses in SA, with hospitality businesses in beachside communities closing due to being exposure sites, and staff shortages due to being sick, which is particularly difficult over the holidays when people flock to these areas.