Meanwhile, the UK government is planning to lift all restrictions on July 19, even making mask-wearing optional, and telling all of us that we are going to have to "learn to live with" the virus. Hmmm. Let's hope this won't be followed by skyrocketing hospitalisation and death rates yet again and a whole new raft of restrictions... it needs our prayers, that's for sure.

As for my sister, she didn't get the "This Girl is On Pfizer" T-shirt after all, but a hoodie top that says "Pfizer Alumni". Not nearly as witty, but there you go...

*chuckles at your "oh yes you dooo!" story, @waggawerewolf27*  

I just arrived home from receiving my second dose, and was again impressed with the efficiency, care, organization of the clinic I went to in town. No side effects yet, but ... it has only been one hour. We shall see what tonight and tomorrow hold. This one was Pfizer, as was my first dose. I was quite expecting Moderna, because of what I have heard about the supply into Ontario, but nope. That's okay: whichever one suits me just fine. I am very grateful!  

A fun tidbit: today I got mine; tomorrow our oldest son receives his; on Wed, our daughter; on Thursday, my husband. My dad, other son, and our daughter-in-law have had theirs already.  

Ahhh, @courtenay, that sounds like it has the potential of being a challenge.  

Posted by: @courtenay

As for my sister, she didn't get the "This Girl is On Pfizer" T-shirt after all, but a hoodie top that says "Pfizer Alumni". Not nearly as witty, but there you go...

In NZ our new supply of Pfizer has arrived, and I'm in the section of the community who will shortly be invited to make an appointment for a vaccine. 

Been a long time coming, but with our country's isolation policy we have kept the cases way down.  I'm grateful. 

Posted by: @courtenay

Meanwhile, the UK government is planning to lift all restrictions on July 19, even making mask-wearing optional, and telling all of us that we are going to have to "learn to live with" the virus.

Well, our local government certainly hasn't said that, but it accurately describes how our lifestyles are now, and that's how the vast majority of people in my area prefer it. But here's the interesting thing. I'm watching cases spike in the UK again from delta, which is odd to me because we have the same variant here, but our cases are still just....steady. In my county we have very consistently had 15-40 new cases per day for a long time now.
I don't know what our vaccine rate is because the ones that are recorded publicly are the ones that were given via the county health department. Well, lots of people, myself included, didn't get a vaccine through the county. So I think maybe.... 45-50% have had at least one dose? But I suspect the REAL factor is that at least 11/100 people have had covid, and those are just the recorded cases. So I wonder if we actually have a bit of herd immunity going on right now that's keeping delta cases in check? Or maybe it's wishful thinking? 
Meanwhile our neighbor state Missouri is having issues.....  

It is nice to hear about "freedom day", but..... We are all in the heaviest lockdown so far. This time construction workers have been affected, as well, which is really bad, especially if  now we can't get tradies etc. Only essential workers allowed. But yesterday & the day before there has been a slight decrease in new cases. Perhaps, this new wave is already slowing slightly. I hope it vanishes soon.  

Ugh, really sorry to hear that, @waggawerewolf27. I hope the case decrease continues downward.

Here in Ontario, we are anywhere between low 100 and mid-high 100 new daily cases, with the majority of these being the Delta variant. Most of the people who are contracting the virus at this time have not been vaccinated. Those vaccinated can still get Covid-Delta, but not nearly so severely; and they can also transmit it to others, apparently, which is why we cannot 'let loose' once vaccinated.

Ontario entered Phase 3 of reopening on July 16, with further lifting of restrictions. We will be in this phase for at least three weeks, and the medical officers are expecting longer because of the Delta variant. School begins in just over five weeks (right after Labour Day, Sept. 6), and the medical leadership has said they can pretty much predict now that the cases will rise again this Autumn with in-class learning and more people returning to the workplace after summer. But vaccinations will make all the difference in hospitalizations and deaths.

As of now, "there are more than 7.9 million people [in Ontario] fully immunized with two doses which is 65.5 per cent of the adult (18+) population. First dose adult coverage stands at 80.4 per cent."

Masks and distancing are still in place, but we're far further ahead now than where we were back in late winter/early spring.  

Cute video about how vaccines work:

[EDIT: there's one naughty word in it; I must have been shown the redacted version.]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1408131617348980743

@johobbit:  I hope the case decrease continues downward.

Unfortunately no such luck. It is South West Sydney, the most highly populated part of Sydney, where we have the biggest families, the most recent arrivals & the place most likely to be multi-lingual.  Worst of all, it is where our youngest daughter lives & works. On a positive note, our youngest daughter, the one I most worry about, is definitely fully vaccinated now. I thought she had already received both doses but she got the second one today, phoning us triumphantly to let us know. I now only have to worry about the remaining four: Dad & myself on August 12, plus our two other daughters. I wasn't going to answer anything in this thread until I had something positive to say.  

Glad to hear your more vulnerable daughter is fully vaccinated, @waggawerewolf27. And, according to your date above, you, your hubby, and two more daughters are receiving your second dose today (yesterday, your time). How did that go? I had a bit more of a reaction to the second dose (Pfizer) than the first, although not terrible by any means. Just had to lay low for a day or so.  

Here in Canada, three weeks after I last posted, we are now entering the fourth wave of Covid, which is being called "The pandemic of the un-vaccinated". (<- This is not to dismiss the struggles of those people who legitimately cannot have the vaccine for medical reasons, in Canada a very small percentage of the population.) Cases are rising again across much of Canada. Québec is the first province to implement a vaccine passport as of Sept. 1, so we shall see how that goes. Ontario is undecided, and has leaned against this until now, but that may yet change. Cases are expected to rise even more as schools open right after Labour Day.

My entire family has been fully vaccinated for awhile now, but we are not doing the free-for-all, like some unwisely are, who are also fully vaccinated. Best to still remain vigilant! I am very grateful that each one of our nuclear family is being level-headed and wisely cautious in all this.

Also in Ontario.  Fully vaccinated as well...concerned about the numbers rising but hopeful that the vaccine coverage will prevent a repeat of the spring.  

Cool, @glenwit. I didn't realize you are from this beautiful province too.   And a huge ditto re the vaccination's good effects meaning no further resurgence next year.

Our sons and our daughter-in-law are heading out to British Columbia week tomorrow for a couple of weeks of hiking and kayaking, but "the bulk of new infections are in British Columbia, which reported more than 1,000 new infections between Sunday and Tuesday, followed by Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec" (from CTV News)." So, we shall see what transpires.

@ johobbit: Glad to hear your more vulnerable daughter is fully vaccinated,@waggawerewolf27. And, according to your date above, you, your hubby, and two more daughters are receiving your second dose today (yesterday, your time). How did that go? I had a bit more of a reaction to the second dose (Pfizer) than the first, although not terrible by any means. Just had to lay low for a day or so.

    Yes, husband & I were vaccinated yesterday, the 12th, right on schedule, & we were vaccinated (Astro Zeneca) within minutes of our arrival & completion of the forms, with no dramas, so far. The doctor said that the Astro Zeneca was easier the second time around. Eldest daughter, now that she is becoming more mobile, was vaccinated for the first time last week, near our hospital, where she had to go for physiotherapy for her leg, whilst the middle daughter is booked in, at the same time as Eldest daughter gets her second (Pfizer) jab, at the end of this month. The booking was the reason for the delays, more than anything. At first it was the oldies they did first, plus those with underlying conditions, like our youngest. There was a great deal of politics involved with the use of Astra Zeneca, when a few people died of blood clotting.  But now the Delta strain seems to be affecting younger people more so than earlier strains, & there was talk of getting all the Year 12 HSC students vaccinated first, before the exams start after the Labor Day October break. By that time we will all be well & truly vaccinated. Ready for the summer fire dramas it looks like we might have this year.  

Thank you for thinking of us.   Rachel has already ditched the crutches, and the moonboot as well. Even the walking frame we hired has been returned a week ago. I'm glad you have all your own family sorted out vaccination wise, and it looks like that idea of vaccination passports will be catching on here, as well.

  for your vaccines Wagga! And everybody else who has gotten theirs that wants it.

On my end, I think the last time I commented was I was surprised at how we seemed to be doing okay in spite of the delta variant being here where I lived. That's no longer the case. We quite quickly went from the best we've been since everything started even with everything being opened up again, to the second worst situation we've been in since the Nov/Dec of 2021 spike.  

I did hear one positive-ish theory, and that's because the Delta variant is so contagious, it will likely be a really fast burn. Makes sense to me and I hope it turns out to be the case. 

We have some good friends that came down with it this week. She got the vaccine, I don't know if he did or not, but their two kiddos are too young. So far he and one of the littles has it, and neither are very sick. Just the usual loss of taste and smell, cough, achiness, but nothing worth being super concerned over, at least so far. Hopefully it will stay that way. 

Hope your friends get well soon, Fantasia. Also well done to Wagga! Both my parents (also in Australia) have had their second jabs now too, as has my sister. I had mine some months ago, here in the UK. We've been quite fast in rolling out the vaccinations here and it seems to be paying off.

Unfortunately New Zealand's great run of 'no cases in the community' has finished, with a single case found in the community, and without knowing where he got it.  It is probably Delta variant, since any cases (all in the Isolation and Quarantine facilities) are now Delta.

The whole country will go into lockdown for 3 days, in approximately 5 hours from now. Auckland (his city) and Coromandel (an area where he visited over the weekend) will be in lockdown for 7 days. 
This is the strongest lockdown level, which we have not had since about April 2020.  

Suddenly everyone has to stay home, except for essential shopping etc.